Long Beach residents have spent weeks attending meetings, sending emails and signing petitions to share with city leaders their thoughts on what the priorities should be for the fiscal year 2027 budget.<\/p>\n
With Long Beach facing financial challenges in the upcoming fiscal year, city departments were asked to make reductions to ensure the government maintains its fiscal responsibility, which includes proposed programming and staffing reductions.<\/p>\n
The proposed $4 billion budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year is balanced, city officials said, though many proposed reductions sparked opposition from residents \u2013 especially regarding library and park services, as well as public safety.<\/p>\n
During recent City Council meetings, department heads have gone in depth about the impacts those reductions could potentially have on services and the community overall. In those same meetings, residents and community leaders have voiced their concerns.<\/p>\n
The City Council is set to adopt the 2027 budget during on Tuesday, Sept. 8, ahead of Long Beach\u2019s new fiscal year, which begins on Oct. 1.<\/p>\n
There were large turnouts for the two most recent City Council meetings, with the Parks, Recreation and Marine, and Library, Arts and Culture departments presenting on Aug. 25, and the Public Works Department and Capital Improvement Program Budget presenting on Tuesday, Sept. 1.<\/p>\n
The Parks, Recreation and Marine Department proposed $2.8 million in reductions and about 28.5 full-time equivalent employees, said PRM Director Stephen Scott. The proposed FY27 budget for the department is about $52 million, according to a financial summary.<\/p>\n
Proposed reductions would include park programs, youth programs, grounds maintenance service, facilities maintenance, and administrative reductions and consolidation, according to the Aug. 25 budget presentation.<\/p>\n
Some of those reductions include Lincoln Park programming being cut to three hours; a recreation assistant position being cut; the WRAP Program being transferred to the Long Beach Unified School District; the summer swim program at LBUSD sites being eliminated; and the afterschool program at Stearns Champions Park being nixed.<\/p>\n
Proposed reductions would include El Dorado Nature Center closing on Tuesdays; Homeland Cultural classes, which teach dance, music and art at McArthur Pa, going from being held weekly to twice a month; a management fee at both Ranchos Los Alamitos and Los Cerritos being reduced; Be SAFE \u2014 \u201cSummer Activities in a Friendly Environment\u201d \u2014 at 11 sites being reduced from three hours to two;\u00a0and the teen center at Cesar Chavez Park being eliminated.<\/p>\n
But the mayor\u2019s recommendations would restore all those cuts.<\/p>\n
Other significant reductions would include park weed abatement services losing $230,000; park grounds landscaping supplemental services declining by $50,000; and maintenance materials and supplies going down by $208,000.<\/p>\n
Despite those reductions and other challenges the department is facing \u2013 with rising costs and an inability to respond to unexpected expenses without impacts to core services among them \u2013 PRM will continue its commitment to providing the best service to the community in all areas and to developing strong relationships with residents, Scott said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we move forward, our work must remain rooted in providing results for our community; we are here because parks are important,\u201d Scott said. \u201cOur services shape identity, support families, connect neighbors, and create opportunities for play, socialization, personal enrichment and better health.\u201d<\/p>\n
During public comment on Aug. 25, representatives of Partners of Parks said they would help cover the deficit to fund the El Dorado Nature Center on Tuesdays and continue to provide support for parks across Long Beach.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe, as Partners of Parks, are a good source for all of you in each of your districts, and for Director Scott to help come to us when we need to raise money,\u201d Ryan Sanders, president of Partners of Parks, said to the council, \u201cand to be there as bodies at these parks when events happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Library, Arts and Culture Department, meanwhile, garnered a lot of support from the public as soon as Richardson and City Manager Tom Modica announced the proposed budget, with residents and community groups opposing the proposed five-day service at six of its library branches.<\/p>\n
Bay Shore, Burnett, El Dorado, Harte, Michelle Obama and Dana branch libraries are currently open six days a week \u2013 but would be closed on Mondays with the proposed reductions.<\/p>\n
The Library Department would face $1.47 million in reductions, and staff cuts would eliminate four vacant positions and 10 staff members, said department Director Cathy De Leon. The proposed FY27 budget for the department is about $22 million, according to the financial summary.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe challenged ourselves to focus on core services, meaning literacy; books; access to relevant, timely, accurate information; community programs; and safe and inclusive spaces,\u201d De Leon said during the Aug. 25 presentation. \u201cThat is what it means to be a public library.\u201d<\/p>\n
Besides reverting to five-day service, other proposed reductions include eliminating structural overtime; and lowering maintenance costs by eliminated the general maintenance assistant truck; and reducing power washing at Billie Jean King Main Library, landscaping at Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library and other locations, security at six-day locations, and library materials.<\/p>\n
