[00:00:02]
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ZENDEJAS WON'T BE ABLE TO JOIN US TODAY.
WE'LL START THE MEETING WITH THE PLEDGE AND MOMENT OF SILENCE LED BY COUNCIL MEMBER RICK SODI.
UM, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT OF SILENCE, UM, TO THINK ABOUT, UM, THOSE, I ALWAYS TO SAY, TO
[PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE]
THINK ABOUT THOSE IN OUR COMMUNITY, UM, THAT ARE IN NEED OF SOMETHING, WHETHER THAT IS MATERIAL, PHYSICAL OR EMOTIONAL, THAT THEY WOULD HAVE WHAT THEY NEED FOR THOSE WHO ARE ABLE.UM, PLEASE STAND TO DO THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE HAND OVER YOUR HEART.
WELCOME FOLKS, TO THE MEETING OF THE LONG BEACH CITY COUNCIL.
UH, WE HAVE THREE PRESENTATIONS TODAY.
THEN WE'LL HAVE A PRESENTATION ON THE WEEK OF THE CHILD.
AND THEN LONG BEACH ADAPTIVE SPORTS FAIR BY COUNCIL MEMBER KERR.
AND THEN WE HAVE A FULL AGENDA WITH 19 ITEMS ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR.
SO LET'S START WITH THE FIRST PRESENTATION, CAMBODIAN NEW YEAR.
I'LL PASS IT TO COUNCIL MEMBER SORROW.
COULD I ASK, UH, THE NEXT ONE TO GO UP? 'CAUSE OUR PERFORMERS ARE RUNNING JUST A LITTLE LATE.
ALRIGHT, WELL, LET'S, UH, WE'LL GO TO THE WEEK OF THE YOUNG CHILD.
IS CARISSA HERE? YES, THERE SHE IS.
WELL, WANT TO INTRODUCE, UH, CARISSA SYLVESTER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE MAYOR'S FUND FOR LONG BEACH FOR A PRESENTATION ON THE WEEK OF
[ WEEK OF THE YOUNG CHILD]
THE CHILD.HONORABLE, UM, COUNCIL MEMBERS.
IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU ALL THIS EVENING.
LAST TIME I WAS HERE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT OUR EARLY LEARNING HUB AND THE INDUSTRY THAT SUPPORTS ALL OTHER INDUSTRIES.
AND I'M SO GLAD TO BE BACK HERE DOING THAT ONCE AGAIN.
UM, I DON'T THINK THAT THERE'S TOO MUCH OF AN EXAGGERATION TO STATE THAT OUR YOUNGEST CHILDREN ARE REAL TRUE BAROMETERS WHEN IT COMES TO THE HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITY.
IF OUR CHILDREN ARE DOING WELL, IT'S A GOOD INDICATOR THAT OUR FAMILIES ARE DOING WELL.
AND IF OUR FAMILIES ARE DOING WELL, IT SPEAKS HIGHLY OF YOUR WORKFORCE AND OF YOUR LOCAL ECONOMY.
SO, UM, WE TRULY, UH, WANNA UPLIFT THE IMPORTANT VALUES, UM, OF INCLUSION AND EQUITY IN OUR LOCAL WORKFORCE AND THE FABRIC OF OUR COMMUNITY.
AND TO DO SO, UM, WE NEED TO REALLY TAKE A HARD LOOK AT THE VERY REAL BARRIERS THAT EXIST TO SOME IN PARTICIPATION AND IN, IN THAT BARRIER, UH, CAN BE FOUND IN CHILDCARE, UM, AND, AND EQUITABLE ACCESS TO, TO SERVICES FOR THEIR, FOR THEIR WHOLE FAMILY.
UM, WE'RE FORTUNATE IN LONG BEACH, UM, THAT WE HAVE SO MANY GREAT PARTNERS WHO, UM, FOCUS ON YOUNG CHILDREN AND FAMILIES.
I TRIED TO FIT THEM ALL ON THE SCREEN, UM, BUT CLEARLY, UM, I I COULDN'T QUITE GET THEM ALL IN THERE 'CAUSE IT'S JUST, IT IS A NEVER ENDING, UM, LIST AND THEY'RE REALLY INSPIRING, INSPIRING FOLKS.
UM, LONG BEACH HAS SO MUCH MOMENTUM IN THIS SPACE RIGHT NOW.
OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT PRIORITIZES ENVIRONMENTS THAT ARE DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE FOR OUR YOUNGEST CHILDREN AND BELIEVE IN A MIXED DELIVERY MODEL TO EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION.
OUR EC COMMITTEE WHO CELEBRATED 20 YEARS, HAS HAD ANOTHER EXCEPTIONAL YEARS OF PROGRAMMING AND RECORD BREAKING EVENTS, UM, HELD HERE IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
OUR LIBRARIES, PARKS, REC, AND MARINE AND YOUR OWN HEALTH DEPARTMENT ARE ALL WORKING AROUND THE CELEBRATION OF THE YOUNG CHILD HAPPENING LATER THIS MONTH.
THE BEST START COMMUNITY CONTINUES TO UPLIFT THE STRENGTH OF NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS, UM, AND ENGAGEMENT WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY.
AND THANKS TO THE EFFORTS OF YOUR HEALTH DEPARTMENT, VERY SOON WE'LL HAVE A WHOLE NEW STRATEGIC PLAN FOCUSED ON THE YOUNG CHILD THAT REALLY WILL HELP SET THOSE POLICY GOALS AND AMBITIONS THAT WE HOLD AS A COMMUNITY.
WE SEE IT AS A COLLECTIVELY HELD AND OWNED DOCUMENT THAT WE ALL HAVE A ROLE IN IMPLEMENTING.
SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED AS A COMMUNITY TO SEE THAT COME TO FRUITION.
UM, AND THE HUB THAT I SPOKE ABOUT BEFORE, OUR EARLY LEARNING HUB, UM, I'M HAPPY TO SAY, IS ROLLING.
IT'S, UM, GETTING A LOT OF TRACTION AND THANKS TO A RECENT, UH, GRANT ALLOCATION WE GOT FROM THE LA FOOD EQUITY FUND.
WE'RE GOING TO LOOK IN EXPANDING FOR ACCESS, UM, BEYOND JUST CHILDCARE TO RESOURCES FOR LOCAL FAMILIES AND USING IT AS A CONNECTION POINT TO CRITICAL RESOURCES NEEDED FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES.
UM, I'M TONIGHT, I'M HERE AS A TOKEN REPRESENTATIVE AND CHAMPION AND REALLY A FAN GIRL OF THE FOLKS WHO DO THIS WORK ON
[00:05:01]
A DAILY BASIS.UM, THEY ARE SO INSPIRING, UM, AND, AND THEIR WORK SERVING CHILDREN AND FAMILIES.
AND THE SECRET THAT LONG BEACH HAS SOMETHING SPECIAL GOING ON IS OUT AND LOTS OF HEADS ARE CONTINUED TO TURN OUR WAY.
UM, SO THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE OPPORTUNITY TO PUT YOUNG CHILDREN OUR BAROMETERS FOR OUR HEALTH, FOR OUR COMMUNITY ON CENTER STAGE FOR RECOGNIZING THIS NATIONALLY CELEBRATORY WEEK.
UM, WE INVITE EACH OF YOUR OFFICES TO PARTNER WITH US AND ANY OF THESE EFFORTS THAT WE HAVE GOING ON TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR YOUNGEST CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH AND I REALLY JUST WANNA GIVE CREDIT TO ALL OF OUR PARTNERS, SO MANY OF OUR PARTNERS THAT ARE JOINING ME HERE THIS EVENING, UM, TO WITH THIS HONOR.
ALRIGHT, WELL, CARISSA, HANG, HANG OUT.
WE HAVE A CERTIFICATE, WANNA RECOGNIZE YOU, BUT JUST A FEW COMMENTS.
I JUST WANT TO, UH, CONGRATULATE YOU ON YOUR LEADERSHIP AT THE MAYOR'S FUND AND, UH, CONTINUING THIS, THIS INCREDIBLE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING AT BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER AROUND THIS IMPORTANT ISSUE.
AND I CAN TELL YOU, AS A FATHER OF YOUNG CHILDREN THAT WENT THROUGH THE PANDEMIC AND SAW HOW IMPORTANT CHILDCARE IS WHEN THE SCHOOLS CLOSE AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A CRITICAL PART OF OUR WORKFORCE AND HOW OUR ECONOMY WORKS.
AND SO THE FACT THAT WE'VE PLACED THIS BIG FOCUS ON DEVELOPING THIS PLATFORM AND BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER AROUND EARLY CHILD EDUCATION AND, AND CHILDCARE, I THINK IT REALLY SHOWS THAT, UH, WE'RE A CITY THAT'S THINKING ABOUT THE WHOLE, THE WHOLE FAMILY AND THE WHOLE CHILD.
SO, UH, SO WE'RE HAPPY TO SUPPORT THE WEEK OF THE YOUNG CHILD AND TO ALL THE PARTNERS WHO ARE HERE.
UH, PLEASE CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER.
UH, THERE'S A LOT MORE THAT WE CAN DO.
LET'S DREAM A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE CAN DO AND ACCOMPLISH AS A CITY.
IF WE CONTINUE TO PRIORITIZE YOUNG CHILDREN AND SMALL CHILDREN, EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, IT SHOULD BE UNIVERSAL.
WE SHOULD FIGURE OUT WAYS TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT EVERY YOUNG PERSON, EVERY 4-YEAR-OLD IN THE CITY HAS ACCESS TO EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO REACH THEIR HIGHEST AND BEST POTENTIAL.
I'M GONNA COME DOWN, I HAVE SOME RECOGNITION IF SOME OF THE PARTNERS WANNA COME UP, WE CAN TAKE A PHOTO.
THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, ARE YOU QUEUED UP TO SPEAK? I AM.
I DON'T SEE IT, BUT MAYBE YOU'RE QUEUED UP ON A DIFFERENT SCREEN.
UH, YEAH, PLEASE COME UP AND WHILE, WHILE SPEAKING.
YEAH, COME ON UP WHILE I'M TALKING.
UM, I WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE.
I THINK THIS GRAPHIC OF ALL OF THE PARTNERSHIPS IS A REALLY IMPRESSIVE DOCUMENT.
UM, WE KNOW THAT ALL PARTS OF OUR COMMUNITY ARE IMPACTED BY YOUR WORK AND THAT ALL PARTS OF OUR COMMUNITY ARE SUPPORTING THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING.
AND OFTENTIMES, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH HERE AT THE COUNCIL LEVEL ARE POLICIES TO WORK ON ANTI-POVERTY PROGRAMS, VIOLENCE PREVENTION.
ALL OF THE WORK, UM, THAT WE DO AS A CITY IS ROOTED IN THE WORK THAT YOU DO IN EARLY CHILDHOOD.
YOU ARE OUR BEST ANTI-POVERTY PROGRAM.
YOU ARE OUR BEST VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAM.
YOU ARE OUR BEST FOOD SECURITY PROGRAM.
