October 17, 2023
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
City of Long Beach
California
RECOMMENDATION:
Receive and file the Mayor and City Council Workshop Final Report and adopt the Mayor and City Council Norms. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
In the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY 23) Adopted Budget, the City Council allocated $50,000 in one- time funding to conduct a City Council Prioritization Process to better inform future City of Long Beach (City) programming.
In December 2022, the City Manager’s Office engaged Baker-Tilly to facilitate a Mayor and City Council priority setting workshop , which was publicly noticed, to establish priorities to guide budgetary decisions and development of work plans in City departments.
This process included three milestone activities as outlined below. • Activity 1 - Gathered Background Information and Conducted Interviews o Conducted individual interviews with the Mayor and members of the City Council to learn about key accomplishments, challenges, and top priorities over the next two to four years
o Collected background information from a variety of sources including the Strategic Vision 2030, the Mayor’s Opportunity Beach Agenda, budget forecast, and other publicly available items.
o Gathered information from the City Manager’s executive team through a questionnaire about major plans and initiatives.
• Activity 2 – Designed and Facilitated City Council Workshop o Held a workshop at California State University, Long Beach on March 30, 2023 for the Mayor and City Council. This was a publicly noticed and held meeting where the City Manager, Assistant City Manager, City Clerk and City Attorney were also in attendance to oversee and support meeting logistics. o During the workshop, Baker-Tilly facilitated a discussion about City Council norms for governing, district commonalities, and identification of the Council’s Office of the City Manager
411 West Ocean Boulevard, 10th Floor Long Beach, CA 90802 (562) 570-5237
R-21
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
October 17, 2023
top priorities for the next two years. Two foundational and three core priorities were identified.
• Activity 3 –
o The City Manager’s Executive team met on May 30, 2023 to discuss integration of the Mayor and City Council priorities into the department work programs and other aspects of implementation.
o A draft Work Plan is being reviewed and developed.
Mayor and City Council Norms
The workshop facilitators explained that norms are agreed upon standards of behavior and practices and that many City Councils have adopted a set of norms. Having explicit norms can help a current council as well as set expectations for future City Councils. The result of this discussion was Mayor and City Council consensus on a set of norms.
After this discussion, the City Council agreed by consensus to a set of norms, which were a modification of the “typical” ones shown as the starting point. The order of the norms shown below reflects the facilitators’ understanding of preferences expressed by membe rs of the Mayor and City Council during the discussion.
The Mayor and City Council norms are:
1. Assume good intent
2. Work together as a body, modeling teamwork, respect and civility
3. Respect the roles the Mayor, City Council, City Manager, and City Attorney i n our form of government
4. Share information and avoid surprises
5. Stay focused on City Council priorities
6. Maintain a citywide perspective, while being focused on our districts
7. Disagree agreeably and professionally
8. Keep confidential things confidential
9. Utilize long-range plans to provide big picture context that is realistic and achievable
10. Communicate concerns about staff to the City Manager, while treating staff respectfully
Foundational and Key Priorities
During the workshop, the facilitators reviewed and led a discussion of each of the ten priority areas that were mentioned during the Mayor and City Council interviews. The purpose of
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
October 17, 2023
the discussion was to provide an opportunity for the Mayor and Councilmembers to discuss the reason that the issues are important to them before dot voting on top priorities.
The facilitators led a dot voting exercise after the discussion of all ten priority categories.
Each Mayor and Councilmember was given three dot stickers and asked to place their dots on their top priorities. The City Manager emphasized that work is and will be done in all ten areas and the purpose of establishing a small set of top priorities is for the staff to fully understand what is most important, above all others, as assignments are given, and resources are allocated. Before dot voting on its priorities, the Mayor and City Council agreed that two of the categories, fiscal sustainability and staffing, are foundational to all that the City does. Therefore, those two cat egories were removed from the dot voting exercise and established as “foundational priorities.” Additionally, the Mayor and City Council agreed to combine homelessness and housing due to their interrelated nature. The top three priorities established through dot voting were Homelessness and Housing, Economic Development, and Public Safety.
Next Steps
The City Manager will work closely with departments to develop a Work Plan resulting from the Mayor and City Council foundational and key priorities. This Work Plan will also align with the Strategic Vision 2030 Work Plan concurrently underway.
This matter was reviewed by Principal Deputy City Attorney Rich Anthony and Revenue Management Officer Geraldine Alejo on October 2, 2023.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action on this item is not time critical.
FISCAL IMPACT
The recommendation to receive and file the Mayor and City Council Workshop Final Report has no fiscal or local job impact. The Mayor and City Council Workshop Final Report will be used to develop a Work Plan which will identify in-process and new initiatives to achieve the goals of each priority. Implementation of these initiatives is anticipated to require a substantial investment of City resources, including a significant staffing impact beyond the normal budgeted scope of duties. Funding for implementation has not been identified and cost estimates will need to be developed for the identified initiatives . Offsets for implementing initiatives may require the use of one -time sources and structural funding in future years. The departments responsible for elements within the Final Report will return to the City Council with requests for appropriations as the Work Plan is developed and resources become available.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
October 17, 2023
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully submitted,
THOMAS B. MODICA
CITY MANAGER
ATTACHMENTS: A - Mayor and City Council Workshop Final Report B – Mayor and City Council Workshop (March 30, 2023) PowerPoint
Report Provided: April 2023
City of Long Beach
City Council Retreat
March 30, 2023
City Council Retreat
Table of Contents Baker Tilly
i
Table of Contents
Retreat Report ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Key Results .......................................................................................................................................... 1 Retreat Overview ................................................................................................................................ 2 Welcome and Opening Comments ..................................................................................................... 4 Icebreaker ........................................................................................................................................... 5 Good Governance ............................................................................................................................... 5 Vision for the Future ........................................................................................................................... 7 Commonalities Between Council Districts ........................................................................................ 10 Priority Setting Discussion ................................................................................................................. 11 Establishing Council Priorities ........................................................................................................... 13 Staying on Course with Priorities ...................................................................................................... 17 Role of Council Committees .............................................................................................................. 18 Wrap Up ............................................................................................................................................ 18 Attachment: Notes from Small Group Discussion About District Commonalities ................................ 20
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1 Retreat Report
The City of Long Beach held a City Council retreat on Thursday, March 30, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the University Student Union of California State University, Long Beach.
