Retired cop, writer/producer. Interested in criminal justice reform. Writes a column and occasional news piece for the Long Beach Beachcomber- a reform hobby.
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Articles by Stephen Downing
Court Defeat Spun as ‘Clarification’
A Sacramento Superior Court judge’s ruling last week delivered a clear rebuke to the City of Long Beach for unlawfully accelerating a voter-approved sales tax increase. Yet in a press release issued Friday, City Hall portrayed the decision as a mere “clarification” that will “allow planning for 2027.” The contrast between the court’s findings and the city’s spin has drawn sharp criticism from civic watchdogs, who say transparency and accountability – not wordplay – should guide local governance.
City Loses Lawsuit Over Early Sales Tax Hike
Sacramento Superior Court Rules Measure A Must Be Implemented Exactly as Voters Approved On Friday, Nov. 7, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Stephen Acquisto ruled against the City of Long Beach’s attempt to impose the Measure A sales tax increase two years early. The decision represents a major legal victory for the Long Beach Reform Coalition (LBRC) and a taxpayer savings of roughly $48 million over the disputed period.
Business and Political Voices Stall Behind PR
When the Belmont Shore Business Association (BSBA) released its statement more than a week following the La Verne Avenue killing, it was framed as a moment of unity – a community standing together in grief. But to many residents, it read as something more self-serving: a public-relations response meant to protect the business district’s reputation rather than confront its contribution to the ongoing violence spilling from 2nd Street into nearby neighborhoods.
Second Street Nightlife’s Missing Link
Since early 2024, Second Street has seen a cluster of serious, nightlife-adjacent incidents: a Feb. 18, 2024 shooting during a fight that killed 32-year-old Johnny Santos; a deadly stabbing at Dave’s Hot Chicken two weeks later; two more stabbings in Sept. 2024; a gunshot fired during a street altercation June 1, 2025; a city “trio of recent shootings” that prompted extra patrols in June 2025; and now the Oct. 25 homicide tied to a bar dispute that spilled onto La Verne Avenue.
UPDATE: Murder Shatters Quiet Belmont Shore Neighborhood
A late-night argument that began in a local bar ended in gunfire early Saturday morning, leaving one man dead on a quiet Belmont Shore street just off Second Street’s bustling nightlife corridor. According to the Long Beach Police Department, officers responded at approximately 1:39 a.m. on October 25 to reports of a shooting in the 100 block of La Verne Avenue. When they arrived, they found a man suffering from gunshot wounds.
Murder Shatters Quiet Belmont Shore Neighborhood
A late-night argument that began in a local bar ended in gunfire early Saturday morning, leaving one man dead on a quiet Belmont Shore street, just off Second Street’s bustling nightlife corridor. According to the Long Beach Police Department, officers responded at approximately 1:39 a.m. to reports of a shooting in the 100 block of La Verne Avenue. When they arrived, they found a man suffering from gunshot wounds.
Commentary: Authorities devalue the law when they hide behind masks
As a young recruit, the first thing I learned when I pinned on a badge was simple but profound: Power must always be visible and accountable. A nameplate, a badge number, an agency insignia — those aren’t just pieces of metal and cloth. They’re promises that those who wield the authority of the state can be identified, questioned and held responsible for their actions. That’s why California’s new law, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2026, should be welcomed by anyone who values the rule of law.
Long Beach Finds Its Voice - and Its Sense of Humor
It was one of those blue-sky Long Beach mornings that feels like freedom itself—if freedom came with sunscreen, protest signs, and the occasional Golden Doodle. The city’s 1.5-mile stretch of Ocean Boulevard between Redondo and Cherry was already packed by 11:45 a.m., a sea of color, conviction, and community. Our daughter, Tambree, drove this time, our car full of neighbors and one anxious but exuberant Max, our family dog, who decided democracy smells best up close.
