February 14, 2022
The Honorable Mayor Garcia
Members of the Long Beach City Council
411 West Ocean Blvd. 11th Floor
Long Beach, CA 90802
Subject: File Number 22-0175 Agenda Item 9; Amendment to LBMC Chapters 5.53 and 5.55 Removing Sunset Clauses
Honorable Mayor Garcia and Long Beach City Council,
I write on behalf of the Building Owners and Managers Association Greater Los Angeles (BOMA/GLA), which represents over 135 million square feet of commercial office space throughout Los Angeles County, including many office buildings in Long Beach, and whose members contribute $3.5 billion annually to California’s economy.
We are in opposition to the proposed ordinance amendment removing the sunset clauses for Long Beach Municipal ordinances 5.53 and 5.55. These are emergency measures that should not be made permanent. Replacing so-called seesaw regulation with a permanent regulatory burden is not how Long Beach will help businesses and the city’s economy recover post-COVID.
Long Beach is open for business. The conditions that led to these emergency ordinances passing in 2020 are no longer the same. The State of California is moving forward with a plan for an endemic economy.
Making emergency COVID-era employment policies permanent in the light of these evolving circumstances is out of step with conditions on the ground.
As our member’s tenants return to the office and the needs of commercial space adapt to the new economy, they need the flexibility to make staffing choices based on skill and ability, not how long someone may have been with a company. Additionally, businesses are struggling to fill positions. If someone is ready to work now, they should be able to do so without having to wait for a former employee to decide if they want to come back.
We respectfully urge you and the Long Beach City Council to oppose the removal of the sunset clause for these policies and allow the city to move on from these emergency measures. Thank you for your consideration.
Respectfully,
Blake Perez
Government Affairs Manager
BOMA Greater Los Angeles
Ph: 213-629-2662 ext. 111 Email:[email protected]