United States
August - Septembre 2022
In August 2022, a group including Black Lives Matter LBC and others shared the "People's Budget Proposal" for Long Beach's 2023 finances, aiming to make the city's financial framework fairer for everyone.
Everyone living in Long Beach could participate in the process
Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the 43rd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California, the second most populous city in Los Angeles County, and the largest city in California that is not a county seat city.
In August 2022, a coalition of civil society organisations, including Black Lives Matter LBC and their community partners, collaborated to introduce the "People's Budget Proposal" for Fiscal Year 2023 in Long Beach. Their primary objective was to integrate principles of equity and justice into the city's financial planning. They underscored that the city's budget serves as a moral compass, reflecting its core values and priorities. Embracing the People's Budget was viewed not merely as a procedural adjustment but as a pivotal step towards dismantling systemic racism and anti-Blackness within the city, while also addressing historical neglect suffered by Black and Indigenous communities across generations, thereby striving to create an inclusive and secure Long Beach for all its residents.
In pursuit of this transformative vision, the coalition demanded Mayor Robert Garcia, all nine City Councilmembers, and City Manager Tom Modica to: (a) adopt the People's Budget for Fiscal Year 2023, (b) institute a zero-based budgeting process to fundamentally reorder expenditure priorities, and (c) restructure the city budgeting process to centre co-governance with marginalised communities, ensuring that those most affected by budget decisions - including Black people, Indigenous people, people of colour, immigrants, youth, and older adults - actively participate in shaping the entire City budget and budgeting process.
The proposed budget allocations for Fiscal Year 2023 include initiatives such as the Long Beach Black Reparations Fund and Black-Led Community Agency ($197,000,000), Tenant Right to Counsel - Housing Element Program 6.5 ($3,000,000), Rental Housing Division - Housing Element Program 7.2 ($3,600,000), Ongoing Rental Assistance for Very Low & Low-Income Households - Housing Element Program 3.1 ($10,000,000), Older Adult Housing ($1,000,000), Multi-Service Center Satellite Office to Serve the Unhoused Community - Housing Element Program 4.1 ($3,000,000), Language Justice ($2,825,000), Long Beach Justice Fund - Universal Legal Representation for Immigrants ($1,000,000), and Climate Justice ($88,300,000).
Learn more about the 2023 Fiscal Year Budget in Long Beach City!
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