Authorities devalue the law when they hide behind masks
As a young recruit, the first thing I learned when I pinned on a badge was simple but profound: Power must always be visible and accountable. A nameplate, a badge number, an agency insignia – those aren’t just pieces of metal and cloth. They’re promises that those who wield the authority of the state can be identified, questioned and held responsible for their actions. That’s why California’s new law, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2026, should be welcomed by anyone who values the rule of law.
Authorities devalue the law when they hide behind masks
As a young recruit, the first thing I learned when I pinned on a badge was simple but profound: Power must always be visible and accountable. A nameplate, a badge number, an agency insignia — those aren’t just pieces of metal and cloth. They’re promises that those who wield the authority of the state can be identified, questioned and held responsible for their actions. That’s why California’s new law, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2026, should be welcomed by anyone who values the rule of law.
Authorities devalue the law when they hide behind masks
As a young recruit, the first thing I learned when I pinned on a badge was simple but profound: Power must always be visible and accountable. A nameplate, a badge number, an agency insignia — those aren’t just pieces of metal and cloth. They’re promises that those who wield the authority of the state can be identified, questioned and held responsible for their actions. That’s why California’s new law, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2026, should be welcomed by anyone who values the rule of law.
Commentary: Authorities devalue the law when they hide behind masks
As a young recruit, the first thing I learned when I pinned on a badge was simple but profound: Power must always be visible and accountable. A nameplate, a badge number, an agency insignia — those aren’t just pieces of metal and cloth. They’re promises that those who wield the authority of the state can be identified, questioned and held responsible for their actions. That’s why California’s new law, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2026, should be welcomed by anyone who values the rule of law.
Contributor: Authorities devalue the law when they hide behind masks
Federal agents sacrifice their credibility and endanger the public by showing up to work dressed like this. (Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images) As a young recruit, the first thing I learned when I pinned on a badge was simple but profound: Power must always be visible and accountable. A nameplate, a badge number, an agency insignia — those aren’t just pieces of metal and cloth.
New California Laws Shield Schools and Hospitals From ICE Raids
A package of new California laws taking effect January 1, 2026, will make the state the first in the nation to ban masked immigration agents and require schools and hospitals to bar federal officers from entering nonpublic areas without a judge’s warrant. Governor Gavin Newsom signed the measures last week, framing them as essential safeguards against what he called “secret police tactics” that erode community trust and undermine constitutional protections.
LBUSD’s Step Away from Policing Students Is a Step Forward
As a former LAPD Deputy Chief, and before that a captain in South Central Los Angeles, I have lived through the history of police officers being assigned to schools. What I witnessed then – and what the research and recitations of harm now confirm – should serve as a warning to us all: policing students does more to criminalize children than to protect them. When officers first arrived on campuses, principals and teachers gradually surrendered their traditional disciplinary role.
Long Beach Stands Alone in Canceling Celebration
DHS insists there were no plans to raid, but city remains the only U.S. community to cancel its parade. By Stephen Downing Across the United States, Día de los Muertos festivals and parades remain on the calendar. In San Antonio, Muertos Fest is set to fill Hemisfair Park with music, altars, and processions. El Paso is moving forward with a mile-long parade.
$3.7B Budget Approved Amid Debate Over Measure A Spending
The City Council on Sept. 9 approved a $3.7 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2026, balancing the books but reigniting a long-running debate over whether Measure A sales tax dollars are being used as voters were promised. Approved in 2016, Measure A added a one-cent local sales tax to “maintain 911 emergency response services” and tackle the city’s $2.8 billion backlog in infrastructure repairs.
Letter Raises Alarm Over $300K LBPD Overtime Windfall
The executive director and co-founder of the Long Beach Reform Coalition (LBRC), Ian Patton, is questioning how a city police officer could legally collect nearly $300,000 in overtime pay on top of roughly $150,000 in base salary last year, making him the city’s highest-compensated employee.
