Long Beach City Council
May 17, 2022

Utility Consolidation
Water ● Sewer ● Natural Gas
Long Beach City Charter
2 The Long Beach City Charter
separates governance of the
City’s utilities:
• Article XIV, governing the Long
Beach Water Department
• Article XV, governing
municipal natural gas service
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Public Utilities
3 • Long Beach is the
only large California
city with two separated
municipally-run utilities
• Other cities operate
and manage city-
owned utilities under
one department
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Water Board Action Request
4 • Request the Mayor and
Long Beach City Council
consider amending the Long
Beach City Charter to
consolidate water, sewer
and gas utilities
• Staff has successfully
completed the necessary
meet-and-confer process
with the labor associations
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Charter Changes
5 • The proposal, if approved by voters,
would:
• Create a single Long Beach City Charter
article governing water, sewer and gas
• Move the gas portions of City Charter
Article XV into City Charter Article XIV,
which governs the Water Department
• Provide the utilities would be overseen by
the existing five-member Board of Water
Commission, possibly renamed the Board
of Utilities Commission
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Charter Amendment Timeline
6 Action Deadlines (2022)
City Council refers item to Charter Amendment Committee May 23 Public notice of first Charter Amendment Committee meeting May 24 First Public Hearing with detailed overview of consolidation concept June 14 Public notice of second Charter Amendment Committee meeting June 28 Second Public Hearing July 19
City Council consideration of Charter Amendments for Nov 2022 ballot August 9 Election Date November 8
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