LONG BEACH, Calif. — Long Beach is facing a $58 million budget gap, and on July 30 city officials released a budget proposal in an attempt to close that gap.
If that budget is approved, 263 city employees could be laid off and 220 unfilled positions would be eliminated.
Libraries would be one of the main organizations to see cuts.
According to the proposed budget, if passed, it would cut three vacant and 11 filled positions and decrease library hours from six to five days a week at five branches.
Those locations that would see hours cut would include Bay Shore, Burnett, El Dorado, Harte and Obama.
IAM Local 1930 is the union that represents the Long Beach employees who could be impacted by potential cuts.
Sashi Muralidharan, representative for IAM Local 1930, said they will fight to keep every job that impacts their members and community.
“We work with the city to find alternatives to layoffs, and we mobilize the members, and we try to mobilize the residents,” Muralidharan said.
In a statement sent to Spectrum News, the city said in part, “This challenging but essential action preserves library access across the city for the remaining five days, Tuesday through Saturday.”
Director of the Department of Library, Arts and Culture Cathy De Leon sent a statement that said in part:
“We are confident that together we can find a balanced path forward that reflects Long Beach’s continued investment in education, opportunity, and community well-being.”
Long Beach Public Library Foundation, a nonprofit that supports public libraries, also started a petition saying the proposed 2027 city budget threatens to cut roughly 6% of the library department’s funding and asking residents to contact their city council members.
The City Council is set to meet again on Aug. 25 to decide whether to approve the proposed budget.