* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. YOU'RE [00:00:01] NOT INSULT YOURSELF AT ALL, BEING THE FUNNIEST THING. THIS IS THE GUY I CHRISTOPHER, YOU HAVE THE CLICKER. YOU HAVE IT OVER THERE WITH YOU. YEP, I DO HAVE THE CLICKER. OKAY. HELLO. HI. ALL RIGHT, WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON. I'D LIKE TO CALL THE HOUSING AND PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE MEETING TO ORDER. TODAY IS TUESDAY, APRIL 1ST. MADAM CLERK, WOULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL COUNCIL MEMBER RICK SODI HERE, VICE CHAIR SUPER NA CHAIR THRASH INTU. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MADAM CLERK. AND [CALL TO ORDER] FOR THE RECORD, WE NOTED THAT, UH, VICE CHAIR SUPER NA WILL NOT BE ABLE TO [ROLL CALL] BE AT TODAY'S MEETING. SO, UH, IT IS, UH, MY DISTINCT HONOR TO SERVE AS CHAIR OF THE HOUSING AND PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE ON BEHALF OF THE CITY. UH, SO MUCH OF THE WORK THAT WE DO HERE IN CITY HALL REVOLVES AROUND THE NEED FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING, HOUSING THAT RESPONDS [1. 25-54843 Recommendation to approve the minutes for the Housing and Public Health Committee meeting of Tuesday, October 15, 2024.         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] TO OUR UNHOUSED NEIGHBORS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR LONG-TERM, UM, INVESTMENT [00:05:01] AROUND, UH, OWNERSHIP OF HOUSING. UH, TODAY'S COMMITTEE MEETING, WE WILL, ONCE WE GET INTO THE AGENDA, START TO FOCUS IN ON THE HOUSING SIDE OF THE PUBLIC HOUSING AND PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE. UM, TO START OUT, MADAM CLERK, WOULD YOU READ THE, UH, REGULAR AGENDA ITEM NUMBER ONE. ITEM ONE IS A RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FOR THE HOUSING AND PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE MEETING OF TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15TH, 2024. THANK YOU. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM FROM THE DIOCESE? DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? MADAM CLERK, IF ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM NOW. NO PUBLIC COMMENT. CHAIR. THANK YOU. CALL THE QUESTION. WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND TAKE THE VOTE. TAKE THE VOTE. YES. OKAY. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. UM, MEDICAL CLERK, CAN WE READ OFF ITEM NUMBER TWO? YES. ITEM TWO IS A RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE A STAFF REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CITY'S APPROVED GENERAL PLAN HOUSING ELEMENT. YOU CAN MOVE EVERYTHING. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU MADAM CLERK. [2. 25-54844 Recommendation to receive and file a staff report on the implementation of the City's approved General Plan Housing Element.          Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] AT THIS TIME, UH, WE'D LIKE TO INVITE OUR STAFF. I SEE, UH, DIRECTOR CHRIS KTZ HERE TO PROVIDE TODAY'S PRESENTATION. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON COUNCIL MEMBERS. UH, I'M DELIGHTED TO BE HERE. UM, SO TODAY, UH, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, HOW PLANNING AND PLANNING DOCUMENTS, LIKE OUR GENERAL PLAN TRANSLATE TO ACTUAL HOUSING BEING BUILT AND, UM, UNITS THAT PEOPLE LIVE IN AND, AND PROVIDE THEM, UM, SAFE, DIGNIFIED LIVING. UM, SO TO THAT END, WE HAVE A PRESENTATION TO GO THROUGH. UM, AND IF YOU'RE READY, ALEJANDRO SANCHEZ LOPEZ, UM, WHO LEADS OUR LONG RANGE PLANNING SECTION IS, UH, READY TO BEGIN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CHRISTOPHER. GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL HOUSING AND PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE. THIS CHRISTOPHER, UH, EXPLAINED THE ITEM BEFORE YOU. TODAY IS A PRESENTATION ON LONG BEACH'S PROGRESS SO FAR ON ITS STATE MANDATED SIX CYCLE HOUSING ELEMENT. SO THIS SLIDE IS PROBABLY GOING TO BE VERY FAMILIAR TO FOLKS. UH, THIS IS A REFRESHER OF THE CITY'S SIX REGIONAL HOUSING NEEDS ASSESSMENT CYCLE ARENA CYCLE, WHICH QUANTIFIES THE NEED FOR HOUSING WITHIN EACH JURISDICTION DURING SPECIFIED EIGHT YEAR PERIODS. FOR LONG BEACH, THE CITY'S OVERALL HOUSING PRODUCTION TARGET IS 26,502 UNITS, OF WHICH 15,346 OR APPROXIMATELY 58% OF THOSE UNITS HAVE TO BE DESIGNATED AS RESTRICTED AT VARIOUS LEVELS OF AFFORDABILITY. AND THEN FOR COMPARISON, WE HAVE THE ALLOCATION FOR LA COUNTY OVERALL AT OVER 800,000 UNITS FOR THE SCAG OR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGION, ABOUT 1.3 MILLION UNITS OVERALL. IN DECEMBER, 2019, THE CITY COUNCIL ADOPTED AN UPDATE TO THE GENERAL PLAN LAND USE ELEMENT OR LUE AND ADOPTED A NEW URBAN DESIGN ELEMENT. THE UPDATES TO THE CITY GENERAL PLAN GUIDES GROWTH AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS IN LONG BEACH THROUGHOUT THE HORIZON YEAR OF 2040. THIS UPDATE FORECASTED 28 NEW THOUSAND HOUSING UNITS IN THE CITY IN GUIDES GROWTH AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENT THROUGHOUT VARIOUS, SEVERAL AREAS OF THE CITY TO IMPLEMENT THE LUE, UH, HOUSING, AUGMENT AND COMPLY WITH STATE LAW, THE CITY IS CURRENTLY UNDERTAKEN AS UNDERTAKING A PROGRAM KNOWN AS ZONE IN TO REZONE PROPERTIES THROUGHOUT THE CITY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ADOPTIVE LUE. THIS PROGRAM ZONE IN IS A SYSTEMATIC EFFORT TO UPDATE THE ZONING REGULATIONS TO IMPLEMENT THE 2019 GENERAL