Long Beach begins public review of proposed FY2027 budget cuts
Long Beach’s proposed FY2027 budget is entering its public community-review phase Wednesday, August 5, with residents being asked to examine potential reductions across city departments before the City Council considers adoption in September.
The City Manager formally presented the proposal at a budget hearing on August 4. The plan, released July 30, covers the fiscal year from October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027. It remains a proposal, not an adopted spending plan.
The budget follows an earlier city projection of a roughly $61.3 million General Fund shortfall. Long Beach Post reported in April that officials had previously estimated a deficit ranging from $60 million to $80 million and warned that general-fund service reductions would be required.
What the proposal could change
The city’s General Fund summary describes a mix of vacant-position eliminations, changes involving existing operations, reallocations, operating reductions and revenue measures. The document says most reductions are part of the city’s deficit-reduction strategy, but it does not mean every listed position is filled or that every proposed effect will occur.
Among the projected administrative effects are fewer or delayed audits after eliminating a vacant City Auditor analyst position. A proposed City Clerk reduction could produce longer wait times, reduced bilingual service and lower passport-processing capacity, according to the city document.
The proposal also identifies possible effects on emergency communications and operations-center maintenance, emergency readiness and staff health and safety. In code enforcement and related city operations, the documents describe fewer resources for some enforcement work and slower resolution or response in certain areas.
Public-safety changes include proposed reductions and reallocations involving police patrol, investigations, traffic enforcement, training and quality-of-life operations. The city says eliminating 17 vacant patrol-officer positions would compress the staffing buffer used to handle leave and callout variability. Other proposed police changes would reduce capacity for some nonviolent property-crime investigations. These are city projections tied to a proposed budget, not findings that the changes have already been implemented.
Fire-related proposals include staffing and operating changes involving recruitment, public information, fire prevention and intelligence functions. The proposal also includes a revenue change tied to cost recovery for fire personnel assigned to the Port of Long Beach complex. That revenue measure is different from a direct service reduction.
Libraries and parks could see operational changes as well. The proposal would reduce some library hours and eliminate the enhanced hours that began in Fiscal Year 2023. Parks proposals include changes that could reduce programming at Lincoln Park, teen programming at Chavez Park, Tuesday access at the Nature Center Museum and summer swim programming at Jordan and Millikan school pools.
The plan also includes funding and revenue measures rather than direct service cuts, including new paid-parking zones, changes involving parking meters and transfers of Measure A funding. Those items remain subject to review and Council action.
How residents can participate
The first August community budget meeting is Wednesday, August 5, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and will be held virtually through Zoom. The city says interpretation services will be provided at the community budget meetings.
Additional meetings are scheduled for Thursday, August 6, at Charles Lindbergh Middle School; Saturday, August 8, at Silverado Park Community Center; Monday, August 10, at Renaissance High School for the Arts; and Thursday, August 13, at Long Beach City College’s Liberal Arts Campus.
Residents may also submit written feedback through the city’s digital comment card until the end of business Friday, August 14, 2026. The city says comments will be synthesized and provided to the City Council.
These meetings and the comment card are opportunities for public input, not final budget votes.
Decision expected in September
Department hearings and committee review continue after the community meetings. The published schedule lists police and fire presentations for August 11, health and human services and community development for August 18, parks and library presentations for August 25, and public works and the proposed Capital Improvement Plan for September 1.
City Council adoption is scheduled for September 8, 2026. The schedule document contains a reference to September 8, 2025, in the adoption line, but the FY2027 schedule and surrounding dates identify September 8, 2026, as the intended adoption date.
Until that vote, proposed staffing changes, service effects, parking measures and funding transfers may be revised. Residents should treat the department-level consequences as the city’s current projections while the proposal moves through hearings, recommendations and Council deliberation.
Sources
- Attachment B — General Fund: Summary of Budget Changes
- Long Beach warns of ‘difficult year’ of budget cuts but promises the pain will be short-term
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