Long Beach is headed toward a rental crisis. This is the position held by Housing Long Beach (HLB) and other community advocates that state that the city, which is comprised of nearly 60 percent renters, is headed down a perilous path of declining vacancy rates and skyrocketing rents. This was the impetus for a press conference last week where HLB Executive Director Josh Butler called for the city to negotiate an ordinance to protect its renters.