Last Tuesday, the City Council discussed the proposed budgets for Parks, Recreation and Marine and Library, Arts and Culture. During the hearing, there was passionate public comment in support of maintaining Monday hours at five neighborhood libraries, which are proposed to be eliminated for approximately $1.2 million in ongoing structural savings. The Council also discussed significant reductions to Parks, Recreation and Marine, including cuts to recreation programming and routine maintenance. Councilmember Duggan asked whether PRM could work with community members who want to help by providing right-of-entry permits and other support for volunteer activities such as pulling weeds and maintaining public spaces.

This week, the City Council will hear the budget presentation from Public Works and review the proposed Capital Improvement Plan. Public Works began the budget process with approximately $69 million in General Fund expenses. The department identified about $30.2 million as fixed expenses that could not be reduced, leaving $38.8 million from which to achieve its $4.8 million reduction target. At the same time, Public Works is facing higher costs for baseline services such as streetlights, tree trimming, graffiti removal and median maintenance.

On the positive side, traffic safety remains a priority. The department is creating a dedicated Traffic Safety Division with 15 positions and an annual operating budget of approximately $2 million. The division will oversee the automated speed enforcement program, which is expected to begin issuing warnings in October and citations in December. After program costs, approximately $2.5 million in annual citation revenue is projected to support traffic-calming improvements.

One significant proposed change is the elimination of 16.23 City crossing guard positions and a transition to contracted services. Public Works has said this would reduce the ongoing recruitment, scheduling and daily operational challenges that currently require significant staff resources.

The budget would also formally extend the street-tree trimming cycle from six years to eight years to reflect current service levels. The Mayor has proposed developing a program that would allow residents to use City-verified contractors to trim parkway trees and receive an equity-based rebate.

The budget also proposes replacing older parking meters and establishing new paid-parking zones, which are projected to generate approximately $3.5 million in future net General Fund revenue. Proposed District 3 locations include Ocean Boulevard from Termino Avenue to 54th Place and Marina Drive.

I encourage you to review the slide deck and proposed budget and watch Tuesday’s presentation.

This week, the City released information I requested about the impacts eliminating Engine 14 will have on the City's response times to emergencies. Click here to read the full memo.

Last Monday, the City released the results of its community budget survey. Libraries ranked as the top priority, while public safety issues, including emergency response and nuisance abatement, made up three of the community’s top five priorities.

That reflects what my office hears from residents every day. Since I took office, public safety, emergency response, and quality-of-life concerns have consistently been among the issues residents raise most often. These priorities will continue to guide my work and the decisions I make on the City Council.

Councilmember Duggan joined the Long Beach Fire Department to celebrate the graduation of local high school students from the Darren Rockett Youth Cadet Program. Through the program, students receive hands-on exposure to the fire service, including firefighting tools and equipment, live-fire training, basic fire ground operations, and opportunities to learn directly from Long Beach firefighters and Search and Rescue personnel.

For businesses that experienced interruptions due to the power outage, you can submit a claim to Southern California Edison. Learn more below.

Our office has heard concerns from residents walking along the Vista Del Golfo seawalls about movement in the seawall, gaps forming, and uplifting sidewalks. This is the location of an upcoming City project to replace the seawall tiebacks, which help hold the wall in place, and complete repairs to the seawall cap. Because the tiebacks extend into private property, the City is currently working with property owners to secure the necessary easements. The project is expected to go out to bid in September.

On Thursday, Councilmember Duggan hosted a District 3 Town Hall at the Recreation Park Community Center with representatives from Long Beach Utilities and Algalita.

Councilmember Duggan provided an update on the proposed FY27 Budget and how potential reductions could affect City services. Emily from Algalita presented on the Clean Bay Collective and efforts to improve local water quality, while Dana from Long Beach Utilities shared an update on the LBUD S-7 Sewer Lift Station Reconstruction Project.

Thank you to everyone who joined us, asked questions, and participated in the discussion.

Congratulations to Colossus Bread on the grand opening of its expanded Belmont Shore location! It is exciting to see a local business continue to grow and invest in the Second Street community.

Last year, the City adopted an ordinance regulating self-checkout stations at grocery stores with the goal of improving public safety and reducing retail theft. Councilmember Duggan raised concerns about the ordinance and ultimately voted against it.

Last week, the City released an update based on outreach to 13 impacted grocery stores and labor representatives. Ten of the 13 stores reported closing self-checkout lanes after the ordinance took effect. Stores also reported longer wait times, more congestion at staffed registers, and increased staffing demands.

Grocery stores raised several concerns about how the ordinance is working in practice, including confusion over the 15-item limit, how produce and other items are counted, restrictions involving locked merchandise, per-employee fines, and the private right of action that allows individuals or entities to bring civil claims alleging violations.

Labor representatives, however, reported positive impacts, including better staffing at self-checkout areas, improved employee oversight, safer working conditions, and more manageable workloads. 

The City has not yet completed an analysis of whether the ordinance has had a measurable impact on retail theft or public safety.

Colorado and Eliot Street paving is scheduled to occur in mid-September, however the streets are expected to re-open in phases. The paving of Colorado Street, including small portions of the Orlena and Eliot, will occur first for operational needs. Click below for the full update.

In August, the Public Policy Institute of California released a report examining the impacts of Proposition 47, which reclassified certain drug and property offenses from felonies to misdemeanors. The report found that while Proposition 47 reduced incarceration, it also likely contributed to increases in unsheltered homelessness and serious drug use, while reducing participation in drug treatment programs.

Researchers estimate that Proposition 47 contributed to roughly 7,000 additional people experiencing unsheltered homelessness, accounting for approximately 20 percent of the statewide increase between 2015 and 2019. The report also found increases of approximately 7 to 8 percent in serious drug use, as measured by overdose deaths, hospitalizations, and emergency department visits.

California also has lower drug treatment rates than the rest of the country. The study found that Proposition 47 contributed to an approximately 20 percent decline in drug treatment admissions, driven largely by a reduction in referrals from courts and the criminal justice system. In 2024, California voters passed Proposition 36, which rolled back portions of Proposition 47 and created a treatment-mandated felony option for certain repeat drug offenses. The report notes that Proposition 36 may provide a stronger pathway into treatment, but says it is still too early to determine its full impact.

Councilmember Duggan joined the Long Beach Scouting community to celebrate 60 years of sailing, boating, leadership, and waterfront education at the Long Beach Sea Base in Alamitos Bay. For six decades, the Sea Base has helped thousands of young people build skills, confidence, and a lifelong connection to the water.

Check out our traffic & parking advisory in CD3 neighborhoods. Residents should plan ahead as several upcoming events may impact parking availability and traffic flow in our neighborhoods.

We encourage residents to allow extra travel time, anticipate parking impacts, and use alternate routes when possible.