Long Beach faces a major budget shortfall: The proposed FY2027 budget seeks to close a $58.2 million deficit by eliminating 483 positions—263 filled and 220 vacant—along with cuts across city departments and services.
Top officials are still scheduled for raises: Mayor Rex Richardson’s salary would rise by $5,763 to $198,086, City Manager Tom Modica’s by $11,487 (3.01%), and City Council members’ salaries by about $1,829 each. Many increases are mandated by the City Charter, contracts, or labor agreements.
Department heads are getting raises while their departments lose positions: For example, the Fire Chief is budgeted for a $7,392 raise while Fire faces reductions equivalent to about 33 positions, including the proposed elimination of Fire Engine 14. Library, HR, emergency communications, and technology directors also have higher salaries budgeted alongside staffing cuts.
The mayor and city manager say they’ll donate their increases: Richardson says he will donate his $5,763 increase to libraries and community organizations, while Modica says he is donating his entire $11,487 increase; Modica already donates money from previous raises toward homelessness efforts.
The raises have become a “shared sacrifice” issue: NBC4 asked all nine councilmembers whether they would decline, delay, or donate their raises. One councilmember said the City Charter prevents simply declining the salary increase, while seven did not respond by the deadline. The mayor’s and city manager’s donations are tiny relative to the $58.2 million deficit, but the controversy centers on whether senior officials should share in the sacrifices imposed by layoffs and service cuts.
https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/long-beach-department-heads-raises-amid-cuts-layoffs/3935410/