When the Court Goes Rogue
How Long Beach Must Adapt Lawful Resistance After the Shadow Docket’s Cruelty On August 28, I wrote in this paper that the ICE raids at Andres Car Wash and Coast Hand Car Wash weren’t law enforcement – they were terror in drag. And I asked: where was the follow-up? Where was the crime-scene response from Long Beach authorities to investigate who overstepped their bounds and violated constitutional rights? That was the moment when our city needed clarity, accountability and courage.
Protect Workers from Lawless Dragnets
What happened last week at Andres Car Wash and Coast Hand Car Wash was not immigration enforcement. It was a dragnet of terror. ICE agents stormed the Long Beach properties without judicial warrants, snatching up workers in defiance of a court order that explicitly prohibited raids of this kind. They acted outside the Constitution, outside the law, and outside basic standards of professional policing.
Residents Still Exposed to ICE Misconduct
The Long Beach City Council’s Aug. 12, update to its Values Act reaffirmed the city’s commitment to protecting immigrant communities from the overreach of federal immigration enforcement. It brought forward practical new measures for transparency, public engagement and staff accountability.
$6 Million for 12 Beds: LB’s Homeless Crisis Is a Profit Center, Not a Solution
I owe Ian Patton, executive director and co-founder of the Long Beach Reform Coalition (LBRC), credit for sparking this piece. His recent Facebook post broke down a staggering truth in plain numbers: Long Beach just spent $6 million for 12 beds in a decrepit, dangerous industrial zone. That’s half a million dollars per bed. And yet our city officials stood smiling at the ribbon-cutting. Patton’s post reminded me that this isn’t an isolated blunder – it’s part of a long and costly pattern.
Teacher Arrested During Protest Outside Long Beach Hotel Housing ICE Agents
What began as a peaceful protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) presence in Long Beach took a troubling turn on June 25, when a Cerritos/Lakewood ABC Unified School District public school teacher and Long Beach resident was arrested during a small demonstration outside the Holiday Inn near Lakewood Boulevard and Willow Street.
A Shrimp Cocktail, A Family’s Dream and the ICE Assault on Our Community
Four years ago this month, my wife and I pulled into the bustling parking lot at 1901 E Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach. It was our first visit to Mariscos El Garage, a family-run seafood truck we had just read about in a moving LA TACO feature. The lot was packed. Lines were long. Tables overflowed with customers laughing, eating and soaking in the vibrant energy of a Latino-led enterprise in full bloom.
On Scene in Long Beach: A Joyful Stand Against Tyranny
We arrived early – my wife, several neighbors, and I – stepping off the municipal bus at 8:30 a.m. near Bixby Park, a half-hour before the No Kings Day demonstration was scheduled to begin. But it was already clear: this wasn’t going to be an ordinary protest. The crowd gathering even then easily rivaled the 5,000-person demonstration we attended in Lakewood last month – and this one had barely started. More than the numbers, what struck me immediately was the diversity.
Judge Offers Free Musicals to Revive Civic Education in American Schools
In a time of deep political polarization and widespread concerns about civic literacy, retired Orange County Superior Court Judge James P. Gray is making an unusual offer to the American public: two original musicals – offered royalty-free – to help educate young people about the Constitution, civic responsibility and national identity. Judge Gray, a well-known figure in criminal justice reform circles, has long advocateAEd for ending the war on drugs and reforming the justice system.
What the Mayor Says He Can’t Do, the Law Says He Must
Mayor Rex Richardson told the LB Post that there’s nothing the city – or the Long Beach Police Department – can do to stop federal immigration agents from violently disrupting peaceful demonstrations in our community. With all due respect, Mr. Mayor, that’s not true. Let me say what should not have to be said in any American city: “Long Beach law enforcement has both the duty and the power to protect its residents from violence – regardless of who commits it.” And that includes federal agents.
