Follow the vote after polls close<\/p>\n
Our limited-run newsletter Make It Make Sense unpacks the ballot count and results, then checks in regularly on officials voted into office and the measures voters pass.<\/p>\n
In this year\u2019s race, incumbent Rex Richardson is seeking reelection against five challengers.<\/p>\n
What does the mayor of Long Beach do?The mayor makes budget recommendations and introduces legislation \u2014 those are then voted on by City Council members.The mayor does not cast a vote but presides over City Council meetings, giving them the ability to steer the discussion.The mayor can veto ordinances the City Council passes. The veto can be overridden by a two-thirds majority of the nine-member council.The mayor is the public face of the city. You will see them at just about every event, ribbon-cutting, ground-breaking or meeting where Long Beach plays a role.The mayor is a key advocate for Long Beach, making the city\u2019s case to the federal, state and county governments. In this way, they can influence legislation and help secure grant money for city projects.The mayor also nominates residents to serve on the city\u2019s many commissions, which advise and make recommendations to the City Council.<\/p>\n
You might know the mayor from<\/p>\n
Even though the mayor does not directly make many of the day-to-day decisions in the city, Long Beach\u2019s most recent two mayors (incumbent Richardson and Robert Garcia, who is now in Congress) have leaned into the public visibility of the job, increasingly using their bully pulpit to drive public opinion and shape perceptions of Long Beach.<\/p>\n
A few examples of past mayoral actions making headlines:<\/p>\n
Here are some things the mayor doesn\u2019t do<\/p>\n
The mayor does not hire, fire or direct city staffers except in their own office, which includes several deputy mayors currently dedicated to priorities such as building more housing or drawing new businesses to Long Beach.<\/p>\n
The mayor doesn\u2019t run the city on a day-to-day basis. That\u2019s the city manager who is responsible for overseeing city operations. The mayor and city manager work closely together, but the mayor cannot unilaterally direct the city manager on what to do.<\/p>\n
The mayor does not control Long Beach\u2019s schools, port or bus system.<\/p>\n
Fast facts about the mayor of Long Beach<\/p>\n
Long Beach relies on a council-manager form of government, meaning the mayor and City Council form the city\u2019s legislature. Together, they appoint the city clerk and the city manager, who is the top executive.<\/p>\n
Unlike the City Council, being mayor is a full-time job. The position pays about $157,000 a year. Each term lasts four years.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a tough race for outsiders. The city has not elected a mayor who hasn\u2019t first sat on the City Council since Beverly O\u2019Neil\u2019s inaugural win in 1994.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s on the agenda for next term<\/p>\n
Long Beach\u2019s looming budget deficit<\/a>, projected at over $60 million next year, will be a major topic for the mayor and City Council, who will have to decide on potential cuts.<\/p>\n Homelessness continues to be a major issue<\/a>, and the mayor has often been the face of Long Beach\u2019s response to the problem. Whether the city\u2019s approach is working or whether it needs new ideas will undoubtedly be a topic of contention.<\/p>\n Olympic preparation, with the mayor being the city\u2019s biggest booster, will also be a major factor<\/a>.<\/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.<\/p>\n The candidates for mayor of Long Beach<\/p>\n About LAist’s voter guides<\/p>\n When information is missing<\/p>\n 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 Rex Richardson, incumbent<\/p>\n Rex Richardson<\/p>\n (<\/p>\n Courtesy Rex Richardson<\/p>\n )<\/p>\n Rex Richardson says he came to California on a Greyhound bus. His father was in the Air Force and his mother was a welder at General Motors. According to his website<\/a>, Richardson was the first in his family to attend college, and after graduating, he worked as a community organizer with SEIU Local 721.<\/p>\n He\u2019d go on to become chief of staff for a City Council member. Then he was elected to a City Council seat himself. In 2022, Richardson became the first African American to hold the office in the city’s history.<\/p>\n In his own words<\/p>\n Richardson touts on his website some landmark goals during his current term in office. This includes launching the Grow Long Beach<\/a> initiative, which aims to expand local industry such as aerospace and aviation to build on the city\u2019s nickname as \u201cSpace Beach.\u201d Richardson says he wants to foster economic development that will move the city away from its oil reliance. Richardson says Grow Long Beach has brought more than 4,100 high-paying jobs into the city, including major employers like Blue Shield of California and Ford Motor Company.<\/p>\n Richardson says during his term he\u2019s also earmarked $5 million to help protect undocumented families who may be targets of federal immigration enforcement. The funding is for direct financial assistance, know-your-rights training and legal services to assist in eviction defense. The mayor says he also built the city\u2019s first municipal homeless shelter, saw homelessness decline for the first time in 10 years and created Long Beach\u2019s \u201cfirst homelessness prevention strategy,\u201d which provides financial assistance to vulnerable populations, in order to prevent them from losing their homes in the first place.