The session provided an opportunity for the Mayor and Councilmembers to discuss governance norms, review and create consensus on priorities for the coming year, as well as strengthen teamwork. This report contains a summary of the results of the workshop.
Jan Perkins, Steve Mermell, and Ashley Garcia with Baker Tilly facilitated the session.
Key Results
Norms
There was a Mayor and City Council consensus for staff to return to a City Council regular meeting with the norms listed in the section on norms below for consideration and adoption.
Top Priorities
During the workshop, the City Council identified its top priorities for the next two years. Two were established as foundational priorities that provide the ability for the Mayor and City Council’s other priorities to be achieved. The agreed upon priorities are listed below.
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2 Foundational Priorities
Fiscal Sustainability
Staffing
Top Three Priorities
Homelessness and Housing
Economic Development
Public Safety
Retreat Overview
Objectives
• Discuss working norms as a Council
• Understand each other’s interests and vision for the City of Long Beach • Establish Mayor and City Council consensus on focused priorities for the next two years
Agenda
• Welcome and call to order by the Mayor
• Opening comments from City Manager Tom Modica
• Icebreaker exercise
• Discuss Mayor and City Council working relationships and norms • Ideas for future vision
• Review principles of priority setting and set the context • Review major projects and initiatives currently underway • Establish Council priorities
• Review follow-up steps from staff and discuss the role of the City Council committees
• Wrap Up
• Public comment (none received)
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3 Retreat Participants
Mayor and City Council
Mayor
Rex Richardson
Vice Mayor
Cindy Allen
Councilmember
Mary Zendajas
Councilmember
Kristina Duggan
Councilmember
Daryl Supernaw
Councilmember
Megan Kerr
Councilmember
Suely Saro
Councilmember
Roberto Uranga
Councilmember
Al Austin
Councilmember
Joni Ricks-Oddie
Executive Staff
City Manager Tom Modica
Assistant City Manager Linda Tatum
City Attorney Dawn McIntosh
City Clerk Monique DeLaGarza
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4 Deputy City Manager April Walker
Deputy City Manager Katy Nomura
Deputy City Manager Meredith Reynolds
Deputy City Manager Teresa Chandler
Retreat Preparation
In preparation for the workshop, Jan and Steve held interviews with the Mayor and eight of the nine Councilmembers to learn about their priorities and hear feedback about accomplishments and challenges. The facilitators prepared an agenda and PowerPoint presentation along with handout materials to guide discussions during the session.
Welcome and Opening Comments
The day began with a welcome and call to order from Mayor Rex Richardson. He indicated that he looked forward to spending the day as a group to reflect on why we entered public service, dream about the future, and prioritize goals to leave our community better off.
City Manager Tom Modica then offered opening comments about why the workshop was important to him. He said that this is the next step following developing the strategic plan, to now have the Mayor and City Council set its priorities to achieve major goals. He said he was excited to get that started today. He stated the importance of priorities to him, quoting, “when everything is a priority, nothing is.” He said that with focus, we can do some amazing things.
The City Manager then turned it over to the facilitators, who reviewed the workshop agenda, objectives, and ground rules for the retreat.
Workshop Ground Rules
At the start of the workshop, the facilitators suggested several ground rules to help the group have a successful workshop.
• Listen to understand each other’s points of view
• Seek consensus
• Assume good intent
• Speak up if we need course correction
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5 • Stay focused
Bike Rack
Steve explained that there may be items raised that could not be discussed due to time constraints but would be followed up later. No items were added to the bike rack.
Icebreaker
Jan led the group in an icebreaker exercise called “first jobs” to begin the day informally. Each person was asked to write down their first paid job and turn it in anonymously. Then the group was asked to guess who the first job belonged to. Following the exercise, the group shared a few reflections.
Good Governance
Following the icebreaker exercise, Jan and Steve began the segment of the day pertaining to governance. They noted that serving the community requires both the what (focused goals and priorities) and the how (solid council and staff teamwork).
They reviewed the six attributed identified by the Institute of Local Government (ILG) in the article, “Attributes of Exceptional Councils.” The facilitators explained that effective Councils share a unity of purpose; understand roles and responsibilities; foster a positive governance culture; and establish norms, protocols, and procedures. The six attributes of exceptional councils are listed below.
Mayor and Councilmembers were asked what particularly resonated from the ILG article. The Council noted that it has good working relationships now and follows the practices listed. A summary of the comments from members of the City Council is provided below.
• Two councilmembers mentioned that having a sense of team and seeking consensus is necessary to get things done.
• Three spoke about the importance of honoring relationships, providing input, and listening even when we disagree.
• Two mentioned that accountability resonated with them. • There are common goals between districts.
Exceptional City Councils…
1. Have a sense of team; a partnership with the city manager to govern and achieve goals
2. Have clear roles and responsibilities that are understood and adhered to
3. Honor the relationship with staff and each other
4. Routinely conduct effective meetings
5. Hold themselves and the city accountable
6. Have members who practice continuous improvement
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6 • We practice continuous improvement in our work to move the city forward.