Homeland Insecurity: DHS Pulled Its Hit List but the Danger Still Lurks
An update to the May 31 Beachcomber online posting: Long Beach Is on DHS’s Hit List. We Should All Be Alarmed. Last week we warned that Long Beach had been falsely targeted and publicly smeared by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which had published an online “non-compliant sanctuary city” list with zero transparency, zero due process, and zero regard for fact. Long Beach wasn’t alone.
Long Beach Is on DHS’s Hit List. We Should All Be Alarmed
On April 28, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order that has now placed the City of Long Beach on the wrong end of a federal hit list.
Tariffs and Toys Sinking Our Future
The cargo cranes are stalling. Ships are bypassing the San Pedro Bay. And in homes across America, back-to-school budgets are about to buckle under the weight of Donald Trump’s latest political stunt. The Port of Long Beach, one of the busiest gateways to the American economy, is projecting a 34% drop in cargo this quarter. That’s worse than the supply chain collapse of the COVID pandemic – and it’s no accident.
Are We Ending Marijuana Prohibition Only to Criminalize Contraception?
The United States stands at a critical juncture: poised to decriminalize cannabis, but threatened with the criminalization of contraception. Progressive strides toward bodily autonomy and public health are paradoxically juxtaposed with steps that would achieve the opposite. Marijuana prohibition, a policy that has long been recognized as not only futile but harmful to society, particularly marginalized communities, has been overturned in many states.
Councilwoman Cindy Allen Fabricates Encounter
You are here Home » Councilwoman Cindy Allen Fabricates Encounter On October 28 Long Beach Councilwoman Cindy Allen posted the following statement on her Instagram account: “Earlier today, a person who harasses me online and who attends the council meetings to berate and yell, approached me and my staff member as we were leaving an event. He invaded my personal space and put his phone in my face to record me as he yelled at me. I put my phone up to cover myself as he stood very close to me.
City Squanders $99,917 on ‘Information Only’ Ballot Brochure
You are here Home » City Squanders $99,917 on ‘Information Only’ Ballot Brochure On Oct. 13 this writer received via U.S. Mail the Official Sample Ballot booklet produced by the Los Angeles County Registrar – Recorder/County Clerk. In addition to candidate statements, the booklet – printed on newsprint quality paper – included five categories of information related to Long Beach ballot measures LBC, LBU, E and BB.
Vote ‘No’ on Measure E
City Hall’s introduction to ballot Measure E states: Establish a Police Oversight Commission and add a Police Oversight Director." The mayor and council majority then declare that Measure E will “strengthen civilian oversight and ensure independent and strong review and provide a more responsive model for community input.” All of that is false. The people of Long Beach already have a police oversight commission.
Luna Wins Black Women’s PAC Endorsement
In a Sept. 27 letter addressed to sheriff candidate and former LBPD Chief Robert Luna obtained by the Beachcomber, Ingrid Palmer, president of the Los Angeles African American Women PAC wrote: “The Los Angeles African American Women Political Action Committee (LAAAWPAC) has voted to endorse your candidacy in the upcoming Nov. 8 Midterm Election.
LA Times Endorses Robert Luna for Sheriff
On Sept. 26 the editorial board for the Los Angeles Times published an endorsement supporting Robert Luna for Sheriff.
LA Times Endorsement: Robert Luna for Sheriff
On Sept. 26 the editorial board for the Los Angeles Times published an endorsement supporting Robert Luna for Sheriff.
LBPD Appoints 1st Black Female Sergeant
The LBPD was founded 134 years ago. Today it is the second largest municipal police agency in Los Angeles County and the 7th largest in California. On Sept. 8 the Beachcomber learned through social media that Officer Nikki Wells-Alexander – the first Black female to be elevated above the entry rank of police officer in LBPD history – had been quietly promoted to the rank of sergeant last May 21 and scheduled to be part of a LBPD promotion ceremony on Sept. 20.
Poll: Plain and Simple Fraud
On July 1 the Beachcomber published an article entitled CPCC Authority Gutted by Proposed Charter Amendment, which included an extremely critical analysis of the amendment by eight experts who found that the amendment recommended by City Manager Tom Modica completely neutered the Citizen Police Complaint Commission (CPCC).