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a tent city downtown when we walked into the office,\u201d Richardson said at his<\/a> State of the City address. \u201cThe tents are gone. You don\u2019t see visible tents anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n Richardson says if reelected, he will continue to prepare Long Beach to host the 2028 Olympic games. He\u2019s directing $1.1 billion to the Elevate \u201828<\/a> initiative, which includes a major upgrade to the convention center, restoration of wetlands and \u201cthe largest pavement-improvement effort in city history.\u201d He says his priorities also include environmental progress, such as cutting port emissions, expanding the \u201curban canopy\u201d and prepping for sea level rise.<\/p>\n More voter resources:<\/p>\n Go deeper:\u00a0<\/p>\n Oscar Cancio, school relations manager<\/p>\n Oscar Cancio<\/p>\n Oscar Cancio was born and raised in L.A.\u2019s Koreatown. He moved to Long Beach in 2014. He has spent his career working in school admissions and management, where he has \u201chelped educational institutions strengthen operations, improve access for students and manage complex budgets and organizational priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n In his own words<\/p>\n Cancio has identified<\/a> his top three priorities as public safety, the city\u2019s budget deficit and addressing traffic accidents. He says that if elected, he will work to improve road safety through \u201cpractical, cost-effective solutions,\u201d including roundabouts, improved lighting and stronger police enforcement against driving under the influence. Cancio says he also supports an emphasis on community policing \u2014 requiring more police officers to walk or ride bicycles on their beats. He says this street-level engagement will help reestablish trust between residents and law enforcement and encourage the community to report crimes and cooperate in potential investigations.<\/p>\n Cancio says by 2027, the city could be facing a $60 million to $80 million deficit. But before turning to higher taxes, he says there needs to be a thorough accounting of how money is currently being spent: Long Beach residents are already subject to a 10.5% sales tax, says Cancio, which is one of the highest in the region.<\/p>\n More voter resources:<\/p>\n Lee Goldin, senior product manager<\/p>\n Lee Goldin<\/p>\n Before settling in Long Beach, Lee Goldin worked for a solar energy company in San Francisco and a nonprofit in New York, according to his website.<\/p>\n As a kid, Goldin says he spent summers in Long Beach with his grandparents. Now he lives in the city full time with his wife and two kids. He works in the tech sector for apparel brand<\/a> Fashion Nova and hosts a podcast called \u201cLiberal Guilt Radio.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n In his own words<\/p>\n Goldin says immigration enforcement actions by the Trump administration need to be met with resistance, and anything else is complicity. He says the Long Beach Police Department should arrest ICE agents as \u201cdomestic terrorists,\u201d and any \u201cnon-local businesses\u201d that provide goods or services to these agents should be hit with penalties and fines.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen ICE and the National Guard came into town, I walked right up to the front lines and personally told them to high-tail it out of California while our current mayor did nothing,\u201d Goldin says. \u201cLike many others, I was tear-gassed, struck with batons and shot with less-lethal rounds while our city displayed ICE recruitment ads on public buses.\u201d<\/p>\n Goldin says that after dark, no residents feel safe in Long Beach \u2014 unless they live in a wealthy neighborhood. But the current emphasis on police officer recruitment isn\u2019t the answer, according to Goldin. He says those prospective salaries should instead go toward alternative service providers. Goldin says if Long Beach wants to see better public safety outcomes, the city needs to direct this funding toward mental health, housing subsidies, addiction treatment and other larger social issues.<\/p>\n More voter resources:<\/p>\n Terri Rivers, chief nonprofit executive<\/p>\n Terri Rivers<\/p>\n Terri Rivers was raised in Long Beach, received a degree in early childhood education and at the age of 26 started her own childcare business. As part of Child Care Providers United, Rivers says she lobbied with her peers to form a union, and in 2019, the group joined SEIU Local 99 \u2014 opening the door to healthcare, pay raises and other benefits. Rivers says she\u2019s also developed a nonprofit that provides \u201cdevelopment tools, training, classes and other resources\u201d to childcare providers and families and launched the Schools of Childcare app<\/a> to streamline everyday business operations.<\/p>\n In her own words<\/p>\n According to Rivers\u2019 website<\/a>, violence prevention and community policing would be two of her central approaches to building safer neighborhoods. She says she would use cadets ages 18 to 24 as a supplemental presence on the streets and focus on proactive crime reduction measures such as partnering with local groups to create \u201crobust neighborhood watches.