* 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. [00:00:25] ALL RIGHT, WELL, UH, LET'S GO AHEAD AND CALL THE BUDGET OVERSIGHT [CALL TO ORDER] COMMITTEE MEETING TO ORDER FOR JULY 29TH, 2025. MEMBER ALLEN [ROLL CALL] PRESENT VICE CHAIR, URANGA CHAIR RICK SODI. HERE WE HAVE A QUORUM. LOVELY, UM, CLERK, WOULD YOU PLEASE READ THE FIRST ITEM, ITEM ONE RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FOR THE BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MEETING OF TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH, 2024. ALL RIGHT. IT HAS BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED. UH, ANY DISCUSSION? UM, SEEING [1. 25-55886 Recommendation to approve the minutes for the Budget Oversight Committee meeting of Tuesday, September 10, 2024.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] NONE, DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON ITEM ONE, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM NOW. NO PUBLIC COMMENT CHAIR. ALL RIGHT, WELL, THEN WE CAN GO AHEAD AND VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. LOVELY. UH, ITEM TWO, ITEM TWO, RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE FY 26 BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE PRESENTATION, TOPIC SCHEDULE. AND WE HAVE A FIRST AND A SECOND, AND I THINK WE HAVE A PRESENTATION. UH, YES. UH, THANK YOU. MY NAME IS REBECCA BERNSTORFF AND I'M THE BUDGET MANAGER. [2. 25-55887 Recommendation to approve FY 26 Budget Oversight Committee Presentation Topics Schedule.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] AND JUST A VERY BRIEF STAFF, UH, PRESENTATION FOR YOU TODAY. AFTER SOLICITING FEEDBACK FROM MEMBERS OF THE BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE OVER THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS, THIS COMPREHENSIVE PRESENTATION SCHEDULE HAS BEEN THOUGHTFULLY DEVELOPED TO REFLECT THAT INPUT. THIS SCHEDULE SPANS ACROSS SEVEN MEETINGS, WHICH INCLUDES AN EXTENSION OF BOC MEETING TIMES COMPARED TO LAST YEAR. AND THIS ADDITIONAL TIME WILL ALLOW FOR MORE IN-DEPTH DISCUSSIONS AND THOROUGH REVIEW OF THE FISCAL 26 PROPOSED BUDGET. EACH MEETING WILL INCLUDE STANDING AGENDA ITEMS SUCH AS APPROVAL OF MINUTES, RECEIVING AND FILING OF COUNCIL DISTRICT CORRESPONDENCE. THIS ITEM PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR COUNCIL DISTRICTS AND ELECTED OFFICIALS TO FORMALLY SUBMIT FEEDBACK FOR THE BO C'S CONSIDERATION AS A PART OF THEIR EVALUATION OF THE PROPOSED BUDGET AND RESPONSES TO OUTSTANDING FOLLOW-UP ITEMS RAISED DURING BUDGET HEARINGS OR PREVIOUS BOC MEETINGS. SO THOSE STANDING ITEMS ARE ALL IN ADDITION TO THE PROPOSED TOPICS ON THIS LIST. AND AGAIN, THIS STRUCTURE IS DESIGNED TO ENSURE TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND THE OPPORTUNITY FOR MEANINGFUL DIALOGUE THROUGHOUT THE BUDGET REVIEW PROCESS. AND THAT CONCLUDES THE STAFF PRESENTATION. HMM, LOVELY. SHORT AND EFFICIENT. UM, ANY COMMENTS FROM, UH, MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES? MAYBE I'LL GO TO COUN COUNCILWOMAN ALLEN, ANYTHING? UM, I THINK THE COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE GOOD, SO WE CAN GO AHEAD AND GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT. IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON ITEM TWO, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM NOW. NO PUBLIC COMMENT CHAIR. ALL RIGHT. WELL, THEN WE CAN GO AHEAD AND VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. ALL RIGHT. CAN YOU PLEASE READ ITEM THREE? ITEM THREE, RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE AN OVERVIEW OF COMMUNITY BUDGET MEETINGS AND ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES. ALL RIGHT. UH, STAFF HAVE A PRESENTATION. WONDERFUL. GOOD AFTERNOON, [3. 25-55888 Recommendation to receive and file an overview of community budget meetings and engagement opportunities.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] CHAIR RICK SODI AND MEMBERS OF THE BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE. MY NAME IS DEMAR JOHNSON, AND I WILL BE PROVIDING THIS PRESENTATION FOR YOU THIS AFTERNOON. THIS IS TO PROVIDE YOU WITH AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROPOSED FY 26 BUDGET EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS, AS WELL AS VARIOUS OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR THE COMMUNITY BEFORE THE ADOPTION OF THE FY 26 BUDGET. THIS PRESENTATION WILL INCLUDE A SUMMARY OF THE EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS, DISCUSS FEEDBACK, RECEIVE FROM THE COMMUNITY, OFFER OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE ON THE PROPOSED FY 26 BUDGET, PROVIDE COMMUNICATION RESOURCES, AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT MAY ARISE THIS YEAR. THE CITY CONTINUED WITH THIS TWO-PHASE APPROACH FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. AS A PART OF THE FY 26 BUDGET DEVELOPMENT CITY STAFF CONDUCTED COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY, 2025 PRIOR TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ANY BUDGET PROPOSALS. THE EARLIER ENGAGEMENT INCLUDED FIVE IN-PERSON COMMUNITY MEETINGS AND ONE VIRTUAL COMMUNITY MEETING. THESE WERE HELD ON JANUARY 22ND, JANUARY 23RD, JANUARY 25TH, JANUARY 27TH, JANUARY 29TH, [00:05:02] AND FEBRUARY 3RD. THE ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS ALSO INCLUDED THE DISTRIBUTION AND COLLECTION OF THE FY 26 BUDGET SURVEY, WHICH OPENED ON JANUARY 2ND AND CLOSED ON FEBRUARY 4TH. AND SO THE GOALS OF THIS PROCESS INCLUDED INCREASED OUTREACH TO AND PARTICIPATION OF BROADER DEMO DEMOGRAPHIC GROUPS, AS WELL AS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A NEW MEETING FORMAT THAT WE WILL DISCUSS LATER IN THIS PRESENTATION. THE COMMUNITY MEETINGS WERE PROMOTED ON THE FY 26 BUDGET WEBSITE AND THE CITY CALENDAR, AND WIDELY DISTRIBUTED THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS AND DEPARTMENT NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTERS, INCLUDING THE GO LONG BEACH NEWSLETTER. THE NEIGHBORHOOD RESOURCES CENTER SERVE AND PRINTED FLYERS FOR THE COMMUNITY MEETINGS WERE MADE AVAILABLE AT EACH OF THE LIBRARY BRANCHES, AS WELL AS THE, AS WELL AS CITY PARKS FOR ALL COMMUNITY MEETINGS. SPANISH KUAI AND TAGAL INTERPRETATION SERVICES WERE MADE AVAILABLE, AND THE MEETING FLYERS WERE ALSO MADE AVAILABLE IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES. AND SO THIS YEAR WE DID SEE A 35% INCREASE IN BUDGET SURVEY RESPONDENTS FROM LAST YEAR. AND, UM, THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 1,145 PEOPLE TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY AND A TOTAL OF 261 ATTENDEES AT THE COMMUNITY MEETINGS, WHICH WAS UP FROM 102 FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR AS A RESULT OF COUNCIL AND BOC RECOMMENDATIONS FROM LAST BOC SEASON TO FIND WAYS TO ADVANCE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS, CITY STAFF CONDUCTED A STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION TO DETERMINE AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT, UM, FOR THIS YEAR AND ANY IDEAS THAT WE CAN ALSO COME UP WITH FOR FUTURE ENGAGEMENT. THIS YEAR, WE INCORPORATED INTO OUR COMMUNITY MEETINGS A NEW MEETING FORMAT AT BOTH THE IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL MEETINGS TO GATHER MORE INFORMED FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY. WE HEARD FROM MULTIPLE COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT THEY ENJOYED THIS NEW FORMAT AND WE APPRECIATE IT, AND THAT THEY APPRECIATED BEING ABLE TO TALK DIRECTLY WITH CITY STAFF FROM A VARIETY OF DEPARTMENTS, CITY, CITY DEPARTMENTS. ADDITIONALLY, WE ADDED IN A SATURDAY MORNING IN-PERSON MEETING AND SAW GREAT ATTENDANCE AT THIS AS WELL. THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 60 PARTICIPANTS AT THIS MEETING, AND WE WILL CONTINUE HAVING A SATURDAY MORNING MEETING, A SATURDAY MEETING FOR THE FOR FORESEEABLE FUTURE THIS YEAR. WE