PLAN LAND DE SETTLEMENT UPDATE. THE MAP ON THE SLIDE SHOWS AREAS THAT HAVE EITHER ALREADY BEEN REZONED OR WERE REZONING AS CURRENTLY UNDERWAY. THE CITY RECENTLY COMPLETED TWO MULTI-YEAR REZONING EFFORTS IN SEPTEMBER OF 2024 IN NORTH LONG BEACH, ALSO KNOWN AS YOU PLAN THE CENTRAL LONG BEACH, ALSO KNOWN AS CITY CORPS. AND THOUSANDS OF SUBSEQUENT PROPERTIES HAVE BEEN SINCE BEEN REZONED. THERE ARE CURRENTLY SEVERAL MAJOR EFFORTS UNDERWAY IN VARIOUS STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDING ZONE IN BIXBY, SHOWN HERE IN ORANGE ON THE MAP ZONE IN WRIGLEY AND ZONE IN 10 TO BROADWAY. ALL OF THESE EFFORTS SEEK TO ACCOMMODATE HOUSING NEEDS AND IMPROVE ACCESS TO COMMERCIAL USES AND CREATE MORE COMPLETE NEIGHBORHOODS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. IN ADDITION TO ZONE IN, THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER RELATED HOUSING POLICY INITIATIVES IN VARIOUS STAGES OF COMPLETION THAT ARE COMMITTED ACTIONS IN THE HOUSING ELEMENT. THESE INCLUDE THE INCLUSIONARY HOUSING EXPANSION AND CITYWIDE IMPLEMENTATION, A STUDY AND UPDATE TO THE CITY'S EXISTING ENHANCED DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM, A FORTHCOMING RELIGIOUS FACILITY ZONING OVERLAY THAT WILL BE CITYWIDE. ANOTHER FORTHCOMING MID-CYCLE EQUITY ANALYSIS ON HOUSING ELEMENT PROGRESS, PARTICULARLY FOCUSED ON FAIR HOUSING CONSIDERATIONS, A SERIES OF OMNIBUS ZONING CODE AMENDMENTS ALL RELATED TO HOUSING PRODUCTION, EXPANDED TENANT PROTECTIONS AND PREVENTION POLICIES AND REVISED FUNDING AND PROJECT PRIORITIZATION POLICIES FOR HIGH RESOURCE AREAS TO [00:10:01] TARGET MORE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN SET AREAS. AT THE SAME TIME, THERE HAVE BEEN SIGNIFICANT UPDATES TO STATE HOUSING REGULATIONS IN RECENT YEARS, INCLUDING THE HOUSING CRISIS ACT OF 2019 THROUGH SENATE BILL THREE 30. SB THREE 30 CREATED NEW STATEWIDE RULES UNDER TITLE VII OF THE CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT CODE REGARDING HOUSING PRODUCTION PRESERVATION AND PLANNING FOR HOUSING. AMONG OTHER THINGS, SB THREE 30 EXEMPTED HOUSING DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS FROM BEING REQUIRED TO REZONE THE AFFECTED PROPERTIES WHEN THE CORRESPONDING ZONING DISTRICT AND IS IN EFFECT IS INCONSISTENT WITH THE CORRESPONDING GENERAL PLAN LAND USE DESIGNATION. IN THE TIME SINCE THE CITY HAS ADOPTED ITS SIX CYCLE HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE, WHICH INCLUDED A CITYWIDE SITE INVENTORY THAT ALLOCATED MORE THAN 26,000 UNITS ACROSS HUNDREDS OF SITES TO ACCOMMODATE REQUIRED HOUSING GROWTH. STATE LAW ALSO REQUIRES THAT PLANNING AND ZONING REGULATIONS BE UPDATED AS NECESSARY SO THAT ALL SITES IN THE HOUSING ELEMENT SITE INVENTORY CAN FACILITATE THE LEVELS OF DEVELOPMENT CONTEMPLATED INSTEAD HOUSING ELEMENT THROUGHOUT BOTH THE, BOTH THE LUE AND THE HOUSING ELEMENT ADOPTION PROCESS, ALL SITES INCLUDED IN THE CERTIFIED SITE INVENTORY ALREADY HAVE AN APPROPRIATE GENERAL PLAN DESIGNATION. REFLECTIVE OF THE CORRESPONDING SITE LEVEL AT ALLOCATION ZONE IN HOWEVER, IS STILL UNDERWAY. AND AS A RESULT, MANY SITES IN THE CURRENT SITE INVENTORY NEED TO BE REZONED TO BE CONSISTENT WITH AND IMPLEMENT BOTH THE LUE AND THE HOUSING ELEMENT. THE CITY ZONE IN APPROACH IS CONSISTENT WITH STATE LAW, WHICH STATES THAT A CITY MUST UPDATE ITS ZONING ORDINANCE TO BE CONSISTENT WITH ITS UPDATED GENERAL PLAN WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME. THE DELAYS WITH ZONE IN ARE DUE TO A COMBINATION OF FACTORS LISTED HERE, UM, BUT WE ARE MAKING PROGRESS THROUGHOUT THIS YEAR. WHILE ZONE IN CONTINUES TO BE ROLLED OUT THROUGHOUT LONG BEACH, THE CITY CONTINUES TO PROCESS PROJECTS BASED ON GENERAL PLAN ENTITIES PURSUANT TO CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 6 5 5 8 9 0.5, SUBSECTION J AS ADDED BY SB THREE 30. CALIFORNIA HOUSING LAW REQUIRES A REZONING OF PROPERTIES IN THE CITY'S SITE INVENTORY WITHIN THREE YEARS OF THE CORRESPONDING HOUSING ELEMENT ADOPTION DEADLINE FOR THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGION. THAT DEADLINE WAS FEBRUARY 12TH, 2025. TO ENSURE SITES CAN BE DEVELOPED TO THE ENTITIES PROJECTED IN THE SITE INVENTORY. YOU MAY RECALL A STAFF REPORT PRESENTATION AT THE FEBRUARY 11TH CITY COUNCIL MEETING TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE WOULD SET DEADLINE. ADDITIONAL PROJECTS UNDERWAY AS MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY, INCLUDE THE CITY'S OMNIBUS HOUSING CODE UPDATE, WHICH IS INTENDED TO REDUCE CONSTRAINTS TO HOUSING DEVELOPMENT BY ADOPTING MINOR HOUSING RELATED UPDATES TO THE CITY'S ZONING CODE. THERE ARE THREE PRIMARY FOCUS FOR FOCUSED AREAS WITHIN THIS, THIS UPDATE IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS THAT WE'RE ALREADY COMMITTED TO WITHIN THE SIX CYCLE HOUSING ELEMENT, THE ADOPTION OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS RELATED TO LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE 2023 DEC EMERGENCY DECLARATION ON HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS, AND FINALLY, ADDITIONAL CODE CLEANUPS AND IMPROVEMENT BASED ON LOCAL AND STATE MARKET REGULATORY AND OTHER CHANGES. ONE EXAMPLE OF SUCH AN UPDATE IS AB 1397 COMPLIANCE. PURSUANT TO THIS BILL PASSED IN 2017, EVERY CITY IS REQUIRED TO PROVIDE A BUYRIGHT APPROVAL PROCESS FOR HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS THAT INCLUDE AT LEAST A 20% SET ASIDE OF THE UNITS AS HOUSING