I hate Long beach ca

[GardeNerd]

Here we go again...

Tomorrow, March 18th, the Long Beach environmental committee will be reviewing the city manager's proposal for changes to the animal code, specifically regarding chickens, bees, and goats. There are far more restrictions and regulations, including inspections, than was originally proposed by the city sustainability commission. Please read the probable changes in the link below. If you can attend the meeting, it is tomorrow at 5:00 in the council chambers. We will need as many pro chicken supporters as possible, especially to speak out against the parts of the proposed code you might disagree with.

link to Long Beach City Manager's draft of the new code

 

[GardeNerd]

The proposed changes to L.B. animal code has finally left the committee level and goes to the city council on Tuesday, July 16th at 5M. The date has been pushed off the agenda two times since early June, so there is a possibility it could be moved yet again. Keep your eyes peeled on the city council agenda on the city's website. According to the Beekeeping lobby, it is set for the 16th.

I hope you can come and help support the urban agriculture cause locally. As far as I know, there are 2 council members that have stated publicly that they are against the keeping of chickens, bees, or goats in L.B. If you can't make it to the council meeting, at least try to email your city councilmember, as well as the others, of your opinion. I am sure it won't be just supporters in attendance. I have read a number of facebook postings from animal rights activists planning on being there.



Below is a copy of the latest update I just got from Long Beach Grows this evening:

City Manager
[email protected]

City Prosecuter
[email protected]

1st District council and staff
[email protected]
[email protected]

2nd District council and staff
[email protected]
[email protected]

3rd District council and staff
[email protected]
[email protected]

4th District council and staff
[email protected]
[email protected]

5th District council and staff
[email protected]
[email protected]

6th District council and staff
[email protected]
[email protected]

7th District council and staff
[email protected]
[email protected]

8th District council and staff
[email protected]
[email protected]

9th District council and staff
[email protected]
[email protected]

​

Here is a sample message:

Dear Long Beach City Council:

I urge you to please support urban agriculture in Long Beach, changes that are reasonable and fair such as were originally suggested by Larry Rich of the Office of Sustainability.

Chickens, goats, and bees are already allowed in Long Beach. We are just asking that the current restrictions be relaxed so that all residents (not just the few with extremely large lot sizes) can more readily keep these animals as pets and for light agricultural food purposes (for eggs, milk, honey). Currently the city allows residents to have up to 4 dogs without zoning restrictions, setback restrictions, lot size restrictions, pre-inspection requirements, permeable land requirements, approval of your neighbors, etc. Yet chickens and goats pose far fewer public health concerns and nuisance concerns than dogs and cats!

Long Beach Grows has researched the municipal codes in other large cities of comparable (or larger) size and population density and that allow these animals with minimal restrictions, including Seattle and San Francisco; for example, Seattle has legalized keeping 3 miniature goats (with no lot size restrictions, no setback restrictions, or no zoning restrictions) since September 2007. Government officials and advisors in these cities assure us that there has been very minimal impact to animal control and land use code enforcement.

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Therefore, we ask that up to 3 miniature goats be allowed without zoning, lot size, setback restrictions, or specific enclosure requirements. We ask for up to 3 because otherwise a goat owner will be in immediate violation of the proposed code if one of his two goats happens to die. Plus the proposed enclosure requirements are NOT on parity with the keeping of dogs, these are ad hoc and unjustified.

We ask for a one time goat registration rather than an annual fee; the city's website says the purpose of annual permits for dogs is to ensure vaccination, which is NOT the accepted practice for goats.

We ask that goat owners have the option of having their goats wear a collar with ID tag rather than be required to have a microchip; the proposed microchip requirement is NOT on parity with dogs and cats.

We ask that any adult goats already in Long Beach keep their horns. De-horning a goat is cruel. We do not require the routine de-clawing of cats or de-fanging dogs. New goats, on the other hand, can be dis-budded (a process similar to cauterizing a cuticle to prevent the growth of horns).

We ask to eliminate the proposed pre-inspection requirement for chickens; this is NOT on parity with other pets, is unjustified, and will place an unnecessary burden on city staff, the cost of which will ultimately be passed to the chicken owner.

We ask for a one time chicken registration as the sustainability office proposed, rather than an annual permit, which serves no purpose and may cost more than the actual chickens. This in NOT on parity with the keeping of other small animals like pet rodents and pet reptiles.

We ask that chicken and goat coop maintenance be allowed to follow best practice procedures, which are in situ deep bed composting, known to be best for the health of the animals and that does not smell.

We ask that the setbacks for chickens be eliminated, on parity with dogs and cats.

We ask that the proposed ban on animals and/or their structures from front yards be dropped. Some people have larger front yards than back yards, it should be up to them to decide, as it is now. Plus, are people not allowed to play with their dogs and cats in their front yards? This proposal is unfair.

Finally, we ask to eliminate the proposed clauses giving the director over-reaching powers to take people's goats and chickens away from them for any violation of the municipal code (for example riding a bicycle on the sidewalk). There is no similar language in any other section of the Long Beach animal care municipal codes, including the provisions for the permitting of dangerous and venomous animals, and it should not be in the sections for chickens and goats.

In case people have forgotten, based on all the public outreach meetings, environmental committee meetings, and sustainability commission meetings, based on numerous polls, and based on the original Long Beach Grows petition with over 1800 signatures, Long Beach residents WANT urban agriculture including chickens, goats and bees, and WANT you to relax the rules in the spirit of the original petition, so please consider the suggestions offered above.

Many other cities in California and across the U.S. have already shown this works.

Many eyes are on Long Beach hoping that you will make the right decision in favor of true progress towards building a healthier more sustainable community.​

Best wishes,

Donna Marykwas
Long Beach Grows
Growing a more sustainable future
Advocating for just and equitable food access, food security, and urban agriculture
www.longbeachgrows.org
[email protected]
1-562-912-3364​

​

 

[GardeNerd]

Long story short... if you live in a city that isn't backyard chicken friendly, do NOT give up. Get involved in changing your city's code. It took more than 5 years, but thanks to Long Beach Grows and lots of concerned residents, Long Beach changed their codes!

With life being busy, i forgot all about this thread started five years ago, but not the political campaign for chickens in LB. Sorry the thread was not updated with more recent developments than summer 2013.

Two years ago in July, LB city council voted 4-4, one councilmember absent, on urban ag. Therefore it did not pass.

Fast forward a year to the next city election. Long Beach Grows who championed the changes, published a list of who went on the record as supporting Urban Ag that was running for city office and who didn't support it. Opposition councilmembers were all voted out of office or termed out due to term limits. Elected were new councilpersons all in favor of urban ag, well all but one who shortly left office and went on to State Assembly, thus vacating his seat. Replacing him was an urban ag supporter.

Earlier this summer, Long Beach passed 9-0 a reasonable chicken, bee, and goat ordinance. We won! The code changes are still a bit restrictive, but much less so than they were when this thread started. Many, many more Long Beach residents can now legally keep chickens than before.

New rules allow:
1-4 chickens' with enclosure 10 feet from neighbor's dwelling. No permit required.
5-10 chickens = 35 feet from neighbor's dwelling. Pre inspection and permit required
11-20 chickens = 50 feet from neighbor's dwelling. Pre inspection and permit required
Still no crowing fowl allowed anywhere.

The code has more details than that, but they can be found in the LB muni code at https://www.municode.com/library/ca...[]}&nodeId=TIT6AN_CH6.20FORAGO_6.20.140CHISDW


Edited to fix the bad link