ALSO PROVIDED FOOD AT EACH OF THE COMMUNITY MEETINGS AND FOUND THAT IT IS NOT ONLY A GREAT INCENTIVE FOR THE, FOR THE RESIDENTS, UM, TO ATTEND, BUT ALSO PROMOTES LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES THROUGHOUT THE CITY IN EACH OF THE COUNCIL DISTRICTS THAT THESE MEETINGS ARE BEING HELD. IN LASTLY, THIS AUGUST, WE ARE EXCITED TO ALSO ANNOUNCE THAT WE ARE ACTUALLY IMPLEMENTING A NEW BUDGET SIMULATION TOOL INTO OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS. AND SO THIS TOOL IS A GREAT WAY TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ON HOW LOCAL GOVERNMENT BUDGETING WORKS, AS WELL AS RECEIVE ADDITIONAL DATA ON WHAT AREAS SURROUNDING THE STRATEGIC VISION, 2030 THEMES THAT THE COMMUNITY ARE PRIORITIZING. NEXT, WE WILL DISCUSS THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FEEDBACK RECEIVED THROUGH THIS PROCESS. SIMILAR TO LAST YEAR, THE CITY'S STRATEGIC VISION 2030 PLAN WAS USED AS A FRAMEWORK FOR THE COMMUNITY PRIORITY SERVICE AREAS. THE SURVEY ASKED PARTICIPANTS TO RANK THE 2030 STRATEGIC THEMES AND IMPORTANCE FROM ONE THROUGH EIGHT, WITH ONE BEING THE MOST IMPORTANT, AND EIGHT BEING THE LEAST IMPORTANT. THE EIGHT KEY SERVICE AREAS INCLUDE EDUCATION, ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, EQUITY AND RESILIENCY, DIGITAL INCLUSION AND TECHNOLOGY, HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS, MOBILITY AND PLACEMAKING, PUBLIC SAFETY, HEALTH AND HEALTH, AND WELLNESS AND CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY. WHEN TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT, THE WEIGHTED SCORING, THE TOP RANKED 2030 STRATEGIC VISION THEME IDENTIFIED THROUGH THE BUDGET SURVEY WAS HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS WITH EDUCATION BEING SECOND AND PUBLIC SAFETY BEING THIRD, AN EXHAUSTIVE BREAKDOWN OF ALL OF, OF THIS DATA, AS WELL AS ALL OF THE DATA THAT WE WILL DISCUSS IN THIS PRESENTATION CAN BE FOUND IN A MEMO THAT WAS RELEASED TO CITY COUNCIL ON MARCH 14TH. THIS SLIDE SHOWS THE RANKING DISTRIBUTION FOR SURVEY RESPONDENTS OF THE SURVEY. WHEN CONSIDERING THE NON RANKING, THE NON WEIGHTED SCORING, PUBLIC SAFETY WAS THE TOP CHOICE FOR SURVEY RESPONDENTS WITH HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS BEING SECOND, AND EDUCATION BEING THIRD. IN ADDITION TO RANKING THE 2030 STRATEGIC VISION THEMES, PARTICIPANTS WERE ALSO ASKED TO IDENTIFY THEIR TOP THREE PROGRAMS OR SERVICES WITHIN EACH OF THOSE THEMES. SO NEXT, WE WILL LOOK AT THE TOP THREE AGGREGATE THEMES OF THE BUDGET PRIORITY SURVEY, AND THE TOP THREE PROGRAMS. UNDER EACH OF THOSE THEMES, STARTING WITH HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS, THE TOP THREE PROGRAMS INCLUDE, ADDRESS AND PREVENT HOMELESSNESS THROUGH EMERGENCY SHELTER AND WRAPAROUND SERVICES. RAPID RESPONSE IN HOME HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT CLEANUPS AND INCREASE THE SUPPLY OF AFFORDABLE [00:10:01] AND WORKFORCE HOUSING. FOR THE EDUCATION. FOR THE EDUCATION THEME, THE TOP THREE PROGRAMS INCLUDE AFTERSCHOOL AND SUMMER PROGRAMS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, ACCESS TO LIBRARIES AND LIBRARY PROGRAMS, AND INFANT AND TODDLER AND PRESCHOOL AGE, EARLY CARE EDUCATION. UNDER THE PUBLIC SAFETY THEME, THE TOP THREE PROGRAMS INCLUDE MAINTAIN RAPID POLICE RESPONSE TO CALLS AND SERVICES, EMERGENCIES, AND HIGH VISIBILITY PATROLS, NUISANCE ABATEMENT PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS LOITERING, ILLEGAL DRUG ACTIVITY, EXCESSIVE NOISE, AND ILLEGALLY DUMP ITEMS, AND POLICE RESPOND TO GANG RELATED AND VIOLENT CRIME. AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED, ALL OF THIS DATA CAN BE, CAN BE VIEWED IN THE MARCH 14TH MEMO. IN ADDITION TO THE BUDGET SURVEY, RESIDENTS AND STAKEHOLDERS WERE ALSO PROVIDED WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE INPUT AT EACH OF THE COMMUNITY BUDGET MEETINGS. THE MEETING'S NEW FORMAT ALLOWED PARTICIPANTS TO PROVIDE QUALITATIVE OPEN-ENDED FEEDBACK, WHICH WAS MORE CONVERSATIONAL BASED WITH DEPARTMENTS. UM, AND, UH, AND CITY STAFF CAPTURED THIS DATA, EDUCATION, MOBILITY, EQUITY, PLACEMAKING, AND REIMAGINING THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY AND HOUSING HOMELESSNESS GAR GARNER. THE MOST COMMENTS AND A BREAKDOWN OF THIS DATA CAN BE FOUND AGAIN IN THAT MEMO. AS WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE REST OF THE BUDGET PROCESS, RESIDENTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS CAN ENGAGE IN THE BUDGET PROCESS BY ATTENDING BUDGET HEARINGS, BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MEETINGS, THE VARIETY OF COMMUNITY BUDGET MEETINGS THAT WILL BE HELD THROUGHOUT THE CITY, COMPLETING THE DIGITAL COMMENT CARD, THE NEW BUDGET SIMULATION TOOL, AND ACCESS OTHER ONLINE RESOURCES. THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF AUGUST, THERE WILL BE A SERIES OF BUDGET HEARINGS WHERE DEPARTMENTS WILL BE BE PRESENTING THE PROPOSED BUDGETS FOR THEIR DEPARTMENTS. THE CITY COUNCIL, AS WELL AS THE COMMUNITY, WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE COMMENTS AND ASK QUESTIONS. NEXT TUESDAY, AUGUST 5TH, WE WILL HEAR THE FY 26 PROPOSED BUDGET AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN. ON AUGUST 12TH, WE WILL HEAR FROM A PRESENTATION FROM POLICE AND FIRE, AUGUST 19TH, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. AUGUST 26TH WILL INCLUDE PRESENTATIONS FROM PUBLIC WORKS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, PARKS, RECREATION, AND MARINE. SEPTEMBER 2ND WILL INCLUDE PRESENTATIONS FROM LIBRARIES, ARTS AND CULTURE, AND OUR TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION DEPARTMENT. AND THE BUDGET IS SET TO BE ADOPTED ON SEPTEMBER 9TH. THERE ARE ALSO A FEW BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE ME MEETINGS SUCH AS THE ONE THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY IN, UM, SCHEDULED THROUGHOUT THIS MONTH THAT WILL ADDRESS VARIOUS TOPICS RELATED TO THE PROPOSED BUDGET AND THE CITY'S FINANCES. AND ANYONE FROM THE PUBLIC CAN PARTICIPATE IN THESE AS WELL. ON THURSDAY, WE, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE ONE NOTE THAT ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 14TH, THE BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE WILL HOLD A MEETING SPECIFICALLY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. IN ADDITION TO THE EARLY EARLIER COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FROM JANUARY AND FEBRUARY, COMMUNITY COMMUNITY MEETINGS WILL ALSO BE HELD THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF AUGUST. THERE'S, THIS IS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COMMUNITY TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON THEIR PROPOSED FY 26 BUDGET AND MEETING INTERPRETATION WILL BE AVAILABLE IN SPANISH, KAMAI AND TAGAL. AT EACH OF THESE MEETINGS, THESE MEETINGS WILL BE HELD THROUGHOUT EACH REGION OF THE CITY, AND STARTING NEXT WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6TH AT AMERICAN GOLD STAR MANOR. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13TH AT BROWNING HIGH SCHOOL. SATURDAY, AUGUST 16TH, WARDLOW PARK COMMUNITY CENTER, MONDAY, AUGUST 18TH, MICHELLE OBAMA LIBRARY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20TH AT THE BILLIE JEAN KING LIBRARY. AND WE WILL ALSO HOLD A VIRTUAL MEETING NEXT THURSDAY, AUGUST 7TH. