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City News

After several years of choppy headwinds and uncertainty, Long Beach may very well have a sizable shipment of pork flying in direct from Washington, D.C. 

Reps. Nanette Barragán and Robert Garcia are proposing the city receive nearly $14 million in congressional spending in the 2027 federal budget. 

If approved, the federal government will foot the bill on upgrades to the Billie Jean King Tennis Center, pedestrian crossings at Atherton Street and Britton Drive, lampposts in Bluff Park, fitness equipment at Junipero Beach, and repairs to the Recreation Park bandshell, among other requests.

The amount, while nothing to sneer at, isn’t large enough to reshape the city or even meet its needs — we have an aging seawall that will cost $125 million to replace,  a $900 million bridge envisioned ahead of the 2028 Olympics and a $4.7 billion offshore wind farm with less than 1% of its budget so far secured. 

But these requests, which earned a spot in the budget proposal after being chosen from the city’s 21-item, $39.2 million wishlist, are a possible sign that Congress is growing a bit more amenable to opening its purse; in last year’s budget, the city received just over $6 million for eight projects. 

And in 2025, community project earmarks were removed entirely from the final government funding package by the House Republican majority.

Federal earmarks are the provisions in congressional legislation that direct specific funds or tax breaks to specific projects, generally at the request of a member of Congress to benefit their district. Despite their turbulent history, earmarks account for less than half of 1% of total federal spending.

Federal earmarks were banned in 2011 at the behest of House Republicans and then-President Obama in response to scandals surrounding how lawmakers were using them. Opponents to pet projects say the system rewards influence, nurtures corruption and sidesteps normal procedures. 

Democrats brought so-called pork barrel spending (renamed as “community project funding”) back in 2021 with reforms meant to prevent abuse, saying these earmarks provide the shortest and most direct route to paying for road, water and other urgent infrastructure needs in their district. 

Here’s a full list of this year’s federal spending earmarks:

North Long Beach Safe Passage & Human Trafficking Deterrence (submitted by Rep. Nanette Barragán) — $772,700

Athletic Center Upgrades, Billie Jean King Center at Recreation Park (submitted by Rep. Robert Garcia) — $250,000

Atherton Safety Improvements, pedestrian crossing and signal upgrades at Atherton Street and Britton Drive (submitted by Garcia) — $850,000

Bluff Park Historic Lamppost Project (submitted by Garcia) — $850,000

College Estates Park Improvements (submitted by Garcia) — $850,000

Junipero Beach Fitness Zone Improvements (submitted by Garcia) — $500,000

Martin Luther King Jr. Park Vision Plan Implementation, including African American Heritage Park features (submitted by Garcia) — $850,000

Pine Avenue Improvements, streetscape enhancements (submitted by Garcia) — $850,000

Promenade Square Park, Fountain and Promenade Beautification (submitted by  Garcia) — $250,000

Recreation Park Bandshell Improvements (submitted byGarcia) — $1.8 million

West Health Safety Improvements, including elevator repairs (submitted by Garcia) — $500,000

Willow Springs Trailhead Project, outdoor education site at a former 1906 train depot (submitted by Garcia) — $1 million

Here are some things to expect this week:

  • At the Climate Resilient and Sustainable City Commission meeting at 4 p.m. Thursday, city officials will walk through their goal to reduce Long Beach’s dependence on imported water through a series of conservation programs, infrastructure projects, expansion of recycled water efforts and increased local rainfall capture. To read through the city’s most recent efforts, click here. 
  • The Port of Long Beach will host a virtual community meeting at 10 a.m. Wednesday to update the public on the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility project. The $1.6 billion facility, which began construction in 2024 and should finish in 2032, will send cargo containers to and from marine terminals by train rather than truck — reducing traffic and emissions. To register for the meeting, visit here. 

And here are some updates from last week:

  • The California Civil Rights Department reached a $93,000 settlement with the city of Signal Hill after a job applicant, following several interviews and a conditional offer, was rejected for a water utility position due to their criminal history coming up in a background check. The settlement alleges the city erroneously rescinded the offer based on a years-old conviction; California has strict rules about how employers may consider criminal histories in the hiring process. Under the settlement, the city will update its hiring policies, retrain staff and submit annual reports to the state detailing any future job denials tied to criminal history. 
  • Long Beach is struggling to reach its affordable housing goals as it approaches the halfway mark of an eight-year planning cycle, according to a memo released Thursday by the Community Development Department. The report assessed the city’s 6th Cycle Housing Element (how a municipality plans and zones for housing of residents of all income levels) that runs from 2022 to 2029, in which it has permitted more than 3,600 market-rate units — about 43% of its allocation — but only 7% of its very low-income units, 12% of its low-income units and 0% of its moderate-income units. Officials blamed fierce competition for Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, declining federal block grant funding and a recent regional construction slowdown as contributing factors. Tariffs on steel and lumber, rising interest rates and global trade disruptions were also cited as headwinds.
  • The city’s 2028 Olympics infrastructure plan has more than doubled since inception — from its original $533 million scope to now more than $1 billion — to cover 180 projects citywide, according to a Public Works memo released Wednesday. The memo boasted some successes seen this fiscal year and previewed some matters the department will need to address, including the creation of a new Transportation Services Bureau, Clean Team structural funding and improvements to public service operations and traffic safety infrastructure.

ICYMI — Los Angeles, California and national news

  • With police writing far fewer tickets, drivers are running red lights with impunity, residents say (Long Beach Post)
  • Huntington Beach finally adopts housing plan (LAist)
  • A tax on billionaires qualified for the November ballot. 5 things to know about the measure (CalMatters)
  • Struggling Pizza Hut restaurant chain sold for $2.7 billion (Los Angeles Times)