| (Aug. 10, 2021, 5:30 a.m.) -- Later today (Aug 10), the City Council is scheduled to discuss the city management proposed/Mayor recommended FY 22 police budget. Their budget documents don't show the proposed resulting sworn officer level for taxpayers. What does that tell you?
The management proposed/Mayor recommended budget documents don't show Long Beach's police level compared to police levels provided by City Councils in Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Signal Hill. What does that tell you? City management and/or the Mayor agendized discussion of their proposed police budget to collide with discussion of LB's Health/Human Services budget that will likely consume much available time. What does that tell you? (If more than ten public speakers seek to speak on the combined agendized items, they will likely be limited to 90 seconds each. What does that tell you?) In all of 2021, the Council's "Budget Oversight Committee" (chair Austin, vice chair Uranga, member Price) has met only twice (until today (Aug. 10) when it's scheduled to meet a third time.) During this period it failed to agendize discussion of LB's police budget and its sworn staffing level for taxpayers. What does that tell you? In all of 2021, the Council's "Public Safety Committee") (chair Saro, vice chair Price, member Uranga) met three times. During this period it failed to agendize discussion of LB's thin sworn staffing level. What does that tell you? On July 19, 2021, the City Council voted (8-0, Austin absent) to approve a Mayor/Management labeled "Safety Recovery Plan" tied in part to the Mayor/management proposed FY22 budget. The plan, sought by the Council following multiple shootings, doesn't restore any of the roughly 230 erased officers. It leaves Long Beach without its former LBPD field anti-gang unit and with a thinner per capita officer level than Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Signal Hill. (Chart shows LB police level before Sept. 2020 defunding of 48 additional officers.)
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