{"id":296607,"date":"2026-05-02T13:37:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T13:37:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/296607\/"},"modified":"2026-05-02T13:37:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T13:37:16","slug":"city-council-district-9-long-beach-post-news-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/296607\/","title":{"rendered":"City Council District 9 \u2022 Long Beach Post News"},"content":{"rendered":"

This guide was produced in partnership between the\u00a0LAist<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Long Beach Post<\/a>\u00a0newsrooms. See all our guides at LBPost.com\/elections<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s at stake in this race<\/p>\n

The City Council is Long Beach\u2019s main legislative body. Its nine members are among the most powerful people in the city, deciding how best to spend more than $3 billion each year on key services such as public health, streets and public infrastructure, law enforcement and the Fire Department.<\/p>\n

City Council members have the power to change existing laws in the city and oversee the effectiveness of departments and specific programs. Through zoning and regulations, they directly influence housing and commercial development.<\/p>\n

Individual council members also act as advocates for the geographic area of the city they represent and have small individual budgets to support local festivals and nonprofits. Individual council offices are often residents\u2019 first and best point of contact when there\u2019s a neighborhood problem that requires the city\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n

What do Long Beach City Council members do?<\/p>\n

Influence and vote on the city budget that funds city departments, major Public Works projects and more.<\/p>\n

Pass or repeal local laws, called ordinances, that can then be signed or vetoed by the mayor.<\/p>\n

Pass or adjust city fees and fines.<\/p>\n

Hire and fire the city\u2019s top executive, the city manager.<\/p>\n

Set the city\u2019s agenda and priorities through directions to the city manager.<\/p>\n

You might know them from<\/p>\n

City Council members\u2019 decisions have a direct impact on residents\u2019 lives. In their most recent term, they have:<\/p>\n

Here are some things they don\u2019t do<\/p>\n

City Council members don\u2019t control the Long Beach Unified School District or directly influence the city\u2019s independent municipal agencies, including the airport, port, utilities department or Long Beach Transit, which operates the local buses. Council members also have limited power on their own, needing a majority City Council vote to pass ordinances, approve budgets and set policy.<\/p>\n

Outside their own small offices, council members cannot hire or fire staff other than the city manager and police oversight director, or direct individual staff members what to do.<\/p>\n

Council members are elected to four-year terms and are limited to three terms. It\u2019s a part-time position, and they are paid a little more than $50,000 a year.<\/p>\n

The City Council cannot override state or federal law. Ordinances passed must not conflict with California or U.S. law, regardless of local preference. And the city charter \u2014 essentially our local constitution \u2014 cannot be amended without voter approval.<\/p>\n

Fast facts about City Council District 9<\/p>\n

District 9 covers most of North Long Beach, which has historically seen underinvestment from the city. Much like District 7 in West Long Beach, the council member who wins here will be expected to be a champion for her district, where people often feel unseen by those in power.<\/p>\n

Mayor Rex Richardson was the District 9 council member before being elected to citywide office.<\/p>\n

If she wins, incumbent Joni Ricks-Oddie can run again for reelection in 2030 and potentially hold the seat until 2034.\u00a0<\/p>\n

District 9 was the most populated in the 2010 Census, but District 7 took that title with the 2020 Census. District 9 grew by 800 residents in those 10 years, while District 7 added 2,834 people.<\/p>\n

This district is one of two in the city in which the voting-age population is more than 40% Latino.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s on the agenda for next term<\/p>\n

Long Beach\u2019s budget deficit<\/a>, projected at over $60 million next year, will be a major topic for all council members, who will have to decide on potential cuts.<\/p>\n

Persistent quality-of-life and safety issues have been a topic in the 9th District, including persistent complaints about human trafficking or prostitution<\/a>, and street takeovers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Homelessness continues to be a major issue, with questions about whether the tens of millions of dollars Long Beach has invested are being spent effectively.<\/p>\n

Olympic preparation, including several events in Long Beach, will also undoubtedly be on the agenda.<\/p>\n

What it takes to win<\/p>\n

Any candidate who earns more than 50% of the vote in the June 2 Primary wins outright. If not, the top two vote-getters advance to a general election Nov. 3. Because there are only two candidates in this race, it will be decided in June.<\/p>\n

The candidates for Long Beach City Council District 9<\/p>\n

When information is missing: Some candidates did not reply to our requests for images. Some did not have a campaign website and\/or list of endorsements available online at the time of publication. We will update this guide as more candidate information becomes available.<\/p>\n

Joni Ricks-Oddie, incumbent<\/p>\n

Joni Ricks-Oddie earned her Ph.D. in epidemiology from UCLA, then moved to Long Beach, where she became a civic leader through her work with the North Long Beach Neighborhood Alliance, the Citizens Police Complaint Commission and as the chair of the Long Beach Planning Commission. She currently serves as a City Council member and as the director of the Center for Statistical Consulting at UC Irvine.<\/p>\n