AFFORDABLE TO LOWER INCOME HOUSEHOLDS ON SITES BEING USED TO MEET THE SIX CYCLE ARENA, IF THEY MEET ANY OF THE FOLLOWING THREE CONDITIONS, EITHER A VACANT SITE FOR ARENA IDENTIFIED IN THE PREVIOUS TWO HOUSING ELEMENT CYCLES, A NON-VA SITE IDENTIFIED IN ONE OF THE PREVIOUS CYCLES, ORA SITE REZONED, UM, FOR ITS ARENA ALLOCATION AFTER THE STATUTORY DEADLINE OF THE CURRENT HOUSING ELEMENT CYCLE. FINALLY, THIS SLIDE SHOWS A FEW OF THE MILESTONES THAT THE CITY ACHIEVED IN THE LAST CALENDAR YEAR. IN 2024, THE CITY APPROVED ENTITLEMENTS FOR A TOTAL OF 1,788 NEW HOUSING UNITS, OF WHICH 258 WERE DESIGNATED AS AFFORDABLE OF SOME KIND. IT ALSO APPROVED BUILDING PERMITS FOR A TOTAL OF 1,704 NEW HOUSING UNITS, WHICH IS A NEW CITY RECORD WITHIN THE MODERN MODERN ERA OF WHICH NEARLY 250 WERE AFFORDABLE OF SOME KIND. IT ALSO FINALIZED CONSTRUCTION OF TOTAL 104 NEW HOUSING UNITS, INCLUDING 864 ADUS, WHICH IS A NEW RECORD FOR A DU PRODUCTION FOR THE FIFTH YEAR IN A ROW. AND IT HOSTED A SERIES OF THREE HOUSING POLICY FORUMS THROUGHOUT THE CITY TO HIGHLIGHT ALL HOUSING INITIATIVES UNDERWAY FROM LONG-TERM REZONING TO INCLUSIONARY UPDATES TO TENANT PROTECTIONS. AND WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO CHRISTOPHER. ALL RIGHT, SO ALEJANDRO TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THE, UM, ACCOMPLISHMENTS FROM LAST CALENDAR YEAR, BUT I WANT TO ZOOM OUT AND THEN ZOOM BACK IN. SO, UM, LONG BEACH, UH, IF YOU KNOW, SORT OF THE HISTORY OF LONG BEACH, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A, A PERIOD OF, UH, SLOW TO ALMOST NO GROWTH, UH, IN THE 1990S AND EARLY TWO THOUSANDS, AND THEN MADE A NUMBER OF STRUCTURAL CHANGES AROUND, UH, 2010, UM, TO ENCOURAGE HOUSING INVESTMENT. AND THOSE REGULATORY CHANGES TAKE A A LONG TIME, UM, TO BLOSSOM. BUT DURING THE PERIOD OF OUR [00:15:01] LAST, UH, ARENA, WHICH IS 2014 THROUGH 2021, UM, WE DID FULLY MEET OUR MARKET RATE, UM, ALLOCATION, UM, PRODUCING MORE THAN 4,000, UH, MARKET RATE UNITS. AND WE MADE PROGRESS ON OUR AFFORDABLE, UH, SIDE, UM, BUT DID ONLY MET, UM, JUST UNDER, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, 20% OF THE AFFORDABLE. SO A LONG WAYS TO GO, SORT OF WHAT DOES THAT MEAN AND WHAT ARE OUR TAKEAWAYS THERE. SO DURING THAT PERIOD, 14 TO 21, WE STARTED PRETTY SLOW AND WE PICKED UP TOWARDS THE SECOND HALF OF THAT, UM, EIGHT YEAR PERIOD. UM, BECAUSE WHEN THIS COUNCIL, YOU KNOW, MAKES A CHANGE, WHETHER IT'S ZONING REFORM OR PROVIDING, UM, FUNDING TO AFFORDABLE PROJECTS, IT CAN TAKE FIVE YEARS FOR THAT TO TRANSLATE INTO AN INVESTOR, MAKES A DECISION TO BUY A PROPERTY, THEY THEN DESIGN A PROJECT, THEY THEN ENTITLE THE PROJECT, BUILD THE PROJECT, AND THEN SOMEONE LIVES IN IT. SO IT'S, IT'S A LONG, UM, LEAD TIME. SO WE'RE NOW IN THE 2021 TO 2024, UM, TIME PERIOD. SO THIS IS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S MINI GLASSES AND SOME OF 'EM ARE HALF FULL AND SOME OF 'EM ARE HALF EMPTY. UM, SO, UM, OUR ARENA, THIS, UH, TIME AROUND IS 26,502 UNITS. UH, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'LL MAKE THAT THE REQUIREMENT. JUST SO WE ALL UNDERSTAND. THE LAW IS NOT THAT THOSE UNITS GET BUILT, THE CITY DOESN'T BUILD HOUSING. THE CITY FACILITATES, UH, HOUSING CONSTRUCTION THROUGH A SERIES OF CARROTS AND STICKS IN OUR REGULATORY PROGRAM AND THE SMALL AMOUNT OF, UH, FINANCIAL RESOURCES WE HAVE. UM, SO, UH, WHILE WE ARE BEHIND, UM, WE ARE PRODUCING HOUSING AT A HIGHER RATE, UM, THAN ANY TIME IN RECENT DECADES, WHICH I THINK IS SOMETHING, UM, TO BE PROUD OF AND SOMETHING THAT WE BUILD UPON. UM, SO JUST TO SHOW IT IN A DIFFERENT, UM, WAY, THIS IS KIND OF THE OVERALL, UM, TREND IN TERMS OF BUILDING PERMITS ISSUED. UH, THE LIGHTER BLUE IS OUR MARKET RATE UNITS AND THE DARKER BLUE IS THE AFFORDABLE UNITS. AND WHEN YOU COMBINE ALL OF THOSE, THE TREND LINE IS, UM, POSITIVE AND IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS, 2014 WAS NOT THAT LONG AGO, RIGHT? UM, WHEN, UH, WE HAD WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS A GOOD YEAR AT 300 UNITS, UM, VERSUS LAST YEAR WE HAD HOUSING STARTS AT 1,704. SO THE TRAJECTORY WE DO THINK IS POSITIVE, WE HAVE A LOT TO GO. UH, SO WHAT DO WE HAVE TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN TERMS OF THIS IN NEXT CALENDAR YEAR? SO, UH, COUNTY MEASURE A TOOK EFFECT TODAY, UM, WHICH IS A SALES TAX MEASURE THAT FUNDS TWO, UH, DIFFERENT BUT RELATED ITEMS. SO ONE IS FOR, UH, HOMELESS SERVICES, UM, WHAT'S CALLED THE LOCAL SOLUTIONS FUND. AND THEN THE OTHER IS FOR A NEW AGENCY, LA CASA, UM, WHICH IS A, UM, PROVIDER OF FINANCE, UH, TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. UM, WILL BE A MAJOR RECIPIENT OF THAT. SO MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS, UH, LED BY HEALTH AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ARE WORKING WITH THE CITY MANAGER TO COME BACK TO PRESENT TO COUNCIL, A MAYOR, A COMPREHENSIVE, COMPREHENSIVE MEASURE, A EXPENDITURE PLAN. UM, SO WE DON'T HAVE ALL OF THE DETAILS, BUT SOME THINGS THAT IT WILL INCLUDE IS FUNDING EXISTING HOMELESS SERVICES AND BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE STABILITY, UH, TO THOSE WHICH IS OF GREAT VALUE TO THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT. NOT HAVING A DIFFERENT BUDGET EVERY YEAR MAKES IT HARD TO PLAN AND STAFF, UM, BEING ABLE TO EXPAND PREVENTION, INCLUDING SHALLOW SUBSIDY AND OTHER IN INITIATIVES. UM, AND THEN BEING ABLE TO EXPAND OUR EXISTING