First, a correction: We made a mistake in last week’s newsletter when we reported that speed limits were being increased by an ordinance that prominently featured a section titled “speed limits increased.”
Like many things we untangle here, it’s actually more complicated.
It was an old ordinance that was being updated — so any increases listed were already in place. The new version actually removes streets from the “speed limits increased” section of the ordinance, meaning their speed limits will drop down to a default cap of 25 mph.
City news
Long Beach leaders are voicing their displeasure after a military exercise conducted in an abandoned hotel in East Long Beach was organized with few details made public and little local control over the planning.
The operation, which took place June 4 at the shuttered Golden Sails Hotel along E. Pacific Coast Highway near Loynes Drive, was one of several conducted in the state that week that federal officials later said were security preparations for the FIFA World Cup, which has games in L.A. this month.
Videos show troops hustling into the building, lighting up rooms with flashbangs and firing rifles with simulated rounds. Helicopters landed in the parking lot to load up troops before quickly taking off, the wind off their rotors whipping trees and sending debris tumbling into the street. A police vehicle could be seen nearby with its lights flashing.
In a June 11 letter to Lt. General Lawrence Ferguson of the Army Special Operations Command, Long Beach’s mayor and city manager said the operation caused “significant and unnecessary disruption to the City’s residents, businesses, and public safety operations.” The city, they wrote, “was given limited notice prior to the exercises and was prohibited from sharing relevant details as they arose to ensure the security of the operation,” leading surprised neighbors to flood police and City Hall with calls.
“The confusion, fear, and operational strain generated by the recent activities further erode the public’s trust and confidence in any local and federal cooperation,” the letter read.
It reiterates complaints from residents at the June 9 City Council meeting, where people said the noise jolted them awake in the middle of the night.
“It shot me out of bed. ‘What is going on here, why are we experiencing this?’” recalled Wynn Sulc, a resident at the senior living community across the parking lot, adding: “It can’t happen again, you’ve gotta find a way to make this stop.”
Moving forward, the city wants military departments to give earlier notice and foster better communication with local agencies and the public. “These impacts were avoidable with proper planning and notice and contributed to confusion and distress among community members,” the letter read.
City meetings
- Plans are advancing for a new city crime lab. The Long Beach City Council on Tuesday will be asked whether to approve a $14.8 million contract for the new lab at 125 Elm Ave., inside a building the city purchased in 2022. It will replace the current location, a leased warehouse at 1400 Canal Ave. in West Long Beach that LBPD has operated inside since 2001. The new facility would operate on the third floor of a building that already holds a senior center and the city’s new energy and environmental services office. It’s planned to include evidence processing areas and storage, laboratories and office space. If approved, renovations would start this fall and finish by spring 2028 under a $19.8 million budget.
- But the costs don’t stop there. The city says it’s been renting the crime lab’s current location on a month-to-month basis since their lease expired in April. Negotiations for a short-term extension have failed, while terms of the lease require the city to pay for substantial restoration work as part of moving out. Considering the joined costs, the city argues it’s cheaper to buy the building for $6.4 million, using “idle cash in the Capital Projects Fund Group” that must eventually be covered by selling the building or issuing debt. The City Council is expected this fall to consider at least $300 million in lease revenue bonds to support infrastructure projects over the next three years, including the new Belmont Plaza Pool and Fire Station 9.
- The city’s insurance bill is rising. According to Long Beach’s Human Resources Department, the city’s insurance premium for the 2026-2027 period will cost $18.4 million — a 16% increase from the prior year. This rise is tied to rising claim costs, including a “recent large claim settlement” as well as a “hard market” cycle in which carriers are raising rates and tightening coverage due to rising claim costs, police reform litigation and an erosion of protections for employers and governments from financial liability or lawsuits.
- The city will bring forward a $4 million construction contract for repairing cracks and water leaks on the Convention Center promenade and Shoreline Drive pedestrian bridge. Money will also go toward curb repairs for the sidewalk that bounds the Rainbow Lagoon.
- A city jobs update: As of May 1, the city had 5,806 budgeted positions, with 959 vacant jobs. Jobs represented by Service Employees International Union saw vacancies dropped from 35% to 3%, while the police union-represented job vacancies were cut in half — from 26% to 13%. International Association of Machinists, the city’s largest union with 2,520 positions, remains at an 18% vacancy rate with 461 openings.
- The city seaport posted strong numbers for May, reporting more than 842,000 containers moved through the complex — a 31.7% increase from the previous year. Imports rose by 40% while exports increased by 32.9%, putting it less than a percent ahead of last year’s annual record.
- The city’s utilities commission is being asked on Thursday to approve three projects at the LADWP Haynes power plant that will replace pipelines transporting water to and from the facility, as part of a state-mandated initiative by 2035.
- Considering home and office utilities are Long Beach’s second-largest source of emissions, the city will soon launch a free online portal for single-family homeowners to get personalized plans for making their homes more energy efficient. The portal has a customized dashboard with recommended changes like water heaters and solar panels, and will alert users of any available rebates from state or federal programs. It’s free to use for the first year. Seeing as the city is still fine-tuning the app, we’ll keep you posted when it’s released.
ICYMI — California and national news
- 12 times as many residents suddenly made requests for safer streets; Long Beach is hurrying to address them (Long Beach Post)
- New exhibit reveals the life of Beverly O’Neill, one of Long Beach’s pioneering women and most pivotal mayors (Long Beach Post)
- Los Angeles has one of the deadest downtowns in the world, according to a new survey (Los Angeles Times)