Long Beach residents can finally breathe a sigh of relief as the city has officially restored all utility billing and payment services after a cyberattack froze the systems last month. The City of Long Beach announced on Dec. 5, stating that after being disabled on Nov. 15 due to a network security incident, all avenues to pay for water, natural gas, sewer, and refuse services are now open. As stated in a press release by the city, payments can be made online, over the phone, through the mail, or in person at City Hall and select retail locations.
"We are pleased to quickly share that our utility billing and payment processing systems are fully restored," said Mayor Rex Richardson, in a statement reflecting the city’s commitment to swiftly resolving the outage. Despite the inconvenience caused, the city has managed to avoid prolonged disruption of billing services to its citizens. Mayor Richardson extended his thanks to the technology and utility departments for their response to the incident and to Long Beach residents for their patience.
During the outage, the city restored most of its public-facing systems, including the general information and departmental webpages on its website. For utility billing, the city required some more time, now culminating in the restoration announcement. Customers on autopay should have seen deductions resume on Dec. 1, and those with agreed-upon payment plans are urged to continue with their payments as usual.
However, due to the systems being offline during the latter half of November, the city has notified residents of potential billing delays, suggesting some may receive their bills one to two days late or even up to two weeks. "Customers should pay as much of this bill as they can, recommended at least half," the city advised, noting that the balance can be carried over to the following month without incurring any late fees or service shutoffs. Residents with billing concerns can contact customer service for assistance or visit the Long Beach Utility Services website for further payment information.
This cybersecurity breach in Long Beach echoes a wider trend targeting local governments across the United States, with estimates pointing to 80 local governments being hit this year so far. In response to these threats, Long Beach has made annual investments in cybersecurity, systems modernization, and cloud-based infrastructure. Moreover, the FY24 budget includes additional security investments to bolster the city's defenses against such incidents.
Long Beach officials are committed to transparency and keeping the public informed about ongoing developments with the network security incident. They encourage residents to visit their official website and follow social media channels for the most current updates on public services impacts.
