Fifty current and former employees, board members, volunteers, and clients of the LGBTQ Center Long Beach say the nonprofit is at a breaking point, and they are formally demanding that the executive director be removed. In an open letter, the signers warn of program cuts, interruptions to medical care and a hostile workplace that they say have already weakened the Center’s ability to serve the city’s queer community. Patients, parents, and older adults who rely on the Center describe a jarring loss of continuity just as demand for LGBTQ-focused care has grown.
Dated April 23, the letter lays out dozens of complaints and warns that the organization faces “devastating impacts just short of collapse.” The Center’s board told the Long Beach Post that it has hired an independent investigator, will hold a listening session for staff, and has pledged to act on the investigator’s findings. The signers counter that previous internal complaints were ignored, which is part of why they went public.
Director Background and Finances
Ellie Perez was named permanent executive director in July 2024 after serving in the role on an interim basis, according to The LGBTQ Center Long Beach. The nonprofit’s 2024 tax filing lists Elizabeth Perez’s compensation at $150,000, according to the Center’s publicly posted Form 990. Those filings also outline the organization’s revenue and staffing levels as it navigates recent shifts in programming and fundraising.
Medical Care at Risk
Clinic staff say the internal conflict is already affecting patient care. Nurse practitioner Jess Edmonds, who joined in March 2025 to help expand the medical clinic, says she was twice placed on administrative leave after organizing coworkers. She contends that the suspensions disrupted care for more than 30 patients and left some without time-sensitive HIV prevention injections.
Edmonds has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board alleging retaliation. She and the clinic’s medical director have warned that they may withdraw their medical licenses unless the board completes a thorough, independent investigation. Without licensed clinicians, the Center would have to suspend medical services for hundreds of patients. These claims, along with the broader staff letter, were reported by the Long Beach Post.
History of Complaints and a Settlement
The current showdown follows earlier turmoil at the Center. Local coverage previously documented multiple complaints about Perez in 2024, and in 2025 the organization reached a settlement with its former executive director after a wrongful termination dispute. Q Voice News has published an extended look at the pattern of staff complaints and how the board has responded.
What Is at Stake for Long Beach
The Center offers legal, mental health and medical services that thousands of local residents rely on each year, and community advocates warn that any sustained disruption will create a service gap that city agencies and other nonprofits may struggle to fill. Donors, volunteers and families have publicly vented frustration about reduced programming and communication lapses, and many are now watching the board’s timeline and the investigator’s findings closely. For the moment, the scheduled listening session and the independent review are the key benchmarks the community expects to see followed through.
Legal and Regulatory Questions
Edmonds’ NLRB complaint accuses the Center of retaliation for protected organizing activity. If the NLRB finds merit in those allegations, the organization could face legal and corrective actions that reach beyond internal personnel choices. Separately, if clinicians carry out their threat to withdraw their licenses, the clinic would be unable to operate, creating immediate public health consequences for HIV prevention and primary care for patients who depend on the Center.
Local leaders and attorneys say an impartial investigation, paired with transparent corrective steps, remains the most direct path to restoring full services and rebuilding donor confidence.
