PRESS RELEASE

City of Long Beach 
Public Information Office
411 W. Ocean Blvd, 
Long Beach, CA 90802
www.longbeach.gov

7/31/2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEPress Release # CM:073117A
Subject:
City of Long Beach Unveils Proposed 2018 Budget
Contact:
Kerry Gerot, Public Affairs Officer
City Manager’s Office
562.570.6811
Kerry.Gerot@longbeach.gov




Today, Mayor Robert Garcia and City Manager Patrick H. West presented the City of Long Beach’s Proposed Fiscal Year 2018 Budget.

“I'm proud that our budget is fiscally responsible and makes critical investments in public safety and infrastructure," said Mayor Robert Garcia. “This is the largest investment to street and sidewalk repairs in a generation."

The discretionary portion of the budget – the $461 million General Fund – accounts for 17 percent of the Proposed Budget, but provides much of the resources for critical City services, including Police patrol/investigations, Fire responses, parks, streets and library services. The General Fund primarily relies on general tax revenue which makes up 59 percent of the General Fund sources.

“Long Beach is on a roll,” said City Manager Patrick H. West. “We are in the middle of unprecedented levels of investment both public and private. We are walkable, bikeable, and truly a great city to live, work, and play.”

In FY 18, the Measure A investments in public safety include:

  • $6.3 million in continued support for the priority public safety restorations originally approved in FY 17, including:
    • South Police Division with eight sworn police positions and two civilian positions
    • Fire Engine 8, which includes 12 sworn fire positions
    • Police Academy operations with nine sworn police positions
    • Paramedic Rescue 12, which includes six sworn fire positions 
     
  • $8.3 million of Measure A funds that maintain existing Fire Department and Police Department programs and operations, saving the equivalent of 53 sworn positions in FY 18.
  • Enhancements to public safety using Measure A one-time funds, including:
    • Funding a $1.0 million Neighborhood Safe Streets Initiative
    • Allotting $4.3 million to support the fourth back-to-back Police Academy with a maximized number of recruits
    • Allotting $750,000 for safety camera network modernization and expansion
     

Non-Measure A funded Public Safety Initiatives include:

  • Adding 28 full-time equivalent (FTE) for Metro Blue Line enforcement 
  • Structural Funding of the Fire Department’s Homeless Education And Response Team (HEART)
  • Adding two firefighter/investigators to conduct marijuana inspections and assist with team-based marijuana enforcement
In FY 18, the Measure A investments in infrastructure total an additional $26.3 million. Measure A is a much needed supplement to the $69.3 million in funds anticipated from local, state and federal sources. The FY 18 proposed Measure A investments in public infrastructure include:
  • $14.3 million in new funding for Mobility programs, including arterial street improvements, paving unpaved alleys, curb cuts and other sidewalk repairs, smart street lights, signage and finishing the slurry seal for every residential street started this year.
  • $4.3 million in new funding for Public Facilities repair and improvements to public safety buildings, libraries, a Health facility, the convention center, and to initiate a Facility Condition Assessment.
  • $6.1 million in new funding for the City’s Parks and Recreation infrastructure, including funding to improve the Houghton Park Community Center, Fourth Street Senior Center, athletic fields, the historic ranchos, and citywide irrigation upgrades.
  • $1.6 million to improve and repair the city’s storm water pump stations.
In addition to the City’s priorities in public safety and infrastructure, the new budget invests in other strategic focus areas:
  • Mobility
    • Formation of a Transportation Mobility Bureau
    • Additional staffing for mobility initiatives including transit and biking
    • Addition of a pothole crew
    • Address the City’s ADA requirements
     
  • Homelessness - Use Measure MA (marijuana tax, 2016) to fund: 
    • Two additional sworn firefighter/paramedic positions to permanently staff the HEART Team
    • Quality of Life teams
    • Homelessness Rapid Response
    • Multi-Service Center operations
     
  • Improving Cleanliness
    • Addition of two more Clean Teams
    • Focus on recycling and waste diversion
     
  • Economic Development
    • Increase staffing in the Economic Development and Development Services Departments 
     
  • Arts and Culture
    • Two Beach Streets events
    • Support for Arts (Museum / Arts Council / PowWow)
     
  • Innovation and Efficiency
    • Continue locally funded Innovation Team
     
  • City Departments New Initiatives
    • Improvements to Hiring Process
    • Animal Care Services– two new positions 
    • Develop a single phone number system for the City
    • Develop new digital platforms 
    • Invest in geographic information system (GIS) based open data enhancements
    • Website improvements
    • New fiber installation and many more technology investments
     
As announced in March, the FY 18 General Fund budget is structurally balanced. However, Long Beach is facing challenges like other cities in California, and there are future shortfalls, primarily driven by the cost of the City’s pension liabilities. Staff will develop short-term and long-term plans to address the City’s operational, infrastructure and other one-time funding needs in FY 18.

The City Council will begin the process of reviewing the budget at its next meeting, which is scheduled for Tuesday, August 1. Additionally, the Budget Oversight Committee will continue to meet in August to review the budget and provide recommendations to the full
City Council.

For more information about the budget, or to access the Community Budget Book, the Budget Priority Survey, the City Manager’s Budget Presentation, Mayor Robert Garcia’s Budget Message and information about budget hearings and workshops where residents can provide input, visit the Finance Department website at www.longbeach.gov/finance.

About Measure A
Long Beach voters in June 2016 approved Measure A, a one-cent sales tax increase for six years, declining to one-half cent for the remaining four years, and then sunsetting after 10 years. Measure A is expected to generate $384 million over its lifetime.

About the City of Long Beach
Home to approximately 470,000 people, the multiple award-winning and innovative City of Long Beach offers all the world-class amenities of a large metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods nestled together along the California coast. Long Beach is home to the Queen Mary, Aquarium of the Pacific, several museums and theaters, a highly rated school district, Long Beach Airport, the Port of Long Beach, as well as many award-winning City departments such as Health, Parks, Recreation and Marine, Development Services and more. The City also has a highly respected university and city college, two historic ranchos, five hospitals, five golf courses, 170 parks, miles of beaches, marinas, bike paths, and a Bike Share program.

For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit http://longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.