Long Beach council receives Age Friendly Action Plan to guide services for older residents

The Long Beach City Council received the city'wide Age Friendly Action Plan on May 13, a comprehensive framework city staff said will guide programs and partnerships to serve an expanding population of older adults.

Health and Human Services staff presented the plan, which city officials said was developed through community workshops, steering-committee work groups and outreach with more than 110 subject-matter experts and 62 older residents. "This plan will serve as our community wide blueprint designed to guide and align the efforts of private, public, and independent sectors towards the shared goal of creating a more inclusive, supportive, and livable city for older adults and people of all ages," said Sofia Hojat, Healthy Aging Center manager.

The plan organizes findings and actions into three environments (built, social and service) and nine domains of livability. Staff said it contains 24 goals and 108 action items, and includes short-, medium- and long-term progress indicators. Presenters emphasized the plan's focus on cross-sector implementation rather than immediate new city commitments: "While the plan does not commit any agency to any specific project, action, or investment, this detailed workable plan is available online for any individual, agency, or business to download and to take actions towards improving livability," said Lisonbee King, director of human services.

Speakers from local nonprofit and academic organizations cheered the plan and urged the council to prioritize implementation and measurable benchmarks. Annette Rodriguez, program manager for the Center for Successful Aging at California State University, Long Beach, told the council the center will support the plan with student interns and research collaboration. Gretchen Swanson, who facilitates the Aging Services Collaborative advocacy work group, urged the mayor to provide continuing leadership and to ensure measurable implementation.

Council members and staff discussed next steps for oversight and implementation. Staff said the advisory commission on older adults will receive updates and will be asked to help prioritize and champion actions. Council members asked staff to make the plan's equity and aging lenses explicit in other city planning and to coordinate with public transit, parks and housing teams as priorities move toward implementation.

At the end of the discussion the council moved to receive and file the plan. The item was a "receive and file" hearing; the motion carried. Staff noted the plan will remain a living document and recommended regular updates and an implementation accountability approach involving the Technology & Innovation Department's planned dashboard and the advisory commission.

The plan and associated materials are posted on the city's website; staff said the plan does not itself obligate new expenditures but is intended to guide future budgets and grant-seeking.