AFFORDABLE HOUSING LOAN PROGRAM. UH, WE SEND OUT COMPETITIVE, UH, NOTICE OF FUNDING AVAILABILITY, NOFA S UH, ONE TO TWO TIMES A YEAR. AND THIS WILL ALLOW US, UM, TO HAVE ADDITIONAL, UM, FUNDS FOR THAT PROGRAM. IT'LL ALSO, WE HOPE, UM, ALLOW US TO CONTINUE SOME ONETIME FUNDS THAT, UH, WE WOULD LIKE TO BE RECURRING. SO THAT'S OUR HOME BUYER PROGRAM AND OUR A DU PROGRAM, WHICH WE'RE BOTH FUNDED AS ONE TIME, BUT MEASURE A GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO RENEW THOSE PROGRAMS. UM, SO TWO COUNTY AGENCIES, LA CASA, AND DCBA ARE STILL FORMULATING THEIR FINAL RULES AND ALLOCATIONS, AND WE, UH, REMAIN ENGAGED, UH, IN THAT PROCESS. UM, THE CITY WILL RECEIVE A SMALL PAYMENT, UM, THIS SUMMER, AND THEN LARGER AMOUNTS OF FUNDS BEGINNING IN CALENDAR YEAR 26. UM, SO OTHER THINGS GOING ON IN THE WORLD OF HOUSING. UM, UH, APRIL 21ST TO 25TH IS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WEEK, AND THAT IS WHEN WE HIGHLIGHT THE WORK THAT OUR HOUSING AND NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES GROUP DOES WITH CDBG DOLLARS, UM, THROUGHOUT, UM, OUR COMMUNITIES. UM, AND WHETHER IT'S KEEPING SENIORS [00:20:01] IN THEIR HOMES BY REPLACING THEIR ROOF, UM, OR INVESTING IN PLAYGROUNDS, UM, OR OTHER PHYSICAL CHANGES, AS WELL AS, UM, TRADITIONAL AFFORDABLE FINANCE. THAT'S ALL PART OF WHAT WE DO WITH CDBG. WE KNOW WE LIVE IN AN ODD TIME WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, BUT PART OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO, UM, DESCRIBE AND MESSAGE IS REGARDLESS OF ALL THOSE BIGGER THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON, CDBG IS A PROGRAM, UM, THAT, UM, REALLY CONTRIBUTES TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES. AND WE HOPE THAT, UM, CONGRESS WILL LISTEN TO THAT MESSAGE. UM, AND THEN WHEN WE'RE DONE WITH APRIL, THE MONTH OF MAY IS NATIONAL HOME IMPROVEMENT MONTH, AND THAT'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY CELEBRATE UPDATING AND UPGRADING EXISTING HOUSING FROM SMALL TO LARGE, AFFORDABLE, THE LUXURY AND ALL TYPES IN BETWEEN. SO WHEN WE USE THE WORD HOUSING, A LOT OF TIMES WE'RE THINKING ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING, BUT ALL HOUSING MATTERS, UM, INCLUDING OUR MARKET RATE HOUSING. AND HERE IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, MORE THAN 80% OF OUR HOUSING SUPPLY IS MORE THAN 50 YEARS OLD. AND SOME OF THOSE ARE AMAZING HISTORIC GEMS, BUT, UH, SOME OF THEM ARE NOT. SOME OF THEM NEED SOME TLC, SOME OF THEM NEED SOME, UH, RENEWAL AND INVESTMENT AND REBIRTH. UM, SO REALLY TRYING TO TALK ABOUT THAT MORE, UM, THIS YEAR, CONTINUING TO PROMOTE THE USE OF PRE-APPROVED ADUS FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN THAT. UM, AND THEN, UM, THE CITY ACROSS SIX DEPARTMENTS, INCLUDING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, IS REPLACING LEGACY SOFTWARE WITH OUR LONG BEACH BUILD SYSTEM. THIS IS SOMETHING WE'LL BE TALKING, UH, TO COUNCIL ABOUT MORE, UH, LATER THIS MONTH. UM, THIS IS NOT LIKE BUYING A NEW, UM, MICROSOFT OFFICE. THIS IS A $45 MILLION INVESTMENT, UM, IN OUR SOFTWARE AND A TRANSFORMATION TO MAKING SURE THAT EVERY CUSTOMER, UM, IS ABLE TO GET THEIR PERMIT LARGER, SMALL, THEIR LICENSED BUSINESS LICENSE, HEALTH LICENSE, UM, ONLINE. IF THEY WANT TO COME IN, WE WELCOME WITH THEM. UM, BUT IT'S A MAJOR TRANSFORMATIONAL, UH, CHANGE FOR OUR CUSTOMERS AND HOUSING PROVIDERS. UM, SO HOPEFULLY WE MET OUR LEARNING OBJECTIVES. I THINK KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS PRESENTATION, HOPEFULLY, WERE THAT THE CITY HAS AN EFFECTIVE HOUSING STRATEGY FOCUSED ON ZONING FOR ALL HOUSING TYPES IN ALL PARTS OF THE CITY. WE CERTAINLY HAVE MORE WORK TO BE DONE, BUT THERE HAS BEEN MAJOR PROGRESS OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS. THE CITY DOESN'T BUILD HOUSING, IT CAN ONLY FACILITATE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS. UM, AND I'M ESPECIALLY PROUD OF OUR STELLAR PERFORMANCE LAST YEAR BECAUSE IT CAME AT A TIME THAT INTEREST RATES AND FINANCIAL MARKETS WERE WORKING AGAINST US. SO TO SET A RECORD IN THOSE CONDITIONS IS AN ACCOMPLISHMENT. UM, AND THE CITY'S INCREASED HOUSING PRODUCTION IS NOT JUST A NUMBER. IT'S BEGINNING TO SHOW RESULTS ENTITLED, UNITS STARTS AND COMPLETIONS ARE ALL TRENDING UP. WE OUTPACE OUR PURE CITIES, UM, THE STATE AND THE REGION. UM, RENTS ARE FLAT IN LONG BEACH YEAR OVER YEAR. THAT DOESN'T MEAN MANY PEOPLE ARE STILL, UH, STRUGGLING WITH RENT AND RENT. UH, RENT BURDEN IS HIGH IN THIS CITY. UM, BUT THE FACT THAT RENTS HAVE STOPPED GOING UP SO AGGRESSIVELY IS AN ACCOMPLISHMENT. UM, AND THERE IS MUCH THAT REMAINS TO BE DONE. SO WITH THAT, WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE COMMITTEE'S QUESTIONS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, SO NOW I'LL OPEN IT UP FOR DISCUSSION. UM, VICE CHAIR, DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? I'M NOT THE VICE CHAIR, BUT THAT'S OKAY. , DID YOU NOT? NO, IT'S A SUPER NA OH, CUSTOMER SUPER NA, RIGHT? OH, OKAY. YEAH, MY APOLOGIES. THAT'S OKAY, COUNSEL. COUNSEL. BUT I CAN, I CAN LOOK AT, LOOK, I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ON THE, THE, THE MANTLE FROM TIME TO TIME . UM, JUST A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. UM, UM, TO EITHER, UH, TO, TO EITHER STAFF MEMBER. I WAS JUST INTERESTED WHAT IS, CAN YOU JUST TELL ME A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND