Critically Speaking: A Jurisdictional Jumble

I’ve learned a lot about how the city works over the past 12 years of being a reporter and the one thing that I think truly perplexes residents is that the city is not necessarily in control of everything located in Long Beach. 

Multiple other agencies have jurisdictional power in the city and sometimes those borders within the city lead to a lot of consternation. 

For instance, the areas around the freeway, including those roundabout on-ramps and off-ramps that have attracted unhoused people over the years are under CalTrans' control. 

CalTrans also has jurisdiction over Pacific Coast Highway, one of the deadliest streets in the city, which community advocates have blamed on unsafe road conditions along PCH. The city can’t simply roll out road diets or medians as it has on other streets to try to calm traffic, but I wrote last month about how CalTrans is looking at safety solutions on PCH that could include protected bike lanes. 

If you have a project in the Coastal Zone, there’s a good chance that the California Coastal Commission will have to weigh in on your dock improvements, housing development, or annual fireworks show. 

The Metro A-Line and its parking lots are under Metro’s jurisdiction and months after the City Council asked the agency to address its “end-of-the-line” issue the city was staring down the possibility of Metro establishing a homeless service hub in Long Beach. 

That idea was abandoned in August. 

These jurisdictional issues have also led to confusion like when there are unhoused encampment sweeps in the Los Angeles Riverbed (LA County) but the Long Beach Police Department is present to monitor the hazmat crews and other workers. 

They can also complicate projects like the long-planned walking path along the San Gabriel River that could covert what’s currently a collection of plant nurseries and electrical transmission towers into something similar to the relaxing recreation space found along the river in Cerritos. 

That project cuts through LA County, LA city, and Southern California Edison territory. 

I bring all this up because I noticed the Long Beach City Council will be discussing an ongoing issue in North and West Long Beach — the Union Pacific Railroad. 

The tracks and the areas adjacent to them are under the control of Union Pacific and neighbors have complained that the areas have become a magnet for vandalism, encampments and other quality of life issues. 

Councilmembers Roberto Uranga and Al Austin are asking the city to start negotiations with Union Pacific to enter into an agreement that could allow city workers onto Union Pacific property to do things like homeless outreach and cleanups. It could also establish who would pay for those services. 

The city struck a similar agreement with CalTrans in recent years that allowed the city to clear encampments adjacent to freeways in the city.

The two council members are also asking the city to look at the possibility of creating “quiet zones” along the train tracks so neighbors won’t have to listen to the persistent train horns that are required when trains approach at-grade crossings. 

If you’ve guessed creating a “quiet zone” is going to require more than just the city’s sign-off, you’re correct. The city will have to work with Union Pacific and potentially state and federal regulators to implement them. 

What happened this week

It took about two-and-a-half years but the city’s Ethics Commission looks like it’s finally ready to recommend changes to Long Beach’s lobbyist law. The law is intended to shed light on who city decision-makers are meeting with before they vote on policies and projects but between its exemptions, reliance on self-reporting and bi-annual reports it’s left that picture kind of fuzzy. The proposed changes would tighten up reporting deadlines and require high-ranking city officials and those holding elected office to disclose their calendars monthly to provide a view into who they’ve met with. For lobbyists, they could be required to give more information on what they met with city officials about like the exact project and the lobbyist’s stance on the issue. The commission said it could vote to send these recommendations to the City Council next month. Then, it will be up to the council to approve those changes, tweak them or ignore them entirely.

Something to keep an eye on 

When it comes to government there seems to be somewhat of a consensus among voters that they generally don’t want more of it. However, this November you’ll be asked to approve an expansion of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from five to nine seats. The five supervisors are in charge of the largest jurisdiction in the world and currently represent about two million people each, something some members say makes it hard to represent everyone in their district because of the sheer size of the areas they cover but also the diversity that exists. For instance, the 4th District that includes Long Beach spans from Palos Verdes to La Habra Heights and includes chunks of Southeast Los Angeles. Supervisors voted Tuesday to put the issue on the ballot that will be paired with numerous other good governance improvements (some that don’t require your vote to implement). But if you think more supervisors could increase representation, or you think it’s a terrible idea, you’ll get a say during the Nov. 5 election.