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO NOTE THAT YOUR COUNCIL DISTRICTS HAVE RECEIVED THE COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT TO ASSIST US WITH OUTREACH TO THE COMMUNITY AS WELL. WE HAVE A VARIETY OF RESOURCES TO THE PUBLIC WHO ARE INTERESTED IN ENGAGING IN THE, IN THE BUDGET PROCESS. AND ALL OF THIS INFORMATION ABOUT THE MEETINGS CAN BE FOUND ONLINE ON THE FY 26 BUDGETPAGE@LONGBEACH.GOV SLASH FY 26, A FLYER, INVITING THE COMMUNITY TO OUR MEETINGS HAVE BEEN CREATED AND TRANSLATED INTO SPANISH COMBINED TAGAL, AND WE HAVE DISTRIBUTED THIS FLYER SO FAR THROUGH, UM, A VARIETY OF SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS SUCH AS FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, AND TWITTER. THEY HAVE ALSO BEEN GIVEN TO OUR CITY LIBRARIES AND CITIES PARKS SO THAT COMMUNITY MEMBERS CAN HAVE ACCESS TO THOSE AT THAT, AT EACH OF THOSE LOCATIONS AS WELL. OVER 300 COMMUNITY GROUPS HAVE ALSO RECEIVED THIS INFORMATION, AND SO WE'RE HOPING, UM, TO GET EVEN MORE INCREASE FROM OUR VARIETY OF STAKEHOLDERS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. AND MEETINGS HAVE ALSO BEEN PROMOTED ON OUR CITYWIDE EVENTS CALENDAR. ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE CITY'S ON THE CITY'S BUDGET PAGE IS THE BUDGET 1 0 1 VIDEO. AND THIS VIDEO GIVES AN OVERVIEW OF THE BUDGET BASICS SUCH AS THE [00:15:01] CITY'S FUNDS AND FUNDING SOURCES. THIS VIDEO IS ALSO AVAILABLE IN SPANISH. ALL OF THIS INFORMATION, INCLUDING EVERY CHAPTER OF THE BUDGET BOOK, SUCH AS THE CITY MANAGER'S, BUDGET, BUDGET, MESSAGE B BUDGETS BY DEPARTMENT. THAT'S A MOUTHFUL TO SAY , UM, FUN SUMMARIES AND OTHER ATTACHMENTS IS AVAILABLE ONLINE. THE CITY'S PUBLIC AFFAIRS TEAM IS ALSO UTILIZING SOCIAL MEDIA TO PROMOTE ALL OF THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENGAGEMENT REFERENCE IN THIS PRESENTATION. AND THIS INCLUDE CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATION, AND WE ARE AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THAT WAS EXCELLENT. UM, ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ARRAN, VICE MAYOR ARANKA. THANK YOU. IS THERE A BREAKDOWN ON THE RESPONSES FROM FOR DISTRICT? I DIDN'T SEE THAT HERE. YEAH, SO FROM THE, FROM THE JANUARY COMMUNITY MEETINGS, BY YOU'RE ASKING, IS THERE A BREAKDOWN PER DISTRICT, THE SURVEY FOR THE SURVEY FOR, FOR THEIR SURVEY. SO, SO I CAN SAY THAT WE DO HAVE ALL OF THE INFORMATION WHEN IT COMES TO THE SURVEY, IT IS ANONYMOUS, AND SO IT'S NOT BROKEN DOWN SPECIFICALLY BY DISTRICT. SO WHEN FOLKS ARE FILLING OUT THE SURVEY, THEY HAVE THE OPTION IF THEY WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE DEMOGRAPHIC SURVEY, I'M SORRY, DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION AS THAT'S OPTIONAL. AND THAT'S PRETTY STANDARD ACROSS THE CITY FOR SURVEYS. AND SO WHEN WE ARE EXTRACTING OUT THAT DATA, IT'S NOT PER EACH, EACH RESPONSE ISN'T NECESSARILY DEDICATED TO A COUNCIL DISTRICT. WE DO HAVE ALL OF THE INFORMATION CITYWIDE ACROSS TO, UM, THAT, THAT WE CAN PRESENT TO YOU. AND THAT'S FOUND IN THE, IN THE MEMO, BUT IT'S NOT BY SPECIFICALLY BY COUNCIL DISTRICT. WELL, WE BROUGHT THIS UP BEFORE BECAUSE WE FIND THAT, UH, VERY EASTERN PORTION OF THE CITY IS MUCH MORE CONCERNED ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY, WHEREAS OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY ARE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT HOMELESSNESS AND, UH, AND, UH, HOUSING. SO THAT'S WHY I'M INTERESTED IN THIS SURVEY, HAD ANY IMPROVEMENTS OR CHANGES. THAT'S WHY I BRING THAT UP. I DON'T KNOW. NO, I, UH, NOT TO MY COLLEAGUES. SO I ACTUALLY HAD THE EXACT SAME QUESTION, UM, WHICH WHETHER OR NOT THE, THE DATA WAS, UH, PRESENTED TO US, OR IT COULD BE PRESENTED TO US BY COUNCIL DISTRICT OR EVEN BY ZIP CODE, UM, AS, UH, VICE MAYOR RANGA HAS MENTIONED, UH, WE'VE GOTTEN DATA LIKE THAT BEFORE. UM, AND WHAT WE HAVE FOUND IS THAT THE PRIORITIES WILL VARY ACROSS DISTRICTS. UM, AND BECAUSE SOME DISTRICTS ARE WEIGHTED MORE HEAVILY OR HAVE MORE REPRESENTATION, YOU THEN SEE THAT REFLECTED IN THE, THE TYPES OF PRIORITIES THAT WE'RE SEEING COMING TO THE TOP. SO I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE DIVERSITY OF OPINIONS AND PERSPECTIVES, RIGHT, OF WHAT'S IMPORTANT, THAT WE'RE ABLE TO WEIGH THAT AS, UH, THE BUDGET COMMITTEE WHEN WE'RE DETERMINING, YOU KNOW, HOW WE'RE ALLOCATING FUNDING NUMBERS. YEAH, SO I WOULD SAY, UM, I MEAN, WE CAN, WE CAN CONSIDER THE, THE POC CAN CONSIDER MAKING THIS POTENTIALLY MAYBE LIKE A POLICY RECOMMENDATION. UM, BUT I THINK IT'S, IT'S, UH, I AGREE WITH VICE MAYOR ORANGA THAT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US ANNUALLY TO SEE THAT DATA BROKEN DOWN EITHER BY A ZIP CODE OR A COUNCIL DISTRICT. YEAH. TITLE DISTRICT IS TOO SPECIFIC. I CAN WORK WITH ZIP CODES. THANK YOU BOTH FOR YOUR COMMENTS. AND IF I COULD JUST PROVIDE, UM, SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WHILE DEMARIO, UM, DID ACCURATELY DESCRIBE THAT WE DO COLLECT THE DATA, WHOEVER'S WILLING TO RESPOND, OVERARCHINGLY WHO HAS RESPONDED BY DISTRICT. UH, CURRENTLY WE CONTRACT WITH A VENDOR THAT HELPS INTERPRET THE DATA, AND IT'S NOT ASSOCIATED BY WHO RESPONDED PER EACH PRIORITY. SO WE COULDN'T SAY, HERE'S OUR RESPONSE TO THIS. AND THEY SAID THAT THIS IS THE DISTRICT THEY'RE IN, BUT WE'RE ABSOLUTELY WILLING TO SEE IF THE VENDOR CAN CORRELATE THAT DATA IN A DIFFERENT WAY. EXCELLENT. ANYTHING ELSE? VICE MAYOR? NO, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALLEN. YEAH, THANK YOU. CHAIR WAS UNNOTICED. SO THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK. UM, I'M ABSOLUTELY EXCITED TO SEE HOW MANY RESIDENTS, UH, PARTICIPATED, UM, THROUGH THE MEETINGS AND THE SURVEYS AND, AND ALL THE OUTREACH THAT YOU DID. UM, A 35% INCREASE IS, IS QUITE SIGNIFICANT. SO THAT REALLY DOES SPEAK OF VOLUMES TO, UH, ALL, UM, YOUR HARD WORK. UM, AND I KNOW, YOU KNOW, THE MAYOR TALKED ABOUT THIS WHEN HE DID THE MAYOR'S BUDGET. YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR, UM, OUR BUDGET REPRESENTS OUR VALUES. AND SO TO HAVE AN INCREASE IN THAT MANY PEOPLE BEING INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS REALLY DOES, UH, SPEAK HIGHLY OF THE WORK. AND IT ALSO SHOWS, YOU KNOW, OB OBVIOUSLY OUR CLEAR PRIORITIES OF OUR RESIDENTS. SO, UM, AND HOW WE'RE GONNA INVEST IN HOUSING AND PUBLIC SAFETY AND ALL THAT GOOD STUFF, EDUCATION AND HEALTH. [00:20:01] UM, I JUST WANNA REMIND EVERYONE, PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF ALL THE MEETINGS, UM, UH, WHOEVER'S WATCHING OF ALL THE UPCOMING MEETINGS. UM, AND YOU CAN FIND THOSE@LONGBEACH.GOV. UM, BECAUSE I REALLY HAVE BEEN SAYING THIS AT ALL OF MY COMMUNITY MEETINGS, YOU KNOW, ARE THAT I KNOW WE, WE NEED PEOPLE TO SHOW UP AND WE NEED THEIR, UH, VOICE TO, UH, BE, UH, BE HEARD. I KNOW WE CONTINUE TO PUT THIS IN OUR NEWSLETTER AND INVITE PEOPLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROCESS. UM, I DO HAVE, UM, A QUESTION FOR YOU. I HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS. UM, UH, IS THERE A REASON WHY WE CAN'T HOLD A BUDGET MEETING IN EVERY DISTRICT CURRENTLY? HOW WE, UM, BREAK OUT THE SCHEDULING IS WE'LL TAKE, UH, UH, THE DISTRICTS THAT WE, SO WE HAVE SIX MEETINGS IN THE WINTER TIME, SO FIVE OF THEM ARE IN PERSON AND ONE IS VIRTUAL. SO WE PICK FIVE DISTRICTS IN THE WINTER SPRING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITY, AND THEN WE TRY TO GET THE OTHER ONES THAT WE'RE NOT INCORPORATED IN THE WINTER, IN THE SUMMER. SO OVER THE COLLECTION OF THE YEAR, WE TRY TO HIT ALL DISTRICTS, BUT, UH, CURRENTLY WE DON'T HAVE THEM WHERE THERE'S NINE OPPORTUNITIES IN THE SUMMER AND NINE OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WINTER SPRING OPPORTUNITY IN THE WINTER SPRING TIMEFRAME. OKAY. SO HAVE YOU HAD, UM, IN, IN, IN EITHER OF THOSE HAVE, HAS A DISTRICT TWO HAD ANY MEETINGS IN IN IN THAT DISTRICT? THEY HAVE, THEY, THEY HAVE, YES. COUNCIL MEMBER. AND SO IT WOULD'VE BEEN JANUARY OF 24. UM, WE DID HAVE ONE DURING THAT TIME PERIOD IN, IN DISTRICT TWO. OKAY. AND, AND SO AS WE CONTINUALLY GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS, WE'RE LOOKING AT WAYS TO SHIFT THEM FROM DISTRICT TO DISTRICT, AS, AS REBECCA STATED. THAT'S WONDERFUL. YES. JUST AGAIN, THAT'S GREAT WORK, SO THANK YOU. OF COURSE. AND THEN I DID HAVE ANOTHER, UH, QUESTION YOU DID, UM, YOU EXPLAINED THE, UH, THE PROCESS OF WEIGHTED SCORING. UM, IF, IF A, IF THE DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION IS VOLUNTARY, HOW DOES, HOW IS