YOUR INTERVENTIONS WITH FAMILIES AT THE EARLIEST, EARLIEST OPPORTUNITIES.
SOMETIMES BABIES AS YOUNG AS SIX WEEKS AND EVEN BEFORE BABIES ARE BORN, YOU ARE WORKING WITH FAMILIES, UM, TO SUPPORT THEM SO THAT THEY HAVE ALL OF THE THINGS THAT THEY NEED AS A FAMILY TO THRIVE.
I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO REFER SOMEONE TO THE HUB WHO IS LOOKING FOR SOME OPPORTUNITY.
I THINK WE UNDERESTIMATE WHAT A TRANSFORMATIVE PROJECT THAT HUB IS BEING ABLE TO SAY TO A FAMILY WHO DOESN'T KNOW WHERE TO FIND HEAD START CHILD DEVELOPMENT.
I DON'T QUALIFY, I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S OUT THERE.
TO TAKE THEM TO ONE PLACE AND YOU WILL WRAP THEM UP AND FIND A SPOT FOR THEM IN THE CITY IS REALLY TRANSFORMATIVE WORK, UM, FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
AND I WANNA THANK ALL OF YOU FOR ALL OF THE WAYS THAT YOU SUPPORT CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, UM, ACROSS THE AGE SPECTRUM IN ALL OF THE INCREDIBLE WORK THAT YOU DO ACROSS THE CITY.
UM, I WILL NEVER NOT BE YOUR BIGGEST FAN AND I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO.
WE'RE TRYING TO GET, I CAN'T SEE YOU.
[00:10:33]
ALL RIGHT.NEXT IS LONG BEACH ADAPTIVE SPORTS FAIR COUNCIL MEMBER KERR.
I'M HONORED TO INTRODUCE THIS PRESENTATION REGARDING LONG BEACH'S INAUGURAL ADAPTIVE SPORTS FAIR, BEING HELD AT LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE, THE CAMPUS ON CARSON THIS WEEKEND.
WE ALL KNOW THE VALUES OF STAYING ACTIVE AND PLAYING SPORTS, BUT MANY OF US DON'T THINK ABOUT THE CHALLENGES FACED BY THOSE WITH DIFFERING ABILITIES.
THIS FAIR AIMS TO BRING IN AWARENESS OF THOSE CHALLENGES AND PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR INCLUSIVITY AS WE COME TOGETHER OVER A SHARED ENJOYMENT
[ LONG BEACH ADAPTIVE SPORTS FAIR]
OF SPORTS AND RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES.OUR OFFICE IS HAPPY TO SPONSOR AND SUPPORT THIS EVENT.
AND THANK YOU COUNCILMAN'S IN DEJAS FOR YOUR SUPPORT AS WELL.
KIM VONG IS A LIFELONG ADVOCATE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, EVEN WHILE FACING HER OWN CHALLENGES.
SHE HAS DEDICATED HER LIFE AND CAREER TO HELP OTHERS WITH DISABILITIES LEAD FULLER AND MORE ENRICHING LIVES.
KIM NOT ONLY SERVES AS THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR SOCAL ADAPTIVE SPORTS, ONE OF THE ORGANIZERS FOR THE UPCOMING EVENT, BUT SHE ALSO WORKS WITH TEENAGERS WITH DISABILITIES AT LONG BEACH TENSIONER CLINIC AND SERVES AS THE CHAIR OF LONG BEACH'S CITIZEN ADVISORY COMMISSION ON DISABILITIES.
THANK YOU KIM, FOR YOUR HARD WORK AND COMMITMENT, BOTH PROFESSIONALLY AND AS A VOLUNTEER TO THE ADVOCACY FOR AND PROMOTION OF DISABILITY AWARENESS.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING THE DETAILS OF THIS WEEKEND'S FAIR, WHICH AIMS TO FOSTER COMMUNITY AND BRING US TOGETHER UNDER A COMMON INTEREST DESIGNED WITH INCLUSION IN MIND.
AND WITH THAT, I WILL PASS IT OVER TO KIM FOR THE PRESENTATION.
GOOD EVENING, HONORABLE MAYOR X RICHARDSON AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS.
AS A PROUD LONG BEACH RESIDENT AND SELF-ADVOCATE, I HAVE DREAMED ABOUT HAVING AN ADAPTIVE SPORTS FAIR IN LONG BEACH FOR MANY YEARS.
I AM EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE WILL BE HAVING LONG BEACH'S FIRST EVER ADAPTIVE SPORTS FAIR ON SATURDAY, APRIL 13TH TH 2024 AT LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE, THE LAKEWOOD CAMPUS.
THIS EVENT IS FREE TO THE PUBLIC REGISTRATION IS NEEDED TO ENSURE YOU GET THE SNAG BAGS.
ON BEHALF OF MY EVENT CO-ORGANIZERS PLAYMAKERS, SO-CALLED ADAPTIVE SPORTS AND LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE AND FOUNDATION, I INVITE YOU TO JOIN US AT THIS EVENT TO PLAY AND TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ADAPTIVE SPORTS AND RECREATION PROGRAMS AVAILABLE IN LONG BEACH AND CELEBRATE ALL THE ATHLETES WHO COME TO PLAY.
WHAT IS ADAPTIVE SPORT? ADAPTIVE SPORTS OR PARA SPORTS ARE COMPETITIVE, ARE RECREATIONAL SPORTS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
ADAPTIVE SPORTS OFTEN RUN PARALLELS TO TYPICAL SPORT ACTIVITIES.
THEY ALLOW MODIFICATIONS NECESSARY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES TO PARTICIPATE.
MANY SPORTS USE A CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM THAT PUTS ATHLETES WITH PHYSICAL CHALLENGES ON UNEVEN PLAYING FIELD WITH EACH OTHER.
THIS EVENT WILL FEATURE SOME OF THE CITY AND REGION'S FAVORITE SPORTS LEAGUES AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT PROVIDE ADAPTIVE BASEBALL, TENNIS, SOCCER, AND HOCKEY, AND MORE FOR THE DISABLED COMMUNITY WITH THE OVERWHELMING SUPPORTS OF COUNCILWOMAN CARE AND SEVERAL OTHER LONG BEACH CITY LEADERS FOR THIS EVENT, AS WELL AS THE CITY'S INVOLVEMENT WITH THE 2028 PARALYMPICS, LONG BEACH IS POSITIONING ITSELF AS ONE OF THE BEST CITIES FOR ADAPTIVE SPORTS IN THE WORLD.
I WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND IN ANOTHER WARM THANK YOU TO COUNCILWOMAN CARE, THE UNITED DISTRICT OFFICE AND LBCC FOR SUPPORTING THIS EVENT AND ALL OF OUR EFFORTS IN PLANNING IT.
IT IS GOING TO BE AN AMAZING DAY.
[00:15:01]
BEING A PART OF IT.I WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND IN ANOTHER WARM THANK YOU TO COUNCILWOMAN CARE, THE DISTRICT OFFICE AND LBCC FOR SUPPORTING THIS EVENT AND ALL OF OUR EFFORTS IN PLANNING IT.
IT IS GOING TO BE AN AMAZING DAY.
THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF IT.
WE ARE UPLIFTING ENTREPRENEURS IN OUR SURROUNDING AREAS.
WE WILL BE HAVING MUSIC DJ'D BY A PERSON WITH DISABILITIES.
DJ B DIAMOND FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN ATTENDING ARE VOLUNTEERING.
I HAVE FLYERS WITH MORE INFORMATION.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING EACH OF YOU AT THE LONG BEACH ADAPTIVE SPORTS FAIR ON APRIL 13TH.
TH ALL YOU CAN LEARN MORE AT LBSF DOT EVENT BRIGHT.COM.
UM, AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE PEOPLE KNOW THAT THIS EVENT IS FOR EVERYONE.
IT'S FOR EVERYONE TO SEE WHAT ADAPTIVE SPORTS IS LIKE.
COME TRY SOMETHING OUT YOU HAVEN'T TRIED BEFORE.
UH, BRING YOUR FAMILY, BRING YOUR FRIENDS, BRING YOUR CHILDREN.
UH, WE HAVE AN AMAZING COMMUNITY OF FOLKS WITH DISABILITIES IN OUR CITY AND IN OUR REGION, AND I'M GRATEFUL FOR KIM FOR PUSHING HARD SO THAT THIS FINALLY CAME TO FRUITION AFTER A VERY, VERY LONG TIME.
SO WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR ALL OF YOUR ADVOCACY EFFORTS AND WE HOPE TO SEE EVERYBODY OUT HERE ON SATURDAY.
LET'S HEAR FOR KIM AND THIS INCREDIBLE LONG BEACH ADAPTIVE SPORTS FAIR.
UH, SO AGAIN, UH, 10 O'CLOCK SATURDAY LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE, LAC CAMPUS, UH, FEEL FREE TO COME OUT AND JOIN.
IT'S A FREE EVENT FOR ALL PARKING, UH, FREE PARKING AND KIM AND YOUR LEADERSHIP, YOUR ACTIVISM, UH, IS CERTAINLY RECOGNIZED IN THE CITY.
AND THAT'S THE KIND OF CITY WE ARE.
WE CAN BE INVOLVED K COD AND OTHER WAYS, BUT REALLY SEE, IT'S GREAT TO SEE THE MANIFESTATION OF THAT WORK REALLY SHOW UP WITH AN EVENT LIKE THIS.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP, KIM.
ALRIGHT, LET'S HEAR IT ONE MORE TIME FOR, FOR KIM AND THE ENTIRE TEAM.
OKAY, NOW WE'RE GONNA GO TO CAMBODIAN NEW YEAR.
GONNA PASS IT ON TO COUNCILMAN MIZARO.
YES, NAN TO MY HAPPY NEW YEAR.
I, UH, WANNA BEGIN OUR PRESENTATION WITH THRO,
[ CAMBODIAN NEW YEAR]
WHICH IS A CAMBODIAN FOLKLORE PERFORMANCE, UM, TO BLESS, UH, IT'S A SYMBOLIC PERFORMANCE TO, UM, BRING BLESSINGS TO ALL FOR THE NEW YEAR.SO, UM, CAN WE CUE THEM OUTSIDE TO COME IN? TO COME TO START? THEY'RE GONNA COME HERE.
YEAH, I THINK THEY, WE'LL FIGURE IT OUT.
I THINK THEY'RE GONNA GO AROUND, I DUNNO THE FACE THAT WAY.
[00:22:01]
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE THROT PERFORMERS.SO I'M SO PRIVILEGED TO BE ABLE TO SHARE THIS WITH YOU ALL.
