Signal Hill
A small hilltop city of about 12,000 entirely surrounded by Long Beach, Signal Hill sits atop one of the most productive urban oil fields in the country and offers sweeping views across the LA basin from its namesake summit.
- Population 11,848
- Size band small
- Area 2.2 sq mi
- Government Council–Manager (general law)
- Council at-large
- Incorporated 1924
Coverage: 18 meetings · 100 substantive items · 2025-12-08 → 2026-07-14 · agenda source: Legistar
Signal Hill's council has been driven by three interlocking priorities over the past five months: capital infrastructure investment, land redevelopment, and a full municipal budget cycle. On infrastructure, the city approved pavement maintenance and water system inspection master agreements, authorized a Gundry Reservoir roof replacement, completed the Willow Median Improvements and a City Hall window replacement project, and adopted project lists funded by SB1 road repair and the Safe Clean Water Program (Measure W). The Willow Street/Cherry Avenue corridor has been a persistent thread, beginning with a Measure R funding agreement with Metro in March and continuing through a funding amendment in July, indicating a multi-year transit corridor commitment. Water system modernization — automated meter reading equipment, a temporary water distribution operator contract, and the adoption of a 2025 Urban Water Management Plan and Shortage Contingency Plan — reflects sustained attention to utility infrastructure.
Land development has been equally active. The 1.9-acre Heritage Square parcel at the 2400 block of Gardena Avenue appeared in closed-session real property negotiations from February through June before culminating in a public Disposition and Development Agreement in June, with Red Mountain Group named as an exclusive negotiating partner in April. A Development Impact Fee Study was the subject of public hearings in both May and June, signaling the city is recalibrating how new growth funds infrastructure. The Zenith Energy pipeline franchise moved through its full legislative arc — resolution of intent in April, public hearing in May, adoption in June — reflecting Signal Hill's ongoing industrial-sector relationships. A digital billboard deal with Clear Channel progressed from a lease agreement in March to a full construction and operation agreement in July.
Fiscally, the city completed its budget cycle with a mid-year review in February, a dedicated budget study session in May, and adoption of the FY2026-27 operating and capital budget in June alongside a new investment management contract with Chandler Asset Management. The period has also seen notable organizational change: a new Community Development Director, Public Works Director, Assistant City Clerk, and Deputy Director of Parks, Recreation, and Library Services all joined during this window, alongside police sergeant promotions and a first reading of ordinances adjusting council and treasurer compensation — indicating a period of leadership renewal running in parallel with major capital and development decisions.
(Synthesized from the 120 most recent items.)
What to watch AI-generated
Key items (8)
- [26-1563] HERITAGE SQUARE DISPOSITION AND DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT — Signal Hill, 2026-06-09 · Heritage Square Disposition and Development Agreement — the culmination of repeated closed-session negotiations spanning February through June over a 1.9-acre city-owned parcel, the most significant land deal in the period.
- [26-1679] RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE ANNUAL OPERATING AND CAPITAL BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2026-27 (YEAR 1) AND RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING THE ANNUAL APPROPRIATIONS LIMIT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2026-27 — Signal Hill, 2026-06-23 · Adoption of the FY2026-27 operating and capital budget — the central fiscal document closing out a multi-month cycle that began with a mid-year review in February and a study session in May.
- [26-1704] RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE GUNDRY RESERVOIR ROOF REPLACEMENT AND REHABILITATION PROJECT — Signal Hill, 2026-07-14 · Gundry Reservoir roof replacement authorization — illustrates the city's sustained capital investment in utility and water infrastructure.
- [26-1683] FUNDING AGREEMENT AND AMENDMENT NO 1 TO THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY FOR THE WILLOW STREET CORRIDOR PROJECT — Signal Hill, 2026-07-14 · Willow Street corridor funding agreement amendment with the transit authority — represents the latest step in a multi-year Measure R-funded transportation corridor project tracked since March.
- [26-1537] SECOND READING AND ADOPTION OF ORDINANCE NO. 2026-05-1557 GRANTING A FRANCHISE TO ZENITH ENERGY WEST COAST TERMINALS LLC — Signal Hill, 2026-06-09 · Adoption of the Zenith Energy pipeline franchise ordinance — completed a three-meeting legislative arc (April intent → May hearing → June adoption) reflecting Signal Hill's industrial franchise relationships.
- [26-1714] BILLBOARD RELOCATION AGREEMENT WITH CLEAR CHANNEL FOR THE CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION OF A DIGITAL BILLBOARD — Signal Hill, 2026-07-14 · Clear Channel digital billboard construction and operation agreement — advances a deal from lease (March) to active development, a concrete revenue and signage policy decision.
- [26-1637] PUBLIC HEARING - DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEE STUDY — Signal Hill, 2026-05-26 · Development Impact Fee Study public hearing — recurs across May and June without resolution, making it the city's most visibly contested development-policy item of the period.
- [26-1406] FUNDING AGREEMENT WITH THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY FOR THE WILLOW STREET AND CHERRY AVENUE EFFICIENT CORRIDORS PROJECT; MEASURE R FUNDING — Signal Hill, 2026-03-10 · Willow Street/Cherry Avenue corridor Measure R funding agreement with Metro — the origin point of the corridor investment thread that runs through the entire review window.
Scorecard vs 6 cohort peers
Each topic is shown as this city's share of council attention (% of its substantive items) next to the median share of its peer cohort — so size doesn't distort the comparison. Dollars are shown per resident (a causal denominator) and suppressed where too few peers have extracted amounts.
| Topic | Attention share | Peer median | vs peers | $ / resident | Peer median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget & Finance | 43% | 34% | ▲ +9pp | — | $499.71 |
| Governance & Administration | 24% | 25% | ▼ -1pp | — | $9.89 |
| Streets & Infrastructure | 12% | 14% | ▼ -1pp | — | $273.29 |
| Permitting & Land Use | 10% | 7% | ▲ +3pp | — | n/a |
| Climate & Environment | 4% | 6% | ▼ -2pp | — | $157.24 |
| Economic Development | 2% | 3% | ▼ -1pp | — | $6.38 |
| Public Safety | 2% | 6% | ▼ -3pp | — | $25.43 |
| Homelessness | 1% | 1% | ≈ | — | $14.80 |
| Housing | 1% | 5% | ▼ -4pp | — | n/a |
| Other | 0% | 1% | ▼ -1pp | — | n/a |
pp = percentage points of attention share. Peers: Sierra Madre, Calabasas, Culver City, Claremont, Redondo Beach, Pomona.
📅 Browse all meetings & agendas (18) — filter by date, topic, or keyword
Peer cohort comparable cities
Cities most comparable to Signal Hill by population, size, governance, and sub-region — the basis for fair comparison. Budget attributes are not loaded yet; cohort uses size, governance, and sub-region. With a small sample this is a soft grouping — the framework scales as cities are added.
Learning from peer cities
Matches found from similar agenda wording across cities — useful starting points to investigate, not proof that one city copied another.
Where Signal Hill and peers overlap
Matters Signal Hill worked on that peer cities also took up.
Ideas from peer cities (not found here yet)
Matters peer cities acted on that we haven't found a comparable item for in Signal Hill.
Data gaps & notes (1)
- 173 items ingested; brief generated from the first 160 by recency for length.