THAT, UM, INFORMATION INTERPRETED THEN IF, IF, UH, PEOPLE ARE, UM, OBLIGATED OR IT'S NOT NECESSARY TO GIVE DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION? HOW, HOW DO WE HAVE, I I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE, HOW WE GET THAT WAY TO SCORING. YEAH, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. AND SO THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT SECTIONS TO THE BUDGET PRIORITY SURVEY. WE HAVE THE DATA ITSELF, WHICH ASK ON THE BUDGET SURVEY, THERE ARE ABOUT 10 QUESTIONS TOTAL. AND THEN WE HAVE THE SECOND SECTION THAT INCLUDES THE DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION. THE FIRST SECTION IS ALL MANDATORY, AND SO THEY HAVE TO ANSWER EACH ONE OF THOSE IN INCLUDING THE RANKING OF THE EIGHT STRATEGIC VISION THEMES. AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ABLE TO GET ALL OF THAT DATA, AND WE'RE CONFIDENT IN THE EXTRACTION OF THAT DATA AND THE ANALYSIS OF IT, THE SECOND PART OF IT, TO WHERE IT'S NOT, UM, IT'S NOT MANDATORY FOR THEM TO COMPLETE THE DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE TRIED TO MANEUVER AROUND AND THAT WE'RE STILL LOOKING AT WAYS THAT WE CAN TRY TO FIGURE OUT A BETTER, UH, A BETTER PRACTICE FOR GATHERING THAT. BUT CURRENTLY THE SECOND SECTION ISN'T REQUIRED. GREAT. WELL, THANK YOU AND THANK YOU CHAIR. THAT'S THE END OF MY QUESTIONS. UH, THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER ALLEN. YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO ALSO HIGHLIGHT THE FACT THAT I THINK IT'S A, I THINK A 35% INCREASE, UM, IN PARTICIPATION IN OUR SURVEYS IS GREAT. UM, AND ACTUALLY WANTED YOUR ALL'S OPINION ABOUT WHY YOU THINK THAT WE GOT THAT INCREASE THE SNACKS, I'M JUST KIDDING. , UH, OVER IN DISTRICT NINE, I TELL PEOPLE, AND I TELL MY MY STAFF ALL THE TIME, IF WE'RE GONNA HAVE AN EVENING MEETING, I REFUSE TO FEED PEOPLE WATER AND GRANOLA BARS. UM, IF YOU'RE GONNA ASK PEOPLE TO COME IN THE EVENINGS TO AN EVENING MEETING RIGHT AFTER WORK, YOU NEED TO FEED PEOPLE REAL FOOD. SO, EXCELLENT. , AND, AND TO SERIOUSLY ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, I THINK IT WAS ACTUALLY A RESULT OF THE FEEDBACK WE GOT AT OUR LAST BOC SEASON IN SUMMER OF 2024. UM, REALLY TRYING TO INCENTIVIZE, UH, ATTRACTION AND ATTENTION TO THESE MEETINGS. AND WE REALLY FOCUSED ON CREATING A MORE INTIMATE ENVIRONMENT WHERE, UH, COMMUNITY MEMBERS CAN COME AND SPEAK WITH MEMBERS OF STAFF AND, AND FEEL A LITTLE BIT MORE ENGAGED THAN HAVING, UH, A LOT OF STAFF TALK TO THEM AND ALLOWING THEM TO, UH, MORE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. AND AGAIN, INCENTIVIZING WITH FOOD WAS ALSO VERY HELPFUL. YEAH, I WILL SAY THAT I PARTICULARLY LIKED THE MEETING STRUCTURE THAT YOU ALL CHOSE. I LIKED HAVING PEOPLE, AS YOU SAW ON THE, UH, FROM FOLKS WHO WEREN'T AT THE MEETINGS, HAVING RESIDENTS SIT AT A TABLE AND THEN HAVING STAFF ROTATE, I THINK FOSTERED, UH, A LOT MORE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. UM, AND DID NOT REQUIRE COMMUNITY MEMBERS THEN TO KIND OF LIKE, TAKE IT UPON THEMSELVES TO GO AND TALK TO STAFF, RIGHT? IT MADE US LOOK MORE PROACTIVE AND ENGAGED, AND I THINK IT ELICITED, UH, CONVERSATIONS THAT WE WOULDN'T HAVE HAD OTHERWISE. SO, KUDOS TO YOU ALL. UM, A QUESTION ABOUT NEXT YEAR'S, UH, SURVEY ENGAGEMENT. UM, SO I KNOW THAT WE USUALLY DO IT LIKE JANUARY 2ND TO LIKE THE BEGINNING OF FEBRUARY, BUT IN MY MIND, I'M THINKING LIKE PEOPLE ARE COMING OFF THE HOLIDAYS. THE LAST THING THEY'RE THINKING ABOUT IS, UH, A BUDGET SURVEY. IS IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO EXTEND THAT OUT? I'D LIKE TO SEE US EXTEND OUT THE DEADLINE TO AT LEAST LIKE MARCH 1ST TO ALLOW FOR MORE TIME FOR COUNCIL OFFICES TO HELP CIRCULATE THAT INFORMATION FOR OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS, RIGHT. TO GET THAT IN FRONT OF PEOPLE [00:25:01] SO THAT WE GET EVEN MORE ENGAGEMENT, UH, PARTICULARLY IN SOME OF OUR DISTRICTS WHERE SOME OF THE NUMBERS ARE LOWER. YES. THANK YOU FOR, FOR THE QUESTION CHAIR. AND SO THE, THE TIMING IS, IS A LITTLE DIFFICULT FROM THE STANDPOINT OF WE REALLY WANT TO GET THIS INFORMATION TO DEPARTMENTS BY THE TIME THEY'RE MAKING THEIR BUDGET PROPOSALS FOR THAT PARTICULAR YEAR. AND SO, AS REBECCA STATED, WE WORK WITH A VENDOR, THEIR NAME IS ZEN CITY, TO SYNTHESIZE THIS DATA FOR US. THEY NEED ABOUT TWO WEEKS TO DO THAT. AND SO WE'RE AT ABOUT THAT TWO WEEK MARK CURRENT WITH OUR CURRENT TIMELINE IN TERMS OF GETTING THE DATA TO THEM, THEM SYNTHESIZING, PUTTING TOGETHER THE REPORT, AND THEN US PUTTING TOGETHER OUR FINAL REPORT TO PROVIDE TO THE CITY COUNCIL AND ALSO TO DEPARTMENTS PRIOR TO THEM, UM, PRIOR TO THEM ACTUALLY DEVELOPING ANY OF THEIR BUDGET PROPOSALS BACK IN 2020. THAT WAS, THAT WAS A HUGE PART OF THIS PROCESS OF ADDING IN EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, IS TO NOT ONLY GET INFORMATION EARLIER, BUT TO ALSO PROVIDE IT TO, UM, DEPARTMENTS AND WHAT THEY, WHAT THEY DO ON THEIR END. THEY ACTUALLY INCORPORATE THAT INTO THEIR BUDGET PROPOSALS AND PROVIDE THAT TO CITY, UH, TO THE CITY MANAGEMENT TEAM DURING THAT PROCESS. AND SO WE CAN LOOK TO SEE IF WE CAN POSSIBLY GO A WEEK LATER. IT, IT DOES GET A LITTLE TIGHT IN TERMS OF PROVIDING THAT DATA, GETTING THAT DATA OVER TO OUR VENDOR. UNDERSTOOD. IS THERE, UM, A RESTRICTION FOR GOING EARLIER THEN? SO MAYBE THE PROCESS STARTS MAYBE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE DECEMBER RIGHT, AND GOES TO THE END OF JANUARY AS OPPOSED TO JUST START. I JUST, I'M, I'M JUST MINDFUL ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE'RE GIVING PEOPLE LIKE FOUR WEEKS AND IT'S JUST, IT'S JUST A BUSY TIME AND I JUST DON'T, I DON'T KNOW THAT PEOPLE ARE REALLY ENGAGED, UM, RIGHT AFTER THE HOLIDAYS. CERTAINLY THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DEFINITELY LOOK AT OF STARTING EARLIER. UM, MAYBE EVEN RIGHT BEFORE THAT CHRISTMAS, NEW YORK, UH, NEW YEAR BREAK. WE CAN LOOK AT THAT AND TALK WITH OUR INTERNAL TEAM. YEAH, SO IF WE CAN EXPLORE LIKE A LITTLE BIT LATER AND THEN A LITTLE BIT EARLIER, UM, I THINK THAT WOULD DO A LOT TO, UM, INCREASE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, ANYTHING ELSE FROM MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES? NO COMMENT. ALRIGHT. UH, CAN WE GO TO A PUBLIC COMMENT IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON AGENDA ITEM NUMBER THREE, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM NOW. SCENE NONE. CHAIR. I GUESS WE'RE NOT COOL THIS YEAR. IT'S OKAY. UH, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE. RECEIV AND FILE VICE CHAIR URANGA. MOTION CARRIES. ALL RIGHT. UH, NEXT AGENDA ITEM, ITEM FOUR, RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE COUNCIL DISTRICT CORRESPONDENCE. THANK YOU. UM, SO I JUST HAVE A COUPLE, I WANNA MAKE A STATEMENT JUST SO WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE AS WE KIND OF 'CAUSE THE STRUCTURE FOR, UM, BOC MEETINGS AND HOW, UM, COUNCIL OFFICES, UH, SUBMIT THOSE REQUESTS HAS CHANGED. SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE JUST, EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS THAT. SO, UH, SO BEFORE WE GO INTO THIS DISCUSSION, I WANNA TAKE A MOMENT TO REORIENT US AROUND THE BROADER BUDGET CONTEXT. THE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT RELEASED THE [4. 25-55934 Recommendation to receive and file Council District correspondence.