The controversial fence around the Long Beach Library had a heftier price tag than initially thought. Mekahlo Medina reports for the NBC4 News at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026.
The controversial fence surrounding the terrace of Long Beach’s Billie Jean King Main Library is costing more than the city previously estimated, and new records are providing a clearer picture of where taxpayers’ money is going.
The city previously told NBC4 the overall project would cost roughly $790,000.
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WATCH HEREBut a new memo from Long Beach Library, Arts and Culture Director Cathy De Leon now puts the estimated total at $811,449 — and that may not be the final price.
The city says the project is still being closed out and expenses could change as final costs are received and approved.
The new memo also provides the most detailed breakdown yet of how the project reached more than $811,000.
The city lists:
- Fence Construction: $475,000
- Design: $55,142
- Project Management: $50,196
- Indirect Cost Overhead: $18,842
- Inspection: $10,740
- Permits: $7,780
- Labor Compliance: $5,297
- Construction Management: $2,160
- Additional Fence Expenses: $187,000
- Total Estimated Cost: $811,449
The largest expense beyond construction is $187,000 in what the city calls “additional fence expenses.”
Of that, $181,000 is for technology and access controls. The memo says those expenses were “not anticipated at the beginning of the project.”
Another $6,000 is for signage.
According to the city, the additional work includes card readers and other hardware needed to control access to the fenced terrace and allow people to exit the secured area. It also includes cutting through concrete to install electrical infrastructure.
City says problems and costs have fallen
The fence surrounds the library terrace in Downtown Long Beach and has generated controversy over both its cost and its impact on people experiencing homelessness who had been camping and congregating around the terrace.
City officials have defended the project, saying it has made the library safer and allowed the terrace to again be used by library patrons and for programming.
In its new memo, Long Beach provides several statistics to support its argument that the investment is working.
The city says there were 592 calls for service and 99 arrests or citations at the library and surrounding area between June 28, 2024, and Dec. 31, 2025.
Long Beach also says it has spent approximately $193,000 repairing vandalism at the library since 2020, including damage to windows, doors and electrical equipment, as well as graffiti.
Terrace maintenance alone has averaged approximately $195,000 annually, according to the memo. That included power washing six days a week, removing debris and addressing vandalism.
The city says those costs are now falling.
Long Beach projects terrace maintenance expenses will decline from approximately $165,000 in the current fiscal year to $95,000 in FY27 - a projected savings of about $70,000 a year.
The city also says reported library code-of-conduct incidents dropped 46%, from 84 between April and July 2025 to 45 during the same period this year.
Patron suspensions dropped 58%, from 67 to 28, according to the city.
De Leon told city leaders this week the addition of the fence has made a “drastic difference” financially and operationally, citing lower costs associated with vandalism and increased safety.
Mayor Rex Richardson also defended the project, acknowledging the controversy surrounding it but saying city leaders sometimes have to make difficult decisions.
Richardson said he believes it was ultimately the right decision because the library is safer.
