It\u2019s now nearly done. On Saturday, there\u2019s an unveiling ceremony planned where the mayor and others will celebrate the terrace as a new community space for book sales, crafts, games and kids programming like storytimes.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a way to \u201cmake our Downtown more welcoming for all,\u201d the area\u2019s council member, Mary Zendejas, said in a statement.<\/p>\n
But members of Long Beach\u2019s Homeless Services Advisory Committee on Monday said the fence sends the opposite message. They argued it\u2019s closing off a public space, cutting off access to one of the few shady spots downtown and doing nothing to actually address Long Beach\u2019s homelessness problem \u2014 all for a price tag of about $790,000<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt just makes no sense to spend that kind of money,\u201d committee member Patricia Scott said. \u201cFor what? What are they truly accomplishing for that money?\u201d<\/p>\n She and the two other volunteers on the committee expressed frustration at their meeting Monday. They said they weren\u2019t consulted on the fence and had no opportunity to object or suggest alternatives.<\/p>\n The fence does nothing to \u201caddress the human needs of our unsheltered neighbors,\u201d said Tamika Wagner-Osio, who attended the meeting and spoke during its public comment period. Wagner-Osio founded a nonprofit<\/a> that provides temporary, emergency housing and co-chairs the city\u2019s Continuum of Care,<\/a> a network of organizations that works to end homelessness.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t the first time Long Beach\u2019s main library has become a symbol of its difficulty in reducing homelessness. In 2022, as library staff struggled to manage disruptive patrons and people showing up with escalating mental health problems, the $48 million facility was temporarily closed<\/a>.<\/p>\n Since then, the number of people living on Long Beach\u2019s streets has continued to grow. In its last count, volunteers tallied 3,595 homeless people locally, a 6.5%increase and the city\u2019s highest total in more than a decade.<\/p>\n The library and its terrace still attract many people who have nowhere else to go.<\/p>\n Fencing it off \u201cis dumb,\u201d said Patrick, a 59-year-old man who said he\u2019s been homeless since his RV was towed in Carson City, Nevada, a few months ago. He declined to give his last name, fearing he could be targeted by police, who he says he\u2019s been harassed by in other cities.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not clear how city officials ultimately decided a fence was necessary.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/5-11-26-fence-8-005895-srrq6tqo-207135-R7s0yEVN-1024x618.jpg\")
<\/a>Workers finish up a fence around the Billie Jean King Library in Downtown Long Beach on Monday, May 11, 2026. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/5-11-26-fence-4-288207-zhixyagb-944893-ZiLhnPza-1024x610.jpg\")
<\/a>A worker stands behind a newly built fence around the Billie Jean King Library in downtown Long Beach on Monday, May 11, 2026. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/p>\n