Long Beach accepts $713,955 CDC public-health infrastructure award amid federal pauses and legal uncertainty

The Long Beach City Council voted May 5 to accept $713,955 in noncompeting funds from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Public Health Infrastructure (PHI) grant for the fourth year of the program, covering Dec. 1 through Nov. 30, 2026.

Erica Valencia Daci, deputy director of the city’s Health and Human Services Department, described the grant as including workforce-investment components that fund positions traditionally hard to pay for — including finance analysts, HR and data staff, and workforce development roles. Valencia Daci told the council that since 2022 the city has relied on PHI support to modernize data systems and shore up administrative capacity.

She told council members the award has experienced repeated federal uncertainty: CDC briefly paused activities, rescinded the award, then reissued it after legal action. "On January 23 we received notification to pause all activities and expenses," Valencia Daci said. She described subsequent notices, an issued temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction that, at the time of the meeting, allowed the city to continue drawing down funds but left the program's future uncertain.

City management said the grant helps fill critical gaps and relieves strain on the health operating fund. In response to council questions about repayment risk if the award were later reversed, staff said their understanding was the city would not have to repay previously drawn funds unless the notice was officially terminated and that their practice is to draw down eligible funding promptly while monitoring legal developments.

Council voted to accept the A2 funding and to authorize execution of necessary documents; the record states "Motion is carried." Speakers in the public comment period also praised the city’s pursuit of resources and urged continued support for clinics and the public-health safety net.