Petition Against Relocating the LA Riverbed Population
Motel 6, 1121 East Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach 90806

We, the undersigned, strongly oppose the City’s proposal to move the LA Riverbed chronically unhoused to Motel 6, at 1211 East Pacific Coast Highway in Central Long Beach, and demand that the City Council remove the Motel 6 Temporary Shelter from its future agenda, and find a suitable temporary shelter for individuals chronically unaccustomed to social norms and have lived outside a neighborhood environment.

The community members were first informed about this proposed riverbed relocation on October 16, 2025, at the MLK Jr. Park Community Center. Some community members attended the October 21, 2025, City Council meeting and publicly expressed their opposition to the proposal
to move the homeless from the LA Riverbed.

Two temporary shelters operate within three blocks of each other, the Colonial Hotel and the Coronado Motel, along East Pacific Coast Highway. Converting the Motel 6 into another temporary shelter to house 50-70 people from the LA Riverbed is an unequal distribution of shelters on the East PCH corridor.

Here are the numbers:

• 246 on the prioritized riverbed site
• 80 who will likely “inflow” into the prioritized riverbed site
• 190 will be served who currently live on the prioritized riverbed
• 320 projected to be served across 18–24-month grant period
• 130 will be temporarily housed across 18–24-month grant period
• 174 projected for transition into permanent housin

We oppose the city’s LA Riverbed relocation to Motel 6 proposal:

• There was no transparency. City officials failed to hold meetings and involve the community at any stage during the application and decision-making process.
• The central Long Beach area has a disproportionate number of temporary shelters.
• Motel 6 is near pathways to schools, surrounding neighborhoods, MLK Jr. Park, and McBride Park.
• The Motel 6 shelter might increase crime in the area by attracting individuals who pose a threat to the community.
• The purpose of this temporary shelter is not to revitalize the Central Long Beach area.
• Government officials frequently choose lower-value neighborhoods for temporary shelter locations.
• The Motel 6 shelter will have a direct negative effect on property values, local businesses, and financial investments.
• The Motel 6 shelter’s proximity to neighborhoods disrupts the community’s existing fabric.
• The Motel 6 shelter will dismantle over 25 years of community efforts to restore and revitalize the MLK Jr. Park and McBride Park neighborhoods.