August 5, 2022
2023 City of Long Beach Budget 

On Tuesday, August 2, 2022, the City of Long Beach unveiled its Proposed Fiscal Year 2023 (FY 23) Budget, with a special presentation on a five-year Measure A Infrastructure Investment Plan. The Proposed FY 23 Budget is $3.2 billion and continues prioritizing significant pandemic recovery support for residents and businesses; implements new forward-thinking initiatives that promote safety, health, and quality of life; and makes strong investments in the City’s infrastructure.

The new investments made in the Proposed FY 23 Budget take into consideration priorities from the Long Beach City Council as well as community feedback from residents received during the budget development process earlier this year. Areas of consideration are:
 
  •   Addressing Homelessness 
  •  Community Safety 
  •  Equity, Inclusion, Health and Quality of Life Support 
  •  Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability 
  •  Arts, Culture and Tourism 
  •  Infrastructure, Maintenance and Critical Needs Investments 
  • Recruitment, Retention and Strengthening Internal Administrative Services 
  • Unfunded Operational Needs and Major Liabilities Improvements
  • Measure A Infrastructure Investment Plan

In terms of Economic Development, the 2023 Proposed Budget outlines:

Business Attraction, Support and Economic Development 
Supporting Long Beach businesses and promoting economic development is a key part of the City’s strategy in growing its revenue base and continuing towards the vision of being a city of opportunity. The Budget proposes new investments to support the business community, including:
  • Adding an Analyst position to serve as a business liaison and support business outreach efforts.
  • Adding three Permit Technician positions to ensure full staffing at the Permit Center.
  • Adding two Planner positions to staff the public counter and zoning telephone line to support plan reviews and customer service.

The Long Beach Recovery Act
Heading into FY 23, the Long Beach Recovery Act (LB Recovery Act) now totals $271.3 million to support more than 80 programs through December 2024 in three main categories: Economic Recovery ($64.5 million), Healthy and Safe Community ($131.1 million) and Securing our City’s Future ($75.7 million). As of May 2022, $112 million has already been expended in support of these recovery efforts – utilizing $68.6 million for Healthy and Safe Community, $9.2 million for Economic Recovery, and $33.7 million towards Securing our City’s Future.

With updated projections and the proposed FY 23 budget items, the General Fund structural shortfall, excluding the impact of the Measure M litigation, remains at around $11.7 million, which is approximately the projected shortfall identified at the start of the budget development process. This structural shortfall, along with $4.9 million of proposed one-time uses, is proposed to be offset with one-time solutions including funds made available through the Long Beach Recovery Act, among others. The projected General Fund shortfall for FY 24 is currently estimated at $25.6 million, with $20.2 million of that made up of carry-over from FY 23.

Mayor’s Recommendations
In accordance with the City Charter, the City Manager provided the Mayor with his Proposed Budget in early July. The Mayor has reviewed and supports the Proposed FY 23 Budget and has made additional recommendations, including:
  • Additional annual funding through Measure B at Tier II for the Cambodian American Cultural Center and Latino Cultural Center—providing these Cultural Centers with annual funding at the same level as the African American Cultural Center—as well as for the South Coast Chorale LGBT chorus. Additionally, requesting to put a moratorium on adding additional programs funded through Measure B for the next three years, at which time a review can be done to measure the effectiveness of Measure B investments.
  • Formalize and expand the City’s program to waive or offset parking citations for people experiencing homelessness in order to help reduce barriers to housing and services.
  • $50,000 towards the Long Beach Heritage Museum for preservation initiatives.
  • $150,000 invested into the African American Cultural Center (AACC) for the purposes of establishing a museum and cultural exhibit highlighting the impact of Hip Hop in Long Beach and the United States; and an additional $250,000 for the restoration of the historic VIP Records sign, totaling in a $400,000 joint project between AACC and VIP Records.
  • $300,000 over two years to fund the Long Beach Economic Partnership for business attraction and citywide marketing activities.
  • $100,000 towards developing an LGBTQ+ cultural center and museum.
  • $300,000 towards pre-K tuition assistance, technology and administration by partnering with the Long Beach Early Childhood Education partnership.
  • $125,000 in structural funding for a full-time education officer position created to be responsible for supporting the Long Beach College Promise and other education initiatives undertaken by the City.
These items will be funded from the Long Beach Recovery Act Funds under Securing our City’s Future that is anticipated to be available at the end of FY 22 due to improved FY 22 projections. The structural addition ($125,000) can be covered with this one-time funding source for FY 23 but will need to be addressed with structural solutions in FY 24.

The City Council will hold the first of several budget hearings today, August 2, to begin the budget review process. The Budget Oversight Committee will also have their first of many meetings today to review the budget and provide recommendations to the full City Council. This Proposed Budget will go through review and ultimate approval by the City Council with any modifications as they deliberate and take additional input on the City’s spending plan for the next fiscal year.

Earlier this year, the City held three virtual community meetings to offer Long Beach residents an opportunity to provide feedback at an earlier phase of the FY 23 Budget development process. The City will host three additional virtual community meetings in August to educate community members of the Proposed FY 23 Budget and garner community feedback. City residents are invited to attend one of the three meetings listed below:
  • Thursday, August 11, 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.
  • Wednesday, August 17, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
  • Monday, August 22, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.

For more information and to register, visit longbeach.gov/fy23. Advanced registration is required in order to receive the link to the Zoom meeting. Interpretation services will be available. Those who require interpretation services may call 562.570.6465 at least 72 hours in advance of each meeting.
 
Community members also may provide input on the Proposed Budget by completing the Digital Budget Comment Card, available in English, Spanish, Khmer and Tagalog, at a Long Beach Public Library location with open computer labs.