ON THE RELIGIOUS FACILITIES OVERLAY AND THE PURPOSE? SURE. SO IT'S ONE OF OUR COMMITTED ACTIONS IN THE HOUSING ELEMENT. UH, IT'S SOMETHING THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN PIONEERED IN OTHER PARTS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. UM, IT BASICALLY, THE WAY IS IT'S ENVISIONED WOULD ALLOW FOR BY RIGHT HOUSING DEVELOPMENT ON RELIGIOUS SITES, UM, ALONG WITH INSTITUTIONAL SITES. SO IT'S BUILDING ON SB FOUR, WHICH YOU MAY REMEMBER WHERE THE STATE LAW THAT WAS PASSED A COUPLE YEARS AGO, BUT WAS VERY LIMITING IN TERMS OF ITS ACTUAL IMPACT. WE'VE HAD A FEW INCREASE ON POTENTIAL SB FOUR PROJECTS. NONE HAVE COME TO FRUITION. SO OURS IS KIND OF LIKE HOW OUR EDB BUILDS UPON STATE DENSITY BONUS AND GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND. OUR RELIGIOUS FACILITY. OVERLAY IS INTENDED TO BUILD UPON SB FOUR, BUT ALSO GO ABOVE AND BEYOND BOTH IN TERMS OF HOW MUCH INCENTIVES ARE PROVIDED AND HOW MANY SITES ARE ELIGIBLE, UM, TO, UH, BUILD, UH, DEVELOPMENT. AS LONG AS A PORTION OF IT, AT LEAST 20% ISH, UM, IS SOME DEGREE AS OF AFFORDABLE AS OPPOSED TO THE A HUNDRED PERCENT [00:25:01] REQUIREMENT THAT, UM, IS MANDATED UNDER SB FOUR. SO THAT'S A CITYWIDE INITIATIVE THAT SHOULD BE FORTHCOMING, UH, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, REALLY. OKAY, GREAT. UM, AND THEN CAN YOU TALK TO ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE HOUSING ELEMENT MID CYCLE EQUITY ANALYSIS? SURE. SO ANOTHER MANDATED ACTION WITHIN OUR HOUSING ELEMENT. UH, THIS IS INTENDED TO BE KIND OF A SELF-ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURE FOR THE CITY. UM, AS PART OF OUR CERTIFICATION PROCESS, HCD HIGHLIGHTED THE NEED FOR AFFIRMATIVE FURTHERING, AFFIRMATIVELY FURTHERING FOR HOUSING WITHIN THE CITY. SO THERE'S A SERIES OF METRICS THAT ARE INCLUDED IN ONE OF THE APPENDICES OF THE HOUSING ELEMENT THAT LOOK AT THOSE TYPES OF INITIATIVES AND PROJECTS EITHER ALREADY UNDERWAY OR PROPOSED. UM, SO THIS WOULD BE A MIDPOINT ANALYSIS OF HOW WE'RE DOING ON MEETING THOSE GOALS. UM, 2025 IS KIND OF THE MIDPOINT YEAR FOR OUR HOUSING ELEMENT CYCLE, SO IT'S KIND OF A PROGRESS CHECK TO SEE HOW WE'RE DOING, IF WE'RE FALLING SHORT IN SOME AREAS, WHAT CAN WE DO ON THE SECOND HALF OF OUR CYCLE, UH, TO MAKE UP THAT SHORTFALL. AND IT'S, IT'S FOCUSED ON BOTH HOUSING PRODUCTION, PARTICULARLY ON A FAIR DISTRIBUTION OF HOUSING PRODUCTION THROUGHOUT THE CITY, UM, BUT ALSO PRESERVATION, AFFORDABILITY, UM, AND TENANT STABILITY. EXCELLENT. UM, SO, UM, SINCE 2025 IS THE, THE MIDPOINT, IS THE EQUITY ANALYSIS NOW, UM, ONGOING OR HAS IT STARTED? IT STARTED, SO THERE'S KIND OF, UH, THREE DIFFERENT BUCKETS TO THINK ABOUT. SO STEP ONE WAS, DID YOU DO WHAT YOU SAID YOU WERE GOING TO DO? SO WE HAVE ALREADY DONE AN INTERNAL ANALYSIS OF EVERYTHING WE COMMITTED TO, UM, IN THE HOUSING ELEMENT, AND WE ARE ON TRACK. THERE ARE SOME AREAS LIKE OUR REZONING WHERE MAYBE WE'VE MADE GREAT PROGRESS BUT ARE A LITTLE BEHIND. THERE'S OTHER AREAS WHERE WE'RE AHEAD OF SCHEDULE AND IN THE AGGREGATE WE THINK WE'VE SATISFIED THAT, UM, FIRST BUCKET. UM, THE SECOND BUCKET IS TO HAVE A DISCUSSION, UM, WITH THE CITY COUNCIL. SO THAT WILL BE SCHEDULED, UM, FOR THIS FALL AND THAT WILL OCCUR. AND THEN I THINK THE THIRD BUCKET IS GETTING SORT OF THAT OBJECTIVE THIRD PARTY. SO, UM, WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH ACADEMIA, IT'S BEEN A LITTLE HARDER THAN WE ANTICIPATED TO GET, UM, AN INSTITUTION. UM, WE'RE NOT ASKING THEM TO DO IT FOR FREE, BUT GETTING SOMEONE TO KIND OF DO AN EVALUATION OF WHERE WE ARE. UM, BUT WE'VE MADE SOME PROGRESS, UM, AND WE EXPECT TO HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT IN A MONTH OR SO ABOUT, UM, WORKING WITH THE UNIVERSITY TO DO, UM, A MORE ACADEMIC LOOK AT WHERE WE ARE HERE HALFWAY THROUGH. UM, SO WE WILL HAVE STARTED THIS WORK IN, UM, THE CALENDAR YEAR. WE WERE SUPPOSED TO START IT. WE MIGHT END UP FINISHING IN 26 INSTEAD OF 25, BUT I THINK WE'RE GENERALLY ON TRACK. GREAT. UH, THIS IS JUST A CURIOSITY WHEN YOU ENGAGE WITH AN ACADEMIC INSTITUTION ABOUT THIS, LIKE WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS YOU'RE LOOKING FOR? LIKE WHO TYPICALLY DOES THIS KIND OF WORK? UH, NOT A LOT OF THIS WORK IS DONE. SO, UM, IN A RESEARCH UNIVERSITY, YOU MAY HAVE A, UM, URBAN PLANNING PROGRAM. YOU MIGHT HAVE AN ARCHITECTURE PROGRAM OR A GEOGRAPHY PROGRAM. THOSE ARE ALL DIFFERENT NAMES FOR VERY SIMILAR DISCIPLINES. UM, UH, BUT THEIR RESEARCH MAY BE, UM, FOCUSED ON VERY SPECIFIC THINGS. LIKE THERE'S, UM, ACADEMIC STUDY ABOUT ADUS IN LOW INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS, WHICH IS GREAT, BUT THE, OR THEY MAY BE FOCUSED ON RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN AN INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT. THERE'S NOT A TON OF RESEARCH ACTIVITY ON HOW ARE CITIES DOING GENERALLY AT MEETING THEIR HOUSING GOALS AND WHAT ARE THE POLICY LEVERS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH MORE OR LESS SUCCESSFUL CITIES. I THINK THAT IS KIND OF A TOWN AND GOWN, UM, DISCONNECT. UM, BUT HOPEFULLY BY US ASKING AND, UM, PAYING FOR, UM, SOME RESEARCH, WE'LL BE ABLE TO, UM, FIND A BETTER MATCH. UM, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW IT'S SIMULTANEOUSLY, UM, TOO ZOOMED OUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT HYPER, UM, FOCUS THE WAY THAT A, LIKE A JOURNAL ARTICLE TYPICALLY WOULD BE. UM, AND