City Attorney Highlights Early Success of LASER Program in Protecting Neighborhood Safety

Release Date: 2025-12-23

The Long Beach City Attorney’s Office is highlighting strong early results from the LASER Task Force—Legal Action for Safety and Enforcement Response , a joint initiative between the City Attorney and City Prosecutor that is already delivering gains in public safety and neighborhood livability.

By combining civil and criminal enforcement tools, LASER has intensified the City’s focus on chronic problem properties—locations that drive crime, destabilize neighborhoods, and burden City resources. The partnership reflects a renewed, coordinated approach to holding negligent and absentee property owners accountable. The task force uses a data-driven, legally grounded enforcement strategy to ensure the City acts effectively and appropriately to protect residents.

A Strong Start: Early Impact

Since its launch, the LASER Task Force has begun addressing some of the City’s most persistent nuisance locations, including:

• Long-vacant buildings tied to illegal activity and unsafe occupation
• Substandard rental properties jeopardizing tenant health and safety, including those that serve elderly populations and lack adequate heating, cooling, and plumbing
• Neglected parcels contributing to recurring encampments and hazardous conditions
• Commercial sites with little to no legitimate business activity , functioning instead as magnets for crime
• Hotels, motels, and multi-unit properties repeatedly associated with violence, drug activity, or dangerous living conditions
• Businesses that ignore zoning laws or permit conditions , creating unsafe or destabilizing conditions in our business and recreation corridors

Using police call volume, repeat service demands, and resident concerns as key metrics, the LASER program is directing enforcement energy where it matters most: properties that strain public safety resources and repeatedly disrupt community life.

Holding Negligent Property Owners Accountable

“LASER is delivering real results because it goes after the small number of properties causing a disproportionate amount of harm,” said City Attorney Dawn McIntosh. “We are sending a clear message: if you allow crime, danger, or community blight to persist on your property, we will intervene with all the tools available to protect Long Beach families.”

The task force is prioritizing neighborhoods that have historically endured the most severe impacts of property owner neglect and criminal activity. Through LASER, the City Attorney's Office is elevating enforcement against absentee landlords, slumlords, and operators who profit from unsafe or destabilizing conditions.

A Community-Centered Approach

The City Attorney emphasized that LASER is not just about enforcement—it is about restoring stability and ensuring every resident can feel safe in their home and community.

“Residents deserve clean, safe neighborhoods, and LASER is one of the strongest tools we have to deliver that,” said City Attorney Dawn McIntosh . “We’re proud of the early progress and committed to expanding this work so every neighborhood benefits.”

Next Steps

The LASER Task Force will continue scaling its enforcement efforts into next year, with additional properties currently under review and multiple cases expected to move into formal enforcement phases.

For more information, contact:

Nicholas Masero
(562) 570-2213
nicholas.masero@longbeach.gov