IT'S A HONOR TRADITION, AND YOU KNOW, THERE'S A PERSON THAT USUALLY KIND OF COMES IN THE FRONT TO COLLECT DONATION, BUT, UM, NEXT TIME WE'LL MAKE SURE YOU'RE PREPARED,
UM, SO, UH, ONE QUESTION THAT OFTEN COMES UP IS WHY DO SOUTHEAST ASIAN AND SPECIFICALLY CAMBODIANS IN LONG BEACH CELEBRATE THE NEW YEAR IN APRIL? I KNOW THAT BECAUSE GENERALLY OUR, UH, NEW YEAR, THE NEW YEAR IS THE 1ST OF JANUARY, BUT LIKE MANY OTHER COUNTRIES IN MAINLAND SOUTHEAST ASIA AND SOME PARTS OF ASIA, UH, IT'S CELEBRATED IN THE NEW YEAR, UM, WHICH IS ALSO CALLED QURAN IN MID-APRIL, BECAUSE THAT'S THE TIME THAT ALLOWS PEOPLE TO TAKE A MUCH NEEDED BREAK AFTER THE BUSY NOVEMBER TO MARCH HARVEST BECAUSE 95% OF PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY ARE FARMERS.
SO WITH APRIL OFFERS DRY WEATHER AND HOT TEMPERATURE AND PEOPLE LIKE SPLASHING WATER ON EACH OTHER TO COOL DOWN AND AS WELL AS BLESS EACH OTHER AND SOME CULTURE VIEW THAT EVENT AS A WATER FESTIVAL.
SO HERE IN LONG BEACH, WE UPHOLD OUR TRADITION AND CUSTOM THROUGH THE PAST WEEKEND WE HAD AMAZING EVENTS, LONG BEACH AND CRA ON SATURDAY, AND THEN THE CAMBODIA TOWN NEW YEAR PARADE AND FESTIVAL.
AND SO THIS EVENING I WANTED TO RECOGNIZE CAMBODIAN NEW YEAR AND ENCOURAGE EVERYONE, UH, TO EMBRACE THE SPIRIT.
AND IF YOU WOULD LIKE, YOU COULD JOIN IN FORMING NEW RESOLUTION FOR THE NEW YEAR AND UNITE, UM, TOGETHER AND OF THIS HONORED TRADITION.
AND, UM, SO I WANNA JUST THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TONIGHT TO CELEBRATE THE CAMBODIAN NEW YEAR.
AND WE WILL BE HEARING IN A BIT FROM CAMBODIA TOWN AS WELL AS THE CAMBODIAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER WHO, UH, HOSTED THE EVENTS.
AND WE'RE GONNA CONCLUDE WITH A BLESSING BECAUSE WE ALWAYS HAVE TO HAVE, UM, OUR VENERABLE, UH, BLESS US ALSO FOR THE NEW YEAR AND THEN, UM, DO A GROUP POOP PICTURE AT THE END.
SO IF WE CAN MOVE TO OUR, UH, FIRST SPEAKER, PLEASE.
HONORABLE MAYOR, DISTINGUISHED MEMBER OF THE CITY COUNCIL AND OTHER ELECTED OFFICIAL.
MY NAME IS AND I'M A CHAIR OF CAMBODIA TOWN.
WELL, FIRST OF ALL, HAPPY CAMBODIAN HERITAGE MAN AND HAPPY MY NEW YEAR, YEAR OF THE DRAGON, SOME OF
[00:25:02]
TO EVERYONE HERE TONIGHT.SINCE ITS INCEPTION, CAMBODIA TOWN HAS TIRELESSLY COLLABORATE WITH OTHER CAMBODIAN COMMUNITY BASE ORGANIZATION AND ALLIES TO PRESERVE AND PROMOTE MY ART CULTURE.
TOGETHER WE HAVE DILIGENTLY WORK ALONGSIDE COUNCILWOMAN DR.
SOLI SORO OFFICE TO FOSTER UNITY WITH OUR COMMUNITIES SUPPORTING EVENTS LIKE THE ANNUAL LONG BEACH SAN QURAN, AND HOSTING THE 16 ANNUAL CAMBODIA TOWN PARADE AND CULTURAL FESTIVAL ON SUNDAY, APRIL SEVEN, WE CELEBRATE A SUCCESSFUL TURNOUT AT THE 16 ANNUAL CAMBODIA TOWN PARADE AND CULTURE FESTIVAL, WHERE SEVERAL THOUSAND PARTICIPANTS JOIN IN THE FACILITY.
THIS EVENT SERVE AS A PLATFORM FOR RECONNECTING WITH FAMILIES AND FRIENDS, EVOKING THE ESSENCE OF CAMBODIA'S HOMELANDS THIS YEAR PARADE.
AND FIRST OF ALL, HEALTH SPECIAL SIGNIFICANT AS WE BROUGHT TOGETHER.
REPRESENTATIVE FROM FIVE FAITH, COMMUNITY, BUDDHIST CHRISTIAN, NATIVE AMERICAN FROM THE TONGVA TRIBE, MUSLIM AND JEWISH TO PRAY COLLECTIVELY FOR UNITY AND PEACE.
I EXTEND MY HEARTFELT GRATITUDE TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATE IN THIS YEAR'S CELEBRATION, INCLUDING MAYOR RICHARDSON, WHERE YOU CHOOSE, I DO NOT KNOW HOW YOU CHOOSE THE SONG, BUT THAT IS A AMAZING SONG.
SORO, CITY PROSECUTOR DOUG HALBERT, CITY ATTORNEY, UH, DON MCINTOSH, ASSEMBLY MEMBER JO BANAL AND MAJORITY LEADER OF THE CALIFORNIA STATE SENATE.
UH, COUNCILMAN EDWARDSON OF SIGNAL HILL COUNCIL WOMAN JANET GAVE CONLIN OF LA PALMER, UH, FORMER FORMER VICE MAYOR D ANDREWS AND FORMER CONGRESSMAN ALLEN LEVENTHAL.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST, I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO INVITE ALL THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBER, THE MAYOR, AND ALL THE ELECTED OFFICIAL TO MARK ON YOUR CALENDAR FOR SUNDAY, APRIL 6TH, 2025 FOR THE 17TH ANNUAL CAMBODIA TOWN PARADE AND CULTURE FESTIVAL.
SO,
I AM THE INTERIM CHAIR FOR THE CAMBODIAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER, AND I'M ALSO THE BOARD OF THE AQUARIUM, UM, BOARD MEMBER OF THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY CAMBODIAN EMPLOYEE ASSOCIATION.
AND MY REAL JOB IS I AM AN HR MANAGER FOR THE SOCIAL SERVICE DEPARTMENT.
UM, I'M EXCITED TODAY TO SHARE THAT THE CAMBODIAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER HOSTED THE SECOND ANNUAL LONG BEACH SAN QURAN WITH LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE QURAN AS, UM, PRESENTED BY COUNCILWOMAN DR.
FLU SORROW, THE NEW YEAR CA, UH, THAT CELEBRATED OBSERVE IN CAMBODIA, AS WELL AS OTHER SOUTHEAST ASIAN COUNTRIES AS, UH, IN LAOS, THAILAND, MIRAMAR, SRI LANKA, AND SOME PARTS OF INDIA.
THIS IS AN EVENT THAT BROUGHT THOUSANDS TOGETHER, THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE TO CELEBRATE THE NEW YEAR.
I WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR JOINING US IN THE PA PAST SATURDAY TO CELEBRATE.
THIS IS ONE EXAMPLE OF WHAT THE CAMBODIAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER DOES AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO PLANNING PROGRAM FOR THE COMMUNITY AND TO MEET OUR MISSION.
[00:30:01]
TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE UPDATES ON THE WORK OF THE CAMBODIAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER.ON BEHALF OF THE CACC BOARD MEMBERS, I WANT TO WISH EVERYONE HERE A HAPPY NEW YEAR AND DAY JOCHEN, UM, THAT IS PRESENTED HERE TODAY.
ALL RIGHT, WELL, CONGRATULATIONS, UM, UH, COUNCILWOMAN SORROW AND THE ENTIRE TEAM ON A SUCCESSFUL CAMBODIAN NEW YEAR PARADE.
UH, AND HAPPY NEW YEAR SHAMAI.
AND WE HAVE A CERTIFICATE AND A PHOTO.
WE JUST, EVERYONE HAS TO MOVE IN THIS WAY.
EVERYONE LOOK AT ME IN THE PHOTO.
SO WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED WITH THE COUNCIL MEETING.
UH, LET'S START WITH A REPORT BACK FROM CLOSED SESSION.
WE HAVE ONE ITEM TO REPORT OUT FROM CLOSED SESSION.
UM, WE HAVE REACHED A SETTLEMENT IN THE MATTER OF JACK ROBY BRESSLER VERSUS CITY OF LONG BEACH IN THE AMOUNT OF $400,000.
AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO, UH, WE'RE GONNA DO ITEM 32, UH, DESIGNATING APRIL AS ARTS.
[00:35:01]
GONNA HANDLE THE CONSENT CALENDAR.FIRST, LET'S TAKE THE CONSENT CALENDAR, MINUS ITEMS EIGHT, 10, AND 18.
[CONSENT CALENDAR (1. – 19.)]
IN.IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON COMMIT ON, ON CONSENT? OKAY.
MEMBERS, PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE.
OKAY, WE'RE GONNA TAKE ITEM EIGHT, REPORT FROM CITY CLERK.
RECOMMENDATION TO ADOPT A RESOLUTION DECLARING THE RESULTS OF THE PRIMARY NOMINATING ELECTION ON TUESDAY, MARCH 5TH, ADOPT A RESOLUTION DECLARING THE RESULTS FOR ONE BALLOT MEASURE, WHICH HAD BEEN SUBMITTED TO A VOTE FOR THE QUALIFIED ELECTORS OF THE CITY, KNOWN AS MEASURE RW AND ADOPT A RESOLUTION, ORDERING, PROCLAIMING, AND CALLING AND GIVING NOTICE AND PROVIDING
[8. 24-52870 Recommendation to adopt resolution declaring the results of the Primary Nominating Election held in the City of Long Beach, California, on Tuesday March 5, 2024, for the purpose of nominating and/or electing candidates for the following City Offices: four (4) offices on the City Council from District Numbers 2, 4, 6, and 8; and nominating and/or electing candidates for one (1) Long Beach Unified School District Governing Board of Education Office, District Number 2; direct City Clerk to place on ballots to be used at the General Municipal Election to be held on the 5th day of November 2024, the names of the candidates declared to have been nominated in the Primary Nominating Election; direct City Clerk to issue a Certificate of Election to the candidate declared to have been elected at the Primary Nominating Election; Office or Department: Suggested Action: ]
FOR THE HOLDING OF THE GENERAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION ON TUESDAY THE 5TH OF NOVEMBER, FOR THE PURPOSE OF NOMINATING OR ELECTING CANDIDATES FOR DISTRICT FOUR FOR, FOR A FULL TERM OF FOUR YEARS, COMMENCING WITH A THIRD TUESDAY IN DECEMBER, AND ADOPT PROVISIONS RELATING TO THEIR TRANSLATION AND CHARGES AND COSTS FOR CANADA STATEMENTS.ALRIGHT, WELL, UH, THANK YOU TO THE VOTERS OF LONG BEACH.
UH, WE JUST CONCLUDED OUR PRIMARY, THIS CERTIFIES THAT ELECTION.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO HAVE RETURNED.