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] TWO FROM TWO, FROM FOUR MEMO TO THE CITY COUNCIL ON JULY 1ST, 2025, REGARDING THE BUDGET SUBMISSION PROCESS FOR COUNCIL OFFICES. AS STATED BY THE MEMO, ANY CITY COUNCIL MEMBER MAY PROVIDE WRITTEN REQUESTS ON ITEMS THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE ADDED TO OR DELETED FROM THE CITY MANAGER'S PROPOSED BUDGET. ONCE IT IS MADE PUBLIC, THESE MEMOS SHOULD REFLECT THE BUDGET ALLOCATION, REQUESTED ANY POTENTIAL FUNDING OFFSETS IDENTIFIED, AS WELL AS DEPARTMENTS THAT WERE NOTIFIED OR WORKED WITH AS PART OF DETERMINING THE FEASIBILITY OF THAT REQUEST. NOTE, THE ASSUMPTION OF JULY 1ST, 2025 MEMO FROM THE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT WAS THAT THESE REQUESTS WOULD BE SUBMITTED AFTER THE BUDGET WAS MADE PUBLIC. I SAY THIS AS A PRECURSOR TO OUR DISCUSSION IN ALL FUTURE DISCUSSIONS, AS SOME OF THE ITEMS WE MAY DISCUSS TODAY MAY ALREADY BE REFLECTED IN THE CITY MANAGER'S PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR 26 BUDGET AND OR THE MAYOR'S BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS. MOREOVER, SOME OF THE ITEMS THAT WE MAY DISCUSS WILL REQUIRE COORDINATION WITH CITY DEPARTMENTS TO DETERMINE FEASIBILITY AND MAY NOT BE READY FOR CONSIDERATION BY BUDGET. THE BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE SECOND. YOU WANT A SECOND? OH, NO, YOU DID, YOU DID SECOND. I KNOW, BUT IT'S NOT MY, IT'S NOT MY, UH, MY TOPIC. IT'S HERS. OH. OH. THE, I MEAN, IT'S, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE ACTUALLY TAKING SEVERAL ITEMS. OKAY. YES, NO WORRIES. I DO ON MY SORRY, CHAIR. OH, NO, THAT'S OKAY. OKAY. UH, AND THEN LASTLY, UM, IT'S ALSO WORTH NOTING THAT AS OF RIGHT NOW, WE DO NOT CURRENTLY HAVE ANY FLEXIBLE ONE-TIME DOLLARS AVAILABLE WITHOUT SHIFTING MONEY FROM OTHER PRIORITIES. ANY RECOMMENDATIONS MADE BY THE BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE WILL REQUIRE A COMMENSURATE OFFSET FROM ANOTHER FUNDING RECOMMENDATION. WITH THAT IN MIND, LET'S PROCEED WITH THE DISCUSSION. SO I'M JUST GONNA GO THROUGH, I THINK IT'S, UH, COUNCILWOMAN ALLEN. I KNOW IT'S YOUR, IT'S YOUR MEMO AND THEN THERE'S ALSO A MEMO FROM THE CITY AUDITORS. SO I THOUGHT WE WOULD JUST KIND OF, IF YOU WANTED, WE, I WAS GONNA HAVE US JUST GO THROUGH EACH OF THE ITEMS IN YOUR MEMO, UM, AND THEN DISCUSS EACH, UM, I JUST HAVE A, A BROAD QUESTION NOW. ABSOLUTELY. BEFORE WE DO THAT. UM, SO IT LOOKS LIKE IT, IT, WE WERE THE ONLY TWO THAT SUBMITTED IT. DID. ARE WE SURE THAT, UM, BECAUSE OF WE, WE WERE DARK, [00:30:01] UM, THAT ALL THE OTHER COUNCIL OFFICES HAD TIME? 'CAUSE I KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN DARK FOR A WHILE, SO I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS AN ITEM THAT, UM, MAYBE WE CONSIDER TALKING ABOUT ON ANOTHER TIME WHEN, WHEN OTHER OFFICES HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SUBMIT THAT. 'CAUSE I, I JUST WONDER 'CAUSE IT WAS DURING THE DARK TIME THAT AS WHY WE DIDN'T GET A LOT OF SUBMITTALS. OH. UM, I, I, WELL, I CAN ADD TO THAT AND THEN I'LL ALSO KICK IT OVER TO BUDGET. SO THE REQUIREMENT FROM THAT, THAT MEMO WAS THAT YOU JUST HAVE TO SUBMIT A MEMO TO BOCA WEEK BEFORE OUR MEETING. SO THROUGH THE ENTIRE BUDGET PROCESS, COUNCIL OFFICES STILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SUBMIT THINGS TO THE BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE FOR UM, CONSIDERATION. OKAY. THANKS FOR THE CLARIFICATION. ABSOLUTELY. AND THEN, UM, ANYTHING ELSE THAT THE, UH, REBECCA YOU'D LIKE TO ADD? YEAH, JUST TO NOTE THAT THIS WILL BE A STANDING AGENDA ITEM. SO WE'LL ALWAYS BE AT OUR BOC MEETINGS FOR ANYTHING THAT HAS COME THROUGH EACH WEEK. SO DEPENDING ON WHEN WE RECEIVE IT FROM A COUNCIL DISTRICT, IT WILL BE ON THE SUBSEQUENT BOC MEETING. OKAY. GREAT. I UNDERSTAND. THANK YOU. OH, NO WORRIES. AND THEN, UM, JUST AS ALSO FOR CLARIFICATION, AS WE GO ALONG IN THE MEET AND GO ALONG IN OUR BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MEETINGS, YOU WILL SEE ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS RIGHT. FROM ORGANIZATIONS. SO WE'RE JUST TRYING TO BREAK THEM UP SO WE DON'T HAVE SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT AT ONE SPECIFIC MEETING. UM, BUT YOU'LL SEE SEVERAL OF THEM COME ALONG AS WE GO ALONG THE PROCESS. OKAY. THANK YOU. THAT MAKES SENSE. ABSOLUTELY. UM, OKAY, SO COUNCIL MEMBER, I, I WANNA ADDRESS YOURS BECAUSE I KNOW YOU HAD A NUMBER, UM, UH, OF ITEMS. UH, SO THE ONE, THE FIRST ITEM THAT WAS ON, UM, YOUR MEMO, UM, WAS AROUND STRUCTURAL FUNDING FOR FIRE RESCUE TWO OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. SO SPECIFICALLY YOU SAID, UM, UH, YEAH, WAS AROUND THE, UM, FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. UM, AND THIS WAS AROUND EXPANDING RESCUE TWO FROM THREE TO SEVEN DAYS. UM, AND SO WE CAN HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT. THE ONLY THING I WANTED TO ADD WAS THAT I DID SEE THAT ON, UM, JUST FOR EVERYBODY'S, UM, KNOWLEDGE ON PAGE 37 OF THE FISCAL YEAR 26 PROPOSED BUDGET, THERE IS, UM, $1.3 MILLION IS PROPOSED TO BE TO ADD FOUR FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDICS, UH, AND INCREASE OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE BUDGET TO IT TO CONTINUE THE RESCUE TWO'S PEAK LOAD, UM, AMBULANCE UNIT ON A 12 HOUR, SEVEN HOUR A WEEK SCHEDULE, UH, TO ADDRESS THOSE INCREASED 9 1 1 EMERGENCY MEDICAL CALLS IN DOWNTOWN LONG BEACH. SO I KNOW THAT YOU, THIS IS ONE, ONE OF YOUR ASKS, UM, BUT I DID WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IT'S ACTUALLY IN THE BUDGET AS WELL. SO DID YOU WANNA HAVE ANYTHING YOU WANTED TO ADD TO THAT COUNCILWOMAN ALLEN? NO. YEAH, I, I, THIS WAS WRITTEN BEFORE, UM, I HAD THE BUDGET, SO I AM VERY PLEASED TO SEE THAT THAT HAS BEEN INCLUDED. AND I KNOW THAT, UM, UH, THE WHOLE, UM, THE DISTRICT TWO SIX AND ONE AND ALL, EVERYONE THAT'S IMPACTED BY THAT, UM, THAT PEAK LOAD, UH, AMBULANCE IS, IS VERY APPRECIATIVE. SO THANK YOU. ABSOLUTELY. ANYTHING COUNCIL MEMBER BARAGA VICE. SORRY. VICE MAYOR ARRAN. UM, ALRIGHT. NEXT ONE, UM, WAS AROUND, UM, YOU HAD AN, UH, ITEM THAT SAID STAFF RECOMMENDS ALLOCATING FUNDS FROM OTHER ONE-TIME PROGRAMS FACING IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES. SO MY ONLY KIND OF QUESTION FOR YOU, COUNCILWOMAN ALLEN, WAS, UM, I THINK THE COMMITTEE WOULD NEED MORE KIND OF CONCRETE INFORMATION AROUND THE SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATION. UM, IN ORDER TO ASSESS THIS, DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING YOU WANTED TO ADD ON HERE OR, YOU KNOW WHAT, UM, WE WILL ACTUALLY, WE'LL RESUBMIT THAT, UM, FOR THE NEXT MEETING AND, AND HAVE MORE DETAIL. OKAY. FANTASTIC. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. UM, THE NEXT ONE WAS AROUND A FENTANYL DETECTION KIT PILOT PROGRAM, UM, USING HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. UM, AND SO MY ONLY COMMENT ON THIS ONE, COUNCILWOMAN ALLEN, WAS THAT I THINK THIS WOULD REQUIRE YOU TO WORK WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TO CRAFT LIKE A, UM, A MORE CONCRETE RECOMMENDATION FOLLOWING THAT SUBMISSION TEMPLATE. SO JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE HAD, HOW MUCH IT WOULD COST AND THEN WHATEVER THE POTENTIAL OFFSET WOULD BE, UM, THAT WE WOULD USE TO PAY FOR IT. OKAY. YEAH, I THINK IT WAS A $60,000, UM, COST FOR THOSE, UH, FOR THOSE KITS. SO YEAH, WE'LL WORK WITH THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT. OKAY. AND THEN I THINK WHEN YOU RESUBMIT, WE'LL GO THROUGH A COUPLE OF THOSE THAT ARE LIKE THIS. AND I THINK ONCE YOU RESUBMIT YOUR MEMO, 'CAUSE LIKE I SAID, YOU CAN STILL, I SHOULD ALSO SAY THIS FOR ALL THE COUNCIL COLLEAGUES, YOU, YOU DON'T HAVE TO FEEL LIKE JUST THIS ONE MEMO IS YOUR ONLY OPPORTUNITY TO COME MORE BOC, SO YOU CAN COME BACK, UM, WITH OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS. UM, AND THEN THE NEXT ONE WAS FUNDING FOR THE LONG BEACH PRIDE PARADE. UM, AND SO THE ONLY THING I HAD THERE IS THAT, UM, THERE IS ONE TIME FUNDING, UH, IN THE AMOUNT OF $50,000 TO SUPPORT THE PRIDE PARADE THAT IS PROPOSED IN THE FISCAL YEAR 26 BUDGET. SO THAT'S ON PAGE 78, UM, UNDER THE SPECIAL ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION FUND GROUP. MM-HMM . SO I DON'T KNOW IF THAT ADDRESSES IT OR IF THERE WAS SOMETHING ADDITIONAL YOU WANTED TO DISCUSS THERE. WELL, SOMETHING, YEAH, SOMETHING ADDITIONAL THAT WE'RE GONNA NEED TO DISCUSS BECAUSE IT'S NOT ENOUGH FOR THE PARADE, UM, ITSELF. SO, UM, WE