Bits 'n' Pieces

Wind Project Advances

California Gov. Gavin Newsom Monday signed a bill allowing the Port of Long Beach to streamline the design and construction of Pier Wind, a proposed 400-acre terminal to facilitate the assembly and deployment of floating offshore wind turbines.

Assembly Bill 2235, authored by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, will reduce costs and accelerate the time line to complete the proposed Pier Wind project, which would be the largest facility of its kind in the United States and would help California meet its goals for renewable energy sources.

“We now have the ability to plan and build Pier Wind in a way that is smarter, faster and more cost-effective, thanks to Gov. Newsom, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire and Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal guiding this critical legislation to approval,” said Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero.

“I would also like to thank our labor partners from the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California for collaborating with us to ensure the future success of this important project. Pier Wind will help the state meet climate goals, create jobs and economic opportunities for local communities, and establish a new green energy industry along the West Coast.”

AB 2235 allows the Port to use alternative construction delivery methods to design and build Pier Wind. In addition to creating new green energy jobs in Southern California, Pier Wind would enable other sectors of the supply chain to create jobs supporting the manufacturing, assembly, operations and maintenance of offshore wind projects on the West Coast. The Port of Long Beach sponsored the bill, which was approved in August by the state Senate and Assembly.

“Offshore wind is a key component of California’s clean energy future,” Assemblymember Lowenthal said. “The governor’s signature on AB 2235 brings our state one step closer to achieving clean, sustainable energy delivery in our beautiful state. The Pier Wind project is an important extension of the smart growth efforts at our ports and will dramatically increase good paying jobs, improve air quality and  mitigate negative impacts to the surrounding Long Beach communities. Additionally, AB 2235 will contribute to economic growth in California and keep us on the right track to achieve our environmental goals. I look forward to continuing to partner with the governor, my colleagues and  all of the stakeholders that are working to build California’s offshore wind infrastructure.”

Pier Wind would allow for the staging, storage and assembly of some of the world’s largest offshore wind turbines, standing as tall as the Eiffel Tower. The fully assembled turbines would be towed by sea from the Port of Long Beach to wind lease areas 20 to 30 miles off the coast in Central and Northern California to help the state and federal government meet their renewable energy goals.

The proposed project is undergoing extensive environmental review by local, state and federal regulatory agencies as the Port of Long Beach gathers input from the community. If approved, construction of the $4.7 billion project could start as soon as 2027, with the first 200 acres completed in 2031 and  the final 200 acres coming online in 2035.

Utilities’ Garner Retires

Christopher J. Garner announced his retirement from the City of Long Beach. Over Garner’s 40-year career, he has held administrative and management positions in various city departments, concluding as general manager for the Long Beach Utilities Department.

Garner joined the City of Long Beach in 1984 as an administrative analyst in the now-dissolved Tidelands Agency. In that position, he oversaw the city’s property leases including those with the Convention Center, the Hyatt Regency Hotel and Shoreline Village. In 1987, he transferred to the Long Beach Gas Department where he managed the negotiations of nearly $100 million of natural gas commodity purchases annually in the newly deregulated natural gas market. In 1998, he was appointed to the position of general manager for the Gas Department.

In 2001, Garner was appointed director of the newly created Long Beach Energy Department where he oversaw various city enterprise operations including: natural gas utility, fleet services, towing, refuse, recycling, street sweeping and the waste-to-energy power plant. Garner then assumed the responsibilities of overseeing the city’s offshore and onshore oil operations with the formation of the Gas and Oil Department in 2004. Garner has also twice served as acting director of Public Works and once as the acting director of Oil Properties.

In 2015, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners appointed Garner to the position of general manager of the Long Beach Water Department. In November 2022, Long Beach voters approved a local ballot measure to merge the city’s water, gas and sewer utilities into a single Utilities Department. The new Long Beach Board of Utilities Commissioners selected Garner to lead the newly merged department of 500+ employees with an annual budget of $375 million.

Chris Garner plans to enjoy retirement by spending time with his wife Becky, his three adult children Juliette, Matthew and  Natalie, and his new grandson Rory.

Backyard Builders Pilot Program

The City of Long Beach is now accepting applications for its Backyard Builders Program (BBP). The goal of the pilot program is to incentivize Long Beach homeowners to create an affordable rental unit on their property by providing them with comprehensive assistance for financing, designing, permitting and constructing a new accessory dwelling unit (ADU). Applications will be accepted now through Nov. 30.