IT'S JUST NOT IN THEIR WHEELHOUSE, BUT THERE WAS A LOT OF INTEREST. IT'S JUST ABOUT FINDING THE RIGHT PROFESSOR AND GRAD STUDENTS AND ORGANIZING THE WORK AND GETTING IT DONE. I UNDERSTAND THAT. WELL, , UM, LAST QUESTION WOULD BE FOR SLIDE NINE UNDER THE EXAMPLE OF AN OMNIBUS UPDATE. CAN YOU JUST WALK ME THROUGH THE OMNIBUS UPDATE AGAIN? I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I'M COMPLETELY FOLLOWING THAT. SURE. SO OMNIBUS IS REALLY JUST A FANCY WORD OF SAYING WE THROWING A WHOLE BUNCH OF SMALLER UPDATES TOGETHER. UM, SO IT'S A SERIES OF CLEANUPS IMPROVEMENTS, UM, EFFICIENCIES THAT ON THEIR OWN WOULD BE VERY SMALL CODE UPDATES, BUT TOGETHER IT'S KIND OF PACKAGED TO BE MORE COMPREHENSIVE. UM, SO THERE'LL BE SOME LIKE MAYBE 1397 THAT'S HIGHLIGHTED HERE [00:30:01] THAT WE ARE MANDATED TO DO BY THE STATE BOARD. SO WE'RE JUST CODIFYING STATE LAW AT THE LOCAL LEVEL TO SAY THAT YES, WE WILL PROCESS ANY PROJECT THAT'S ON A SITE INVENTORY THAT WOULD QUALIFY WHETHER THE 20% IS SET ASIDE AS BY RIGHT, RATHER THAN REQUIRING ANY ENTITLEMENT. UM, THERE'S OTHER ACTIONS THAT KIND OF TAKEN FROM THE BEST PRACTICES AND LESSONS OF THE EMERGENCY PERIOD. UM, SO STREAMLINING MEASURES THAT WEREN'T ENVISIONED AT THE TIME THAT THE HOUSING ELEMENT WAS ADOPTED, BUT THAT WE TRIED OUT, UM, AS PART OF, UM, THE EMERGENCY DECORATION AND WE FOUND WORKED WELL. SO MAKING THOSE PERMANENT, UM, AND THEN ADDITIONAL IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED AS TIME HAS GONE ON, BECAUSE AS I THINK WE'RE ALL AWARE OF THE LAST FIVE YEARS, THE PACE OF CHANGE HAS INCREASED EXPONENTIALLY. SO MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE ADAPTING, UM, TO THOSE CHANGES AS BEST WE CAN WHILE WE'RE ALREADY IN THE MIDST OF DOING THIS UPDATE. EXCELLENT. YEAH, AND IT'S REALLY, IT'S ABOUT MINUTIAE, BUT IT'S ABOUT MINUTIAE THAT MATTERS . UM, SO EVERY, UM, PROJECT, UH, RECEIVES WHAT'S CALLED A SITE PLAN REVIEW APPROVAL, EITHER A STAFF LEVEL ONE OR A PLANNING COMMISSION LEVEL ONE, AND IT'S BASED ON WRITTEN FINDINGS. WELL, ONE OF THOSE WRITTEN FINDINGS IS THAT THE PROJECT IS IN HARMONY WITH ITS SURROUNDINGS AND GENERAL GOOD PLANNING PRINCIPLES, AND NO ONE KNOWS WHAT THAT MEANS BECAUSE THAT IS A TOTALLY SUBJECTIVE, UH, SET OF WORDS. UM, SO WE'RE STILL GONNA HAVE FINDINGS, BUT IT'S REFINING THOSE FINDINGS TO BE OBJECTIVE, UM, THAT NOT ONLY PROVIDES BETTER CERTAINTY TO THE APPLICANT, BE IT A PRIVATE APPLICANT OR THE CITY ITSELF, UM, BUT IT CHANGES THE BURDEN OF PROOF ANYTIME THERE IS A DISPUTE OR SOMETHING ENDS UP, UM, BEFORE A JUDGE OR AN APPELLATE BODY. UM, AND IT CHANGES, UH, HOW CQA IS APPLIED TO DIFFERENT PROJECTS. SO THAT MINUTIA HA YOU KNOW, CHANGING THOSE FEW WORDS IN THE CODE HAS BIG IMPACTS. AND THEN THE OTHER THING WORKING UNDER, UM, THE CITY MANAGER DURING THE HOMELESS EMERGENCY, IT WASN'T THAT EVERYTHING IS GONNA WORK, BUT SORT OF EVERYTHING WAS ON THE TABLE. SO WE HAVE CERTAIN USES BE IT, UM, AN EMERGENCY SHELTER OR A, UM, A MENTAL HEALTHCARE DROP-IN CENTER, UM, THAT OUR ZONING CODE ONLY ALLOWED LIKE FIVE PLACES IN THE WHOLE CITY. AND THEN THE APPROACH WAS, WELL, IT COULD BE ANYWHERE. DOESN'T MEAN EVERYWHERE IS OKAY, BUT EVERY, WE SHOULD AT LEAST LOOK EVERYWHERE. UM, SO IT'S MAKING CHANGES IN OUR ZONING CODE TO SAY SOME PLACES ARE MORE SENSITIVE THAN OTHERS, BUT THERE'S AT LEAST SOME OPPORTUNITY BE IT THROUGH A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT HEARING OR SOME KIND OF REVIEW THAT THERE'S A, A WIDER SET OF AREAS ARE KIND OF ON THE TABLE FOR SOME OF THESE USES THAT, UM, WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT SO THAT WE CAN SERVE ALL THE DIFFERENT NEEDS IN THE COMMUNITY. OKAY. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL MY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU SO MUCH, COUNCILWOMAN. UM, I, I'LL START WHERE YOU ENDED. UM, DIRECTOR KUNTZ, UM, WE SEE THAT THERE'S GREAT PROGRESS THAT'S BEING MADE. IT'S GREAT TO SEE THOSE NUMBERS UP, BUT WE KNOW THAT HOUSING IS STILL UNAFFORDABLE FOR FAR TOO MANY RESIDENTS, AND I TOO CELEBRATED THE FACT THAT LONG BEACH WAS ABLE TO HAVE AND MAINTAIN ITS RENT LEVELS DESPITE EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING IN THE MACRO LEVEL AS WELL. AND I THINK THAT'S BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF UNITS THAT WE HAVE COMING ONLINE HERE, UH, WITHIN OUR CITY. SO GOING BACK TO, I DON'T KNOW THE SLIDE NUMBERS, UM, LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF, UM, UPDATING SOME OF THE, OH, SLIDE FOUR. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . I'M LOOKING IN THE WRONG CORNER. UM, YES. I JUST WANTED TO GET A SENSE AS TO WHETHER THE PUBLIC IS ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY WAY IN THE ZONE IN ACTIVITIES THAT ARE TAKING PLACE IN THE THREE AREAS LISTED HERE. YES. NOT ONLY DO THEY HAVE OPPORTUNITY, BUT WE REALLY WOULD LOVE TO HAVE GREATER PUBLIC PARTICIPATION. SO WHETHER YOU LIVE IN THE GREATER BIXBY KNOLLS AREA OR MAYBE YOU DON'T, MAYBE YOU WORK THERE, MAYBE YOU GO TO SCHOOL THERE. UM, WE REALLY WOULD LIKE FOLKS TO COME TO OUR WEBSITE, ENGAGE WITH US, BUT NOT JUST ENGAGE ON THE WEBSITE. WE DO WALKING TOURS, WE DO WORKSHOPS, WE DO, UH, I THINK THE BEST WAY TO UNDERSTAND, UH, OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND, AND THINK ABOUT THEIR FUTURE IS TO KIND OF PHYSICALLY INTERACT IN THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS. SO, UM, IN