• Several noted the benefits of clearly defining roles, understanding Councilmember obligations within the team, and setting clear expectations.
The City Manager noted that this City Council routinely conducts effective meetings, regularly getting through its 30 to 60 agenda items in a timely manner. He also appreciates the congeniality they have with each other.
Norms
The next discussion focused on the potential of the Council creating a consensus on a set of norms for itself. The facilitators explained that norms are agreed upon standards of behavior and practices and that many City Councils have adopted a set of norms. Having explicit norms can help a current council as well as set expectations for future City Councils. The result of this discussion was Council consensus on a set of norms.
Summary of Discussion. A set of typical council norms for effective governance was presented to launch a discussion among the Mayor and Councilmembers.
Below is a summary of the discussion about norms.
Regarding the norm pertaining to citywide perspective: Councilmembers focus on their districts, and it is important because constituents expect Councilmembers to work for them. A natural tension between a “citywide perspective” and “district focus” was acknowledged as well as an expectation to share information to be aware of challenges in each of the individual communities. The wording of the norm was modified to read:
o Maintain a citywide perspective, while being focused on our districts.
Regarding the norm pertaining to roles: It was recommended that the role of the city attorney should be included in the norm on honoring the roles of the Mayor, Council, and City Manager. The wording of the norm was modified to read:
o Respect the roles of the Mayor, City Council, City Manager and City Attorney in our form of government.
It was noted that establishing goals is the key to working together as a body and modeling teamwork.
Councilmembers agreed that it is important to strive for civility, respect, and holding each other accountable.
More than one Councilmember noted that clarity on roles could be better.
After this discussion, the City Council agreed by consensus to a set of norms, which were a modification of the “typical” ones shown as the starting point. The updated set of norms is shown in the following slide. The order of the norms shown below reflects the facilitators’ understanding of preferences expressed by members of Council during the discussion. The City Manager indicated that City Council Retreat
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7 staff would return to the City Council with the draft norms for review and adoption.
Vision for the Future
City Manager Modica referenced the Council-adopted Strategic Vision 2030 as an important backdrop to the retreat discussions about priorities. He is proud of the work done on it. He said that the Strategic Vision 2030 indicates how city departments are advancing important policy priorities of the Council.
Mayor Richardson shared his Opportunity Beach Agenda, challenges, and opportunities for shared responsibility and strategic alignment. He talked about his inspiration for serving on the City Council and his vision for his life. He also spoke about what attracts people to a specific community.
The Opportunity Beach Agenda framed five specific challenges as opportunities, which are:
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8 1) Addressing Homelessness and Ensuring Quality and Stable Housing for All
2) Building An Economy Where Everyone Thrives
3) Creating Safe and Healthy Communities
4) Expanding Opportunities for Youth to Succeed
5) Supporting A Sustainable and Resilient City
The Mayor encouraged Councilmembers to think about the legacy they want to leave. He engaged Council in a discussion about their vision for the future through two discussion prompts using the Mentimeter feedback tool.
Visioning Exercise
Councilmembers were asked to submit three words illustrating their Vision for Long Beach, creating the word cloud that follows.
Headline Exercise
Next, Councilmembers were asked to submit a headline they would be proud to read about the city within the next 10 years. Results are displayed below.
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9 Challenges and Barriers
The Mayor presented several challenges that must be overcome in achieving the goals and vision including
Regional housing shortages and homelessness
Economic uncertainty and diminishing oil revenues
Maintaining public safety and emergency response
Addressing the effects of climate change
Lack of opportunities for youth and COVID’s lasting impact on learning and mental health
Councilmembers then added several other challenges and barriers as listed below that can impact the thriving future that is desired. We must overcome hate and division to become a city of harmony Items related to livability, including traffic congestion, mobility, accessibility, parking
Need for economic development (zoning/land use, different creative approach)
Rising cost of infrastructure
Identification of new revenue sources and addressing economic uncertainty
Investment in public health
Attraction and retention of a top-notch workforce
Inability to change, innovate, do things differently
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10 This section concluded with a comment from Mayor Richardson that Long Beach is a leading city and we are building the future for the next generation. He also noted that it will be important to keep in mind what story we are going to tell in 2028 when we host six Olympic events and one Paralympic event and welcome the world to Long Beach.
Next Steps on Vision. The City Manager said that he and staff will take the vision words and headlines and, based on the rest of the work from today, develop a set of longer-term, five- and ten-year goals, for City Council consideration at a later date.
Commonalities Between Council Districts
The Council then divided into three small groups to answer two questions:
Each small group brainstormed responses to these questions and then reported out to the full group. The Attachment contains the full list of brainstormed notes.
The themes identified following the report outs and discussion were:
• We have significant commonalities between our districts. • We have an opportunity for alignment of priorities between our districts.
• Interest across districts in establishing standard levels of neighborhood amenities and improving infrastructure.
• What needs to occur in our districts impacts both budgets and staffing.
What do our
districts have in
common?
How should these
commonalities
shape our
approach?
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11 • We can encourage each other and our constituents to travel between districts and experience what each districts have – everyone is welcome, and we are available to each other.
Priority Setting Discussion
Following a lunch break, the group reconvened for the priority setting portion of the retreat.
City Manager Modica explained the
cornerstone of a well-run city is an
organization that has the financial
resources, human resources, and business
tools necessary to deliver high-quality
municipal services and programs.
He presented the following slide.
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12 Accomplishments highlighted by Councilmembers in their interviews with the facilitators in advance of the retreat were also highlighted. They are shown on the following slide.