As part of the Fiscal Year 2024 Adopted Budget, the City Council approved Mayor Richardson’s “Opportunity Beach” budget recommendation for the dedication of one-time General Fund funding of $200,000 to pilot the Backyard Builders Program to help address the affordable housing shortage in Long Beach. Facilitated by the city’s Community Development Department and the Long Beach Housing Authority, BBP will provide up to 10 eligible homeowners with a 0% interest, 30-year loan up to $250,000 to design and build an ADU on their property.

In addition, the program will provide ADU project management assistance at no cost to participating homeowners to guide them through the design, permitting, construction and lease-up processes. In exchange, homeowners must agree to rent their ADU at an affordable rate to an individual or family who meets the program income limits.

First priority will be given to homeowners who commit to renting their ADUs to households with a housing voucher issued by the Long Beach Housing Authority for a minimum of five years. Second priority, should funding be available, will be given to homeowners interested in renting their units to low-income households, defined as those earning 80 percent or less of the area median income, for a minimum of seven years. Loan payments are not required during the ADU construction term, and no interest will accrue on the loan as long as the ADU is rented at an affordable rate to an income-qualified tenant. After the affordability period, interest rates will increase to 3%.

“There are thousands of individuals and families who are on the Housing Voucher waiting list and  we know stable housing is often the difference between merely surviving and thriving,” said Health and Human Services Director Alison King. “This mutually beneficial program allows homeowners to build equity while providing the upstream solutions we need to prevent homelessness.”

To be eligible for the BBP, applicants must own and occupy a single-family home or a multi-family home with up to four units located in Long Beach. Applicants must also meet the program’s requirements to qualify for loan financing, including minimum credit scores and limits on debt-to-income and property loan-to-value ratios.

“Long Beach is at the forefront of ADU development in California. We’re proud to introduce this innovative program that will not only make building an ADU more accessible for homeowners but also help generate the affordable housing our community needs,” said Christopher Koontz, director of the Community Development Department.

All applications will be reviewed after the application period ends; applying early does not impact applicant selection. Please see the program guidelines on the website for applicant selection criteria.

Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to attend one of the below upcoming informational meetings before applying to learn more about the Program. Both virtual and in-person options will be available. The meeting schedule will be as follows:

• Wednesday, Oct. 9 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. (Virtual Zoom Webinar)
• Saturday, Oct. 19 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Cesar Chavez Park (401 Golden Ave.)
• Thursday, Oct. 24 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Long Beach Energy Resources Auditorium (2400 E. Spring St.)

All meetings will present the same information. Interpretation services will be provided in Spanish and  other languages by request via the registration form. Meeting registration is strongly encouraged. To learn more about the Backyard Builders Program and to apply, as well as to register for one of the informational meetings, visit longbeach.gov/backyardbuilders.

For more information about other ADU programs, including how to start the planning or permitting process, visit longbeach.gov/adus.

Pilot Program for Handling Used Mattresses

The City of Long Beach Public Works Department is currently conducting a 90-day pilot program that allows residents to drop off and recycle their used mattresses in a designated area 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The pilot program will run until Oct. 29 and aligns with the city’s commitment to environmental sustainability, waste-reduction education and services, while reducing the illegal dumping of mattresses.

Long Beach residents can drop their mattresses off at the designated site located at 970 W. Chester Pl., where they will be sorted for collection and taken to a recycling facility. There, they will be cut open and separated into steel, foam, fiber and wood. Over 75 percent of mattress components can be recycled, thus reducing waste and illegal dumping while diverting mattresses from landfills. The city first began promotion of the pilot in late July prior to its launch, followed by social media posts in August.

This new 24/7 pilot program will operate in addition to the monthly drop-off events already hosted by Public Works in collaboration with the Mattress Recycling Council’s Bye Bye Mattress initiative. These events invite residents to drop off their used mattresses the first Saturday of every month between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the same designated site. Through this monthly initiative, Public Works has recycled over 458 mattresses since its launch in April 2023.

“We are hopeful that this free pilot program will help make collection of mattresses more efficient while reducing dumped items in our city,” said Eric Lopez, director of Public Works.

Approximately 18,000 mattresses are illegally dumped in Long Beach annually. This puts a strain on city resources that can be used for other cleanup efforts, creates blight and often blocks access to the public right of way. The addition of the 24/7 mattress drop-off pilot program will further support the City’s efforts to reduce illegal mattress dumping throughout Long Beach. At the completion of the 90 days, staff will assess the pilot program’s success and determine if the 24/7 service will continue.