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VOL. XLII NO. 1
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Long Beach’s fiscal future looks hazy, officials say
In this issue CULTURE
Projected budget shortfalls beginning in 2021 may slash City services. Anita W. Harris Staff Writer
Long Beach band WACKO featured in viral Denny’s punk-rock show Page 9
NEWS
Long Beach officials eye June as opening month for year-long homeless shelter Page 7
COMMUNITY
During a special meeting last week, the Long Beach City Council conducted a study session on its budget projections for the next few years. Despite expected surpluses this year and next, projected budgets for fiscal-years 2021 through 2023 show shortfalls of up to $22 million. Tom Modica, acting city manager, told the city council on Dec. 17 that while Long Beach is doing well in terms of overall economic activity, job opportunities and credit ratings, it also faces several financial challenges. Chief among those are municipal expenses– especially labor, pension and insurance costs– growing faster than inflation and new revenue. “Revenue is increasing year after year,” Budget Manager Grace Yoon said. “[But] revenue growth is just growing at a slower pace than the overall expenditure growth.” The City also faces significant costs to update its aging infrastructure, Modica said. “We know that our infrastructure is old,” he said. “We’re making the biggest investment
Staff Writer
Page 8
Police release footage of north Long Beach bar shooting Sebastian Echeverry Managing Editor
COURTESY CITY OF LONG BEACH
Map marking Long Beach’s budgeted FY 2020 capital-improvement projects, funded in part with Measure A sales-tax revenues that have been consistently higher than projected.
we’ve ever made through Measure A, but of course there’s still deferred costs.” Long Beach voters had approved Measure A– a 10-year
added sales tax to help fund infrastructure repair and development and public-safety services– see LB BUDGET page 15
The Long Beach Police Department released body-camera and security-camera footage last week of a deadly officer-involved shooting that took place Oct. 23 inside the Bottoms Up tavern in north Long Beach. Police posted the footage on the department’s website in accordance with transparency laws Senate Bill 1421 and Assembly Bill 748. The night of the shooting, security-camera footage shows the suspect, who was later identified as Delfon Garnell Kinney, walking up to a man and shooting him in the upper torso. Police said the man received non-life threatening wounds. Following the shooting, patrons standing outside see SHOOTING page 15
Mayor Robert Garcia recognizes LB Jewish community at City Hall’s menorah lighting Kristen Naeem
EchoPark Automotive opens doors at Signal Hill Auto Center
December 27, 2019
A new menorah was placed in the lobby of Long Beach’s new City Hall on Monday with two of its candles already lit in a ceremony hosted by Mayor Robert Garcia and Rabbi Binyomin Fajland, who has helped light the menorah at Long Beach’s City Hall in honor of Chanukah for the past few
years. Garcia began the event by thanking attendees for coming despite the rainy weather, and wishing a happy Chanukah to all those celebrating. He then spoke about the importance of the city’s religious diversity, as well as the significant contributions made by the local Jewish community, insee MENORAH page 14
Kristen Naeem | Signal Tribune
Rabbi Fajland addresses the crowd inside City Hall during the lighting of the menorah on Monday, Dec. 23.