Sit with us at City’s Housing & Health meeting
Join us at the City of Long Beach Housing and Public Health Committee which meets today, Tuesday, May 19 at 2:30 PM in Civic Chambers at City Hall, 411 W. Ocean Blvd. (parking is available in the City garage near the Billie Jean King Library). The committee is Co-chaired by Tunua Thrash-Ntuk and Dr. Joni Ricks-Oddie.
Two topics that will be covered on the agenda are especially important for renters:
Community Land Trust (CLT)
Just Cause Evictions
Community Land Trusts: Building Something That Lasts
Here's some good news: the Long Beach Community Land Trust, launched in 2021 with $800,000 in City Recovery Act funding, is a model that keeps housing affordable not just for one family but for every family that comes after, because the land is held in permanent trust, off the speculative market, with ground leases and resale restrictions that protect affordability for generations. The Trust just received its first property, the Maine Avenue Senior Apartments, and on Tuesday the committee will hear a full update on how the model works and how the City can grow its investment. If you've ever asked what community ownership actually looks like in practice, this is your answer, and it's happening right here in Long Beach.
Just Cause Evictions: The City Is Listening, Let's Make Sure It Hears Us
This item is urgent. Since April 2023, the City has tracked the displacement of at least 219 tenants from at least 167 units through "substantial remodel" filings, a loophole in Long Beach's Just Cause ordinance that allows landlords to remove long-term tenants under the cover of renovation, often with just $4,500 in relocation assistance, no right of return, and no guarantee the tenant ever gets to come back to the home they built their life in. The City has been out in the community listening, and here's what it heard: about 75 percent of respondents want stronger tenant protections, including closing the substantial remodel loophole, a guaranteed right of first return, and higher relocation assistance closer to what Los Angeles and Santa Monica already provide. Now the committee is deciding what to do with that feedback.
How to Show Up
If you can make it in person, meet us at City Hall at 411 W. Ocean Blvd. by 2:30. We’ll be in Civic Chambers.
Can't be there in person? You can still make your voice heard by emailing public comments to cityclerk@longbeach.gov or watching the meeting live at https://longbeach.primegov.com/public/portal?fromiframe=true (click the play button). Public comment on non-agenda items is open at the end of the meeting, and every speaker gets three minutes.
We hope to see you there.
NOTE: The agenda and supporting documents are available online at https://longbeach.gov/cityclerk/meetings. If a special accommodation is desired pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact the Office of the City Clerk at (562) 570-6101 or cityclerk@longbeach.gov.
