A new fence surrounding an outdoor terrace at Long Beach’s Billie Jean King Main Library cost taxpayers nearly $790,000, according to the city. But public records obtained by NBC4 Investigates show the company hired to build the fence was paid significantly less.
The records show Quality Fence Co. was hired to furnish and install the fencing for an original price of $398,168. A subsequent change order added $20,395.20, bringing the documented fence construction work to $418,563.20.
That leaves a difference of $371,436.80 between the documented fence construction costs and the city’s publicly stated cost for the overall project.
So what accounts for the rest?
NBC4 Investigates has asked the city to provide records documenting those additional expenses.
City officials say the nearly $790,000 figure represents the “all-in” cost of the project — not simply the price of purchasing and installing the fence — and includes expenses such as design, planning, permitting and technology.
The city says additional records responsive to NBC4’s Public Records Act request are expected to be released by Oct. 30.
The questions come at a particularly sensitive time for Long Beach taxpayers. The city is working to close a nearly $60 million budget deficit, and the mayor and city manager have proposed reducing library service from seven days a week to five.
For residents fighting to preserve those services, the fence has become part of a larger debate over how the city chooses to spend limited public dollars.
“Please don’t cut our hours and don’t cut our employees,” Long Beach resident Emily Quest pleaded. “We are not asking for a lot.”
What did taxpayers get for $418,563?
The documents obtained by NBC4 Investigates provide considerably more detail about the construction portion of the project.
A proposal from Quality Fence describes black wire-mesh fencing, with sections reaching 8 feet high, along with multiple gates equipped with features including push bars and self-closing hydraulic hardware.
The proposal says fence and gate posts would be anchored to concrete and the mesh panels welded to the posts without brackets “for extra security.” The contractor also noted that prevailing wage rates were factored into its price.
The project called for approximately 261 feet of fencing and eight swing gates.
The original price: $398,168. Then came a change.
A May 5 change order shows the city requested that 80 feet of 6-foot-high fencing be removed and replaced with fencing 8 feet high.
Quality Fence priced that additional work at $20,395.20 — including $395.20 to remove the shorter section and $20,000 in labor and materials for the taller replacement. That brought the documented fence construction cost to $418,563.20.
Compared with the city’s approximately $790,000 total project figure, that leaves $371,436.80 in additional project costs.
NBC4 Investigates has not concluded that money is missing or improperly spent. Rather, the records released so far do not fully itemize those remaining costs, and NBC4 Investigates has asked the city for documentation showing how that portion of the overall project cost was spent.
City leaders defend the price
When the fence first opened in May, NBC4 Investigates asked Long Beach City Manager Tom Modica whether there could have been a less expensive way to build it.
“I don’t think so, no,” Modica responded. “We pay a lot of attention to that. We do this as cost effectively as possible.”
NBC4 Investigates also questioned Modica about what taxpayers were getting for the city’s overall project price.
“When we report out on those costs, it’s an all-in cost, not just the construction cost,” Modica said. “So it’s the design, the planning, the permitting, the technology, all those things get put into that cost.”
NBC4 Investigates also asked Mayor Rex Richardson about the cost when the fence opened.
“These are not normal fences you put up at your house,” Richardson said. “They have to be able to open up if there’s an emergency or a fire … We have to make sure that everything is safe and designed well.”
The library fence was not separately put out to bid
NBC4 Investigates’ review also found the Billie Jean King Main Library fence was not separately put out for competitive bids as a standalone project. Instead, city officials used Quality Fence Co., a company based in Paramount, California — not Long Beach — that was already working under a broader citywide fencing agreement.
That broader agreement traces back to a 2022 city solicitation for as-needed permanent and temporary fencing services.
City records show the bid was advertised in the Long Beach Press-Telegram, and 20 potential bidders specializing in fencing were notified. The city also says it conducted outreach to Long Beach businesses.
Ultimately, however, Quality Fence was the only company to submit a bid. The company was subsequently recommended for the citywide contract.
The distinction is important: the city originally conducted a competitive process for its broader fencing needs, but it did not conduct a new competition among contractors specifically for the $418,563 Billie Jean King library fence project.
Instead, officials assigned that work through the existing citywide fencing agreement.
