Fighting for the Future of Long Beach’s Coast

Greetings!

Long Beach is fighting for the future of our coast. Yesterday, we took steps to tackle two of our city’s biggest coastal challenges: trash in the Los Angeles River and the transition to a post-oil coastline.

At City Council, two items were unanimously approved to address the trash generated from upstream communities. I co-authored one item, while the other was led by Councilwoman Cindy Allen. Listen to the discussion from last night here.

This discussion is especially timely as the Regional Water Quality Control Board is currently updating its regulations for nonpoint source trash along the L.A. River. The comment period is open, we've asked the City to engage directly. The Water Board's draft staff report can be found here and you can submit comments before November by clicking here.

Yesterday, we also led a resident campaign at the State Lands Commission meeting, where the Commission was set to approve the Long Beach Unit’s annual report. That report showed our local oil operations generated $83 million more than estimated last year, bringing total revenue to $123 million. We believe this oil revenue should be invested locally to help fund our post-oil transition.

Although the meeting was canceled due to weather, the Commission held a town hall-style discussion instead, and Long Beach residents showed up. Thank you to everyone who called in or sent emails; your voices were heard and acknowledged during the meeting.

The Commission’s new Executive Director thanked us for calling attention to the issue. He said it was the most complicated topic under their jurisdiction and there is no easy fix, but he committed to having an open dialogue around what's possible. It’s a great first step in protecting our coastline and making sure Long Beach has the resources we need to invest in a post-oil future.

For a more detailed review of these discussions, please see below.

Tackling Trash in the Los Angeles River

For years, Long Beach has shouldered the burden of trash and debris carried downstream from the Los Angeles River. Between 2020 and 2024, Long Beach collected more than 25 million pounds of trash, costing the city over $12 million to remove. While our cleanup crews and partners continue to do incredible work, we need to fix the problem upstream.

City Departments kick off meeting with The Ocean Cleanup to discuss solutions for the Los Angeles River.

In 2023, I contacted The Ocean Cleanup, an international nonprofit developing technologies to remove plastic pollution from rivers and oceans, while Mayor Richardson dedicated funding in the Budget for the City to explore this project. My Office set up a virtual meeting with The Ocean Cleanup and our Storm Water team, Climate Action team, and Marine Bureau - the city teams shined. After this meeting, The Ocean Cleanup sent a representative to Long Beach for a field assessment.

City Departments and The Ocean Cleanup representatives conduct a field assessment along the Los Angeles River (left), and visit The Ocean Cleanup’s operations in Ballona Creek (right).

During their visit, they were impressed with current city and county operations, and recognized the leading work of our local nonprofits like Algalita and the Moore Institute. They also recognized the incredible size of the problem with more than 1,500 miles of urbanized watershed draining to Long Beach.

Regional partners convene as part of the San Gabriel River Working Group.

Following that collaboration, The Ocean Cleanup designated the Los Angeles River as one of its top 30 global priorities, bringing forward potential private investment dollars to support new trash capture projects. Our stormwater team is leading these efforts, while my office shifted focus on advancing the policy changes needed to hold upstream jurisdictions accountable.

Last night, the City Council approved an item I co-authored with Mayor Richardson, Vice Mayor Uranga, and Councilwoman Thrash-Ntuk directing city staff to engage in the State Water Board’s rulemaking process for the renewed Requirements for Trash from Nonpoint Sources. This advocacy will allow Long Beach to push for stronger regulations, measurable results, and shared responsibility across the watershed.

The regional water board released their proposed regulations for nonpoint source trash last week. The Water Board's draft staff report can be found here and you can help by submitting comments before November 6 here.

The Council also approved a companion item led by Councilwoman Cindy Allen, Mayor Richardson, Councilwoman Zendejas, and Councilwoman Kerr calling for deeper partnerships with Los Angeles County and other jurisdictions to expand funding, improve debris capture technology, and coordinate regional efforts.

Surfrider Foundation Long Beach Chapter volunteers organizes a beach cleanup (Left); Justin Rudd and Community Action Team, who lead monthly beach cleanups (Center); and the Algalita team supporting marine debris education (Right).

Keeping Long Beach Oil Revenue Local — Update

The fight to keep Long Beach oil revenue local and fund our city’s post-oil transition continued at the State Lands Commission meeting yesterday. The State Lands Commission is the state agency responsible for overseeing California’s public trust resources, including the Long Beach Tidelands oil operations.

Councilmember Duggan and residents advocate for Long Beach’s fair share of oil revenue during the State Lands Commission meeting.

For nearly 60 years, a 1964 surplus finding has allowed the State to divert a portion of Long Beach’s tidelands oil revenue away from local use. Under a subsequent 1991 agreement, the State now retains 42.5% of revenue as “surplus,” while the City receives only 8.5% to manage its coastal responsibilities. Since 2004, nearly $6 billion in oil revenue generated in Long Beach has gone to the State’s general fund rather than being reinvested to restore and protect our coastline.

These funds are important for maintaining the programs and services that keep our coast safe and accessible: supporting lifeguards, public safety in the Tidelands and Marinas, beach and marina maintenance, environmental restoration, and other coastal capital projects. Without these revenues, local taxpayers would increasingly bear the cost of maintaining the same waters where millions in oil revenue are produced and sent to the State each year.

As oil production declines under state phase-out policies, the City Auditor projects a $300 million loss in oil revenue over the next decade. Even if the State dedicated all of its share to decommissioning operations, there would still be a $466 million shortfall in its share of liabilities by 2035. Without reform, the State’s approach risks leaving local communities to manage long-term restoration without the resources needed to do so responsibly.

State Lands Commission report from October 14, highlighting $83 million in additional oil revenue generated last year.

At yesterday’s meeting, the State Lands Commission was scheduled to approve the Long Beach Unit’s Annual Report, which showed that local operations generated $83 million more than estimated last year for a total of $123 million in profit. Although the meeting was canceled due to weather, the Commission held a town hall-style discussion, and Long Beach residents showed up by calling in, submitting comments, and making sure Long Beach’s voice was heard.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to participate. Your engagement and thoughtful comments were recognized during the meeting and helped underscore why this issue matters: keeping Long Beach’s oil revenues local means sustaining the lifeguards, public safety teams, and coastal infrastructure that protect our beaches and neighborhoods.

Residents urged the commission to uphold their continuous duty of protecting the public trust, stated that their management of Long Beach oil revenue is contradicting their strategic plan and mission statement, and that it is a matter of fairness and environmental justice.

The Commission’s new Executive Director thanked us for calling attention to the issue. He said it was the most complicated topic under their jurisdiction and there is no easy fix, but he committed to having an open dialogue around what's possible. It’s a great first step in protecting our coastline and making sure Long Beach has the resources we need to invest in a post-oil future.

We will now be setting up some time with the State Lands staff leadership, as well as meeting with our local state delegation.

Coastal Bonus Section!

Groundbreaking for the Southern Los Cerritos Wetlands Restoration Program

Join us for the groundbreaking ceremony on October 24, at 10:00 am

The Southern Los Cerritos Wetlands Restoration Project will restore more than 100 acres of coastal wetlands just across the border in Seal Beach, bringing back critical habitat, improving tidal flow, and creating new opportunities for public access and education along our shoreline.

As chair of the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority, I invite you to join us for the groundbreaking ceremony on October 24, at 10:00 am as we officially begin construction on this transformative project. This milestone continues the momentum from earlier this year, when 154 acres at the Synergy site in Long Beach broke ground. Together, these two sites will bring over 250 acres of wetlands under construction, all set to open in 2027, which is the largest expansion of coastal wetlands in our city’s history.