Three other accomplishments were added by Councilmembers during the session, including:
Efforts to go green with vehicles and buildings
Policy changes to zoning and land use in progress
Many infrastructure improvements made possible by Measure A
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13 Major Projects and Initiatives Currently Underway
The City Manager reviewed major initiatives underway as shown in the following slide.
City Manager Modica also highlighted nine projects requiring significant staff time, as shown below.
Establishing Council Priorities
This segment began with a review and discussion of each of the ten priority areas that were mentioned during the Council interviews. The purpose of this discussion was to provide an opportunity for Councilmembers to discuss the reason that the issues are important to them before dot voting on top priorities.
The notes from that discussion are provided after the results of the dot voting below.
Key
Projects
Requiring
Significant
Alloca�on
of Staff
Time
42 Addressing increased requests to provide core services Addressing mul�ple aspects of the homeless crisis
Managing significant infrastructure improvements
Reopening and reac�va�ng the Queen Mary
Enhancement of the Land Management System
Fill key vacancies and enhance recruitment efforts
Address impacts of loss of Tidelands funds
Integra�ng equity across all city opera�ons
Addressing requests on the Report of Reports
Major
Ini�a�ves
Currently
Underway
42 Declara�on of
Homeless
Emergency
Major
Infrastructure
Projects
Economic
Development Housing
Staffing Public Safety
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14 Dot Voting on Top Priorities
Jan and Steve led Council in a dot voting exercise after the discussion of all ten priority categories. The City Manager emphasized that work is and will be done in all ten arenas.
The purpose of establishing a small set of top priorities is for the staff to fully understand what is most important, above all others, as assignments are given, and resources are allocated. He reminded the Mayor and City Council of his opening comments that “if everything is a priority, then nothing is.”
Before dot voting on its priorities, the Mayor and City Council agreed that two of the categories, fiscal sustainability and staffing, are foundational to all that the city does. Therefore, those two categories were removed from the dot voting exercise and established as “foundational priorities.” Additionally, the Council agreed to combine homelessness and housing due to their interrelated nature.
Each Mayor and Councilmember was given three dot stickers and asked to place their dots on their top priorities.
The top three priorities established through dot voting were Homelessness and Housing, Economic Development, and Public Safety.
The results of the exercise are shown in Table 1 below, with the top three items highlighted in the salmon color.
Table 1. Results of Priority Dot Voting: Two Foundational and Three Priorities Priority Votes
FOUNDATIONAL PRIORITIES
Fiscal Sustainability
Staffing
THREE TOP PRIORITIES Number of Dots Received
Homelessness and Housing 6
Economic Development 6
Public Safety 6
Infrastructure 4
Environmental Sustainability 3
Parks and Recreation 3
Neighborhood Livability 2
Summary notes from the discussion regarding the ten priority categories are listed in Table 2 below.
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15 Table 2. Priorities Discussion Notes
Priority Area
Comments during
Councilmember interviews
Summary of Discussion: Why
the Issue Is Important to Councilmembers
Fiscal
Sustainability
• New revenue streams are
needed
• There has been a loss of
tidelands money and reduced
fossil fuels revenues
• Focus on managing potential
deficits and impacts on services
• Residents have expectations for
a higher level of services
• Interrelated to all our goals
• It is our bottom-line
• Cannot deliver services without resources
• Our changing funding sources is unique
• Imperative to focus on
Staffing • Address concerns about
recruitment and retention
• Discuss staff capacity
• All we do requires people
• Responsiveness requires sufficient staffing
• Little bandwidth to absorb additional work
• Desire our workforce to represent our diverse city
• Align staffing with focus areas
Homelessness • Include mental health and
substance abuse treatment
services
• We hear the most about it from constituents
• Very visible
• Relates to other priorities, aligns with housing, impacts staffing, drains budget
• People are suffering
• Connect to services
• Potentially combine with housing
• Urgent issue
• Prevention is key
Housing • Increase affordable housing
• Build more housing of all types
• Apply inclusionary housing
incentives
• Developing more housing requires thoughtful land-use
decisions e.g., General Plan, Housing Element
• City should provide affordable housing as a core
function
• Note aging housing stock in our community
• Housing for everyone is the right thing to do, especially for those with special needs and seniors
• Housing has not kept pace with new jobs
• Lack of affordability driving out residents who grew up here
• Demand is high
• Balance housing with neighborhood livability needs
Economic
Development
• Expand local business
opportunities and attract and
retain businesses
• Create a plan for Queen Mary
• Increase cruise ships at ports
• Plan for waterfront
development
• Revitalize commercial centers
• Become more business friendly
and streamline permitting
• Create more large-scale events
• Attract and retain businesses with thriving economy
• Create good paying jobs, actively seek to obtain job
opportunities at middle income level
• Loss of well-paying manufacturing jobs has created a
job deficit
• Establish standard levels of neighborhood amenities
• Relates to fiscal sustainability since it generates sales tax revenue
• Healthy business and gateway corridors are important
• Encourage entrepreneurship
• Lift people out of poverty
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16 Priority Area
Comments during
Councilmember interviews
Summary of Discussion: Why
the Issue Is Important to Councilmembers
• Promote growth of business
clusters
• Explore development
opportunities for Elephant Lot
• Make Long Beach a destination
city
Public Safety • Address concerns regarding
rising crime rates
• We all need to contribute to a positive narrative and build confidence with the public that we have a safe
community
• Involves traffic safety such as traffic lights, street lights and signs (infrastructure)
• Prevention is also important, and more is needed
• People must feel safe
• Staffing challenges and burnout of staff must be
attended to
• Community members wish to have input about what
