What is your background and how does it inform your decision to run for mayor?
I’m a local government leader with a proven track record of addressing Long Beach’s greatest challenges. I’ve served as our city’s vice mayor, elected by my peers twice, demonstrating my ability to bring a working coalition together to move our city forward. I have experience leading large agencies as immediate past president of the Southern California Association of Governments, the nation’s largest metropolitan planning agency, representing six counties and 19 million residents. In this role, I managed a 90-member board of diverse points-of-view and delivered the Connect So Cal Plan, a $628 billion infrastructure and investment plan for Southern California.
In Long Beach, I’ve chaired our Economic Development Committee, State and Federal Legislative Committees, and our Housing Authority. I’ve brought together small businesses, residents, government partners, clergy, and community-based organizations to attract investment and support in North Long Beach, resulting in more than half of a billion dollars in public and private investments. We created more open spaces by restoring our wetlands at DeForest Park, setting up community agricultural initiatives, and adding bike lanes so that residents have access within their neighborhood to live a healthy lifestyle. Additionally, supporting our youth and increasing access to educational opportunities has been a priority in the ways I serve as a city council member.
We collaborated with the Long Beach City’s Prosecutor’s Office and Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network to create Promising Adults, Tomorrow’s Hope (PATH), an innovative diversion program that gives young people the second chances they deserve. PATH offers youth ages 16-24 who have committed a minor offense a choice: occupational training, life skills development, mentoring, job placement, and post-secondary education or criminal prosecution. We opened the Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library in September 2016, a 24,655-square-foot facility with an expanded children’s library and family learning center. In terms of my educational experience, I moved to Long Beach after serving as student body president at California State University Dominguez Hills and received my degree in philosophy.
I bring forward the perspective of the working Long Beach resident as a first-generation college graduate, homeowner, small property owner and housing provider, former small business owner, and full-time manager at Crown Castle, the nation’s largest fiber infrastructure company. I have the qualifications, collaborative leadership style, and proven track record needed to be an effective mayor. My experience developing and implementing programs for public benefit has achieved transformative results for our community. I want to bring the same spirit of unity that helped uplift the Ninth District to the entire City of Long Beach. As mayor, I’ll continue to advocate that our city use every tool in our toolbox to address the challenges and ensure every Long Beach neighborhood receives equitable investment and access to opportunities.
Most major cities in the state have “strong mayor” forms of government wherein the mayor is also the city’s chief executive, including San Diego, Los Angeles, Fresno, Oakland, and San Francisco. What are your thoughts on Long Beach adopting the strong mayor model?
I believe that strong leadership is collaborative and focuses on productively solving challenges. Long Beach is a council-and-manager-led city and I believe this structure incentivizes the mayor to bring leaders together. Our next mayor needs a proven track record of successfully organizing the City Council, working together with the city and regional leaders, and delivering results to the community. I believe that I am that candidate because I have partnered with representatives across the region to create solutions to our city’s most significant challenges. As the immediate past president of the Southern California Association of Governments and a South Coast Air Quality Management District board member, I have pushed for equity through regional policymaking.
I want to bring the same spirit of unity that helped uplift the Ninth District to the entire City of Long Beach. As mayor, I’ll continue to advocate that our city uses every tool in our toolbox to address the challenges and ensure every Long Beach neighborhood receives equitable investment and access to opportunities.
Emergency funds from the federal government were critical in starting, sustaining, and even expanding critical social programs during the height of the pandemic, such as language access and mental health services for Black residents. How do you propose that the city maintain these services when the emergency funds expire?
Developing new funding sources will be critical as we continue our recovery from this pandemic, including funding for several programs that had previously relied on emergency funds from the federal government. My top priorities are maintaining essential city services, like utilities, roads, emergency response, language access, and mental health services. We will restructure the mayor’s office to include a dedicated focus on guiding Long Beach’s economic recovery. I will appoint a deputy mayor of economic development to oversee a “Grow Long Beach” Advisory Team, which will create ongoing strategies to modernize our infrastructure, cut red tape to attract more businesses and investment, and strengthen the region’s emerging sectors aerospace and technology. We will provide support to entrepreneurs, small business owners, and employees who represent the backbone of our local job market.
We have significant opportunities to add thousands of high-quality jobs by strengthening our grid to prepare for a zero-emission future of trucks at the Port, building the 26,500 units of housing as required by state law, and continuing to upgrade aging infrastructure in the city.