\u201d<\/p>\n Rivers says homelessness would be another priority \u2014 but that it\u2019s not a \u201cone-size-fits-all\u201d<\/a> problem. Instead, Rivers says she would address the issue by first separating individuals into categories such as families with children, youth and veterans. Then, with the help of local communities, neighborhood-based initiatives and stronger partnerships with faith groups and local businesses, the city can move forward with \u201cscalable\u201d housing solutions and comprehensive wraparound services.<\/p>\n In an email, Rivers said she would also assess public works projects needed to improve community safety such as \u201cspeed bumps and other traffic-calming and safety measures to prevent reckless driving.\u201d<\/p>\n More voter resources:<\/p>\n Go deeper:\u00a0<\/p>\n Joshua Rodriguez, police officer\/father<\/p>\n Joshua Rodriguez<\/p>\n (<\/p>\n Courtesy Joshua Rodriguez<\/p>\n )<\/p>\n Joshua Rodriguez is a first-generation American whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from El Salvador. After graduating high school, Rodriguez served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining the California National Guard and eventually becoming a police officer in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n He is currently featured<\/a> for his mayoral candidacy on Make California Gold Again<\/a>, a website, \u201cdesigned for the Californian, the patriot, who wants to take a stand for God & freedom and connect with others who believe the same!\u201d<\/p>\n Rodriguez has been outspoken about his support of President Donald Trump and his disapproval of COVID vaccine mandates<\/a>.<\/p>\n In his own words<\/p>\n Rodriguez says on his website<\/a> that he has \u201cseen firsthand what \u2018soft on crime\u2019 does to a community,\u201d and that\u2019s why, if elected, he will prioritize public safety through adding streetlights, increasing police patrols and working to reduce recidivism rates among released offenders. He says he\u2019ll also be tougher on traffic crimes to help lower fatalities and install solar lighting citywide.<\/p>\n Overall, Rodriguez says he plans to also adopt a \u201czero tolerance\u201d policy for homeless individuals who refuse shelter and services but continue to engage in criminal behavior. To further bolster Long Beach\u2019s homeless response, Rodriguez says he would also declare a state of emergency, requesting aid from the county, state and federal government to assist in creating emergency housing for the unhoused population.<\/p>\n In a 2022 interview with Long Beach grassroots publication ForThe,<\/a> Rodriguez says he does not believe housing is a human right and does not think the city should open a safe-consumption site for narcotics, but he does support the opening of cannabis-consumption lounges, as long as they\u2019re held to bar-like rules and standards.<\/p>\n More voter resources:<\/p>\n Go deeper:\u00a0<\/p>\n Chris Sweeney, business owner<\/p>\n Christopher Sweeney<\/p>\n (<\/p>\n Courtesy Christopher Sweeney<\/p>\n )<\/p>\n Chris Sweeney has lived in Long Beach for nearly 20 years. He was a Division I athlete in college, and in 2015, he started health-focused meal prep service and local restaurant RightMealz<\/a>. Sweeney says they partner with local sports brands to put on community wellness events and that during the recent wildfires, RightMealz turned into a donation center and delivered 6,000 sandwiches to first responders.<\/p>\n In his own words<\/p>\n If elected, Sweeney will enact the \u201cFirst 120 Days\u201d<\/a> plan he\u2019s outlined on his website. It includes ordering a comprehensive audit of city spending and operations, developing a digital platform called \u201cOne Long Beach,\u201d where residents can access city services online, and putting together a task force to ensure the city is making the most of the economic opportunity presented by the Olympics.<\/p>\n Sweeney said that when Long Beach neighborhoods are run down, vandalized and neglected, it affects not just the everyday life of residents but also the area\u2019s potential to grow. If elected, he says he will improve response times for services such as graffiti removal, promote better upkeep of parks and public spaces, bolster neighborhood maintenance plans and prioritize pothole and sidewalk repairs.<\/p>\n More voter resources:<\/p>\n Go deeper:\u00a0<\/p>\n Campaign finance<\/p>\n No outside spending as of last reporting date<\/p>\n Independent or outside committees can raise and spend without limits \u2014 but they’re barred from coordinating with a candidate. A chart will appear above when any outside committees have spent money to support or oppose a candidate in this race. Updated every Tuesday and Thursday.<\/p>\n How to get involved<\/p>\n Keeping tabs on the city of Long Beach<\/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 here<\/a>, as well as on the city\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a>. You can find the meeting agendas here<\/a>.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 more information<\/a> on how to do that.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.If you want to contact the mayor or your City Council member directly, you can find their contact information here<\/a>.<\/p>\n ![\"a](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778195889_760_.jpeg\")
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