type of public safety they would like – such as
community-based policing
• Need to invest in technology for public safety
• Encourage residents to apply for police and fire
positions
• We need to foster a sense of mission, hope and
optimism with our community
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17 Priority Area
Comments during
Councilmember interviews
Summary of Discussion: Why
the Issue Is Important to Councilmembers
Infrastructure • Plan for greater infrastructure
investment
• Needs throughout the community
• Aligned with many other areas
• Get projects done with resources allocated
• Need to address immediate needs swiftly
• Infrastructure improvements are critical to remove
risks
Environmental
Sustainability
• Implement the Climate Action
Plan
• Discuss concerns about
environmental impacts along
the 710 corridor
• It is about a healthy city
• There are significant air quality issues
• Environmental justice is part of it
• It is expensive to become greener and the challenge is significant
• Need a strategy for addressing environmental issues on the West side
Parks and
Recreation
• Acquire more park space and
expand green space
• Expand active and passive
recreation
• Access to green spaces for those in high rises
• Active programming supports families as a social safety net with tutoring and after school programs
• Need to address cleanliness of the parks as well as
safety
• Maintenance of current parks
• Acquire new park space, seek creative opportunities
Neighborhood
Livability
• Promote place-based identity
• Enhance lagging business
districts
• Attract grocery stores to food
deserts
• This focus area also involves access to clean air
• Need safe neighborhoods
Staying on Course with Priorities
After the priorities were established, there was a discussion about what would help the Council and staff team stay on track given the limited staff and financial resources. With the help of Baker Tilly, staff will align programs, projects, and activities with budget, staffing, and workloads; build priorities into the budget and workplans; and provide periodical updates to Council.
The facilitators reviewed best practice criteria for adding initiatives and work, suggesting that minimizing Council referrals will be an important way of maintaining staff focus and other resources on established priorities. The best practice criteria are shown in the following slide.
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18 Role of Council Committees
The Mayor illustrated the alignment of the City Council committees with the priorities established. He emphasized that shared vision is necessary to make significant progress in the priority areas and to develop strategies and identify opportunities to pursue over the next two years. He charged the committee chairs to work toward the goals and discuss the issues raised today.
He also talked about how he envisions aligning the work of the commissions and legislative platform with the Council priorities.
Wrap Up
Follow-up Steps
Jan explained that the facilitation team would prepare this report. The City Manager indicated that he and his staff would incorporate the Council’s priorities into the budget and prepare a work plan that operationalizes the priorities. He presented the following slide.
Commitments
from Staff
55 Align departmental efforts to
further Council priori�es
Build Council direc�on into
budget, management’s work
plans and department
expecta�ons
Best Prac�ce
Criteria for
Adding
Ini�a�ves and
Projects
Mid-Cycle
57 Emergency
(natural disaster,
pandemic, civil
unrest)
New outside
funding
opportunity that is
�me sensi�ve
New mul�-agency
opportunity that
cannot be delayed
Community safety
issue that must be
addressed in near
term
Changes in
laws or
mandates
Otherwise wait until
next priority-setting
process
What comes
off the plate if
something
goes on?
What are the
consequences
of shi�ing
direc�on mid
way?
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19 Closing Comments
To conclude the workshop, the Mayor, Councilmembers, and the City Manager shared comments about what was useful in spending the day together.
A summary of Councilmember comments is provided below.
Appreciated the opportunity to talk about commonalities among non- contiguous districts.
Enjoyed being in the same room, getting to know each other through the first job exercise and sharing a meal. Our priorities align no matter which district you represent.
Loved seeing how the priorities citywide balance with district priorities and getting to know fellow Councilmembers.
We focus so much on our district, it was great to focus on citywide issues. We are not that far apart on priorities and issues and enjoyed talking with the City Manager and staff especially because he had never had the opportunity to have conversations in a setting like this before. It was great to be off site away from the City Hall ivory tower and breaking bread together with fellow colleagues. Enjoyed the casual and informal setting.
Appreciated the norms established in the beginning and reflected upon the assumption of good intent. Retreat allowed us to share vision and emphasize that we care about the city and each other. We share the same priorities, just in slightly different order. Today we demonstrated teamwork, respect, and civility. Would like to do this more regularly to build on it. Time was well spent to be efficient and effective. Eye-opening to see the interconnectedness of all the issues and impacts on each other. Today helped to understand the impacts in other districts and how to better support our colleagues.
Mayor Richardson thanked the facilitation team and City staff for organizing the retreat. He noted that putting things in context is important. Said that 10% is spent planning, and 90% is spent on follow up to work the plan. Today was the opportunity to plan the work. Tom is our new City Manager and built his team during the pandemic. With new leadership, we have the opportunity to start fresh and reorganize ourselves behind the mission. We will look at a potential annual check-in and what makes sense to get on the same page.
City Manager Modica expressed he was happy to see the Councilmembers enjoyed spending their time at the workshop. He commented that touching on the bigger priorities is important. He expressed that staff appreciates that Councilmembers talk about fiscal sustainability and staffing and acknowledge we have limited resources. It was a big step to look at things from a strategic perspective and to get clarity on the goals.
City staff distributed Long Beach challenge coins for Councilmembers to give out.
At the end of the workshop, members of the public were invited to make a public comment. None were present.