UH, WE HAVE A NEWLY ELECTED COUNCIL MEMBER ELECT, UH, IN THE AUDIENCE WITH US.
UH, LET'S RECOGNIZE NUIT TOOK WHO WILL JOIN THE COUNCIL IN DECEMBER, END OF DECEMBER OF THIS YEAR.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.
LET'S HERE FOR OUR NEWLY ELECTED COUNCILWOMAN.
AND, UH, WE ALSO KNOW THAT AS YOU MENTIONED, ONE MORE BALLOT MEASURE IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH WAS APPROVED TO MEASURE RW.
SO THAT IS CERTIFIED AND OFFICIAL TONIGHT.
UH, SO THANK EVERYONE FOR THEIR PARTICIPATION IN OUR CIVICS.
UH, AND THAT SAID, IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT HERE? MEMBERS, PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE.
REPORT FROM HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE AN AGREEMENT WITH THE LOS ANGELES HOMELESS SERVICES AUTHORITY TO RECEIVE AND EXPEND GRANT FUNDING
[10. 24-52758 Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute an agreement, and all necessary documents, subcontracts, and any subsequent amendments, with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority to receive and expend grant funding in the amount of $90,000 for the Adverse Weather Shelter Program for a period of January 1, 2024, to March 31, 2024; and Increase appropriations in the Health Fund Group in the Health and Human Services Department by $90,000, offset by grant revenue. (District 7) Office or Department: Health and Human Services Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]
IN AN AMOUNT OF 90,000 FOR THEIR ADVERSE WEATHER SHELTER PROGRAM FOR A PERIOD OF JANUARY 1ST, 2024 TO MARCH 31ST, 2024.ALRIGHT, THERE'S A REQUEST FOR A BRIEF STAFF REPORT HERE.
GOOD EVENING, COUNSEL AND MAYOR.
UH, THIS FUNDING IS COMING FROM THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES THROUGH THE LOS ANGELES HOMELESS SERVICES AUTHORITY.
IT IS FUNDING TO SUPPORT THE OPERATIONS OF OUR, UH, INCLEMENT WEATHER SHELTER PROGRAM AT THE MULTI-SERVICE CENTER.
UH, WE'VE ACTIVATED A LITTLE UNDER 50 NIGHTS SO FAR THIS YEAR, SO ANYTIME THAT IT'S BEEN RAINING OR UNDER THE, UH, 45 DEGREE TEMPERATURE, UH, WE'VE ACTIVATED.
SO THIS IS TO HELP US COVER SOME OF THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH OPERATING THAT PROGRAM.
UH, I DON'T SEE ON HERE THE MOTION.
AND THE SECOND, DO WE HAVE A MOTION AND SECOND.
DID YOU WANT TO ADD ANY COMMENTS? COUNCIL MEMBER ROBERTO, UH, COUNCIL GER.
OH NO, THIS IS, THANK YOU, MAYOR.
ALL THIS GRANT PROGRAM I THINK IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE SERVICES THEY'RE BEING PROVIDED FOR.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR APPLYING FOR IT.
UH, IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT HERE? MEMBERS, PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE.
ITEM 18, PLEASE REPORT FROM PUBLIC WORKS RECOMMENDATION TO REAFFIRM THE RIVER PARKS RESIDENTIAL PROJECT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT.
ADOPT THE RESOLUTION OF INTENTION TO VACATE THE PORTION OF BAKER STREET BETWEEN GOLDEN AVENUE AND THE LOS ANGELES FLOOD CONTROL CHANNEL.
AND SET THE DATE, AND, I'M SORRY, SET THE DATE FOR MAY 14TH FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE VACATION.
[18. 24-52768 Recommendation to reaffirm the River Park Residential Project Environmental Impact Report (EIR-07-20, SCH#2021020492); Adopt Resolution of Intention to vacate the portion of Baker Street between Golden Avenue and the Los Angeles Flood Control Channel property and a portion of Wardlow Road as part of the River Park Residential Project, located at 712 West Baker Street; Set the date of May 14th, 2024, for the public hearing on the vacation; and Authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute improvement agreements conditioned on the vacation. (District 7) Levine Act: Yes Office or Department: Public Works Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]
CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE IMPROVEMENT AGREEMENTS CONDITIONED ON THE VACATION DISTRICT SEVEN.WE HAVE A SECOND REQUEST FOR A BRIEF STAFF REPORT.
ERIC LOPEZ, WE GIVE OUR STAFF REPORT.
UH, MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL.
UH, THE REQUEST, UH, IN FRONT OF YOU IS, UH, TO ADOPT A RESOLUTION, UH, OF INTENTION TO VACATE A PORTION OF BAKER STREET, UH, BETWEEN GOLDEN AVENUE AND THE LOS ANGELES FLOOD CONTROL CHANNEL PROPERTY, UH, AND A PORTION OF WARDLOW ROAD AS PART OF THE RIVER PARK RED RESIDENTIAL PROJECT, LOCATED AT SEVEN 12, UH, WEST, UH, BAKER STREET.
UM, BECAUSE BAKER STREET PROVIDES THE ONLY PUBLIC
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STREET ACCESS, UH, TO LOT, UH, SIX, UH, TO, I'M NOT GONNA READ THE ENTIRE ASSESSOR'S IDENTIFICATION NUMBER AS ON THE STAFF REPORT.UM, INTEGRAL, THE DEVELOPER INTEGRAL COMMUNITIES HAS AGREED TO PROVIDE FOR A PARCEL LINE ADJUSTMENT TO MOVE THE SOUTHERN SOUTHERLY PARCEL LINE OF LOT SIX OF THE FLOOD CONTROL PROPERTY FURTHER SOUTH TO A LINE WITH THE RIGHT OF WAY LINE OF 34TH STREET.
UH, THERE ARE A COUPLE EXHIBITS ON THE ATTACHMENTS THAT SHOW, UH, VISUALLY WHAT WE'RE DOING AND, UH, AND WHAT'S GOING ON HERE.
I DO, UH, REFER YOU, UH, TO THOSE EXHIBITS, UH, AND I'M HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, UH, YOU MAY HAVE ON THIS.
IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? OKAY.
I KNOW THIS HAS BEEN A, A LONGSTANDING PRIORITY FOR THE CITY COUNCIL AND COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, URANGA AND I THINK COUNCILMAN AUSTIN MIGHT HAVE BEEN PLUGGED IN ON THIS ONE.
AND, UH, SO WE'RE GLAD, GLAD TO SEE, PROUD TO SEE THE PROGRESS BEING MADE HERE.
MEMBERS PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE.
COMMUNICATION FROM COUNCILWOMAN SORROW.
COUNCILWOMAN ZENDEJAS, COUNCIL MEMBER URANGA RECOMMENDATION TO ADOPT PROCLAMATION, RECOGNIZING APRIL AS ARTS, CULTURE AND CREATIVITY MONTH IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH CITYWIDE COUNCIL MEMBER SORROW.
[32. 24-52929 Recommendation to adopt proclamation recognizing April as Arts, Culture, and Creativity Month in the City of Long Beach. (Citywide) Office or Department: Suely Saro, Councilwoman, Sixth District; Councilwoman Mary Zendejas, First District; Roberto Uranga, Councilmember, Seventh District Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]
THANK YOU.I JUST WANNA TAKE A MOMENT TO THANK MY COLLEAGUE COUNCILWOMAN SINHA AND COUNCIL MEMBER YANKA FOR, UH, CO CO-AUTHORING, UH, FOR, UM, SUPPORTING THIS ITEM BY US BEING A CO-SPONSOR.
UM, TOGETHER WE ARE SETTING PRECEDENTS FOR THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC'S INVESTMENT AND SUPPORT IN THE ARTS TO ENSURE A THRIVING DYNAMIC FUTURE UP FOR OUR CITY.
SO I WANNA THANK THE ARTS COUNCIL OF LONG BEACH FOR YOUR ADVOCACY ON THIS ITEM.
YOUR DEDICATION TO NURTURING AND PROMOTING THE ARTS WITHIN OUR CITY HAS BEEN AND IS SO VALUABLE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR WORK.
I'M HONORED TO PRESENT THE RESOLUTION TO OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZE APRIL AS ARTS CULTURE AND CREATIVITY MONTH IN OUR CITY.
RECOGNIZING THE ARTS FROM AN ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE.
WE UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE NOT JUST A CULTURAL NEED, BUT A NECESSITY.
THE ARTS ARE AN IMPORTANT ECONOMIC FACTOR THAT CONTRIBUTES SIGNIFICANTLY TO OUR LOCAL LONG BEACH ECONOMY AND LA COUNTY ALONE THAT CREATED ECONOMY GENERATED OVER 27 BILLION IN TAX REVENUE AND SUPPORTED NEARLY 1 MILLION JOBS IN 2022.
THIS ECONOMIC IMPACT IS A TESTAMENT TO THE ARTS INTEGRAL ROLE IN OUR COMMUNITY'S PROSPERITY.
AND THIS PRO PROCLAMATION REMINDS US THAT INVESTING IN THE ARTS MEAN INVESTING IN THE ECONOMIC SUCCESS AND THE VITALITY OF LONG BEACH.
FOR EVERY DOLLAR INVESTED IN THE ARTS AND CULTURE SECTOR, THERE IS AN ESTIMATED $8 RETURN ON INVESTMENT.
THIS IS A CLEAR INDICATION OF THE ARTS POWER TO ENRICH OUR LIVES AND DRY ECONOMIC GROWTH AND INNOVATION.
BY PROCLAIMING A BRO AS ARTS, CULTURE AND CREATIVITY MONTH, WE ARE NOT ONLY CELEBRATING THE ARTISTIC AND CULTURAL CONTRIBUTION OF OUR COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO AFFIRM OUR DEDICATION TO INVESTING IN THE ARTS AND THE CREATIVE ECONOMY.
AND I THINK WE JUST SAW A LITTLE EXAMPLE OF THAT EARLIER WITH THE CAMBODIAN NEW YEAR PRESENTATION FROM THE THROT, UM, WHICH IS A GROUP FROM OF THE CAMBODIAN ARIAN CULTURAL CENTER.
UM, AND I HOPE THAT FROM HERE ONWARD, WE'LL CONTINUE TO CELEBRATE IT, UM, FROM THIS, UH, APRIL MONTH ONWARD.
THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER YANGA, FULLY SUPPORTIVE OF, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE EVENTS.
AND, UH, THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER SORROW FOR, FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD.
UH, CITIES INVEST IN ARTS OR CITIES THAT ARE HEALTHY AND THRIVING.
AND WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO PLACE A FOCUS AS LONG BEACH, UH, LOOKS TO, YOU KNOW, DOUBLE DOWN ON OUR ECONOMY AND GROWING NEW AND THE MORE SUSTAINABLE WAYS WE KNOW THAT ARTS CULTURE, TOURISM IS A FOCUS FOR OUR CITY.
WE'VE CREATED A NEW COM CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE FOCUSED ON THAT.
AND AS WE OPEN OUR DOORS TO THE OLYMPICS, YOU KNOW, SEVEN OR MORE EVENTS IN THE NEXT FOUR AND A HALF YEARS.
