Long Beach proposes cutting 260 city jobs to address $58 million deficit

Long Beach is set to slash more than 260 jobs and drop over 200 vacant positions in an effort to eliminate a $58 million shortfall in its 2026-27 budget. City Manager Tom Modica’s proposal would cut roughly 4 % of the city’s nearly 6,000 employees, with the first general-fund layoffs in six years. Reductions target fire services, including the closure of Engine 14, police staffing and overtime, and a Health Department that lost $11 million in external funding, resulting in the loss of 79 positions.

Library hours will be cut, several youth and summer programs canceled, and hourly parking rates increased. Mayor Rex Richardson aims to recover 70 jobs and fund additional health hires by tapping Measure ER, a revised Port of Long Beach fire-services deal and savings from skipping a November election. The plan proceeds to City Council hearings, with a final vote expected in late September, and the city still projects a structural surplus by 2028 despite a projected $27.3 million deficit next year.