EVERY PLACE THAT WE'RE REDOING, UM, THE ZONING, IT'S A PUBLIC PROCESS AND THAT PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT, UM, HELPS US DO BETTER AND HELPS US COME UP WITH THE, THE RIGHT, RIGHT SOLUTIONS. EXCELLENT. SO WE'D ENCOURAGE RESIDENTS TO GET ONLINE, GET CONNECTED SO THAT THEY CAN GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT UPCOMING ACTIVITIES. YES. SO ON SLIDE FIVE, UM, AND COUNCILWOMAN ALSO WENT OVER SEVERAL OF THESE, UM, THIS IS A WONDERFUL, UH, EXPANSIVE LIST THAT GIVES US A PRETTY GOOD IDEA OF THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT THE DEPARTMENT IS WORKING ON. UM, TODAY HERE HAS BEEN AN OVERVIEW, UM, BUT AS WE CONTINUE ON WITH [00:35:01] THIS COMMITTEE, THERE ARE ELEMENTS I'D LIKE TO RETURN TO SO THAT WE CAN GO INTO SOME DETAILS ON WHAT IT IS THAT WE, YOU KNOW, MIGHT BE DOING. SO LET'S SAY AROUND EXPANDING TENANT PROTECTIONS, WHICH WE HEAR QUITE A LOT ABOUT, UM, AT COUNCIL MEETINGS, UM, TO SEEING, YOU KNOW, HOW THINGS ARE GOING ONCE WE, UM, EX IMPLEMENT CITYWIDE OUR INCLUSIONARY HOUSING, UM, ORDINANCE. SO THESE ARE THINGS THAT I'M GLAD THEY'RE ON THE LIST, BUT WE WANNA DRILL DOWN INTO THEM AS WE CONTINUE. UH, ABSOLUTELY. AND I, I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH, UH, YOU AND YOUR STAFF AND, AND WE CAN SET UP A SCHEDULE, UH, FOR THE YEAR AND COME BACK, UM, AS OFTEN AS, UH, YOU'LL HAVE US. WONDERFUL. YOU WERE JUST SPEAKING ABOUT, UM, THE RESEARCH THAT YOU WANTED TO DO, AND I WAS THINKING THAT THERE MIGHT BE A COUPLE OF ORGANIZATIONS WITHIN THE REGION WHO WOULD BENEFIT FROM THAT RESEARCH AS WELL, AND WHO WOULD OTHER JURISDICTIONS THAT COULD BENEFIT. SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT SCAG AND SCAM ARE AWARE OF THE SEARCH THAT WE ARE DOING, UM, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO BE ABLE TO STUDY AND UNDERSTAND REGARDING OUR STRATEGY AND ITS IMPACTS, AND THEN, UM, SEE IF THAT CAN BE A GREAT LESSONS LEARNED FOR OTHER JURISDICTIONS AS WELL, UM, TO PICK UP ON THAT AND WE CAN CREATE A BIT MORE OF A MARKET FOR THIS KIND OF ANALYSIS. ABSOLUTELY. AND WE ARE IN DISCUSSIONS WITH SCAG, BUT THAT'S A, A GREAT IDEA TO LOOP IN OUR, UM, NONPROFIT HOUSING PROVIDERS. AND, UM, WE WANNA WORK WITH ALL CITIES. WE TALK TO OUR FELLOW GATEWAY CITIES, UM, UH, OFTEN MONTHLY THERE'S A MEETING OF THE GATEWAY CITIES AND, UM, RIGHT WITHIN THE DONUT HOLE IS, IS SMALL BUT MIGHTY SIGNAL HILL, WHICH ALSO DOES GREAT THINGS ON, UM, HOUSING SIMILAR TO OUR CITY. SO, UM, WE ALWAYS TRY TO WORK TOGETHER. ABSOLUTELY. AND THEN WE WANT SIGNAL HILL TO KNOW THAT THE DONUT HOLE, IT'S ITS OWN DONUT STANDING ON ITS OWN AS WELL. SAY, TAKE A . I'D LIKE TO TAKE A LOOK AT SLIDE 10. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT STRIKES ME ABOUT THIS SLIDE IS THE FACT THAT OUR NEW HOUSING UNITS, UM, ARE COMING BY AND LARGE FROM ADUS. UM, AND I THINK THAT THAT IS INCREDIBLE AND IT ALLOWS US TO BE ABLE TO HAVE NEW UNITS VERY QUICKLY, UM, IN INTRODUCED INTO THE FABRIC OF OUR, UM, CITY. AND, UM, NOT ONLY I BELIEVE IS IT A NEW A DU RECORD FOR US, BUT WE LEAD, I THINK ACROSS THE STATE IN THIS AREA. THAT'S CORRECT. WE DO LEAD ON ADUS, UM, OVER THIS LAST YEAR. SOME OF OUR FELLOW JURISDICTIONS ARE, ARE, UM, CATCHING UP, WHICH IS, THAT'S GREAT FOR THEM AND FOR THE REGION AT LARGE. UM, BUT ON A PER CAPITA BASIS, UH, WE CONTINUE TO BE A LEADER. I THINK THAT, UH, PROGRESS ON ADUS IS FANTASTIC. UM, WE DON'T WANT TO BECOME SOLELY DEPENDENT ON ADUS EITHER, SO IT'S FANTASTIC THAT WE HAVE ALL THESE ADUS, UH, WE NEED MORE APARTMENTS AND CONDOS AND TOWN HOMES. SO THAT'S PART OF THE WORK THAT ALEJANDRO AND HIS TEAM, UH, DO EVERY DAY TO COME UP WITH SORT OF, UM, THE REGULATORY TOOLS TO, UH, ENCOURAGE ALL TYPES OF HOUSING. UM, BUT WHAT'S ALSO BEEN GREAT ABOUT ADUS IS THEIR INDIVIDUAL HOMEOWNERS ARE INVESTORS AND THEY'RE NOT REALLY SUBJECT TO THE WHIMS OF, UM, CONSTRUCTION FINANCE. SO RIGHT NOW IT'S EXTREMELY CHALLENGING, UM, TO OBTAIN APARTMENT FINANCING. IT CAN BE DONE, BUT THE AMOUNT OF HARD MONEY, THE AMOUNT OF EQUITY REQUIRED BY THE BANK IS HIGHER THAN TYPICAL. AND THEN THERE'S A MAXIMUM SIZE. UM, SO THERE'S NOT AN ABILITY TO, UM, FINANCE OUR LARGEST PROJECTS, UM, THROUGH TO TRADITIONAL, UH, CONSTRUCTION FINANCING. BUT, UH, WHEN INTEREST RATES DO COME DOWN THAT, UH, WILL IMPROVE. DO WE DO ANYTHING TO TRACK THE AFFORDABILITY OF ADUS? UH, WE DO INFORMALLY. WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THAT MORE FORMALLY. SO ALL OF OUR ADUS, UH, FOR RECORD KEEPING AND RENA PURPOSES, THEY'RE CLASSIFIED AS, UM, MARKET RATE EXCEPT FOR THE 10 THAT, THAT WE ARE FUNDING THAT, UH, WILL BE AFFORDABLE. UM, BUT WE BELIEVE MANY OF THESE ADUS ARE ACTUALLY RENTED AT A LEVEL THAT WOULD BE DEFINED AS MODERATE. UM, WE'RE NOT CURRENTLY TAKING CREDIT FOR THEM AS MODERATE BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE RENT ROLLS, WE DON'T HAVE PROOF TO PROVIDE TO HCD. UM, BUT BY DEFINITION, UM, WHILE SOME OF THEM MAY BE LUXURY UNITS, MOST OF THEM ARE, UH, MIDDLE INCOME HOUSING. UM, AND PROBABLY, UH, DO QUALIFY AS MODERATE. OKAY, THANK YOU. AND I'D LOVE TO SEE US IDENTIFY MAYBE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ELEVATE THE EXPERIENCES OF SOME OF OUR LOCAL OWNERS AND RESIDENTS WHO HAVE DECIDED TO IMPLEMENT A DS BE NICE TO HAVE, UM, A BIT OF A, A PUBLIC CAMPAIGN TO AT LEAST, UM, HELP PEOPLE UNDERSTAND YOUR NEIGHBOR'S DONE IT, YOU CAN DO IT TOO, AND HERE'S