Long Beach · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Long Beach public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
2027 Commission Workplan Priorities
Commissioners brainstormed what the Technology and Innovation Commission should tackle in 2027, with AI governance, cybersecurity, data sovereignty, vendor data requirements, and public GIS dashboards emerging as leading themes. A new ad hoc committee will turn these ideas into a formal workplan by December.
Strengthening Long Beach's just-cause eviction ordinance
Tenant advocates want the city to eliminate substantial remodel as an eviction ground, set a two-month non-payment threshold, raise relocation assistance to LA County levels, and cover all renters including those in single-family homes. The current ordinance meets only the state minimum and sunsets in 2030. The committee will develop recommendations for the full council.
Proposed FAIR Act ethics ordinance
Long Beach wants to consolidate all its ethics, lobbying, gift, and transparency rules into one ordinance. It would touch everyone from elected officials to city employees and consultants, and includes new requirements like monthly calendar disclosures for city leaders and expanded lobbyist registration. Council members flagged concerns about safety, burden, and enforcement before it moves forward.
BEAC Dissolution
The council adopted an ordinance dissolving the Board of Examiners, Appeals and Condemnation and moving its duties to the Planning Commission.
Objective Design Standards for ADUs on historic properties
New draft rules will spell out exactly how backyard ADUs must look in historic districts — covering height, placement, roof forms, and materials. Public comment is open through July 31, with a study session July 28.
Enhanced Density Bonus update
The city's local density bonus is barely used — only five projects in years — so staff proposed a simpler, more generous program with bonuses for parks-adjacent, senior, and community-benefit housing to help meet RHNA goals.
Zone In Bixby Knolls rezoning and housing capacity
The city is rezoning Bixby Knolls corridors to allow mixed-use housing and new main street districts, partly to meet state RHNA housing obligations and fair-housing requirements to add capacity in high-resource areas. Neighbors fiercely opposed one parcel — the former Boy Scouts lot at 401 East 37th Street — saying it would bring dense townhomes into an intact single-family block.
Battery energy storage systems citywide policy
The city's zoning code doesn't mention battery storage facilities, so the commission affirmed they'll be treated like electrical substations — requiring conditional use permits in most zones. Commissioners added requirements for project-specific risk analyses and early coordination with fire and other departments, especially for applicants using the state's opt-in program that bypasses local zoning.
Inclusionary housing in the coastal zone
The council accepted Coastal Commission-required changes to the inclusionary housing ordinance so affordable housing rules can finally take effect in the coastal zone — a process that takes another year or two of state review.
Just Cause ordinance reform — substantial remodel loophole
Dozens of tenants and organizers demanded a 150-day eviction moratorium and a ban on substantial-remodel evictions, citing families displaced during ICE enforcement. The council took no action but the mayor offered to meet with a small group of organizers.
Hoff's Hut full liquor license upgrade
A 70-year-old family restaurant on Bellflower Boulevard can now serve cocktails, matching its Torrance and Seal Beach locations. The area already has more on-sale liquor licenses than the state recommends, but this upgrade doesn't add a net new license.
Mobile food facility (food truck) regulations
New citywide rules would unify food trucks and ice cream trucks under one 'mobile food facility' definition, let them operate on private property where restaurants are allowed, and designate beach and park parking spots — with local health permits replacing the LA County loophole.
Lime Avenue split-zoning fix and housing potential
A vacant city-owned parcel in North Long Beach has been stuck with a split zoning designation; the recommended change to three-story mixed-use could unlock housing but raised neighbor concerns about height and parking.
Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations (MEHKO) program
Long Beach is one step from letting residents legally sell home-cooked meals. The fight was over whether landlords must be notified when a tenant gets a permit — the council removed that requirement, keeping only a self-attestation. Final reading comes at the next meeting.
Cannabis special events regulation
The council advanced rules letting cannabis event organizers host permitted events, capped at 12 per organizer per year. It passed 6-2 after residents raised safety, staffing, and transparency concerns.
Commission jurisdiction over federal actions affecting landmarks
The commission had asked whether it could recommend council action to use historic-landmark powers against federal overreach. Staff and the City Attorney's Office concluded the commission's jurisdiction under municipal code Chapter 2.63 doesn't allow it, and legal precedent bars local rules that discriminate against the federal government.
MEHKO home kitchen ordinances withdrawn
Two ordinances that would have let residents legally run small home-based food businesses (MEHKOs) were pulled from the agenda before a vote, so home cooks still can't legally sell meals under the new framework.
Ranked Choice Voting charter amendment
The commission endorsed a letter asking City Council to create a charter amendment committee to put ranked choice voting on the November 2026 ballot for municipal races, eliminating the city primary. Supporters cite higher turnout and more representative outcomes in cities like Minneapolis; a trigger clause would activate it only when LA County has the technology.
Just Cause Eviction Policy and Tenant Protections
At least 217 tenants have been displaced through substantial-remodel evictions since the policy passed. Committee members are exploring higher relocation assistance, rights of first return, and narrowing exemptions — but staff cautioned enforcement would require new staffing and funding.
2026 Historic Preservation Work Plan
Staff will update the citywide historic context statement (last done in 2009), review the Mills Act tax-abatement program, and study changes to the certificate of appropriateness process, including the 250-square-foot threshold for commission review and objective design standards for ADUs in historic districts. A draft context statement goes out for public review in spring 2026.
Downtown plan rezoning gap for Anaheim Street corridor parcels
The project site hasn't been rezoned to match its high-density general plan designation; it's using PD-30 standards by right under SB 330 until the downtown plan update rezoning happens later this year.