City Manager Tom Modica, who was appointed to his new position on Tuesday, joined the Long Beach Post for a live chat Thursday to talk about the city’s response to COVID-19, and what short- and long-term impact the response to the health crisis may have on the city’s future.
Modica also praised the work that city staff have done over the last six weeks, particularly the health department and first responders on the front line.
“They’re doing hard work with smiles on their faces,” he said. “I’m so impressed with what they do.”
The city expects to take a $40 million hit due to lower tax revenue and expenses related to the health crisis. Modica said, in the short-term, department heads have been asked to evaluate every non-essential expenditure. “We’re putting all those aside, and we’re going to review every single one,” he said.
The city is also reviewing projects in the pipeline, notably the second phase of infrastructure improvements to the Long Beach Airport. A few weeks into the COVID-19 crisis, the city was set to sell bonds for the project, but pulled back on that.
“It was not a good time to take on that much debt,” Modica said. “No final decisions have been made, but we are looking at it very closely.”
Watch the full interview, moderated by Post Managing Editor Melissa Evans and Reporter Kelly Puente, here:
https://www.facebook.com/longbeachpost/videos/3158093677748159/