Exposure of LBPD Corruption Frees Man Serving 40-Year Prison Sentence
On Sept. 26, 2019 the Beachcomber reported the story of Christopher Williams’ inexplicable experience with the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD), the Citizen’s Police Complaint Commission (CPCC) and the city attorney’s office. It concerned a 35-year-old African American city bus driver who suffered a broken arm at the hands of the LBPD and subsequently filed a complaint alleging excessive force, unlawful detention/false arrest and conspiracy to cover-up.
Parklets: A Quality of Life or NIMBY Issue?
You are here Home » Parklets: A Quality of Life or NIMBY Issue? On December 7, 2021 Brain Cochrane, a board member of the Belmont Shore Homeowner’s Association (BSHA) appeared before the City Council to provide resident input into the city plan to once again extend the then-current sunset date of June 30, 2022 for the “temporary parklets” dotting Belmont Shore’s 2nd Street.
City Manager Misleads CPCC Charter Amendment Committee
You are here Home » City Manager Misleads CPCC Charter Amendment Committee On July 1 the Beachcomber published an article entitled CPCC Authority Gutted by Proposed Charter Amendment, which included an extremely critical analysis of the amendment by eight experts.
LBPD Military Equpment Policy Flawed
Assembly Bill 481 approved by the governor and signed into law on Sept. 30, 2021 restricts law enforcement purchases and use of military equipment. The intent of the law is to increase transparency, accountability and oversight surrounding the acquisition and use of military equipment by state and local law enforcement, to make public policy for use of the equipment and to obtain approval from the agency‘s governing body for its use.
CPCC Authority Gutted by Proposed Charter Amendment
You are here Home » CPCC Authority Gutted by Proposed Charter Amendment Between May 2021 and Februtary 2022 an independent evaluation of the Citizen Police Complaint Commission (CPCC) was conducted by Polis Solutions & Change-Integration Consulting (POLIS) as part of the Racial Equity and Reconciliation initiative approved by the City Council. On Feb.15 the City Council received the POLIS Final Report along with a PowerPoint presentation outlining the consultants evaluation and recommendations.
Petty Politics, Dark Money and Downright Deception
You are here Home » Petty Politics, Dark Money and Downright Deception In his most recent column in this newspaper, Publisher Jay Beeler wrote: “The silly season is upon us wherein the Wannabees and the I-Got-Mine Politicians start flinging mud at each other while bragging about who endorsed them. Who cares?
When Will the FBI Swoop into Long Beach?
“The worst disease in the world today is corruption. And there is a cure: Transparency.” Bono On May 16, FBI Agent Brian Adkins filed a criminal complaint with the United District Court for the Central District of California alleging the crime of making false statements to a financial institution against the former Anaheim Chamber of Commerce President, Todd Ament.
DA Rejects Criminal Filing Alleged by Parkin’s Hired Guns
On May 8 the Beachcomber reported that Gina Herrera, an attorney working for Best, Best & Krieger (BBK) – the go-to law firm that has received millions in legal contracts awarded by City Attorney Charles Parkin – sent letters to four candidates for Long Beach public office, who if elected could seriously impact the decade-long status quo of governance in Long Beach.
Doud Campaign Donors - A Disconnect from Voters?
You are here Home » Doud Campaign Donors – A Disconnect from Voters? The Beachcomber analyzed campaign donations made to the individuals running for the office of city auditor. Our findings follow: The Doud Campaign During the period Jan.
LBPD Equipped for War - Harnessed by Law
Assembly Bill 481 – a law approved by the governor and signed into law on Sept. 30, 2021 restricts law enforcement purchases and use of military equipment. The intent of the law is to increase transparency, accountability and oversight surrounding the acquisition and use of military equipment by state and local law enforcement, to make public policy for use of the equipment and to obtain approval from the agency ‘s governing body for its use.
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