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Attachment: Notes from Small Group Discussion About District Commonalities
20 Attachment: Notes from Small Group Discussion About District Commonalities
Councilmember
Districts
Represented What our Districts have in common
How the commonalities
should shape our approach
Districts 1, 3, 9 • High schools in each district; youth- oriented
• Gateways into the city
• Residents who care about infrastructure
improvements
• Business districts and small businesses
• Freeways in or around districts
• Senior programs through parks and
recreation
• Increased traffic; especially cut-through
traffic
• Active neighborhood associations
• Special events
• Investments in infrastructure needed; seek
grant funding
• Programming for youth and seniors
• Focus on the gateways
• Working effectively with state elected
officials on state highway and CalTrans
issues
• Pursue interjurisdictional partnerships
• Seek youth involvement in neighborhood
associations
• Invite people to attend events in each
other’s districts
Districts 2, 4, 5 • Highly engaged community members
who care deeply about the city
• Concerned about provision of core
services
• Top two priorities both related to high
quality of life: public safety and
infrastructure
• Each district contains an active park
• Environmental impacts most often
mentioned are air quality and noise
related to the airport
• Each district enjoys a distinctive
neighborhood “small-town feel”
• Focus public safety approach on community
engagement
• Maintenance of infrastructure is key for
these districts, including streets, sidewalks,
drainage and removal of dumped items
• Mitigate impacts related to homelessness
• Better communicate the city’s overarching
goals and priorities with constituents
• Recognize limitations of staff capacity to
address quality of life issues
Districts 6, 7, 8 • Diverse residents
• Socioeconomics: middle class, working
class and working poor
• Negative perceptions of government
• Lots of cultural events
• Limited mobility options
• Land use and economic development
issues
• Environmental concerns
• Concerns about crime
• Traffic safety concerns
• Prioritize the following:
o Economic development
o Zoning
o Addressing crime concerns
o Build partnership with school district
• Educate other councilmembers on goals,
plans, and actions positively impacting the
issues in their district
• Align workplan of staff with council and
district priorities
• Collaborate with other agencies to seek
regional solutions
• More unified messaging to the public on big
issues facing the city
• Show support for one another on issues in
other Councilmembers’ districts
March 30, 2023
Cal State Long Beach, Student Union
9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Jan Perkins | Facilitator
Steve Mermell | Facilitator
Ashley Garcia | Facilitator
City of Long Beach
City Council Workshop
ATTACHMENT B
Welcome from Mayor Richardson
2 Rex Richardson
Mayor
Mary Zendejas
District 1
Cindy Allen
District 2
Kristina Duggan
District 3
Daryl Supernaw
District 4
Megan Kerr
District 5
Suely Saro
District 6
Roberto Uranga
District 7
Al Austin
District 8
Joni Ricks-Oddie
District 9
Opening Comments from City Manager Tom Modica
3 “When everything
is a priority,
nothing is.”
- Karen Martin, author, The
Outstanding Organization
Consensus direction from Council about
priorities is needed; we have limited
resources
The staff/Council relationship is critical to
our ability to achieve good results
Objectives and Agenda Review
Today’s Objectives
5 Discuss working norms as a Council
Understand each other's interests and vision
for the City of Long Beach
Establish Council consensus on focused
priorities for the next two years
Agenda
6 Discuss Council working relationships and norms (approx. 1.25 hr.) Ideas for Future Vision (approx. 1 hr.)
Review principles of priority setting and set the context (approx. 30 min.)
Lunch
Review major projects and initiatives currently underway (approx. 15 min.)
Establish Council priorities (approx. 2 hrs.)
Review follow-up steps from staff and discuss the role of Council committees (approx. 15 min.)
Wrap up (approx. 15 min.)
Public Comment
Workshop
Ground
Rules
7 Listen to
understand
each other’s
point of view
Seek
consensus
Assume
good
intent
Speak up if we
need course
correction
Stay
focused
Time
Management Tool
Bike RackBike Rack
Items to discuss at a
later time
Ice Breaker
Discuss City Council
Working Relationships and Norms
Serving the
Community
11 The What
Focused
Direction
on
Priorities
Solid
Council/Staff
Teamwork
The How
Requires Both
Councilmember
Comments
About Setting
Priorities
12 Need to align
our priorities
It is important to
understand what other
Councilmembers have as
their priorities
Need to recognize that
there is limited staff
capacity
We need an authentic
conversation about
priorities and goals
It is important
to build
consensus
Many of our existing
plans and goals overlap
We need to get
clear about
our top priorities
What Makes
a Council
Work Well?
13 Institute for Local Government
Effective Councils
Unity of
Purpose
Clear Roles and
Responsibilities
Positive
Governance
Culture
Norms,
Protocols, and
Policies
Exceptional City Councils
1. Have a sense of team; a partnership with the
city manager to govern and achieve goals
2. Have clear roles and responsibilities that are
understood and adhered to
3. Honor the relationship with each other and
staff
4. Routinely conduct effective meetings
5. Hold themselves and the city accountable
6. Have members who practice continuous
improvement
14 Institute for Local Government
Council
Discussion
About
Norms
15 Norms are agreed
upon standards of
behavior and
practices
Many City Councils
have a set of adopted
norms for governance
Typical Council Norms
For Effective Governance
1) Maintain a citywide perspective, while
being mindful of our districts.
2) Work together as a body, modeling
teamwork, respect and civility.
3) Assume good intent.
4) Disagree agreeably and professionally.
5) Utilize long-range plans to provide big
picture context that is realistic and
achievable.
6) Stay focused on Council priorities.
7) Share information and avoid
surprises.
8) Keep confidential things confidential.
9) Respect the roles of the mayor, city
council and city manager in our form
of government.
10) Communicate concerns about staff to
the City Manager; while treating staff
respectfully.
15 Council Working Relationships
17 What norms
could be
helpful in
optimizing Council
governance?
