Survey Of Residents Finds Housing,
Homelessness Most Important Issues For Long Beach
The Long Beach Community Foundation announced today the results of a survey of 3,000 Long Beach residents who participated in last September’s Around the Table event, an all-day dialogue about community involvement and priorities. The survey found that Long Beach residents believe housing and homelessness are the most important issues facing the city. Results also revealed details about community involvement, including that while 72% reported that they have volunteered and 77% have made charitable donations, 49% of residents are only “somewhat” involved in their communities. Click here to learn more.
Nearly 1 in 5 California Jobs Are Supported By International Trade
International trade supports 4,383,800 jobs in California, nearly 20% of all jobs in the state, according to an economic analysis by Trade Partnership Worldwide (TPW) for Business Roundtable. Nationwide, international trade supports 36 million jobs, which equates to about the same percentage. International trade facilitated about $295.7 billion in California goods and services exports in 2016, according to TPW.
Strong Momentum Continues For California Housing Market
Existing single-family home sales in California increased to 423,990 in March, up 0.3% from February and 1.6% from March of last year, according to the California Association of Realtors. The association also reported the state’s median home price reached an eight-month high at $564,830, up 8.1% from February and 8.9% from March of last year.
Violent Crime In City Continues To Increase
The Long Beach Police Department today released its March 2018 crime statistics, which reveal that violent crime continues to increase in the city. During March, violent crime was up 13.5% compared to March a year ago, and up 14.6% during the first quarter of 2018 compared to the first quarter of 2017. There have been 800 violent crimes committed during the first three months of 2018 compared to 698 violent crimes during the first quarter of 2017. That’s an increase of nearly 9 per day. During the quarter, property crime (e.g., residential, garage, commercial, auto burglaries, petty theft, etc.) decreased by 9.4% compared to a year ago.
Each of the four major police reporting divisions experienced an increase in violent crime quarter over quarter, primarily due to aggravated assaults: West Division up 25.7%; East Division up 20%; South Division up 7.8%; and North Division up 2.9%.
As recently reported by the Business Journal, violent crime in Long Beach was up 36.8% over a four-year period ending December 2017, and the trend is continuing into the new year. The city’s elected officials have ignored the Business Journal’s suggestion that a special meeting be held to determine what can be done to reverse this trend.