Hi Seal Beach, although we didn’t receive any questions this week, we did respond to a few members of the community who had reported quality of life issues involving homelessness.
Recently, some community members have emailed their City Council Members and other City Staff (outside of the Police Department) to report or inquire about issues along the San Gabriel River Bike path.
Issues such as graffiti, encampments, and trash/debris were noted. Unfortunately, the areas which the residents had reported fall entirely within the City of Long Beach. In a recent article, I wrote about how Seal Beach has jurisdiction of the bike path from the First Street beach parking lot, up to just past the Marina Bridge. After that, the path belongs to Long Beach. We understand that the Los Angeles and Orange County border lines between the City of Seal Beach and City of Long Beach can sometimes be confusing. Fortunately, we have a great working relationship with the City of Long Beach and Long Beach PD. When issues are reported to us that fall outside of our jurisdiction, in this case Long Beach, we will forward them to the appropriate agency. Because of our very strong working relationship with our partners at Long Beach PD, we are certain they will provide assistance when available.
I do have an update though. The Seal Beach Police Department has been working with the City of Long Beach in addressing the homelessness, vandalism, and community concerns along the San Gabriel Flood Control and Bike Path. The City of Long Beach along with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works has begun posting signs of evictions at encampments as of March 1st. The second posting will be on March 8th and the cleanup will physically take place starting on March 15th at 7:00AM. It is important to note, the law requires us to post notice and provide outreach before any cleanup is begun. Further, the City of Seal Beach is currently working with Orange County Mental Health, Los Angeles County Mental Health, Long Beach Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Department of Water and Power (Los Angeles County), Caltrans, and the Long Beach Fire Department to clean and clear the San Gabriel River bike path. These agencies are currently working southbound along the path, just south of Carson Street and will continue working their way towards Seal Beach over the next few weeks. Please understand the enormous size of this project and know that we are working together with all the above entities to help resolve the issues that take place in or around the flood control areas. Most importantly, our Quality of Life team of trained police officers are working with mental health and social workers to provide outreach and resources to those experiencing homelessness.
Lastly, rest assured that we will continue to have our Seal Beach Police Officers monitor the area and provide services and/or take enforcement action as needed within our jurisdiction. As always, please contact the Seal Beach Police Department’s non-emergency line at (562) 594-7232 directly for non-life-or-death issues such as vehicles on the bike path.
While we appreciate the community reaching out to their elected officials and other City staff, it often means that there is a delay in getting the information to us at the Police Department. Unfortunately, by the time you email a Council Member or someone at City Hall, and then they send the email to the City Manager or Chief of Police, the reported violator is no longer in the area. Instead, please call us right away and we’ll be happy to respond (if it is in Seal Beach), or pass the call over to Long Beach if it is on their side of the line.
Keep your questions coming Seal Beach! Email them to me at askacop@sealbeachca.gov today!