FOUR, FOUR YEARS IN THE NEXT FOUR YEARS, UH, IT'S COMING UP, RIGHT? YEAH.
UH, WE'LL, UH, RIGHT, WE'LL, UH, WE'LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY COACH, SHOWCASE OUR COMMUNITY.
AND ART IS ONE WAY TO REALLY SHOWCASE THE RICH CULTURAL TAPESTRY OF LONG BEACH TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.
SO WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO.
UH, AND SO THANK YOU FOR, UH, RECOGNIZING APRIL AS ARTS, CULTURAL AND CREATIVITY MONTH.
WE HAVE A NUMBER OF FOLKS SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
UH, YOU HAVE GRISEL DE SUAREZ, GREGORY JOHNSON, MICHELLE BILEY, MARK DAVIDSON, ALEX C. STEELE, AND VALERIE RODRIGUEZ.
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AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL AND STAFF.I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE ARTS COUNCIL FOR LONG BEACH.
I STAND WITH SO MUCH HONOR WITH YOU HERE TODAY, UM, WITH THE WONDERFUL DISPLAY OF ARTS AND CULTURE WE HAD BEFORE US.
UM, AND TO START, UM, THIS MONTH OFF, RIGHT, UM, I WANT TO GIVE A HUGE SHOUT OUT TO COUNCIL MEMBERS SULI, DR.
SULI SORO, UM, AND MARY SIN FOR HELPING US BRING THIS ITEM FORWARD.
RECOGNIZING APRIL AS ARTS AND CULTURE AND CREATIVITY MONTH IS NOT JUST CEREMONIAL.
UH, IT IS A COMMITMENT TO THE VERY HEARTBEAT OF LONG BEACH.
UM, AS MENTIONED, THE ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ARTS, UH, SECTOR IS STAGGERING HERE IN LONG BEACH.
UM, AND IT'S NOT IT'S WORTH REPEATING IN OUR LOCAL REGION.
UH, IN THE LA ECONOMY, WE GENERATED OVER 27 BILLION IN TAX REVENUE AND SUPPORTING NEARLY 1 MILLION JOBS IN 2022.
UM, AS YOUR ARTS COUNCIL, I ALSO WANNA STATE THAT, UH, WITH YOUR SUPPORT AND WITH YOUR ONGOING PARTNERSHIPS AND FUNDING, UM, THE ARTS COUNCIL IS, IS ABLE TO LEVERAGE FUNDS.
AND JUST LAST YEAR, UM, WITH OUR GRANTEES AND WITH OUR ARTISTS, WE INJECTED, UH, $3 MILLION INTO OUR CREATIVE HOUSEHOLDS HERE IN LONG BEACH AND IN THE REGION, OVER $13 MILLION TO THE LOCAL ECONOMY.
UM, AND WE SERVE OVER 17,000 YOUTH WITH, UM, OUR GRANTEES IN PARTNERSHIP AS WE PASS THIS RESOLUTION.
UM, WE WILL CONTINUE TO BE THIS, UH, TO BE WITH THE CITY, UM, ON ANY ARTS AND CULTURE INVESTMENTS.
UM, THESE REPRESENT, UH, PAINTERS, MUSICIANS, ACTORS, MURALISTS, ARTISTS FROM EVERY MEDIUM ACROSS THE SPECTRUM OF THE CREATIVE ARTS.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE AS WELL THE PEOPLE SUPPORTING US TONIGHT HERE IN THIS ROOM.
OUR STAFF AND BOARD MEMBERS PLEASE STAND.
AND WE ALSO HAVE, UH, GRANTEES AND ARTISTS WITH US TONIGHT.
WE HAVE SOME ARTISTS, SOME GRANTEES.
UH, THEY'RE JUST A GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOW WE CAN ALL MAKE TOGETHER A BRIGHTER, MORE CREATIVE CITY.
THANK YOU AGAIN SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
THANK YOU GRISELDA, FOR ALL THAT YOU DO.
GREG JOHNSON, THE BOARD PRESIDENT OF THE ARTS COUNCIL FOR LONG BEACH.
VERY HAPPY AND PRIVILEGED TO, UH, BE A LEADER AMONG OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR, UH, HONORING APRIL AS ARTS AND CREATIVITY MONTH.
AND I JUST WANNA MAKE A COMMENT BEFORE I GO TO MY WRITTEN REMARKS.
AS YOU ALL GO THROUGH YOUR POLITICAL CIRCLES ACROSS THE STATE, UNDERSTAND THAT WHAT I HAVE WITNESSED IS THAT THE ARTS COUNCIL FOR LONG BEACH IS A MODEL ARTS AND CULTURE ORGANIZATION WITHIN THE ENTIRE STATE.
PEOPLE LOOK AT LONG BEACH LIKE, WOW, YOU GUYS ARE REALLY DOING A GINORMOUS JOB IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH TO PROMOTE ARTS AND CULTURE.
AND I THINK JUST WANT TO EXPRESS THE GRATITUDE FOR YOU AS OUR LOCAL CITY GOVERNMENT FOR SUPPORTING THOSE EFFORTS OF THE ARTS COUNCIL FOR LONG BEACH.
I WANNA READ SOME WORDS HERE THAT THEY HAVE ME TO SAY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, UH, FOR
UH, TODAY WE ARE RECOGNIZING APRIL AS ARTS, CULTURE AND CREATIVITY MONTH.
UH, LET'S ACKNOWLEDGE THE, THE ARTS AND CULTURE, UH, MAKES A BETTER PLACE, UH, FOR OUR CITY.
IT'S A BEACON OF INNOVATION, MAN.
I GOT A CHANCE TO MEET AND TALK TO THE GENTLEMAN THAT CREATED THE MARTIN LUTHER KING STATUE JUST TODAY, UH, TO GIVE ME SOME SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO PRESERVE IT.
MURAL MAINTENANCE, PUBLIC ART MAINTENANCE IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT IN OUR CITY.
UH, ECONOMIC, YOU'VE ALREADY HEARD SO MUCH, UH, INFORMATION AND DATA ON THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HERE.
RAISING MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, PRESERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ART AND THE ARTS EDUCATION THAT'S SO IMPORTANT TO OUR CHILDREN, UH, IN OUR AREA.
LONG BEACH IS A BEACON OF CULTURAL INNOVATION.
UH, IT IS, UH, UH, FOR CERTAINLY PROMOTES DIVERSITY, PROFOUND INCLUSION.
THIS IS WHY WE DO ARTS AND CULTURE.
THIS IS WHY WE SUPPORT ARTS AND CULTURE IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH.
KEEP ARTS LIVES 'CAUSE ARTS LIVES MATTER.
UM, MY NAME IS MICHELLE BIERLEY.
I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NONPROFIT PARTNERSHIP.
I'M ALSO CO-CHAIR OF LONG BEACH GIFTS COMING BACK THIS SEPTEMBER.
UM, AND I AM HERE TODAY TO EXPRESS OUR SUPPORT ON BEHALF OF ARTS ORGANIZATIONS AND NONPROFITS FOR THIS AGENDA ITEM.
IN RECOGNIZING APRIL AS ARTS, CULTURE AND CREATIVITY MONTH, UM, IN THE NONPROFIT SECTOR, THE ARTS ARE A POWERFUL TOOL
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FOR SOCIAL CHANGE AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.AND THEY HAVE A UNIQUE ABILITY TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER, TRANSCEND CULTURAL BARRIERS, AND AMPLIFY VOICES THAT ARE OFTEN MARGINALIZED.
NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS THAT FOCUS ON THE ARTS ARE INSTRUMENTAL AND PROMOTING INCLUSIVITY, DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND ENSURING EVERYONE HAS ACCESS TO THE TRANSFORMATIVE, TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION.
AND WE SEE THEM LEAD THE WAY FOR OTHER NONPROFITS IN THIS WORK.
MOREOVER, THE ARTS ARE A DRIVING FORCE IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
UM, TOURISM REVITALIZING NEIGHBORHOODS AND RECOGNIZING ARTS CULTURE AND C CREATIVITY MONTH REALLY REAFFIRMS LONG BEACH'S COMMITMENT TO SUPPORTING THE ARTS, CELEBRATING THEIR PROFOUND IMPACT ON OUR LIVES.
UM, WE ALSO WANNA RECOGNIZE THE ARTS COUNCIL FOR LONG BEACH, GRISELDA AND GREG AND THEIR LEADERSHIP IN ADVOCATING FOR THE ARTS, SUPPORTING ARTS NOT JUST IN LONG BEACH, BUT REGIONWIDE.
AND WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE A LOCAL CHAMPION IN OUR CORNER TO SUPPORT AND FOSTER CREATIVITY.
AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE CITY COUNCIL ADOPTING THIS ITEM AND CELEBRATING THE ARTS AND CULTURES VITAL ROLE, VITAL ROLE IN ENRICHING OUR COMMUNITY.
SO THANK YOU FOR CONSIDERING THIS.
MAYOR, MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL AND STAFF.
I SERVE ON THE BOARD THE ARTS COUNCIL FOR LONG BEACH.
I'M ALSO A RETIRED ARCHITECT AND A MUSICIAN.
SO I'M CONNECTED TO THE ARTS IN, UM, IN A BIG WAY.
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE WITH YOU THE MEASURABLE VALUE OF ART AND CULTURE IN BUILDING AND NURTURING OUR COMMUNITY'S SOUL.
THE ARTS ARE NOT MERELY AN ACCESSORY TO OUR LIVES.
THEY ARE IN NECESSITY PROVIDING SPACES WHERE OUR SPIRITS CAN EXPLORE, CONNECT, AND HEAL.
OUR COMMUNITY THRIVES ON ENGAGEMENT AND IT'S THROUGH THE ARTS THAT WE FIND COMMON GROUND IN UNDERSTANDING AMIDST OUR DIVERSITY, THESE CREATIVE EXPRESSIONS OFFER COMFORT, CHALLENGE OUR PERSPECTIVES AND BRING US TOGETHER IN WAYS THAT FEW OTHER ACTIVITIES CAN.
MOREOVER ARTISTS AND CREATIVE WORKERS SERVE AS A CRITICAL SECOND RESPONDERS FOSTERING RESILIENCE AND RECOVERY THROUGH THEIR WORK.
URGE YOU ALL TO SUPPORT THIS AGENDA ITEM TONIGHT AND LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT LONG BEACH CONTINUES TO BE A LEADER WITHIN THE CREATIVE ECONOMY.
ALRIGHT, NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE.
GOOD EVENING, MR. MAYOR, HONORABLE MEMBERS OF LONG BEACH CITY COUNCIL AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY.
I AM VISUAL ARTIST AND CURRENT MEMBER OF THE TRULY VISIONARY STATE ART PROGRAM CALLED CALIFORNIA CREATIVE CORPS, WHICH IS ADMINISTERED BUT OUR AMAZING ART ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION, ARTS COUNCIL FOR LONG BEACH.