WERE LOOKING FOR, UH, AN ADDITIONAL 50,000, UM, FOR, UH, TO, UM, TO ENSURE THAT THAT PARADE CONTINUES. UM, I KNOW THEY, THEY REALLY, UH, IT'S BEEN A STRUGGLE OVER THE LAST, UM, FOUR YEARS. AND SO TO HAVE SOME TYPE OF STRUCTURAL FUNDING TO MAKE SURE, UM, THAT THAT PARADE, WHICH IS ONE IN ONE OF OUR MOST, UH, POPULAR EVENTS IN THE CITY, CONTINUES. OKAY. YEAH. SO I WOULD SAY YOU CAN INCLUDE THAT AS PART OF THE, UM, THE DISCUSSION AS WELL. I, I MEAN, AS YOUR, YOUR FOLLOW UP, UH, MEMO AS WELL. UM, I WILL JUST ADD TO THIS PARTICULAR ITEM. I KNOW THAT WE HAVE A NUMBER OF, UM, EVENTS [00:35:01] IN THE CITY THAT ALL GET KIND OF LIKE THAT STANDARD 50 K ASK. SO I, I WOULD SAY FROM, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, THEN WE WOULD NEED, I THINK TO HAVE A KIND OF ROBUST CONVERSATION AROUND WHY MORE THAN THE 50 K, UM, IS NECESSARY IN THIS SPECIFIC EXAMPLE. UH, I THINK THAT'S GREAT. AND I THINK WE CAN LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, ECONOMIC IMPACT AND THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE AND, AND HISTORY AND, UH, BRANDING FOR THE CITY. I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE CAN LOOK AT WITH REGARDS TO HOW POPULAR, UM, THE PRIDE PARADE IS IN THE CITY. YEAH. SO I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT DISCUSSION. OH, AND THEN COUNCIL MEMBER MORRAN OR VICE MAYOR MORRAN, ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT PRIDE IS THAT IT INCLUDES A, UM, ACTIVITIES IN THE PARK THAT WILL PROVIDE A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY FOR FUNDRAISING FOR, UH, VENDORS AND, UH, PROVIDE, UH, ADDITIONAL FUNDING THAT MIGHT HELP WITH THE, UH, WITH THE PARADE FOR ITSELF. SO I WOULD LOOK INTO INVESTIGATING SOME ADDITIONAL FUNDS BY, UH, LOOKING AT VENDORS OR, UH, INCREASING THE, THE, THE, UH, THE FEES FOR, UH, HAVING A, A BOOTH OR A PARTICIPATE IN THE PARADE. UM, NOT NECESSARILY TO, TO PARTICIPATE IN PARADE ITSELF, WHICH IS A COMMUNITY EVENT. AND I THINK WE NEED TO KEEP THAT. THAT'S, THAT IS A, NEVERMIND FOR ME, BUT THE REST, I THINK WE COULD, UH, BE CREATIVE IN LOOKING AT WAY OTHER WAYS OF BEING ABLE TO FUND GETTING PRIDE FOR THAT WEEKEND OR THAT DAY, UH, NOT ONLY IN THE, IN, UH, IN THE PARADE, BUT IN THE, UH, AFTERMATH OF THE, UH, THE ITIES. YEAH. THANK YOU. UM, VICE MAYOR, I THINK, YEAH, I THINK THEY'VE REALLY STRUGGLED, UM, WITH, UH, COMPANIES AND BIG CORPORATIONS PULLING OUT BECAUSE OF OUR CLIMATE WITH, UM, LGBTQ PLUS COMMUNITY AND, AND, UM, AND UNDER OUR CURRENT ADMINISTRATION. SO I KNOW, UH, I KNOW PERSONALLY THAT IT'S BEEN REALLY TOUGH, UH, OF FUNDRAISING, UH, TO GET THIS PAID FOR. SO I, I, I THINK THAT, UM, EVERYONE IN THE, UH, THAT'S INVOLVED, UM, AND, AND PRIDE WOULD BE ALWAYS OPEN TO ANYTHING THAT THEY CAN DO CREATIVELY FOR FUNDING. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, THE NEXT ONE, COUNCILWOMAN ALLEN YOU HAD ON HERE WAS AROUND CONCRETE STREET REPAIRS, UM, IN CARROLL PARK. SO I THINK MY RESPONSE TO THIS ONE WOULD PROBABLY BE THE SAME THING, WHICH IS WORKING WITH PUBLIC WORKS TO DETERMINE LIKE HOW MUCH THAT WOULD COST, AND THEN IF WE WERE TO EXPLORE THAT, UM, WHAT THE OFFSET WOULD BE, LIKE, WHERE THE, THE ADDITIONAL FUNDING WOULD COME FROM. YEAH, DEFINITELY WITH, UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT MEASURE A, UM, AND SO I APOLOGIZE THAT THAT WASN'T IN, UH, THAT MEMO. SO YEAH, WE'LL WORK WITH PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTLY. FANTASTIC. UM, AND THEN, UH, YOU HAD SAFETY CAMERAS AND LIGHTING AND ZEPHYR, UM, AND SO, UM, I THINK IT WOULD BE THE SAME KIND OF CONVERSATION PROBABLY WITH PUBLIC WORKS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AROUND THAT. HOWEVER, I DO WANNA SAY THAT THERE IS A RECOMMENDATION AS PART OF THE MAYOR'S FISCAL YEAR 26 BUDGET RECOMMENDATION. SO THIS IS ON PAGE 17, UM, THAT DOES INCLUDE $500,000, UM, OVER TWO YEARS FOR THE BUS, ALL THE, FOR THE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS. UM, AND SO I THINK THAT POTENTIALLY COULD BE USED FOR SAFETY CAMERAS REQUESTED BY ZACHARIA. SO JUST SOMETHING TO CONSIDER. OH, ABSOLUTELY. WHEN, UM, I WAS THERE AT HIS, WHEN HE PRESENTED HIS BUDGET, AND I WAS PLEASED TO HEAR THAT. SO I THINK THAT IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO TAP INTO THAT. THANK YOU. EXCELLENT. UM, AND THEN YOU HAD, UM, UH, EXPANDED PROGRAMMING, UM, AT BIXBY PARK AND OTHER PARKS. SO I THINK THEN THIS WILL BE A CONVERSATION YOU'LL HAVE WITH, UM, PARKS AND RECREATION AND MARINE AND, AND ANIMAL CARE SERVICES MAKE BRENT DENTISTS PROUD OF US, UM, AROUND, UM, HOW MUCH THAT WOULD COST. UH, AND THEN WHERE A PEN, LIKE I SAID AGAIN, BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THOSE ONE TIMES THIS YEAR, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO DIG DOWN A LITTLE BIT AROUND HOW, HOW WE'RE GONNA REORIENT AND WHERE THAT OFFSET WOULD COME FROM. UM, AND THEN LASTLY WAS, UH, SUPPORT FOR A FOURTH STREET, UM, FARMER'S MARKET, WHICH I BELIEVE IS ALSO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. BUT I ACTUALLY HAD A QUESTION FOR CITY STAFF AROUND YOUR, THAT PARTICULAR ITEM, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER ALLEN'S ITEM, WHEN IT COMES TO FUNDING FOR LIKE A, LIKE A FARMER'S MARKET, SINCE THAT'S TYPICALLY LIKE A VENDOR PUTS THAT ON, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE POTENTIALLY ACTUALLY COULD ALLOCATE MORE MONEY TO FROM BOC OR IS THAT SOMETHING YOU'D HAVE TO GO THROUGH, LIKE AN RF, A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS? HOW WOULD THAT ACTUALLY WORK? SO COUNCIL MEMBER ALLEN ACTUALLY KNOWS HOW TO, HOW TO CRAFT HER, HER ASK, WELL, I CAN JUMP IN REAL QUICK. I KNOW THAT, UH, RIGHT NOW I THINK IT WAS, UH, 16,000 RAHUL IS NOT WHAT WE, WE, WE, UH, HELPED THEM TO 15, 15,000. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S GREAT. I USE IT ON MY DIVIDE BY NINE FUNDS. BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN, UH, YOU KNOW, I'M NO LONGER AN, YOU KNOW, WE WANT SOMETHING THAT'S STRUCTURALLY WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY POPULAR STAYS, STAYS AROUND LONG AFTER, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, A DIFFERENT PERSON COMES INTO OFFICE. SO WE'RE JUST ASKING ABOUT SOMETHING STRUCTURALLY FOR THAT. YEAH. UM, THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. MY FIRST INS INSTINCT WAS DIVIDE BY NINE, BUT WE CAN LOOK INTO OTHER, UM, OPTIONS FOR SOMETHING LIKE THAT TOO. OKAY, [00:40:01] THANK YOU. UM, AND WHEN THERE WAS ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANTED TO SAY ABOUT YOUR, YOUR REQUEST COUNCIL MEMBER ALLEN, BEFORE WE MOVE ON? NO. UM, I, NO, THAT WAS, NO, THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR RIGHT NOW, BUT NOW THAT I KNOW, I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT WE COULD, YOU KNOW, UH, SUBMIT THESE AS THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS. SO I WON'T, UM, PUT ALL OUT. I'LL TWINKLE THIS IN . NO, NO WORRIES. IT'S A NEW PROCESS, WHICH IS WHY I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I, I WAS LIKE, EACH ONE OF YOUR ITEMS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER WAS IMPORTANT AND I WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTOOD THE PROCESS AND WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT THIS WAS, UM, WE WORKED THROUGH THIS IN A WAY THAT WAS AMENABLE TO EVERYBODY. THANK YOU. ABSOLUTELY. UM, AND THEN THE SECOND MEMO, UH, WAS, UM, FROM OUR, UM, CITY AUDITOR, UH, LAURA DOWD. UM, AND THIS ASKED FOR $200,000 IN STRUCTURAL BUDGET ENHANCEMENT TO HIRE STAFF NEEDED TO COMPLETE AN AUDIT OF THE TIDELANDS OPERATING FUND. AND SO JUST AS A REMINDER TO EVERYONE, UM, ON FEBRUARY 4TH, 2025, THE CITY COUNCIL DIRECTED THE CITY AUDIT TO CON TO CONDUCT THIS AUDIT VIA, UH, THAT WAS AGENDA ITEM 25. SO THE COUNCIL, UH, AMENDED THE ORIGINAL MOTION TO SEND THE FUNDING REQUEST TO THE BUDGET OVERSIGHT, UH, COMMITTEE INSTEAD OF ALLOCATING FUNDS