City of Long Beach Announces Departure of Director of Public Works Eric Lopez
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Long Beach, CA – The City of Long Beach announced today the upcoming departure of Eric Lopez, Director of the Department of Public Works. Mr. Lopez has accepted the position of Senior Vice President with Pacifica Services Inc. in Pasadena, Cali. Mr. Lopez has served the Long Beach community since 2006, leading different City teams and many major projects in different capacities, including as a Management Assistant, Administrative Analyst, Capital Projects Coordinator, Tidelands Development Officer, Special Assistant to the City Manager, Project Management Officer, Bureau Manager, and as the Public Works Director for the past five years.

"We are deeply grateful for Eric's many years of dedicated service and outstanding leadership," said City Manager Tom Modica. "His commitment to innovation and community-focused solutions across a wide, complex variety of projects has not only strengthened our city but improved the quality of life of our residents. From leading the City's biggest ever infrastructure investment plan to modernizing our Public Works operations, he has revitalized Long Beach, and we wish him the very best in this next chapter."

With an annual departmental budget of approximately $300 million, Mr. Lopez led a broad portfolio of City services spanning the repair, rehabilitation and upkeep of streets, sidewalks, public trees and municipal structures. Under his direction, the department also delivered innovative micromobility programs, stormwater and waste diversion initiatives and citywide emergency support services. A key milestone under his tenure was the launch and implementation of the Elevate '28 Infrastructure Investment Plan, which has become the largest public infrastructure investment in Long Beach's history with over 180 projects and $1.1 billion in funding to enhance Long Beach parks, streets, mobility, community facilities, water quality, climate resilience and cultural assets.

Under Lopez's leadership, the Public Works Department underwent a comprehensive transformation. He guided the expansion of the Public Works team to roughly 700 full-time employees, adding nearly 200 positions through the restructuring and creation of new teams, while avoiding any negative impacts to the City's General Fund and Tidelands Fund. This modernization effort optimized functions including private development permitting, mobility and transportation engineering, refuse and sanitation services, project management, communications, business operations, and personnel services, each redesigned to improve efficiency, responsiveness and customer service. Enhancing these core City services within the Public Works Department has allowed the City to deliver a historic number of public improvements citywide. Among the many projects that Mr. Lopez has helped lead through entitlements, engineering and architectural design, regulatory permitting, bidding and procurement, and construction, the following stand out for their scope, complexity and beneficial impact to the City and Long Beach community:
  • Colorado Lagoon Restoration Project (Multi-phase)
  • 3.1-mile Beach Pedestrian Path
  • Rebuild/Renovation of Beach Concessions/Restaurants including Alamitos Beach, Junipero, Granada, Bayshore and Mothers Beach
  • Renovation of the North Long Beach Ron Arias Health Equity Center
  • Renovation and New Addition to the Houghton Park Doris Topsy-Elvord Community Center
  • Naples Seawalls Rebuild Phase 1 and 2
  • Improvements to Public Swimming Pools in Belmont Shore, Central Long Beach and North Long Beach
  • New Basketball Courts, Exercise Equipment and Skating Ring at Junipero Beach
  • Queen Mary Critical and Emergency Repairs
  • Long Bech Municipal Urban Stormwater Treatment Facility
  • New Signature Playgrounds Citywide
  • Hundreds of Miles of Improved Local, Secondary and Major Corridor Streets, Sidewalks and Alleys
  • Complete Redesign and Rebuild of McArthur Park
  • Major Improvements to Silverado and Admiral Kidd Parks in West Long Beach
  • Davenport Park Final Landfill Closeout and New Park Development
  • Complete Reconstruction of the Artesia Great Boulevard Project
  • Transformation and Improvements to the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center

"Few public works departments can match the scale and complexity of what we've achieved in Long Beach," said Lopez. "From delivering more than $1 billion in infrastructure investments to maintaining the everyday systems that keep our city running, we've expanded what public service can look like, advancing sustainability, mobility and equity throughout the community. Having grown my career with the City, it's been the greatest honor to lead this work and this team. Together, we haven't just built infrastructure and provided everyday services, we've shaped Long Beach to better serve residents and visitors alike. And now I look forward to helping other agencies improve operations and deliver major capital projects under my new role at Pacifica Services."

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After almost two decades with the City, Mr. Lopez is now embarking on his next professional challenge in the private sector. He will remain a Long Beach resident with his family and looks forward to continuing to help improve his city through other capacities. His last day with the City will be around Sept. 19, 2025.

The City Manager has appointed Joshua Hickman, Deputy Director, to serve as the Acting Director while the City conducts a national recruitment to permanently fill the position.

About the City of Long Beach
Long Beach is nestled along the Southern California coast and home to approximately 466,000 people. As an award-winning full-service charter city, Long Beach offers the amenities of a metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods, culture and community. With a bustling downtown and over six miles of scenic beaches, Long Beach is a renowned tourist and business destination and home to the iconic Queen Mary, nationally recognized Aquarium of the Pacific and Long Beach Airport, award-winning Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center and world-class Port of Long Beach.

For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube. For more information about the Department of Public Works visit longbeach.gov/pw and follow @lbpublicworks on Facebook, X and Instagram.

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