Council
Consensus
on Norms
18 Break
Ideas for Future Vision
Strategic Vision 2030 Approved by Council
• Education
• Economic opportunity, equity and
resiliency
• Digital inclusion/technology
• Housing and homelessness
• Mobility, equity placemaking and
reimaging the public right of way
• Public safety
• Health, behavioral health and wellness
• Climate and environmental
sustainability
• Financial wellbeing
• City employees
• Learning organization
• Technology
• Expectations aligned
with resources and
priorities
• For the community
21 Our Community Our Government
The Opportunity Beach Agenda
“Opportunity Beach” reflects our commitment to expanding access to the resources and opportunities that Long Beach residents need to thrive over the next decade across 5 key areas:
1. Addressing Homelessness and Ensuring Quality and Stable Housing for All
2. Building An Economy Where Everyone Thrives
3. Creating Safe and Healthy Communities
4. Expanding Opportunities for Youth to Succeed
5. Supporting A Sustainable and Resilient City
22 Feedback Tool – City Council Exercise
Instructions
1. Please take out your mobile device
2. Enter www.menti.com in your browser
3. Click Join a Presentation
4. Enter 8-digit access code
5. Click Submit button
23 www.menti.com
Choose three words, that
describe your vision for the
City as a whole.
24 For the Mayor and Council
www.menti.com
What is a headline you would
be proud to read about our
city within the next 10 years?
25 For the Mayor and Council
The Opportunity Beach Agenda
26 Regional Housing Shortages & Homelessness
Economic Uncertainty & Diminishing Oil Revenues
Maintaining Public Safety & Emergency Response
Addressing the Effects of Climate Change
Lack of Opportunities for Youth &
COVID’s Lasting Impact on Learning & Mental Health
Overcoming Big Challenges Over the Next Decade
The Opportunity Beach Agenda
27 Opportunity
Beach Agenda
Housing
Inclusive Economy
Safe & Healthy Communities
Youth Investment
Sustainability
Opportunities for shared responsibility & strategic
alignment to deliver results for Long Beach
Shared Vision for
the Future of Long
Beach
Alignment Between
Mayor’s Office, City
Council, City Staff &
Commissions
Overcoming Our
Greatest Challenges
Reaching the Shores of
Opportunity Beach
Council
Discussion
Small Groups
then Full Group
28 What do our
districts have in
common?
How should these
commonalities
shape our
approach?
29 Lunch Break
30 Review Principles of Priority Setting
Priority
Setting
31 We can’t
do
everything
But we can do
some things very
well if we are
focused
Successful City Governments
• Respect the ongoing work of departments as the day-
to-day operations must be well managed; that takes
time
• Have a collaborative, trusting relationship between the City Council and staff
• Set a few priorities, with staff work plans to achieve them
Focusing on the “Big Rocks”
32 Don’t fill up the bucket
with so many small
rocks that there isn’t
room for the big ones
Put the big
rocks in first
Then add the small
ones where there is
room
Cornerstone of a Well-Run City
33 Funding
Human
Resources Business
Tools
Human Resources must be in
place and have capacity to
perform work
• The City has the right positions, at the
right levels, filled with the right
alignment of talent
• The City is developing our people assets
and creating a human-centered culture
that makes the City an employer of choice
Funding must be sufficient to
support programs and services
• Budgets align with priorities, there is strong fiscal management and strategic financial investments
• Invest in the necessary administrative support
staff and business tools to do the work
Effective business tools must
be in place to do the job
• The City has modern and updated
software and equipment necessary to
perform the work
• The City invests in maintenance and
replacement of tools central to
performing city business
A well-run city has the financial resources, human resources and business tools necessary to deliver high-quality municipal services and programs Strategic planning allows the City
Council and City Manager to
understand priorities and
organizational objectives and
pivot where needed to meet the
moment
How
Management’s
Time is
Allocated
34 85%
5%
5%
5%
Typical Allocation of Management Staff’s Time
Day-to-day management of core municipal services
Unforseen challenges
New initiatives
Strategic improvements and training
Discussion
Process
35 Review accomplishments and challenges
identified by Councilmembers
Understand budget context, major initiatives
and key projects underway
Discuss priorities identified by
Councilmembers
Council dot voting to determine top priorities
Staff will incorporate into budget and work
plans
36 Setting the Context
Accomplishments Cited by Councilmembers
COVID
response1
Work on
infrastructure
Efforts towards
environmental
sustainability and
climate action
Financial
management
Enhanced
interdepartmental
coordination
dealing with issues
Promoting
equity and
racial justice
Affordable and
market-rate
housing
development
Local
procurement
efforts
37 1Including testing and vaccination clinics, implementing worker protections, and use of relief funds Key Challenges Noted by Members of Council
Homelessness
The economy/economic
development/equity
Infrastructure needs
Affordable housing
Public safety
Reduced revenues/budget
deficit and impact on
service levels
38 Key
Points
About
Our
Budget
Outlook
39 ✓ Recent updates to revenue projections reflect better performance in FY 21 and FY 22, significantly improving General Fund shortfall projections for FY
24. This shortfall can be covered with one-time funds, avoiding any service reductions.
✓ It will be important not to add enhancements without structural solutions as the out-years (FY 25 and beyond) still show shortfalls, with a cumulative total of $33.8 million for FY 27.
✓ Projections assume 3% for negotiated increases for bargaining groups for years without a contract. If final agreements are higher, costs will increase. ✓ Projections include numerous assumptions and variables that can change the future forecast, including assumption of no recession, CalPERS investment returns, State legislative actions, etc.
✓ The use of one-times funds to bridge structural shortfalls has opportunity costs as it takes away from investments that could be made to create efficiencies or generate additional revenues.