I will take a data-driven approach that centers on the needs of those most impacted to build a more inclusive, economically viable city where every resident can benefit from our city’s economic progress. Creating an “Everyone In” economy means establishing:
– Inclusive workforce development strategies that provide pathways to careers and employment for those experiencing barriers to work, such as those formerly incarcerated;
– Exploring community benefits packages that prioritize the hire of local workers, living wages, and local contracting opportunities for all major developments in the city;
– Neighborhood revitalization efforts that incorporate arts and culture while preserving and expanding affordable housing options;
– Authentic community engagement processes that inform local investment strategies.
If elected, you would be granted the opportunity to put forth a list of mayoral budget recommendations each fiscal year. List some of the budget priorities that you would recommend during your first budget cycle as mayor?
Residents count on our city to continue providing high-quality public services, no matter the economic circumstances. As mayor, I will prioritize investment in housing access and homelessness, public health, community safety, and youth. When Long Beach has faced tough economic times, we’ve found ways to grow revenues that enable us to protect jobs and services, like public safety and libraries.
For the long-term health of our city, I will work with the city to identify ways we can diversify our tax base for a more sustainable budget future, ensuring our city’s health does not boom and bust along with the economy. Here are some solutions that I would explore:
– Attract new economic opportunities by prioritizing ease, speed, and predictability when doing business in Long Beach. By becoming more business-friendly, we can grow our local economy.
– Growing our existing revenue by expanding our property and sales tax base. We need to ensure that small businesses are thriving in every part of town, not just in a few areas. If small businesses in every council district in Long Beach thrive, more revenue can be invested in city services.
– I would advocate for a modern state tax code that prioritizes growth. Cities across California face deficits, while the state generated a $90 billion surplus last year. Our tax code’s reliance on sales taxes effectively rewards cities that build car dealerships and shopping malls and penalizes cities that build housing.
– I would explore alternatives to declining oil revenue by investing in aerospace and new and emerging technologies.
I believe in empowering our residents to have a voice in local decision- making. I’ve hosted community budget meetings and facilitated participatory budgeting processes that help residents understand the impacts of the City Council’s decisions. At times like these, civic engagement is critical. I’ve seen the power of residents uniting to create change from the ground up. We have proven that we can overcome any challenge when we work together.
Homelessness is an increasing health and safety problem in Long Beach. Tell us about an approach, policy, or program that has been successfully implemented in another city to reduce homelessness that you would like to introduce in Long Beach.
I know how important it is to have stable housing. My family frequently moved to places where my mom found job opportunities. This experience led me to become a homeowner as a young adult because I wanted to put down roots and establish generational wealth for my family. Too many find themselves one missed paycheck away from an eviction notice. As a city, especially in a pandemic, we need to do everything we can to help people stay in their homes and ensure access to the services they need to get back to stability.
Homelessness is a humanitarian crisis that our city needs to address with urgency. We cannot simply prosecute our way out of this problem. Our city will need to commit to expanding our capacity to deal with the root causes of homelessness, mental health and substance abuse, and poverty. I’m proud of my record of bringing forth solutions already impacting the city.
I spearheaded building our city’s first municipal homeless shelter with supportive bridge housing in North Long Beach. We have already seen results since the facility opened at the start of the pandemic, helping hundreds of residents find their way off the streets while paving the way for programs like Project Room Key. I advocated for our city to localize our mental health and substance abuse services to directly address the root causes of homelessness. I also helped create our Long Beach REACH Teams and coordinated outreach teams that focus on physical and mental health to address the needs of those experiencing homelessness. I pushed for our city to make it easier to convert nuisance motels into transitional and supportive housing. I have proposed the H.O.P.E. Plan that focuses on several key priorities: housing first, outreach, pathways to economic opportunity, and expanding mental health support.
I will also work to establish the Long Beach Housing Promise, collaborating with City Hall, Long Beach City College, and Long Beach Unified schools. Through the Housing Promise, I will bring community leaders together to ensure Long Beach’s children and families experience housing stability. People experiencing homelessness should have access to a robust infrastructure of support in every neighborhood of our city. We can better reach unhoused residents by expanding our city’s Restorative Engagement to Achieve Collective Health (REACH) outreach teams to be deployed in collaboration with tailored, neighborhood-level outreach teams in priority areas of the city. As an example, downtown Long Beach’s outreach plan could consist of our City’s REACH teams, emergency services, Downtown Long Beach Alliance (DLBA) outreach teams, community-based organizations, and the deployment of additional shelter capacity in the downtown area.
To end homelessness and create more stable communities, we must address the problem upstream and prevent homelessness before it begins. Half of the people experiencing chronic homelessness in our city became unhoused due to poverty—the inability to keep up with the rising cost of living while earning low wages. Creating pathways to economic opportunity will prevent homelessness and create stable communities that give back for decades to come. We can achieve community stability with measures such as:
– Expanding rental assistance programs for low-income families, seniors, and differently-abled communities;
– Providing tenants with the right to counsel and tenant’s rights education to support tenant-landlord disputes;
– Attracting quality jobs that pay a living wage;
– Ensuring every resident has access to training and education programs that provide access to quality, family-sustaining jobs.