DIRECTLY. UM, AND THIS REQUEST IS A STRUCTURAL ONGOING FUND TO HIRE STAFF AND COMPLETE THE AUDIT WITHOUT DISRUPTING OTHER AUDIT AND, UM, AUDITING PROCESSES. UM, AND SO, UM, AND THEN ACCORDING TO THE ORIGINAL STAFF REPORT, FOR THE ITEM TO INTRODUCE THE AUDIT, UM, THIS, IT REFERENCED TO SB 1137, UM, TO ACCELERATE CALIFORNIA'S TRANSITION AWAY FROM THE OIL DRILLING. UM, AND SO THE THAILANDS FUND HAS NOT BEEN AUDITED IN OVER 20 YEARS. UM, AND SO, UM, THERE WAS A, UM, AN ASSESSMENT AND A NEED FOR DOING THIS PARTICULAR AUDIT. SO I WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE BROUGHT THAT FORWARD BEFORE THE BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE, AS THAT WAS THE DISCUSSION AND THE PURVIEW OF CITY COUNCIL. UM, AND SO I WOULD LOVE SOME THOUGHTS FROM MY COMMITTEE COLLEAGUES AROUND THIS PARTICULAR BUDGET ASK. UM, I THINK, UH, JUST IT'S ON THREE OF US. JUST GO AHEAD AND UN UNMUTE. YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK THAT, UM, I, I, THIS MY, I'M NEW ON BUDGET, SO, UM, PART OF ME FOR ASKING A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND NOT KNOWING HOW THIS PROCESS WORKS, BUT, SO THERE'S AN ASK OR WE DISCUSSING THE ASK NOW AND PRESENTING LIKE THE NEED NOW, OR IS THAT SOMETHING THAT COMES AT A LATER TIME? SO IT'S A BOTH END. SO WE CAN DISCUSS SOME OF THIS NOW. AND IF THERE ARE ADDITIONAL KIND OF INFORMATION OR QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE, MAYBE OF CITY STAFF, OUR CITY AUDITOR ACTUALLY IS HERE IF WE HAVE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS. UM, BUT THERE WILL ALSO BE A TIME, UM, LATER ON, UM, WHERE WE CAN EITHER IZE THIS TO ASK ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS OR HAVE A MORE ROBUST DISCUSSION. I WAS LIKE, AND ADDITIONALLY, UM, LATER ON IN OUR BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE, ON OUR LAST MEETING, WE'LL ACTUALLY BE, YOU KNOW, WE'LL BE WORKING TO CRAFT THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS, RIGHT. SO WE DON'T HAVE TO NECESSARILY MAKE A DECISION RIGHT NOW. 'CAUSE AGAIN, LIKE I SAID, IF WE DECIDE THAT WE WANNA GO FORWARD WITH THE $200,000, UM, BUDGET, UM, ENHANCEMENT, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHERE ELSE THAT'S GONNA COME FROM. RIGHT. SO THAT MIGHT ALSO BE INFORMED BY THE DISCUSSIONS THAT WE HAVE IN LATER MEETINGS. OKAY. SO WE MAY OUR BEST TO BE READY TO MAKE A DETERMINATION NOW, BUT WE MAY HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT IT. SO, UM, CAN I ASK THE CITY AUDITOR A QUESTION NOW? ABSOLUTELY. OKAY. UM, THANK YOU. LET'S HAVE A, HELLO, LAURA. HI. UM, SO I KNOW, UM, THAT, UH, FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, IT WAS, THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS GONNA BE OUTSOURCED, UM, BECAUSE YOU'RE, YOU'RE DOING A LOT OF WORK RIGHT NOW WITH YOUR CURRENT TEAM, AND SO SOME OF THE THINGS, UM, THAT'S HAPPENED IN THE PAST WITH YOUR AUDITS AS YOU'VE BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY, UM, BUCKETS OF MONEY AND WAYS THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, INCREASE REVENUE. SO WITH REGARDS TO THE THAILANDS FUND, IF THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS GOING AWAY, UM, BECAUSE OF, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA END OUR DEPENDENCY ON, ON OIL, HOW, HOW IS THIS, LIKE, WHAT'S THE BENEFIT OF, OF THIS AUDIT? UM, FIRST OF ALL, UM, WE WOULDN'T BE OUTSOURCING. YEAH, THANK YOU CHAIR AND COUNCILWOMAN FOR YOUR QUESTION. OH, I'M SORRY, I MISUNDERSTOOD. YEAH. UM, THIS WOULD BE IN-HOUSE, I'M LOOKING TO HIRE, UH, STAFF TO HELP US AUDIT THIS LARGE, SIGNIFICANT COMPLEX THAILANDS FUND THAT THE CITY RELIES ON GREATLY. IT'S NOT JUST THE OIL MONEY, THERE'S A NUMBER OF REVENUE SOURCES THAT, UM, THAT FEED INTO THE TIDELANDS FUND. AND AS WAS MENTIONED, THIS THAILANDS FUND HAS NOT BEEN AUDITED IN OVER 20 YEARS. IT, IT, IN MY OPINION, AS A CITY AUDITOR, IT IS TIME TO LOOK AT THIS MORE CAREFULLY, UM, TO BENEFIT THE CITY AS A WHOLE AND TO PROVIDE, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW IMPROVEMENTS CAN BE MADE WITH DECISION MAKING FOR THIS, THIS FUND. UM, I WANNA LET YOU KNOW, AS YOU'VE SEEN IN THE PAST, OUR AUDITS HAVE BROUGHT IN SIGNIFICANT MONEY TO THE CITY, HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. AND, UH, NORMALLY WHEN A DEPARTMENT BRINGS IN ADDITIONAL REVENUE, OFTENTIMES THAT ADDITIONAL [00:45:01] REVENUE IS ALLOCATED TO THE DEPARTMENT THAT BRINGS IT IN. SO OUR OFFICE HAS NEVER MADE A REQUEST FOR ANY OF THE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WE'VE BROUGHT IN. UM, OUR OFFICE IS SIMILAR TO THE CITY CLERKS IN THAT WE ARE THE SMALLEST DEPARTMENT IN THE WHOLE CITY. WE HAVE A VERY SMALLEST DEPARTMENT, UH, LIMITED RESOURCES. AND, YOU KNOW, I FEEL AS A DUTY FOR BEING THE CITY AUDITOR TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THIS WOULD BE VERY VALUABLE FOR THE CITY, FOR THE STAFF, THE LIMITED STAFF I HAVE NOW TO CONTINUE WORKING ON REVENUE GENERATING AUDITS WHILE WE HIRE AN ADDITIONAL PERSON TO HELP US LOOK AT THIS LARGE AND SIGNIFICANT FUND. SO IT JUST SEEMS LIKE TO ME I'M FOR, UH, $200,000, THAT'S NOT A, YOU KNOW, A BIG ASK FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, A FUND OF, OF THIS SIZE. SO, UM, I, I MEAN, I, UH, AND I HAVE ALREADY TALKED WITH YOU ABOUT THIS IN YOUR LAST PRESENTATION TOO. I'M SORRY, I MISSED, I THOUGHT YOU WERE, THIS WAS SOMETHING YOU WERE SOURCING. I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE HIRING IN, WHICH THAT'S, THAT'S EVEN BETTER. UM, BUT I MEAN, I WOULD, UH, SUPPORT FINDING SOME WAY THAT WE COULD FUND THIS AT SOME LEVEL. THANK YOU. YEAH, SO I THINK, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER ALLEN, UM, I AGREE AND I WOULD, UM, ASK THAT MY COMMITTEE MEMBERS ACTUALLY, AS WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE, THE BUDGET OVERSIGHT PROCESS, UM, AND HEARING PRESENTATIONS GOING THROUGH THE, THE BUDGET HEARINGS, UM, THAT YOU WOULD, UM, YOU KNOW, COME FORWARD WITH SOME IDEAS AROUND POTENTIAL OFFSETS THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO, TO FUND THAT. AND THEN THOSE ARE THINGS WE CAN SERIOUSLY CONSIDER AS WE'RE, WE'RE CRAFTING THOSE BUDGET OVERSIGHT, UM, COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS, VICE MAYOR RANGA, UM, IN THIS ENVIRONMENT THAT WE'RE IN WITH THE CURRENT FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION, UM, OIL IS IN FLUX. UM, WE HAVE IN CALIFORNIA, A ATE TO, UH, GET AWAY FROM OIL BY WHAT, 2035 OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION IS TRYING TO IMPOSE, UH, RE REINTRODUCTION OF DRILLING, UH, NOT ONLY IN ONSHORE ON OFFSHORE OFFSHORE DRYING, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT'S UNACCEPTABLE, UH, TO MOST CALIFORNIANS. SO I'M NOT SURE HOW THIS FITS INTO THAT BECAUSE OF THE, UH, UNCERTAINTY OF, OF THE FUTURE OF OIL IN CALIFORNIA, ALTHOUGH I DON'T FIGHT IT. UH, I'M SURE OF THAT. BUT WHO WINS? WE DON'T KNOW. WE, WE NEVER VOTE. SO I'M SOMEWHAT HESITANT ABOUT THAT BECAUSE I THINK, RIGHT, WE HAVE TO KNOW A LITTLE MORE ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON WITH TALENTS AND WHAT, UH, WHAT REALISTICALLY WE HAVE AND WHERE WE REALISTICALLY WE CAN GO. SO, UH, I MEAN, I'M GONNA ACCEPT THIS, BUT THANK YOU. YOU, YOU JUST, JUST BRAINSTORMING. YEAH, NO, THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT. UM, THIS AUDIT WOULD NOT ONLY LOOK AT THE REVENUE SOURCES COMING INTO THE TIDELANDS, BUT ALSO THE EXPENDITURES GOING OUT AND THE DECISION MAKING REGARDING THOSE EXPENDITURES AND THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS AND HOW THE WHOLE FUND OPERATES. