My Plan to fix Long Beach

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By Joshua Rodriguez,

Candidate for Mayor of Long Beach

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Our city is facing a serious budget deficit of 61 million to 80 million, and our quality of life has suffered. Here’s my plan to fix it.

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We’re going to cut waste by eliminating 200 to 300 non-essential administrative jobs in departments like Parks & Recreation, Health & Human Services, Community Development, and Cultural Affairs. This will save the city a significant amount of money each year.

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I also plan to sell surplus property the city owns that we don’t need. The money from those sales will go directly toward fixing our streets, sidewalks, parks, and the Colorado Lagoon.

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On public safety, we can’t wait years to hire enough officers. I will immediately bring in armed security to help patrol our neighborhoods and businesses while we continue recruiting more officers. We’ll also install solar lighting in our dark areas to reduce crime and increase visibility for traffic. To keep experienced officers on the street, I’ll offer a patrol pay bonus. This will incentivize officers to be proactive and reduce overall crime. I also, intend on working closely with all laws enforcement agencies to target violent criminals and get them off our streets.

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For homelessness, I will declare a state of emergency. We’ll use 5150 holds to get those who are severely mentally ill or a danger to themselves off the street and into treatment. We must stop allowing open drug use and encampments on our sidewalks — this is not compassion. Those that choose to remain on the streets will need to comply with our laws and will be asked to leave. We can no longer have tolerance for this behavior.

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Finally, I will bring full transparency. Every meeting with developers or special interests will be recorded. No more backroom deals. The public will be informed and allowed to comment on all actions taken by our city. All revenue/ expenditure data for our budget will be required to uploaded to the city’s website to allow for scrutiny/ transparency. We will provide receipts and updates on project statuses.

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This plan can only be successful with the support of the City Council and the City Manager. This is why we need to vote out the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th council members. We need new leadership that care. I’m ready to work with them to get it done.

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As a police officer and a father of three, I want to ensure the future safety of our children, consider voting for me. I’m tired of watching our city struggle, and I’m ready to work.