SOME RESOURCES THAT THE CITY HAS AVAILABLE TO HELP YOU DO SO. YEAH, WE'D LOVE, [00:40:01] UH, TO DO THAT, UH, ONLY SO MANY HOURS IN THE DAY, BUT WE'RE WORKING ON THAT DURING, UH, MAY. IT'S NATIONAL HOME IMPROVEMENT MONTH. SO PART OF WHAT WE WILL BE HIGHLIGHTING IS HOW EASY IT IS TO DO AN A DU. IF YOU GO ON INSTAGRAM OR ASK YOUR KIDS TO GO ON INSTAGRAM, THEY CAN, UM, SHOW YOU, THERE'S LIKE A DU INFLUENCERS AND ALL THESE THINGS. WE'RE NOT REALLY LIKE IN THAT WORLD, BUT I WANNA FIGURE OUT HOW TO BE IN THAT WORLD SO THAT WE CAN CONNECT, UH, WITH PEOPLE. UM, SO, UH, THAT'S ALL ON THE, THE TO-DO WISHLIST. WELL, THERE'S DEFINITELY POSSIBLY AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO DO A TOUR AND MAYBE TO INVITE SOME OF THOSE FOLKS, THOSE INFLUENCERS OUT TO CHOOSE LONG BEACH AS THE PLACE TO, UH, SPEND THEIR, THEIR TIME AND THEIR CAMERAS. YEP. ALRIGHT, WELL, UM, I WANNA THANK, UH, THE BOTH OF YOU FOR YOUR, UH, PRESENTATION. IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT IF ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM NOW. NO PUBLIC COMMENT CHAIR. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON A NON AGENDA ITEM, IF ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, I'M SORRY, WE HAVE TO GO BACK. WE'RE MOVING A LITTLE TOO QUICKLY. WE NEED TO TAKE VOTE. OH, DID I NOT VOTE ON THE, SORRY. OKAY. MME. CLARK, CAN YOU BRING UP ITEM NUMBER TWO? . WE WILL TAKE A VOTE ON THAT NOW. GIMME ONE SEC. YES. AND THERE WE GO. UH, SORRY. IT'S GONNA BE A DELAY. NO PROBLEM. DO YOU SEE IT ON YOUR SCREEN? YES. NOT YET. NOT YET. IT HERE. OKAY. IT'S SAYING WAITING. THANK YOU. THIS ONE'S NOT SUPPOSED TO LET YOU GO. WE CAN DO A VERBAL, WE PRESS OH, WE'LL PRESS YES. IT'S NOT SHOWING UP ON YOURS SCREEN. YEAH, SO IT'S, IT'S STILL SAYING WAITING IT'S GOING. IT IS GONNA BE A DELAY, BUT, UH, RECEIVED. I'M A YAY. RECEIVED. MOTION CARRIES. OKAY. THANK YOU MADAM CLERK. WE'LL NOW SEE IF THERE ARE ANY, UH, NON AGENDA PUBLIC COMMENTS. NOW LET'S TRY THIS ONE MORE TIME. IF ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM NOW AND WE DO HAVE SOMEONE YOUR TIME BEGINS NOW. HAPPY TUESDAY AND GOOD EVENING. UH, COUNCILWOMAN. MY NAME IS MARIA. I'M DISTRICT ONE RESIDENT AND AUTONOMOUS TENANT [PUBLIC COMMENT Opportunity to address the Housing and Public Health Committee on non-agenda items. Each speaker is limited to three minutes to make their comments unless extended by the Chair.] ORGANIZER. IN 2017, THE CITY COUNCIL VOTED TO MAKE THE THIRD WEDNESDAY OF APRIL A CITYWIDE RENTERS DAY, STRONGER TENANT PROTECTIONS AND ARE CRUCIAL WHEN IT COMES TO HOUSING AND PUBLIC HEALTH. NONETHELESS, WHAT WAS PROPOSED IN THE HOUSING POLICY FORUMS LAST SUMMER HAS NOT YET COME TO FRUITION AND IT'S STILL CONSIDERED A MILESTONE. UM, I'M NOT SURE HOW THAT QUITE MAKES SENSE FOR OUR COMMUNITIES, BUT I WANT TO REMIND FOLKS IN THIS ROOM, SUBSTANTIAL REMODEL AND RENT COSTS CONTINUES TO THREATEN TO DESTABILIZE AND DISPLACE OUR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES AND COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. LA VOTED ON MARCH 7TH TO PASS AN INTERIM ORDINANCE CONTROLLING TEMPORARILY REMOVING RENOVATION WORK AS A BASIS FOR EVICTION FOR TENANTS AND 10 THOUSANDS OF RENTAL UNITS IN THE CITY. TENANTS IN LONG BEACH ARE ASKING FOR YOU TO STEP UP TO ACCOUNTABILITY, TRANSPARENCY, AND UPHOLD RESPECT FOR TENANTS. IT'S CLEAR THAT NO TIMELINE HAS BEEN CREATED FOR CHANGES FOR JUST CAUSE POLICY. AND LUCKILY FOR US, THE CITY OF VALLAY HAS JUST PAVED THE WAY. AND I WOULD PUSH BACK AGAINST THE NOTION THAT RENTS ARE FLAT AND ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO LOOK AT THE RENT BRIGADE LIST. UM, BECAUSE SOME OF THOSE ADDRESSES ARE IN LONG BEACH, WE NEED A STRONG RENT STABILIZATION ORDINANCE AT A 3% AND 60 OR 60% CPI READING EVICTED BY MATTHEW DESMOND. I'VE GOTTEN MORE CLARITY ON THE IMPACTS OF EVICTIONS, AND I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE IT WITH YOU ALL AMONGST THE BOOKS INSIGHT, A SINGLE EVICTION IN YOUR RECORD CAN PRECLUDE RENTING ANOTHER APARTMENT. EVICTIONS CONTRIBUTE TO HIGHER RATES OF JOB LOSS AND SCHOOL ABSENCES, FAMILY AND HEALTH NOURISHMENT ARE OFTEN COMPROMISED IN ORDER TO PAY RENT. THE SHAME AND INSECURITY AND EVICTION CAN TRIGGER, UM, BUT IT DOESN'T STOP THERE. A THREAT OF EVICTION MAKES US MORE LIKELY TO DIE IN THE NEXT 20 YEARS. AND AN EVICTION JUDGMENT DOUBLES THAT LIKELIHOOD TO 40%. EVEN HIGHER RENTS PREDICT MORTALITY. THE HIGHER OUR RENT BURDENS, THE SOONER AND LIKE OUR DEATHS WILL BE. OF COURSE, THE RISKS ARE WORSE WHEN WE LIVE OUTDOORS. THE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF AN UNHOUSED PERSON IS 48 YEARS, AN AVERAGE OF 30 YEARS. CUT SHORT. IT'S NOT AN EXAGGERATION TO SAY THAT RENT KILLS HOUSING AND UNHINGING IS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH. SO WE ASK, UH, THIS COMMITTEE TO TAKE A PROACTIVE STANCE AND, UH, SUPPORT COUNSEL TO VOTE ON REMOVING SUBSTANTIAL REMODEL AND, UH, LOOKING INTO RENT STABILIZATION ORDINANCE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT. UM, SO MY COLLEAGUE AND I KNOW WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS AND WE THANK THE PUBLIC FOR THE COMMENT HERE TODAY AS THAT [00:45:01] WILL HELP TO INFLUENCE, UM, FUTURE, UH, AGENDA ITEMS AT THIS TIME. IF THERE'S NOTHING ELSE FROM THE DAAS, THEN WE WILL ADJOURN TODAY'S MEETING. THANK YOU. RECEIVED. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.