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Long Beach Mayor Highlights Progress and Priorities at State of the City
By Staff Writer
Published on Fri, Jan 16, 2026
At this year’s State of the City address, Mayor Richardson celebrated Long Beach’s momentum while acknowledging a challenging year shaped by wildfires, federal policy changes and funding uncertainty. Despite those pressures, the Mayor emphasized that Long Beach continued to move forward, making meaningful progress on housing, homelessness, public safety and economic opportunity.
Housing remained a central focus, with the Mayor highlighting promising results. Over the past three years, Long Beach has approved more than 5,000 new housing units. In 2025 alone, the City completed 1,200 new homes and approved more than 700 backyard units, leading California cities on a per-capita basis.
The Mayor also underscored the City’s prevention-first approach to homelessness through UpStream LB, which focuses on residents most at risk, including seniors, youth aging out of foster care and families on the brink of losing housing. Investments include rental assistance for seniors, expanded outreach and shelter capacity, and more than $2 million to protect tenants’ rights. As a result, Long Beach has now seen consecutive years of declining homelessness, increased shelter beds by 84% and restored parks for community use.
Public safety improvements were another key highlight. By the end of 2025, Long Beach reported a 26% reduction in homicides, a 36% drop in shootings and a 40% decrease in burglaries, along with one of the safest summers in years and no officer-involved shootings. To strengthen transparency, the City also launched a new public crime dashboard for residents.
Addressing federal immigration enforcement, the Mayor reaffirmed Long Beach’s commitment to ensuring all residents feel safe accessing City services. The City strengthened the Long Beach Values Act, raised more than $200,000 through the Neighbors Supporting Neighbors Fund, trained employees on response protocols and partnered with businesses to support immigrant communities.
The Mayor also highlighted investments in the local economy, including Anchor LB, which connects neighborhood businesses and workers to major institutions, and Grow Long Beach, which supports job creation and workforce development by helping businesses grow and stay local.
Throughout the address, the message was clear—progress is measured by how people experience life in Long Beach every day, and the City remains focused on building a better future for everyone who lives, works and plays here.