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, LAURA, I HAD A QUESTION. UM, I THINK WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEES, UM, PURVIEW, TYPICALLY WE DO, I MEAN, WE CAN'T DO SOME STRUCTURAL STUFF IF WE WANTED TO, BUT I THINK TYPICALLY WHAT WE'VE DONE IS, UM, ONE TIME, AND SO, AND I KNOW YOUR ASK HERE IS FOR $200,000, STRUCTURAL BUDGET ENHANCEMENT, AND SO IT WOULD BE TO HIRE STAFF. HOW LONG WOULD, UM, IT TAKE TO DO A, A TIDE LENS AUDIT DO YOU THINK? YEAH, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. UM, I WANT, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT OUR OFFICE IS, IS VERY FOCUSED AND EFFICIENT AND WE WOULD DO A LOT OF GROUNDWORK TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE FOCUSED ON THE OBJECTIVE AND WHAT WE WANNA ACCOMPLISH. UM, CONSIDERING IT IS SUCH A LARGE FUND AND WITH, UH, THE COMPLEXITY. AND HAD YOU NOT BEEN AUDITED BEFORE, MY, THE BEST ESTIMATE I COULD SAY WOULD BE BETWEEN SIX MONTHS AND A YEAR. OKAY. UM, AND THEN SINCE THE $200,000 IS STRUCTURAL, UM, ONCE YOU HAVE HIRED THE, THOSE ADDITIONAL STAFF MEMBERS, IF THAT $200,000 TO SAY WOULD BE STRUCTURAL, WHICH MEANS WOULD BE LIKE ANNUAL YEAR TO YEAR, HOW WOULD THEN THOSE NEW STAFF MEMBERS BE U UTILIZED ONCE THE THAILAND'S AUDIT IS COMPLETE? UM, WELL, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF, UM, ITEMS AND REVENUE SOURCES AND DIFFERENT, UM, POTENTIAL AUDITS THAT WE COULD DO WITH THE CITY. IT'S, IT'S REALLY IN, IN IN ENDLESS OPPORTUNITIES. AND, UM, BUT [00:50:01] I, I'M NOT EXACTLY PREPARED TO TELL YOU RIGHT NOW. ALL I KNOW IS THAT THERE'S A LOT GOING ON AND WE WOULDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM FINDING SOMETHING, BUT WE WOULD ALSO ARE OPEN TO CITY COUNCIL'S REQUEST OF LOOKING AT CERTAIN TOPICS AND ITEMS AND, UM, ISSUES RELATED TO THE CITY. SO I'M, I'M JUST VERY CONFIDENT IN OUR STAFF AND OUR WORK AND THE BENEFITS IT'S PROVIDING TO THE PUBLIC AND, UM, I'M CONFIDENT THAT WE WOULD MAKE VERY GOOD USE OF THIS MONEY. EXCELLENT. UM, I HAVE ONE, JUST ONE ADDITIONAL ASK JUST FOR MORE INFORMATION. SO WITH THE $200,000, IS IT POSSIBLE FOR YOU TO PUT TOGETHER MAYBE JUST LIKE A BASIC BUDGET FOR US ON LIKE HOW THAT $200,000 WOULD BE USED? SO IT WOULD BE, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE, THE JOB TITLES ARE IN CITY AUDITOR'S OFFICE. EXCUSE, PARDON ME. NO PROBLEM. DEPUTY CITY AUDITOR, I'M NOT SURE, BUT YOU CAN PUT TOGETHER, JUST SAY, HEY, THIS WOULD ALLOW US TO HIRE TWO EX AUDITORS, RIGHT? MM-HMM . UM, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SO THAT GIVES A KIND OF AN IDEA OF WHAT THE IMPACT AND USAGE WOULD BE WITHIN THE CITY AUDITOR'S OFFICE. YES, ABSOLUTELY. AND AS AN ESTIMATE RIGHT NOW WOULD BE ONE BECAUSE OF THE LOADED COSTS OF, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE BURDEN RATE AND EVERYTHING COMBINED INTO ONE POSITION, IT'S ABOUT ONE POSITION. BUT WE'LL WRITE THAT DOWN FOR YOU. FANTASTIC. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ANYTHING ADDITIONAL FOR MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES? YES. UM, HAVE YOU, UM, SO I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH YOU GETTING MORE BUDGET TO HIRE MORE STAFF, YOU KNOW, I THINK IF YOU HAVEN'T ASKED FOR THAT FOR SO LONG. UM, AND, UM, BUT HAVE YOU, UM, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUOTES LIKE WHAT IT WOULD BE IF YOU OUTSOURCE THAT AUDIT AS OPPOSED TO KEEPING IT IN HOUSE? 'CAUSE YOU STILL HAVE TO HIRE SOMEONE, GO TO THE CITY PROCESS AND YOU SAY IT'LL TAKE SIX MONTHS IF YOU HAVEN'T EVEN HIRED SOMEONE. IS IT, IS IT, UM, I'M NOT SAYING THAT WE'RE, WE'RE NOT SAYING OKAY, YOU CAN HAVE INCREASED BUDGET, BUT CAN YOU, CAN YOU OUTSOURCE THAT AS WELL? YES. MM-HMM . YEAH, I'M, I'D BE OPEN TO THAT. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ALLEN. UM, VICE MAYOR, RANGA, ANYTHING ELSE? OKAY. UM, SEEING NO ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION. THANK YOU SO MUCH CITY, THE AUDITOR FOR ANSWERING OUR QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. UM, CAN WE GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FOUR, PLEASE LINE UP WITH THE PODIUM NOW. NO PUBLIC COMMENT CHAIR. ALL RIGHT. UM, PUBLIC COMMENT. OKAY. UM, SEEING NONE, UH, I'M SORRY. SEEING NONE, UH, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. ALL RIGHT. UH, AND THEN WE ARE JUST DOING GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT. [PUBLIC COMMENT Opportunity to address the Budget Oversight Committee on non-agenda items. Each speaker is limited to three minutes to make their comments unless extended by the Chair.] IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON NON-AG AGENDA, PUBLIC COMMENT, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM. YOU MAY BEGIN. THANK YOU. UM, HI, I'VE MET ALL OF YOU ON TELECONFERENCES. MY NAME IS BARBARA P*****K. FOR THE RECORD, I'M THE CHAIR OF THE ETHICS COMMISSION AND I'M HERE APPEARING HERE TODAY ON BEHALF OF AND WITH AUTHORIZATION OF THE FULL COMMISSION. UM, THE PROPOSED FY 26 BUDGET CUTS OVER TWO THIRDS OF A PROFESSIONAL IN THE ETHICS OFFICE. THE ETHICS COMMISSION HAD REQUESTED AN ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL BEFORE WE SAW THE MAGNITUDE OF THE PROPOSED CUT. I'M HERE NOW WITH GREATER URGENCY TO REQUEST FUNDING FOR AN ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL FOR THE ETHICS OFFICE. THE CITY OF LONG BEACH HAS REASON TO STAND PROUD OF THE ACTIONS TAKEN IN THE LAST THREE YEARS TO FACILITATE ETHICAL CONDUCT AND IMPROVE PUBLIC TRUST IN CITY GOVERNMENT. THE CITY ESTABLISHED AN ETHICS PROGRAM, HIRED AN ETHICS OFFICER, AND IN 2024 FORMED THE OFFICE OF ETHICS AND TRANSPARENCY. HEATHER VAN WICK. THE CITY ETHICS OFFICER, HAS DONE AN OUTSTANDING JOB WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A HELPLINE, A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER, OPEN DOOR OFFICE HOURS, AND THE CREATION OF AN ETHICS TRAINING PROGRAM FOR CITY EMPLOYEES. JORGE GODINES, THE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER FOR ETHICS, HAS ALSO BEEN A VALUABLE MEMBER OF THE TEAM. THE PROPOSED BUDGETS FOR 2026 REDUCES THE TIME MR. GODIN WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR OET WORK OFF OF ETHICS AND TRANSPARENCY WORK BY OVER TWO THIRDS. THIS RECOGNIZES HIS CRITICAL ROLE IN PREPARATION FOR THE OLYMPICS, AND WE APPRECIATE THE ONE THIRD OET AND THE ETHICS COMMISSION WILL RECEIVE. BUT EVEN IF HE COULD SUPPORT THE ETHICS TEAM FULL TIME, THE ETHICS PRO PROGRAM NEEDS ANOTHER PROFESSIONAL. IN 2025, THE ETHICS COMMISSION AND THE OFFICE OF ETHICS AND TRANSPARENCY DEVELOPED A STRATEGIC ROADMAP FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. THERE'S A GREAT DEAL OF WORK TO GO TO IMPLEMENT THE STRATEGIC ROADMAP AND WITHOUT AN ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL, WE RISK LOSING GROUND CALLS TO THE HELPLINE, OFTEN REQUIRE RESEARCH AND TIME TO ANSWER THE NEWSLETTER IS IMPORTANT. THE TRAINING MUST BE PROFESSIONAL AND TAILORED TO EMPLOYEES JOBS. IF THE CITY DOES NOT ADEQUATELY STAFF [00:55:01] THESE IMPORTANT PROGRAMS, THE CITY WILL LOSE MOMENTUM YOU HAVE BEEN BUILDING. THIS COULD RESULT IN A REDUCTION OF TRUST AND CONFIDENCE IN CITY GOVERNMENT AT A TIME WHEN THE CITY IS MAKING SIGNIFICANT EFFORTS TO REDUCE TURNOVER OF PERSONNEL, INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY, AS WELL AS GENERATE TRUST WITHIN THE LONG BEACH COMMUNITY. I STRONGLY URGE THE COMMITTEE TO FIND THE FUNDS TO ADD ONE FULL-TIME PROFESSIONAL TO OET. IN ADDITION, IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE SOME FUNDS TO EDUCATE THE NEW HIRE AND TO ENABLE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR MS. VAN WICK. AND MR. GODES, I'VE PROVIDED YOU WITH A COPY OF THE LETTER THAT THE ETHICS COMMISSION SUBMITTED PRIOR TO RECEIVING THE BUDGET. THERE ARE OTHER SMALLER ITEMS IN THERE, UH, BUT I WANTED TO COME TODAY TO EMPHASIZE THE NEED FOR AN ADDITIONAL HEAD FOR THE ETHICS OFFICE. THANK YOU. YOUR TIME IS CONCLUDED. THANK YOU. THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT. OH, GREAT. UM, ALRIGHT. WELL THANK YOU TO MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES AND WE WILL STAND ADJOURNED. LOOK AT THAT. FOUR MINUTES TO SPARE. I. * 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.