I, FULL-HEARTEDLY SUPPORT THE RESOLUTION TO, UH, TO RECOGNIZE APRIL AS ART, CULTURE AND CREATIVITY.
MONTH ART IS UNIQUELY SIGNIFICANT FOR OUR SOCIETY.
ART IS THE ULTIMATE COMMUNICATION TOOL, PLUGGING DIRECTLY INTO HUMAN'S, HEART AND SOUL.
BECAUSE OF IT, ART CAN HELP US ADDRESS THE HOST OF PRESSING SYSTEMIC CHALLENGES WE FACE AS NOTHING ELSE CAN.
FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE COURSE OF WORKING ON MY AWARD-WINNING LOVE MY NEIGHBOR PROJECT, I COLLABORATED WITH AWESOME AND IMPORTANT LA COUNTY PROGRAM CALLED LA VERSUS HATE.
DURING THIS COLLABORATION, I LEARNED A REMARKABLE STATISTIC OUT OF ALL HATE RELATED INCIDENTS REPORTED IN LA COUNTY.
TODAY, THE SHARE OF THOSE OCCURRING BETWEEN NEIGHBORS IS A STAGGERING OF ONE 90%.
TODAY I'M PROUD TO HAVE MY ARTISTIC WORK AND PROJECT TO BE PART OF OUR COLLECTIVE FIRST RESPONSE.
MUCH LIKE I'M PROUD OF IMPORTANT WORK OF MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES, ART HELPS US PERSEVERE OVER CHALLENGES AND INSPIRES FOR THE ROAD TO FUTURE.
ART WAS AN AN EXPRESSION OF OUR COLLECTIVE RESILIENCE DURING THE PANDEMIC.
AND ART IS AN EXPRESSION OF OUR COMMON VISION FOR GREAT EMBRACING AND DIVERSE FUTURE ART HELPS US BUILD COMMUNITY, INSPIRE COMMUNITIES, AND CONNECT COMMUNITIES.
ART IS THE CREATIVE, A COMMODITY OF THE CREATIVE ECONOMY, WHICH IS IN TURN A NEW ENGINE OF THE ENTIRE GLOBAL ECONOMY.
BY SUPPORTING ARTS, WE WE PRESERVE OUR CREATIVE COMPETITIVENESS AND LEADING CREATIVE POSITION IN THE VERY COMPETITIVE GLOBAL CREATIVE ECONOMY.
RACE ART TODAY IS MUCH MORE OF A CRITICAL PART OF A SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC INFRASTRUCTURE IN OUR SOCIETY THAN EVER BEFORE.
IT IS ALSO PERHAPS THE MOST LOW COST PART OF THIS CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORTING ART
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TODAY IS BOTH RIGHT AND SMART.AND I COMMAND LONG BEACH CITY COUNCIL FOR YOUR VISIONARY SUPPORT FOR THE ARTS.
MY NAME IS VALERIE RODRIGUEZ, UM, REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE OFFICE OF ASSEMBLY MEMBER MIKE GIBSON, WHOM IS ALSO THE CHAIR OF ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT, TOURISM AND SPORTS IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA.
UM, JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT WE IN, WE ARE IN SUPPORT OF ADOPTING APRIL AS A MONTH OF ART AND CULTURE.
UM, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE COUNCIL ALSO ADOPTING THIS AGENDA.
THAT SATISFIES PUBLIC COMMENT.
UH, MEMBERS, PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE.
YOU HAVE A PROCLAMATION TO DECLARE APRIL, UH, ARTS CULTURE AND CREATIVITY MONTH, RIGHT? THAT'S RIGHT.
[23. 24-52873 Recommendation to adopt Specifications No. RFP CM-23-318 and award a contract to ORALE of Long Beach, CA; United Cambodian Community of Long Beach, CA; Filipino Migrant Center of Long Beach, CA; and Al Otro Lado, of Los Angeles, CA, to implement the Long Beach Justice Fund (LBJF) Program and provide legal services, outreach, education, and make program referrals, in an annual aggregate amount not to exceed $800,000, for a period of one year, with the option to renew for two additional one-year periods, at the discretion of the City Manager; and authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute all documents necessary to enter into the contracts, including any necessary subsequent amendments. (Citywide) Office or Department: City Manager Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]
NOT TO EXCEED 800,000 CITYWIDE.WE'LL GO TO STAFF FOR A BRIEF REPORT.
THIS EVENING WE HAVE ALANA GRANT AND TONY ES TO GIVE AN UPDATE.
WELL GOOD EVENING MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.
I'M EXCITED TO JOIN YOU ALL WITH PROGRAM UPDATES ON THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND AS THE ITEM BEFORE YOU SEEKS COUNCIL APPROVAL TO AWARD CONTRACTS FOR ORGANIZATIONS, ONE WHICH WILL RENDER LEGAL SERVICES AND THREE COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS TO PROVIDE OUTREACH AND EDUCATION SERVICES, THUS EXPANDING THE SCOPE OF THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND.
SO TO GROUND THIS PRESENTATION, I JUST WANNA SHARE THE BRIEF DESCRIPTION ON SCREEN AND THAT'S THE, THAT THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND.
HEY, REAL QUICK, IF YOU COULD JUST BRING THE MIC A LITTLE BIT CLOSER.
SO THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND PROVIDES FREE LEGAL REPRESENTATION TO LOW INCOME INDIVIDUALS WHO LIVE OR WORK IN LONG BEACH AND ARE AT RISK OF DEPORTATION, ADHERING TO THE UNIVERSAL REPRESENTATION MODEL, THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND PROVIDES REPRESENTATION TO AS MANY CLIENTS AS THE FUNDING ALLOWS WITHOUT CONDUCTING A PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF THE CASE'S MERITS.
THIS MEANS THAT THE LIKELIHOOD OF THAT CASE WILL
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HAVE A SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME, IS NOT TO BE CONSIDERED UPON REFERRAL OR INTAKE, AND REPRESENTATION SHALL REMAIN CONTINUOUS SPANNING THE INITIAL FILING, SUBSEQUENT PROCEEDINGS THROUGH APPEAL.WHY IS THIS A CRITICAL SERVICE? YOU MAY ASK AND THAT'S BECAUSE THE RIGHT TO COUNSEL IS NOT A PROVISION FOR IMMIGRATION RELATED PROCEEDINGS.
THUS, INDIVIDUALS MUST NAVIGATE THE COMPLICATED EVER CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF IMMIGRATION LAW WITHOUT ADEQUATE REPRESENTATION.
SO, WALKING YOU THROUGH THE PROGRAM'S PROGRESSION, THE LONG BEACH CITY COUNCIL APPROVED A TWO YEAR CONTRACT WITH THE VERA INSTITUTE OF JUSTICE TO ESTABLISH THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND BACK IN 2018.
THIS PARTNERSHIP INCLUDED A $100,000 GRANT FROM VERA AND, UM, $250,000 AND ONE TIME FUNDING FROM THE CITY TO LAUNCH THE PROGRAM.
CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION AND PROGRAM RESPONSIBILITIES WERE THEN TRANS TRANSITIONED OVER TO THE OFFICE OF EQUITY INTO UM, 2021 WITH $300,000 IN STRUCTURAL FUNDING FOR STAFF AND FOR CONTRACT, UM, OUR CONTRACTS FOR LEGAL SERVICES.
IN 2022, THE OFFICE OF EQUITY CONTINUED ITS CONTRACTED REMOVAL DEFENSE SERVICES AND PILOTED COMMUNITY CONNECTION SERVICES WITH THREE LOCAL NONPROFITS.
THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND ALSO RECEIVED $300,000 IN THE RECOVERY FUNDING TO EXPAND THE SCOPE OF LEGAL REPRESENTATION AND OUTREACH SERVICES.
UM, PROGRAM DESIGN TOOK NEARLY TWO YEARS AS OUR OFFICE FACED A LEARNING CURVE RELATED TO EXPANDING THE JUSTICE FUND, WHICH EXPLAINS THE ROLE OVER FUNDING THAT YOU WILL SEE, UM, OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS.
SO THAT'S, UH, FROM 2022 TO 2023 AND NOW, UM, CUMULATIVE AND WHAT'S UNDER 2024.
IN 2023, WE PUBLISHED THE RFP FOR AFFIRMATIVE AND APPELLATE LEGAL REPRESENTATION AND COMMUNITY CONNECTION SERVICES WHILE CONTINUING TO ADMINISTER OUR REMOVAL DEFENSE SERVICES.
AND TONIGHT WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO AWARD THOSE FOUR VENDORS, UM, ESTABLISHING THREE ADDITIONAL SERVICES WITHIN THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND.
SO SINCE THE PROGRAM'S INCEPTION, THE CITY HAS CONTRACTED WITH IMMIGRANT DEFENDERS LAW CENTER FOR REMOVAL DEFENSE LEGAL SERVICES PROVIDING REPRESENTATION TO OVER 70 CLIENTS AND 16 CHILDREN.
OUR PARTNERSHIP CONTINUES TODAY AS 15 CASES HAVE BEEN CLOSED AND 51 REMAIN ONGOING.
RECENTLY, OUR LEGAL SERVICE PROVIDER HAS REPORTED NUMBERS FOR THE OTHER FORMS OF ASSISTANCE THEY'VE FACILITATED.
AND OVER THE LAST YEAR, THE JUSTICE FUND HAS ASSISTED WITH OBTAINING 18 WORK PERMITS.
SO AS YOU LOOK AT THESE NUMBERS, THEY MAY FEEL VERY LOW FOR NEARLY SIX YEARS OF SERVICE.
HOWEVER, WE WANNA REFRAME HOW WE DEFINE SUCCESS FOR THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND, ACKNOWLEDGING THAT MOST CASES CAN SPAN YEARS TO DECADES.
THAT SAID, CONSIDER EACH INDIVIDUAL REPRESENTED AS A HOUSEHOLD OR A FAMILY.
OUR IMPACT CAN BE MEASURED QUALITATIVELY IN TIME, THE PRESERVATION OF FAMILIES, THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN, JOB STABILIZATION AND LINKAGE TO OTHER SERVICES.
ON THE FAR RIGHT OF THE SCREEN IS A TABLE THAT OUTLINES THE FY 24 BUDGET ALLOTMENTS FOR THE OPERATIONAL COSTS OF THE JUSTICE FUND THIS YEAR.
FIRST YOU SEE OUR STRUCTURAL FUNDING, WHICH GOES TOWARDS OUR ANNUAL COSTS FOR REMOVAL DEFENSE SERVICES.
NEXT, WE HAVE $500,000 IN ONE-TIME FUNDING THAT WILL COVER THE CONTRACTED SERVICES OUTLINED IN TONIGHT'S COUNCIL AGENDA.
FINALLY, WE HAVE, UM, $700,000 IN RECOVERY ACT FUNDING ALLOCATED TO SUPPORT THE EXPANDED SERVICES FOR LEGAL REPRESENTATION, COMMUNITY CONNECTION, AND OUR SUB-PROGRAM TO BASIC NEEDS SERVICES.
