Good morning and welcome to Monday Morning Coffee! Grab your cup and let’s get to your weekly briefing of what’s on the agenda for local government and business leaders. Get this in your inbox every Monday by signing up at lbpost.com/newsletters.

City meetings

Nearly a year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court sided 6-3 with the city of Grants Pass, Ore., and ruled that local governments can enforce bans on sleeping outside in public regardless of whether shelter is available. 

In that time, Long Beach — with an anti-camping strategy it adopted in August — has scaled up its citations and arrests, along with outreach and diversion programs, to move people from homeless encampments that block public access to parks, libraries and beaches. 

On Tuesday, the City Council will review how the past nine months have fared under this strategy.

Some numbers they’ll consider: Between June 28, 2024, and Feb. 28, 2025, the city received nearly 4,000 calls about homeless encampments. On those calls, outreach workers enrolled more than 1,400 people into an emergency shelter or transitional housing and moved 416 into permanent homes. In that same time, crews with Long Beach Public Works cleared more than 2,000 encampments, removing 580 tons of garbage. 

Law enforcement also issued 346 citations for camping in public right-of-ways, or for loitering after hours in parks or on beaches citywide, a 22% increase since the Grants Pass decision, according to the City Prosecutor’s Office.

Nearly half (161) of those citations were in four “Priority Focus Areas” at Billie Jean King Library/Lincoln Park, Veterans Park, Jenni Rivera Park and Gumbiner Park.

Most attention was placed on Billie Jean King Library and Lincoln Park, where a higher concentration of homeless pitch tents or roll out sleeping bags under the library’s eaves or under the rear canopy that extends toward the park; and Veterans Park, which had the highest number of citations or arrests in the eight-month period. 

Even as citations are increasing, more people are being diverted from jail or court into recuperative programs, according to the City Prosecutor’s Office. There have been 13 people monthly since the ruling, as opposed to an average of two per month in the year prior. More people also accepted housing in the same time frame, the office reported. 

Of the few tangible next steps outlined in the city’s presentation, officials said Long Beach simply needs more housing for the homeless, as demand outweighs supply and doubt hangs over the future of further funding from the state and federal government. 

There are “hundreds of people at any point who have expressed interest in shelter and are awaiting availability,” according to the city.

Public shelters currently run at 98% capacity, while interim housing programs see 97% occupancy with “only a few beds” turning over each day, according to city data. People wait an average of nearly 50 days from the time they accept shelter to the point they’re given a bed.

Starting this summer, Long Beach will commence a $17.4 million plan — using $11 million in state funding — to tackle the longstanding encampments along the city’s cut of the LA River. The city has built out space for 450 shelter beds in four years, with room for another 100 beds to be available in the next year. 

Otherwise, it’s a light week for local governance, Long Beach. And almost all of it falls on Tuesday. 

It starts at 2 p.m. that day, with the Long Beach Intergovernmental Affairs Committee’s discussion on lobbying priorities ahead of their trip to Washington, D.C., from June 4 to 6. 

Ninety minutes later, the three-member city council committee for arts, culture and tourism will hear a presentation on the proposed expansion of the Percent for the Arts Program, which funds public art installations and live performances. Another presentation at the meeting will provide updates on city preparations for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

Following a closed session, the Long Beach City Council will convene for the regular 5 p.m. meeting. Council members will hear, among other items, a second update on implementation of its sidewalk vending ordinance, a three-year, $36 million contract for as-needed hazardous materials testing, and budget cuts made to the 2025 Fiscal Year.

Business events and information

  • In an obvious sign of the times, networking and deal-making is increasingly moving from the golf course to the tennis court. And that’s okay. The Long Beach Young Professionals is having a Pickleball & Networking event on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. Held inside the Sports Basement at 2100 N. Bellflower Blvd., the two-hour sport-oriented mixer will offer a fun night of business cards and competition. Admission is $15 for members; $35 for non-members. For more information, click here. 
  • It’s that time of the month. The Downtown Long Beach Alliance is having its monthly mug-to-mug coffee meetup at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Fitness Identity Training (256 Elm Ave). These events have no speaker or presentation; just an opportunity for business owners Downtown to hash out their ideas and beliefs about how to better Long Beach. For more information, click here. 
  • The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Veterans Support, in collaboration with the USS Frank E. Evans Association, will honor veterans and commemorate Long Beach’s rich naval history with a ceremonial community event on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. It will honor the naval ship USS Frank E. Evans and its 74 sailors who perished at sea on June 3, 1969. It will also observe and pay tribute to Memorial Day and celebrate the Navy’s history in Long Beach. The event will take place at 10 a.m. at the Navy Memorial in Shoreline Aquatic Park (200 Aquarium Way) where memorial markers for the Lost 74 are sited. For up-to-date information about this event, visit longbeach.gov/veterans.

ICYMI — California and national news

  • Cable giant Charter to buy Cox in a $34.5-billion deal, uniting providers that serve SoCal (LA Times)
  • LA County buys and wipes away millions of dollars in medical debt countywide (Long Beach Post)
  • Google’s $125 million deal with California for local news is already shrinking (CalMatters)