The department\u2019s continued goal is to be an active partner in lifelong learning, continually striving to better position the public library system as a public education institution within the Long Beach community, according to the budget presentation. The proposed budget reinforced the department\u2019s commitment to being a responsible fiscal partner while preserving as many library services as possible and maintaining community access at all branches.<\/p>\n
Residents, employees and representatives from the Friends of the Long Beach Public Library and Long Beach Public Library Foundation, however, publicly backed the department \u2014 to ensure that services are not reduced.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is time for this mayor, City Council and city manager to start walking the talk regarding funding for the library,\u201d said Barbara Sosa, president of the Friends of the Long Beach Public Library. \u201cYou all say you are supporters, and yet the budget you want to adopt is disgraceful. For a department that has seen double-digit increases in service levels and accessibility, the library is being asked to make permanent reductions to its budget.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Long Beach Public Library Foundation petition got more than 6,200 signatures and raised nearly $10,000 in donations, said Kristen Hernandez, director of communications and public affairs for the foundation.<\/p>\n
Many residents expressed their disappointment with the lack of support for the Library Department.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs the vibe of \u2018Vibe City\u2019 illiteracy?\u201d Sage McGee, a Long Beach resident, said during public comment, referring to one of the city\u2019s self-given nicknames. \u201cWhere are the bright ideas? Where are the proposals, Mr. Mayor? Where are the ideas, council? Where is your fight? I have not heard any revenue-raising ideas out of any of you in the face of these devastating public job losses and library cuts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other community priorities this budget season, meanwhile, have included stopping the elimination of Engine 14, which is being spearheaded by Third District Councilmember Kristina Duggan, which could potentially increase response times<\/a>. Community organizations and residents are also asking for $3 million for the Long Beach Justice Fund<\/a> to continue supporting individuals and families impacted by the ongoing federal immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n As the City Council and Budget Oversight Committee finalize the FY27 budget, the mayor suggested additional recommendations to address some of the community\u2019s concerns. In a letter to the BOC, Richardson recommended identifying about $1.27 million in annual structural funding to restore Monday service hours; working in partnership with the Long Beach Public Library Foundation to secure a three-year commitment supporting continued Creativity Lab programming and services; and identifying around $1.22 million in annual structural funding to restore four additional Quality of Life officers to support community safety and homelessness response efforts.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an evolving process from the initial budget that the city manager prepares with input from the directors,\u201d Richardson said in a Friday, Sept. 4, interview, \u201cthrough the mayor\u2019s recommendations, and then the community really begins to pay attention and engage with the City Council\u2019s process.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the community speaks up, we pay attention, we listen and it helps to provide direction on where to put the effort,\u201d Richardson added. \u201cNow, this is a very challenging budget environment.\u201d<\/p>\n The mayor pointed to national economic trends and federal funding cuts that have also put a strain on the city\u2019s finances. But hearing from the community about citywide strategic priorities becomes a focus to then be \u201ccreative and innovative\u201d about how the city can continue to provide those city services, Richardson said.<\/p>\n Additional restorations for this year\u2019s budget should be supported by structural, sustainable and equitable funding sources, Richardson added, \u201cso that the city does not undermine the progress it has make toward long-term fiscal stability.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile these challenges are serious, we\u2019ve navigated greater challenges before,\u201d Richardson said, \u201cand I\u2019m confident that our city will make it through this challenge and position our city to be stronger and more resilient moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Long Beach residents have spent weeks attending meetings, sending emails and signing petitions to share with city leaders…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":453894,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[7,1071,23,131,133,132,137],"class_list":["post-453893","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-california","tag-local-government","tag-local-news","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news","tag-los-angeles-county"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453893","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=453893"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453893\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/453894"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=453893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=453893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=453893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}