40 Review Major Projects and Initiatives
Currently Underway
Major
Initiatives
Currently
Underway
41 Declaration of
Homeless
Emergency
Major
Infrastructure
Projects
Economic
Development Housing
Staffing Public Safety
Key
Projects
Requiring
Significant
Allocation
of Staff
Time
42 Addressing increased requests to provide core services Addressing multiple aspects of the homeless crisis
Managing significant infrastructure improvements
Reopening and reactivating the Queen Mary
Enhancement of the Land Management System
Fill key vacancies and enhance recruitment efforts
Address impacts of loss of Tidelands funds
Integrating equity across all city operations
Addressing requests on the Report of Reports
City Council Requests
43 Year Total Requests Completed Requests Open Requests 2019 61 51 10
2020 75 69 6
2021 101 74 27
2022 86 60 26
Residual from Prior Years - - 4
Total (2019-2022) 323 254 46
44 Establish City Council Priorities
Priorities
1 Noted by Councilmembers
45 A. Homelessness
B. Fiscal sustainability
C. Economic development
D. Housing
E. Neighborhood livability
F. Parks and Recreation
G. Environment/sustainability
H. Infrastructure
I. Public safety
J. Staffing
Each priority
category will be
discussed with the
question….
“Why is this
important?”
1Not listed in priority order. Refer to Handout
46 Priority Setting Discussion
Discussion of Items 1 and 2
• Significant concerns expressed
• Include mental health and substance abuse
treatment services
A. Homelessness
• Need new revenue streams
• Loss of tidelands money and reduced fossil fuels
revenues
• Managing potential deficits and impacts on
services
• Expectations from residents for higher level of
services
B. Fiscal
Sustainability
47 Bullet points reflect comments from Councilmembers during interviews Discussion of Item 3
• Expand local business opportunity, business
attraction and retention
• Plan for Queen Mary
• Increase cruise ships at port
• Plan for waterfront development
• Revitalize commercial centers
• Business friendly; streamline permitting
• More large-scale events
• Promote growth of business clusters
• Development opportunity for Elephant Lot
• Make Long Beach a destination city
C. Economic
Development
48 Bullet points reflect comments from Councilmembers during interviews Discussion of Items 4 and 5
• Increase affordable housing
• Build more housing of all types
• Apply inclusionary housing incentives
• Identify funding sources for affordable housing production D. Housing
• Promote place-based identity
• Enhance lagging business districts
• Attract grocery stores in food deserts
E. Neighborhood
Livability
49 Bullet points reflect comments from Councilmembers during interviews Discussion of Items 6 and 7
• Acquire more park space/expand
green space
• Expand active and passive recreation
F. Parks and
Recreation
• Implement Climate Action Plan
• Concerns about environmental
impacts along the 710 corridor
G. Environment/
Sustainability
50 Bullet points reflect comments from Councilmembers during interviews Discussion of Items 8 and 9
• Plan for greater
infrastructure investmentH. Infrastructure
• Concerns about rising
crimeI. Public Safety
51 Bullet points reflect comments from Councilmembers during interviews Discussion of Item 10
• Concerns about
recruitment and retention
• Staff capacity
J. Staffing
52 Bullet points reflect comments from Councilmembers during interviews Dot Voting
on Top
Priorities
53 54
Review Follow Up Steps and
Discuss Role of Council Committees
Commitments
from Staff
55 Align departmental efforts to
further Council priorities
Build Council direction into
budget, management’s work
plans and department
expectations
Staying on
Track with
Priorities
56 Regular
progress
reporting
Hold off on new Council
initiatives until next goal
setting cycle or mid-
cycle in the annual
budget
Best Practice
Criteria for
Adding
Initiatives and
Projects
Mid-Cycle
57 Emergency
(natural disaster,
pandemic, civil
unrest)
New outside
funding
opportunity that is
time sensitive
New multi-agency
opportunity that
cannot be delayed
Community safety
issue that must be
addressed in near
term
Changes in
laws or
mandates
Otherwise wait until
next priority-setting
process
What comes
off the plate if
something
goes on?
What are the
consequences
of shifting
direction mid
way?
Role of
Council
Committees
58 Incorporate
discussion about
work plan items
into Committee
agendas
Provide advice
as requested by
Council
Keep the Council’s
focus on established
priorities
Council Committee Focus Area Alignment
59 A. Homelessness
B. Fiscal sustainability
C. Economic development
D. Housing
E. Neighborhood livability
F. Parks and Recreation
G. Environment/sustainability
H. Infrastructure
I. Public safety
J. Staffing
Council Standing Committee Council Focus Area Alignment Arts, Culture, and Tourism Economic Development
Budget Oversight Fiscal Sustainability
Climate, Environment and Coastal Protection Environmental Sustainability Economic Development and Opportunity Economic Development Governmental Operations and Efficiency Staffing
Housing and Public Health Housing
Homelessness
Intergovernmental Affairs Support all Council Priority Areas Educational Partnerships Parks and Recreation
Mobility, Ports, and Infrastructure Infrastructure
Public Safety Public Safety
Neighborhood Livability
Also relate
focus areas to
Commissions
60 Workshop
report
City
Manager’s
next steps
Next
Steps
City
Manager’s
Follow Up
61 Develop
Objectives
and Work
Plan
Incorporate
into
Budget
Report
Progress
62 Wrap Up
Closing
Remarks
63 Please share one
comment about
what was useful in
today’s discussions
Public
Comments
64 Jan Perkins | [email protected]
Steve Mermell | [email protected]
Ashley Garcia | [email protected]
Thank you!