RECOGNIZING THE CRITICAL ROLE OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS PLAY IN INFORMING THE PUBLIC, OUR IMMIGRANT AND UNDOCUMENTED COMMUNITY MEMBERS ABOUT THE JUSTICE FUND.
MORE THAN 170 INDIVIDUALS HAVE BEEN REFERRED TO THE JUSTICE FUND, MANY OF WHOM WERE REFERRED OR CONNECTED TO OTHER SERVICES AND PROGRAMS. UM, DUE TO NOT MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE JUSTICE FUND NEEDING LEGAL SERVICES OTHER THAN REMOVAL DEFENSE, OR DUE TO THE WORKLOAD CONSTRAINTS OF OUR LEGAL SERVICE PROVIDER.
ALL OF THIS, UH, PROVIDES REASON FOR EXPANDING THE SCOPE OF SERVICES WITHIN THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND.
UM, BECAUSE MANY OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE AMONG THOSE FACING DEPORTATION OR AT RISK HAVE VALID LEGAL CLAIMS TO REMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES.
UM, AND THEY NEED LEGAL SUPPORT WITH GATHERING THE NECESSARY EVIDENCE, NAVIGATING THE AFFIRMATIVE RELIEF PROCESSES, AND FILING APPEALS AND MOTIONS TO REOPEN.
ANECDOTALLY, WE'VE ALSO HEARD FROM OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS THAT THERE'S BEEN AN INCREASE IN THE REQUEST FOR OTHER TYPES OF LEGAL REPRESENTATION.
SO TO THAT END, UH, WE ARE PREPARED TO BOLSTER THE JUSTICE FUND WITH THE SERVICES YOU SEE ON SCREEN.
AFFIRMATIVE LEGAL REPRESENTATION PROVIDES ASSISTANCE WITH AFFIRMATIVE APPLICATIONS FOR STATUS SUCH AS U VISAS, T VISAS, AND V APPLICATIONS.
APPELLATE LEGAL REPRESENTATION PROVIDES ASSISTANCE WITH FILING MOTIONS TO REOPEN TO THE BOARD OF IMMIGRANT APPEALS PETITIONS FOR REVIEW AND MOTIONS FOR STAYS OF REMOVAL WITH THE NINTH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS.
AND THEN COMMUNITY CONNECTION SERVICES WILL PROVIDE OUTREACH AND EDUCATION
[01:05:01]
ON THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND, MAKING DIRECT REFERRALS TO THE LEGAL SERVICE PROVIDERS, UM, AND ALSO OTHER COMPREHENSIVE SUPPORTIVE SERVICES.OUR GOALS FOR THE JUSTICE FUND INCLUDE REDUCING THE NUMBER OF LONG BEACH FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES IMPACTED BY DEPORTATION, INCREASING THE PREVENTATIVE MEASURES FOR RESIDENTS WHO COULD BE SUB SUBJECT TO DEPORTATION, INCREASING COMMUNITY ACCESS TO LEGAL SERVICES, UH, FOR OTHER FORMS OF RELIEF AND PATHWAYS TO STATUS, IMPROVING CONNECTION TO SUPPORTIVE SERVICES FOR LOW INCOME, UNDOCUMENTED LONG BEACH RESIDENTS, STRENGTHENING THE SOCIAL SERVICE NET OF BASIC NEEDS, RESOURCES AND PROVIDERS AVAILABLE TO IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES OF VARYING STATUS.
AND FINALLY, IMPROVING THE CONNECTION TO OTHER IMMIGRATION LEGAL SERVICES AND PROGRAMS. SO WITH YOUR APPROVAL TONIGHT, THE CITY WILL AWARD COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS, UH, SERVICE PROVIDER CONTRACTS TO RALE THE UNITED CAMBODIAN COMMUNITY AND THE FILIPINO MIGRANT CENTER, AND A CONTRACT FOR AFFIRMATIVE AND APPELLATE LEGAL SERVICES TO ALDO.
AND THE AMOUNT YOU SEE ON SCREEN, THESE CONTRACTS WILL BE FUNDED BY THE LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT AND ONE TIMES ALLOCATED TO THE JUSTICE FUND AND WILL NOT EXCEED $800,000.
THIS CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
ALRIGHT, WELL THANK YOU TO, UH, ALANA, OUR EQUITY OFFICER IN LONG BEACH FOR THAT PRESENTATION.
I, I PARTICULARLY, UH, APPRECIATE THE FRAMING OF LOOK AT THESE NUMBERS AS FAMILIES.
UH, THAT MAKES A WHOLE LOT OF SENSE AND LETTING PEOPLE KNOW THAT SOMETIMES THESE CASES TAKE MANY, MANY YEARS BECAUSE OF THE COMPLEX AND SHIFTING, UH, LEGISLATIVE ENVIRONMENT AROUND, UH, IMMIGRATION.
AND SO I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE PUBLIC TO KNOW.
UH, I'M ALSO GLAD TO SEE THAT THE SCOPE HAS EXPANDED AS WE'VE LEARNED THAT AGAIN, THE ISSUES ARE, ARE VERY COMPLEX.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT CONTEXT.
WE'RE GONNA GO TO THE COUNCIL, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER SORROW.
AND I ALSO WANNA ADD MY THANKS TO ALANA, UM, FOR THE PRESENTATION AND ALSO STAFF IN THE OFFICE OF EQUITY ON YOUR HARD WORK ON THIS.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S AMAZING THAT IT STARTED IN 2018 AND HOW MUCH IT'S GROWN IN SERVICES OVER THE YEAR, WHICH I THINK REALLY JUST DEMONSTRATE THE NEED AND JUST WANNA THANK THE ORGANIZATION WHO HAD BEEN INVOLVED FROM THE BEGINNING TO OUR CURRENT GRANTEES THAT ARE, UM, ARE, THAT HAVE BEEN AWARDED CONTRACT, EXCUSE ME, UH, CURRENT ORGANIZATION THAT BEEN AWARDED CONTRACTS, OLAY UNITED, CAMBODIA COMMUNITY, FILIPINO MIGRANT CENT, UH, CENTER, AS WELL AS RO UM, TO THANK THEM FOR THE WORK THAT THEY'LL BE DOING.
AND LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING UPDATES ON HOW THAT GOES.
UM, THANK YOU TEAM FOR THE PRESENTATION AND THE CLARIFICATIONS.
UM, WE HEAR A LOT ABOUT THIS DURING THE BUDGET CYCLE, SO HAVING IT SPELLED OUT, UH, SO CLEARLY FOR THE PUBLIC IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
I APPRECIATE YOU DOING THAT HERE TONIGHT.
UM, AND I APPRECIATE THE FAMILY FOCUSED WORK.
WE, SO WE'VE CELEBRATED YOUNG CHILDREN TONIGHT AND WE KNOW THAT WHEN ONE MEMBER OF A FAMILY IS STRUGGLING, IT IMPACTS THE WHOLE ECOSYSTEM.
MAYBE NOT EVEN JUST THAT FAMILY, BUT EXTENDED FAMILY AND NEIGHBORS AND NEIGHBORHOODS.
SO THANK YOU FOR THE EXPANSION OF THE FOCUS AND THE WORK AND I LOOK FORWARD TO THE WORK THAT, UH, THESE AWARDEES WILL BE DOING.
I ALSO, I JUST THANK YOU AND I, I TELL YOU EVEN THE AMOUNTS THAT ARE GOING, I KNOW THERE'S SO MUCH NEED IN, UM, IN OUR, UH, IN OUR CITY FOR HELP.
AND SO, UM, I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, IN THE FUTURE I'D EVEN LIKE TO SEE US PRIORITIZE THIS EVEN MORE.
UM, BUT I DO HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU.
SO I HAVE HAD, UM, CONSTITUENTS ASK ME AS, UH, I'M, YOU KNOW, I'VE LOOKED AT YOUR WEBSITE, HOW PEOPLE CAN GET AHOLD OF YOU OR HOW PEOPLE CAN USE THOSE SERVICES.
AND ON OUR CITY WEBSITE IT'S MAINLY LIKE DONATION, LIKE DONATE TO IT.
SO HOW DO PEOPLE, IF THEY, IF THEY WANNA USE THESE SERVICES, 'CAUSE YOU CAN'T GET, YOU CAN'T GET ANY INFORMATION ON THE CITY WEBSITE.
HOW WOULD PEOPLE GET IN TOUCH, UH, WITH ANY OF THESE FOLKS THAT HAVE BEEN AWARDED IF THEY, IF THEY WANT TO SEE ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY TO HAVE ANY, TO GET ANY HELP? THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.
SO OUR OFFICE IS, UH, STILL ON, IT'S UNDER, UM, IN PROGRESS TO DEVELOP A NEW WEBSITE.
UM, IN THE MEANTIME, DIRECT EMAILS TO THE, THE OFFICE OF EQUITY OR THE NONPROFITS LISTED THAT WILL BE, UH, CONTRACTORS CAN ALL MAKE THOSE DIRECT, UH, REFERRALS TO THE LEGAL SERVICE PROVIDER.
UM, AND WE HAVE AN ONLINE PORTAL THAT WE, UM, SHARE THAT INFORMATION WITH THE, THE LEGAL SERVICE PROVIDER FOR INTAKE.
MAYBE MY OFFICE CAN WORK WITH YOU AND TRY TO GET THOSE CONTACTS.
[01:10:01]
STILL LEARNING THIS SYSTEM.UH, I WANTED TO, YES, I EXPRESS THAT DURING MY PARTICIPATION ON THE BUDGET COMMITTEE EVERY YEAR WE MAKE SURE THAT THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED AND THAT IT INCLUDES ADDITIONAL FUNDS AS A NEED CONTINUALLY GROWS EVERY YEAR.
WE'LL GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT NOW.
WE HAVE FIVE MEMBERS OF THE FIVE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC SIGNED UP TO SPEAK.
ERIC GARCIA, GABBY HERNANDEZ, MARIBEL CRUZ, MARIA LOPEZ AND GABRIEL PEREZ.
WHAT'S UP Y'ALL? UH, ERIC GARCIA WITH, UH,
AND JUST TO SPEAK TO THE TIME, I'M SOMEBODY WHO ACTIVELY FOUGHT DEPORTATION FOR 10 YEARS AND, UH, AS A RESULT OF ATTORNEY FRAUD.
AND I'M STILL TECHNICALLY SPEAKING IN DEPORTATION PROCEEDINGS.
AND SO THE, THE JUSTICE FUND MEANS FOR ME THAT THERE ARE TRUSTED LAWYERS AND TRUSTED CONNECTORS HELPING PEOPLE, UH, GET THE HELP THEY NEED.
AND NOT ONLY SHOULD THIS COUNCIL PROVE THE CONTRACTS TODAY, BUT Y'ALL SHOULD BE TALKING ABOUT MORE WAYS TO EXPAND THE SERVICES LIKE WE DID LAST YEAR WITH AWA U VISA AND TV VISA, WHICH I'M PLEASED TO HEAR Y'ALL ARE ALREADY THINKING ABOUT THAT.