Ricks-Oddie said the first time she ran for office, she was a bit of a \u201cunicorn\u201d because of her science background. But to her, it translates well.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very much a critical thinker. I\u2019m very much factually based,\u201d she said. \u201cI tend to be less of an emotional response person, and so I really try to sit with information.\u201d<\/p>\n

In her own words<\/p>\n

Ricks-Oddie is chair of the Budget Oversight Committee, where she said she\u2019s improved transparency around the city\u2019s spending. She said she\u2019s held budget hearings in the evenings so residents who worked during the day could participate. Ricks-Oddie said she also hosted a \u201cspeed-dating-style\u201d event where residents could discuss their concerns directly with city staff from a variety of departments, including Public Works and Health and Human Services.<\/p>\n

She said one of her central priorities has been and continues to be cracking down on prostitution and human trafficking on Long Beach Boulevard. Ricks-Oddie said she added the issues to Long Beach\u2019s upcoming legislative agenda and hosted an \u201cawareness walk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not an abstract issue,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s affecting our kids. It\u2019s affecting our families.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, the City Council approved a comprehensive public health and safety plan, championed by Ricks-Oddie. The R.E.A.C.T. Strategic Framework aims to address human trafficking through enhanced enforcement, survivor support, increased accountability for area motels and official partnerships with neighboring cities. Ricks-Oddie said her goal is to institutionalize this anti-trafficking work and hire a dedicated staff coordinator to oversee it.<\/p>\n

More voter resources:<\/p>\n

Website:\u00a0VoteDrJoni.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Endorsements:\u00a0Los Angeles County Democratic Party; Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson<\/p>\n

Full endorsements list\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sequoia Neff, small-business owner<\/p>\n

Sequoia Neff is a lifelong Long Beach resident, where she attended Poly High School and founded a youth track club and basketball league for underserved kids. She\u2019s spent the past 20 years working in real estate and currently owns a multi-state brokerage firm that handles residential and commercial properties.<\/p>\n

In her own words<\/p>\n

Neff said human trafficking is the major issue affecting residents\u2019 quality of life, physical safety and property values, as well as business growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want it to be addressed for the residents, but I also am on the victims\u2019 side of things,\u201d Neff said. \u201cA lot of these girls are manipulated; [predators] use different tactics to keep them in fear.\u201d<\/p>\n

Neff said she already works with nonprofits to help get trafficking victims off the street and into housing and jobs.<\/p>\n

If elected, Neff said she wants to impose higher penalties for \u201cJohns\u201d because the citations they receive now are comparable to a jaywalking ticket. She said she also wants to allocate more than patrol officers to the corridor and instead create a dedicated police unit.<\/p>\n

Neff said the city needs to start enforcing ordinances that already are on the books \u2014 such as nuisance-abatement laws for problematic motels. \u201cThey know it\u2019s there,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s been ignored, and they just let it go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Neff said another top priority is implementing individualized services for unhoused residents because people experiencing homelessness all have different needs. If the city is providing food and housing, it should also provide job training, mental health services and drug and alcohol addiction support.<\/p>\n

She said no matter what approach the city takes, it must be strategic and efficient with its spending \u2014 and avoid launching projects that can\u2019t be finished, such as the Tiny Homes campus that had to be\u00a0scrapped last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

More voter resources:<\/p>\n

Website:\u00a0SequoiaNeff.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Endorsements:\u00a0Rachel Glenn, Olympian; Lashinda Demus, Olympic gold medalist<\/p>\n

Go deeper:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Campaign finance<\/p>\n

\"visualization\"\/<\/p>\n

How to get involved<\/p>\n

How to attend a Long Beach City Council meeting<\/p>\n

If you want to contact your City Council member or other local elected officials directly, you can find their contact information\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Long Beach City Council meets most Tuesdays at 5 p.m. in the Civic Chambers at 411 W. Ocean Blvd. You can attend in person or watch online\u00a0here<\/a>, as well as on the city\u2019s\u00a0YouTube channel<\/a>. You can find the meeting agendas\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In order to give public comment, residents must sign up with the city clerk, located on the left side of the room in front of the council dais. If you can\u2019t attend the meeting, you can still leave a public comment online. Here\u2019s\u00a0more information<\/a>\u00a0on how to do that.<\/p>\n

The public comment period for non-agenda items typically happens toward the start of the meeting, but there\u2019s also an opportunity to give public comment for each item on the regular agenda. If there are too many speakers on non-agenda items, be prepared to wait until almost the end of the meeting, which can last hours.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This guide was produced in partnership between the\u00a0LAist\u00a0and\u00a0Long Beach Post\u00a0newsrooms. See all our guides at LBPost.com\/elections. What\u2019s at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":293919,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[131,133,132],"class_list":["post-296607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296607","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=296607"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296607\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/293919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=296607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=296607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=296607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}