Long Beach staff backs microenterprise home kitchens; mayor asks code update and fee review

City staff presented results of a feasibility study on microenterprise home kitchen operations (commonly called MECOs) and recommended the City Attorney update the Long Beach Municipal Code to align with recent state law and to consolidate and repeal contradictory or obsolete provisions.

The study reviewed state legislation (AB 626, AB 377 and AB 178), conducted outreach and surveys in English, Spanish, Tagalog and Khmer, and examined programs in other California jurisdictions. The bureau of environmental health collected 216 survey responses and held community meetings; respondents favored a city MECO program and asked for education, inspection transparency and safeguards for health and neighborhood impacts.

Key features in staff’s recommended approach include:

- A local permitting pathway consistent with California MECO statutes and the state’s updated operational rules (including the current 90‑meals‑per‑week limit for MECOs and the $100,000 gross annual sales cap adopted in recent state law). - A standard operating procedure (SOP) requirement, an initial inspection before permitting and routine/complaint-driven inspections thereafter. - A digital inspection and record system; public guidance materials; language access for multilingual applicants; and a fee structure based on other jurisdictions’ program costs (an estimated STP application review fee, initial inspection and an estimated annual permit fee were presented as planning figures). - Options to allow a permitted MECO to function as a commissary for up to two food carts, consistent with state rules.

Staff identified common concerns from the public: health and safety (grease disposal; food handling), trash/parking and neighborhood impacts. Departments across the city expressed willingness to coordinate on outreach, training and enforcement. The presentation noted a state grant had been awarded to support the city’s feasibility study and initial program work.

Council members praised the outreach and asked staff to return with code language and two follow‑ups: a proposed ordinance and a separate report on health and food‑related fees and options to reduce or streamline costs for small operators. The council then adopted a motion requesting the City Attorney to prepare municipal code updates and requested the city manager produce a staff presentation within 120 days on fees, processes and potential fee‑reduction options to support MECO entrepreneurs.

Why it matters: MECO programs create a regulated path for home‑based cooks and small food entrepreneurs to sell prepared meals legally while allowing health departments to inspect and enforce food safety. City officials framed the approach as a way to support immigrant‑ and family‑run food enterprises, incubate small businesses and expand low‑barrier economic opportunities while managing neighborhood impacts.