Long Beach · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Long Beach public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
El Niño Emergency Preparedness
Long Beach is bracing for what could be a historically strong El Niño winter, with risks of flooding, downed trees and power lines citywide. The emergency declaration lets the city line up state resources, speed up contracts, and move staff quickly — and officials are asking residents to prepare their own homes now.
Federal H.R. 1 cuts to Medi-Cal and CalFresh
Starting September, people aged 19 to 64 receiving CalFresh or Medi-Cal must document 80 hours a month of work, volunteering or school or lose benefits. Commissioners urged nonprofits and seniors to prepare volunteer and employment opportunities now.
Emergency Declaration
Hurricane Marie already stripped more than half a mile of Peninsula beach and boardwalk, and a stronger-than-90-percent-chance El Niño winter is coming. The emergency declaration lets the city fast-track contracts and personnel and coordinate with the state. Residents are urged to get sandbags, five days of supplies, and sign up for Alert Long Beach now.
Safe Streets Long Beach / Vision Zero update
Long Beach's goal of zero traffic deaths by 2026 won't be met — 2025 saw an unprecedented spike in fatalities. The city is restructuring its Transportation Services Bureau, creating a Traffic Safety Division, hiring a traffic safety officer, launching speed safety cameras, and rewriting the plan for adoption in 2028.
Fire Station 14 Engine Elimination and Rotating Closures
Council District 3 is asking to restore Engine 14, warning response times in that area would grow by about a minute. With $3.8 million in structural funding hard to find this year, Duggan's office proposed a $1.6 million Measure B pilot of a fast-response vehicle as an interim step.
Community violence prevention funding
After losing a 15-year-old to gun violence, the council heard from youth and prevention workers urging sustained funding for programs like Safe Passages and Books and Buckets. The council ordered a 75-day feasibility study of the Community Safety Roadmap, timed to land before budget adoption.
Loss of federal CDC public health grants
The CDC terminated two grants totaling nearly $10 million — one supporting 13 staff positions including nurses and the health equity team, another funding the sexual health clinic serving 1,800 people a year. A court order buys 14 days while states litigate, but core public health services are at risk.
Federal immigration enforcement in Long Beach
Residents described ICE raids, masked agents, and fears in immigrant communities, while commissioners brainstormed policy options: judicial warrants for non-public city facilities, cutting contracts with ICE-cooperating vendors, expanded justice fund, and transparency dashboards. A new ad hoc will draft a formal letter for the March meeting.