That agreement was later extended. A December 2025 amendment extended the contract through December 2026 and added another $2 million to the citywide fencing agreement.
The money for terrace improvements goes back to 2024
The paper trail also shows the library terrace project did not begin with the fence construction contract.
In March 2024, the city sought a $723,000 appropriation for the “design and construction of terrace improvement at the Billie Jean King Main Library.”
The money was transferred from the General Fund Group to the Civic Center Fund Group in the Public Works Department.
That history provides important context for the city’s position that taxpayers were paying for a larger terrace-improvement project — not simply 261 feet of fencing.
But it also raises the question NBC4 Investigates is attempting to answer through its continuing records request: Exactly how much did the city spend on each component of the project?
The construction records released so far account for approximately $418,563. The city says the remaining project costs include design, planning, permitting, technology and other expenses.
NBC4 Investigates has requested records specifically documenting those costs.
The city of Long Beach revealed that the new fence around the library costs well over half a million dollars. This video was broadcast during the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 16, 2026.
Why Long Beach says the fence was necessary
The city says the project was intended to reclaim the library terrace as a safe, welcoming outdoor space for patrons and programming, including activities for children.
Before the fence was constructed, the city says it studied multiple options, offered outreach and services several times a week and provided dedicated housing vouchers through its Vagabond Encampment Resolution Project.
Despite those efforts, officials say the terrace continued to require frequent responses from outreach teams and Quality of Life officers because of ongoing safety and behavioral concerns.
According to the city, the library and surrounding area generated 592 calls for service and 99 arrests and citations between June 28, 2024, and Dec. 31, 2025.
The city says encampments around the terrace have since declined dramatically and that Quality of Life officers are now able to spend more time responding to other areas.
The fenced outdoor space has been reintroduced as the Children’s Terrace, which city officials say restores the area to its originally intended use.
City says the investment is paying off
Long Beach also provided NBC4 Investigates with new data that officials say demonstrates the project is working. From April through July 2026, compared with the same four-month period in 2025, the city says:
Library code-of-conduct incidents declined 46%, from 84 to 45.
The number of library patrons suspended declined 58%, from 67 to 28.
The city also says the fence is expected to save taxpayers money on maintenance.
Overall terrace maintenance costs are projected to fall approximately 43% in fiscal year 2027, according to the city — from $165,000 to $95,000.
That amounts to an estimated $70,000 in annual savings, which officials attribute in part to no longer needing to power wash the terrace as frequently.
Homeless advisory committee calls project a missed opportunity
But the city’s own Homeless Services Advisory Committee has sharply questioned whether the fence was the best use of nearly $800,000 in public money.
In a July 28 letter to Richardson and city council members, the committee described the project as an “anti-encampment fence” and argued that the spending “fails to center a commitment to providing shelter” at a time when thousands of people are experiencing homelessness in Long Beach.
The committee said there was no additional shelter available for people displaced from the encampment and argued that $800,000, if instead directed toward homeless services, “would shelter a minimum of 10 people for a year.”
Committee members also recommended that city officials consult the Homeless Services Bureau and the advisory committee before approving future fencing and displacement projects and identify specific goals for such projects before funding them.
The criticism comes as Long Beach’s latest Point-in-Time Count identified 3,729 people experiencing homelessness — 134 more than the previous year.
The city, however, says the overall number does not tell the entire story. Officials reported fewer people living unsheltered and more people staying in shelters.
Long Beach also pushed back on the suggestion that construction of the fence undermined the city’s homelessness response.
“The fencing project did not disrupt services or resources offered through the Homeless Services Bureau,” the city said in a statement provided to NBC4 Investigates.
The city says its coordinated shelter system grew by 164 beds during 2025, increasing access to shelter and interim housing.
What happens next
For now, the public records establish two figures describing different portions of the project:
City’s stated overall project cost: approximately $790,000
Documented Quality Fence construction work: $418,563.20
Difference: $371,436.80.
The city says that difference reflects expenses associated with the larger project, including design, planning, permitting and technology. NBC4 Investigates has asked for the records that itemize those costs.
The city says additional documents are expected to be released by Oct. 30 as it completes NBC4 Investigates’ Public Records Act request.
NBC4 Investigates will review those records when they are released and report exactly what they show.