Finally, half of those experiencing homelessness in our city need mental health and/or substance-use support. Currently, the administration and location of mental health and substance use services largely fall under the LA County Department of Mental Health. They are not under the city’s jurisdiction, creating a disconnected care system for those receiving mental health services in Long Beach.
Within the first 100 days as mayor, I will work to partner with LA County to put in motion a plan to establish a local mental health bureau within the Long Beach Health Department. We will strengthen the availability and funding for current mental health providers and support an expansion of wellness facilities across town, including at Community Hospital of Long Beach.
This approach has been successfully implemented in other cities in LA County, like La Verne, Claremont, and Pomona. A local mental health bureau will also reduce bureaucratic processes that cause service delays and, ultimately, support more unhoused residents receiving the treatment they need to achieve permanent housing.
In what City Council district(s) would you like to see the permanent supportive housing units needed to house homeless people in Long Beach?
District 1, District 2, District 3, District 4, District 5, District 6, District 7, District 8, District 9.
The state is requiring Long Beach to create over 11,000 housing units priced for low-income residents by 2029. Inclusionary zoning, one of the city’s most recent efforts to produce more income-restricted housing, “can be expected to fulfill only a small portion of the unmet need for affordable housing in Long Beach,” according to a city memo. What other mechanisms do you support for creating affordable units?
Housing has become too expensive for too many Long Beach families. We need to do everything we can to address the rising cost of living in our city. Our city’s existing Land Use Element already accounts for locating opportunity sites within our city for the approximately 26,000 units of housing that are required to be built. However, those units will not be realized unless we identify a local source of revenue to build housing that is affordable for the average Long Beach resident or family.
I have long sought solutions to our housing crisis. In early 2020, I proposed a housing bond to generate $4 billion in affordable housing production in Long Beach. A coalition led by my opponent, Councilwoman Suzie Price, voted it down.
As Mayor, I intend to continue my track record of advocacy for building new housing. By working together, we created housing opportunities for all income levels sustainably while preserving the character of established neighborhoods. Policies such as inclusionary housing and permitting accessory dwelling units are already making a difference. I will continue advocating to build along transit corridors, increase mixed-use development, and partner with neighborhoods to identify opportunities. I will partner with our schools and colleges to identify opportunities to build student and educator housing, which will add to our units. I propose establishing a Long Beach Housing Promise that could help uplift those who need it the most while utilizing land already zoned for housing or education. Finally, we must consider community needs in any of our housing decisions and make all efforts to involve residents at every step. Hosting roundtables and listening sessions is not enough. We must empower the organizations on the ground to make a collective vision.
Do you believe that housing is a human right?
Yes.
According to county data, accidental overdose deaths have spiked over the pandemic, especially in Long Beach. Harm reduction has become a key public health intervention in preventing overdose deaths and cities like New York and San Francisco have opened safe consumption sites to address the problem. Should Long Beach open a safe consumption site?
Yes.
How would you use the platform of the mayor’s office to increase voter turnout in Long Beach?
Citizen engagement and participation have been my focus while on the City Council. Our office launched the Participatory Budgeting Project, a democratic process that gives residents the power to decide how to spend city funds. Community members brainstormed ideas for community improvement projects, and then any resident, business owner, or non-profit
located in North Long Beach, ages 14 and older, could vote. This process engaged the community, but residents also saw the projects implemented that they chose. Our district had the highest turnout per capita of any other Participatory Budgeting process in the nation at 4.9%. We’ve also invested time and energy into building our neighborhood associations. We have 12 in our district, which is among the largest of any council district in Long Beach, and they focus on leading projects ranging from cleanups, enhancing landscaping, and pocket parks. Our office has made a concerted effort to reach our constituents and increase our participation in civic events and spreading the word about our activities using contemporary channels, such as social media and video.
In the 2020 election, we noticed fewer in-person voting locations in North Long Beach compared to the rest of the city. We pushed for more availability in every community and will continue this advocacy in the upcoming elections.
Should Long Beach increase public funding of the arts?
Yes.
Have you taken campaign donations from the fossil fuel industry and, if so, do you plan to continue?
No.
Editors’ note: According to campaign finance filings, Richardson’s mayoral campaign returned a $900 donation from natural gas company Sempra Energy that was made in April. Last year, his now-abandoned council re-election campaign did take $150 from an executive of the California Resources Corporation, an oil company.
