Council approves youth program contract amendment, investigation services, port security grant and sets hearing for utility undergrounding

The Long Beach City Council on April 8 approved four regular-agenda items covering youth services, professional services for investigations, a Department of Homeland Security grant, and the preliminary step to create an underground utility district.

Key votes and items at a glance

• Youth and emerging-adult services (Item 19): Council approved an amendment to the contract with the Long Beach Nonprofit Partnership to provide organizational and leadership development engaging the city’s youth, emerging adults and youth-serving organizations. The revised contract amount is not to exceed $5,250,000 (citywide). The clerk recorded a motion and second and later stated, “Motion is carried.” No roll-call tally was provided in the public transcript.

• Investigation services contract pool (Item 20): Council adopted specifications and awarded a contract to CPS HR Consulting, JL Group and Palacon Group (as listed in the staff report) for investigation services with a total annual aggregate not to exceed $1,500,000 (citywide). The council passed the item after a motion and second; no roll-call tally was recorded in the audio transcript.

• 2024 Port Security Grant (Item 21): Council authorized executing a contract and amendments with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to receive and expend grant funding under the 2024 Port Security Grant Program for a total amount not to exceed $1,120,001 (citywide). The motion passed; no recorded roll-call numbers were provided in the public audio.

• Underground Utility District 42 (Item 22): Council adopted a resolution of intention to establish Underground Utility District 42 for portions of Cherry Avenue, set a public hearing date of May 6, 2025, and directed the city clerk to mail notices to affected utilities and property owners in Districts 8 and 9. Director of Public Works Eric Lopez explained the CPUC/SCE public-benefit criteria used to prioritize major arterial corridors; staff noted the program does not fund residential street undergrounding and that homeowner-funded CPUC processes apply for residential projects.

Procedural notes: For items 19–21 the clerk noted motions and seconds, and after votes the clerk stated “Motion is carried.” The public transcript did not include named vote tallies for these items. For Item 22 staff provided clarification of eligibility criteria and expected next steps (notice mailings and a May 6 public hearing).

Why it matters: The items allocate funds and authorize contracts that affect youth programming, investigations and emergency preparedness at the port. The undergrounding resolution sets the start of a formal process that could lead to burying utilities along a major corridor, subject to public hearing outcomes and utility coordination.

What comes next: For Item 19 the amended contract will be executed with the Long Beach Nonprofit Partnership. For Item 20 the city will finalize contracts with the named firms for investigation services. For Item 21 the city will execute grant documents with DHS and begin grant expenditure and reporting. For Item 22 the city will hold the public hearing on May 6, 2025, and notify affected property owners and utilities as required.

Source excerpts from the meeting transcript are included under provenance for each item.