As part of a plan for all new buildings to have net-zero carbon emissions by 2030, the Los Angeles City Council is considering a proposal to bar all new commercial and residential construction projects from including gas line hookups in favor of all- electric appliances. Would you support a similar undertaking in Long Beach?
Yes.
A city-hired consultant recently recommended changes to the Citizen Police Complaint Commission that would create an inspector general position to investigate the LBPD. However, the inspector general could only investigate police shootings, in-custody deaths, and complaints against command staff with the approval of the City Manager. Past commissioners and community members have argued that the CPCC’s current subordination to the City Manager has rendered it toothless. Would you be in favor of an Inspector General position with the unfettered authority to investigate officer misconduct and use-of-force?
Yes.
The city’s Technology and Innovation Commission recently issued a full-throated recommendation to put a citywide moratorium on the use of Facial Recognition Technology until privacy and civil rights safeguards are put in place. Do you agree with this recommendation?
Yes.
What do you believe to be the root cause of crime and what evidence do you have to support your answer?
The most challenging moment I’ve experienced as a councilmember is the phone call from a watch commander telling me there’s been a shooting and loss of life. Early in my tenure, three young men were killed in different parts of our community. At their age, I would have been on a college campus. If they had more access to opportunities, would they still be with us right now?
Economic and educational opportunities lead to safer communities. Yes, we need a well-resourced police department to respond to criminal activity and emergencies. I support the development of Long Beach’s comprehensive Safety Recovery Plan and I support hiring police raised in our community and understanding the neighborhoods they seek to serve. But we also need to invest in what creates healthier and safer neighborhoods—mental health services, parks, youth programs, schools, libraries, and workforce development programs.
That’s what we’ve done in North Long Beach. I spearheaded the effort to build the Michelle Obama Library, which has provided a venue for afterschool programs and increased literacy rates. We built the Doris Topsy-Elvord Community Center and the Ron Arias Health Equity Centers to provide youth, mental health, workforce opportunities, and family preservation programs like the Fundamentals of Fatherhood initiative. I’ve supported youth on their path to college by creating a fund for scholarships and championing the North Long Beach Higher Education Center. I brought President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Initiative to Long Beach. I collaborated with the city prosecutor to create the Promising Adults Tomorrow’s Hope (PATH) program that allows young first-time non-violent offenders the opportunity to pursue job training or educational opportunities and get back on the right track.
As mayor, I will invest in community policing, violence prevention, and a data-driven approach to community safety. When gun violence increased last summer, our police department reviewed the data and launched a neighborhood walk program in areas with the highest number of violent and property crimes. Their community engagement led to reduced calls for service and an 80% reduction in shootings.
I’ll also place a focus on neighborhood quality of life by eliminating nuisance sites in the city that drive violence, human trafficking, and crime, including nuisance motels or liquor stores, to make neighborhoods safer and more stable and to free up valuable public safety resources for responding to community needs and reducing response times.
Ensuring everyone remains safe and healthy in their neighborhood will be my priority as our Mayor, and we can achieve it by working together.
Have you taken campaign donations from the Long Beach Police Officers Association and, if so, do you plan to continue?
No.
Fare collections accounted for 12-15% of Long Beach Transit’s operating revenue pre-pandemic, totaling roughly $14.8 million. As mayor, you’ll be able to appoint members to LBT’s Board of Directors. Would you support LBT transitioning towards a fare-free transit system?
Yes.
The city of West Hollywood permits cannabis consumption lounges where adult patrons can smoke and consume cannabis products, opening to great fanfare. What are your thoughts on Long Beach allowing cannabis consumption lounges?
Long Beach is actively exploring the idea of cannabis consumption lounges. We need to make sure they are open with community support and maintain the neighborhood character. These businesses also need to be responsible employers who treat their workers fairly and pay a living wage. I support enforcing the principles of cannabis equity that our city has developed
regarding the ownership and licensing of lounges. As we continue to restrict the total number of licenses available in Long Beach, those who benefit most should be the same communities who were victims of the war on drugs, not out-of-town investors who shop for the most permissive cannabis market.
What, if any, reforms would you support to limit the influence of big money special interests in local elections?
I am in favor of ending Citizens United and rebalancing power to the people, rather than big corporations. I support the efforts of public financing of campaigns. Locally, independent expenditures play an outsized role in our city politics and have little accountability. The limits of $400 for council candidates and $900 for citywide elected officials make it challenging to balance the need to fund a campaign and engage residents in the biggest challenges we seek to solve. I would like to engage our City’s Ethics Commission to take a bigger role in setting policy and monitoring campaign activity, like they have in the City of Los Angeles. A stronger commission will increase transparency and accountability at City Hall.