UH, WITH ELECTION, SHE ELECTION SEASON COMING UP, WE KNOW IMMIGRANTS ARE EITHER SCAPEGOATED FOR THE WORST OF USS PROBLEMS OR PANDERED TO WITH FALSE PROMISES.
AND I THINK REGARDLESS OF HOW THAT CONVERSATION GOES AND UNFOLDS THIS YEAR, THE CITY OF LONG BEACH HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SOLIDIFY ITS COMMITMENT AND CEMENT A LEGACY THAT AIMS TO INTEGRATE IMMIGRANTS INTO THE MAKEUP OF THE CITY BY MAKING SURE THE FUNDING IS STRUCTURAL GOING DOWN, UH, DOWN THE LINE.
UM, GABRIEL HERNANDEZ, UH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR ORLE.
I'M JUST REALLY HAPPY TO SEE THE CONVERSATION TODAY AND HEAR Y'ALL SPEAK ABOUT THE JUSTICE FUND.
IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME, YOU KNOW, SINCE 2018.
ORLE, FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE LONG BEACH IMMIGRANT RIGHTS COALITION WAS THERE FROM THE BEGINNING.
AND SO IT REALLY, REALLY MAKES MY HEART REALLY HAPPY TO HEAR Y'ALL TALK ABOUT THE JUSTICE FUND IN THIS WAY AND TO TALK ABOUT SUCCESS IN THE WAY THAT WE HAVE.
UM, 'CAUSE AS ALANA MENTIONED, UM, THE JUSTICE FUND IS REALLY SERVING PEOPLE AND FAMILIES AND STOPPING FAMILY SEPARATION AND LONG BEACH IS REALLY LEADING THE WAY.
AND I WANT YOU TO LIKE LET THAT SINK IN FOR A LITTLE BIT.
NOT A LOT OF CITIES ARE DOING WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE WITH THE EXPANSION OF SERVICES, SO PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THAT WE'RE LEADING THE WAY AND WE CAN CONTINUE TO DO THAT BY ENSURING THAT WE HAVE STRUCTURAL FUNDING, UM, FOR YEARS TO COME.
BUT I ALSO WANTED TO SHARE A QUOTE FROM SOMEONE THAT HAS BEEN BENEFITED BY THE JUSTICE FUND.
AND HE SAYS THE LONGEST JUSTICE FUND HAS BEEN A LIFELINE FOR ME AND MY FAMILY, PROVIDING THE SUPPORT AND RESOURCES WE NEEDED DURING CHALLENGING TIMES.
IF NOT FOR THE JUSTICE FUND, I WOULD HAVE BEEN SEPARATED FROM MY FAMILY, FROM MY GRANDCHILDREN.
THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND CREATES A BEACON FOR HOPE AND A TESTAMENT, UH, AND A TESTAMENT TO THE COMMUNITY'S COMMITMENT TO FAIRNESS AND JUSTICE.
SO THAT'S REALLY, THIS IS REALLY WHAT THE JUSTICE FUND MEANS TO COMMUNITY FOLKS.
AND, UH, SOLANA MENTIONED, UM, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF REFERRALS TO THE JUSTICE FUND AND THE MAJORITY OF THEM HAVE COME FROM
WE ARE IN, YOU KNOW, AND TO ADDRESS YOUR QUESTION, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER ALLEN, YOU CAN LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT THEY CAN REACH OUT TO OUR OFFICES AND WE'RE ABLE TO DO THE REFERRALS FOR FOLKS.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, YOU CAN REACH OUT TO US, YOU CAN EMAIL ME GA ORLE.ORG AND WE MAKE SURE THAT WE GET PEOPLE REFER TO THE JUSTICE FUND.
WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS EXPANSION.
UM, 'CAUSE IT'S REALLY GONNA BE ABLE TO SUPPORT WAY MORE PEOPLE, UM, THAT ARE, HAVE BEEN VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE IN THE PAST.
AND SO I, I'M EXCITED FOR THIS EXPANSION AND I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO Y'ALL'S COMMITMENT AND THIS BUDGET CYCLE TO ENSURE THAT THIS DOESN'T STOP THIS YEAR AND WE'RE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO THE YEARS TO COME.
THANKS FOR THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
MY NAME IS MARIBEL CRUZ, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR WITH RE AS UNDOCUMENTED PEOPLE, THERE ARE TWO THINGS THAT WE DON'T HAVE.
THE JUSTICE ONE IS THE ONE THING THAT THIS CITY HAS THAT HAS MADE A DIRECT POSITIVE IMPACT ON IMMIGRANT FAMILIES.
FREE LEGAL REPRESENTATION MEANS A POSSIBILITY OF SAFETY AND STABILITY.
FIRST OF ALL, I WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND IN THE PAST.
YOU ALL NOW HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE LOCAL FAMILIES WITH A PERMANENT PROGRAM THAT CAN CHANGE PEOPLE'S LIVES.
THIS IS WHY THE JUSTICE FUND NEEDS TO BE STRUCTURAL IN THE CITY BUDGET.
THE JUSTICE FUND IS HOPE AND THE POSSIBILITY OF SAFETY FOR THOSE OF US WHO FOR DECADES HAVE LIVED WITH THE FEAR OF DEPORTATION.
[01:15:01]
NEXT MARIA, UH, HONORABLE COUNCIL, MEMBERS AND MAYORS.I'M UNDOCUMENTED, UNAFRAID AND UNAPOLOGETIC.
I MIGRATED TO LONG BEACH AT THE AGE OF FOUR AND I RESIDE IN DISTRICT ONE.
I NOW ORGANIZE TENANTS COACH SOCCER AND I'M A PROUD MEMBER OF THE SELECTION COMMITTEE FOR THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND.
I HAVE LIVED IN LONG BEACH OVER 20 YEARS, AND THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND IS ONE OF THE GREATEST, THE GREATEST CREATIONS BIRTHED BETWEEN COMMUNITY AND THIS COUNCIL.
IN 2008, BEFORE THE LONG BEACH JUSTICE FUND EVER EXISTED MY FAMILY AND I EXPERIENCED A DEPORTATION OF MY OLDER BROTHER.
MY MOTHER TO THIS DAY HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO HUG HER SON.
HIS DAUGHTER IS NOW A TEENAGER WHO WAS FORCED TO GROW UP WITHOUT A FATHER.
DEPORTATIONS HAVE LASTING IMPACTS AND ARE NOT SOLUTIONS.
I, UH, ALSO WANT TO THANK ALANA, TONY, ABRAHAM, AND ALL THE OTHER SELECTION COMMITTEE MEMBERS FOR ALL THAT IT TOOK TO GET HERE.
YOU CAN SEE THAT IT TOOK A LOT OF HARD WORK, A LOT OF PAIN, AND A LOT OF COMMUNITY TO GET HERE, UM, FOR MY EXPRESSION.
AND SO I WANNA CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE FOR MORE STRUCTURAL FUNDING SO THAT THIS LIFE CHANGING SERVICE CAN CONTINUE AND SO THAT MORE LONG LEGAL SERVICE PROVIDERS CAN COME TO LONG BEACH AND OPEN UP THEIR OFFICES TO PROVIDE SERVICES LIKE THESE TO OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND HOPEFULLY TO ALL OF OUR FAMILIES.
I'M AN ORGANIZER WITH LANE'S LONG BEACH FOR A JUST ECONOMY CAMPAIGN.
ON BEHALF OF THE JUSTICE FUND COALITION, WE APPRECIATE THE CITY'S EFFORTS TO PRIORITIZE THE NEEDS OF LONG BEACH'S UNDOCUMENTED COMMUNITY.
WE, UH, AS WE SAW, UM, IN A ALLOTS PRESENTATION, THIS RECENT EXPANSION, WHICH WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT, ALLOWED FOR KEY EXPANSIONS TO LEGAL SERVICES AND RESOURCES, UH, ADDRESSES THE CHALLENGES TO IMPLEMENTATION AND WILL BRING US CLOSER, HOPEFULLY, TO A STRONGER, MORE COMPREHENSIVE VISION OF I OF IMMIGRANT ADVOCACY.
I JUST WANT TO EMPHASIZE AGAIN, THE IMPORTANCE OF INVESTING IN PROGRAMS THAT VALUE AND PROTECT OUR MOST VULNERABLE, ESPECIALLY, ESPECIALLY IN A CITY WHOSE ECONOMIC HEALTH AND CULTURAL IDENTITY RELIES SO HEAVILY ON THE IMMIGRANTS THAT MAKE LONG BEACH RUN AND CALL IT HOME.
PUBLICLY FUNDED PROGRAMS LIKE THIS GIVE WORKING CLASS COMMUNITIES OF COLOR A FIGHTING CHANCE WHEN FORCED TO NAVIGATE AN IMPOSSIBLY COMPLICATED LEGAL SYSTEM AND FACE A THREAT OF SEPARATION FROM THEIR HOMES AND LOVED ONES.
WE ALL DESERVE TO LIVE AND THRIVE WITHOUT FEAR AND UNCERTAINTY.
THE RECENT EXPANSION WILL BRING US CLOSER TO MAKING THIS A REALITY FOR LONG BEACH'S UNDOCUMENTED COMMUNITY.
SO WE URGE THE COUNCIL TO SEE THIS VISION OF ADVOCACY THROUGH, BY AWARDING THE PROPOSED CONTRACTS AND ALSO EXPLORING OPTIONS TO CONTINUE EXPANDING THE SCOPE OF THE JUSTICE FUND AND ULTIMATELY, ULTIMATELY MAKE CRUCIAL PROGRAMS LIKE THESE STRUCTURAL IN THE FUTURE.
WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE PUBLIC FOR COMING OUT AND SPEAKING.
THANK YOU STAFF FOR THAT, UH, REPORT.
MEMBERS, PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE.
WE'LL NOW GO TO GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT NUMBER ONE.
WE HAVE SIX MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC SIGNED UP TO SPEAK.
MELISSA REIKI, DONNA YOUNG, JEWELLE SMITH
[ PUBLIC COMMENT: OBTAIN SPEAKER CARD FROM THE CITY CLERK Opportunity to address the City Council (on non-agenda items) is given to the first 10 persons who submit Speaker Cards to the City Clerk beginning at 15 minutes prior to 5:00 p.m. Each speaker is allowed three minutes to make their comments. ]
DOUGLAS CHAMPION THEODORE CARUTHERS TO THIRD, AND JOHN KENDRICK, STARTING WITH MELISSA.THANKS FOR LISTENING LAST WEEK TO THE REQUESTS AND CHA CHALLENGES OF THE SR, UH, STR ORDINANCE, SHORT TERM RENTAL ORDINANCE AND ENFORCEMENT ISSUES.
I'M BACK THIS AFTERNOON BECAUSE I WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT THE CONTINUING NUISANCE THAT THE STR HAS CREATED.
AFTER THE LAST COUNCIL MEETING, AGAIN, A VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN FRONT OF MY GARAGE FROM A CUSTOMER AT THE SHORT-TERM RENTAL.
THE CUSTOMER ADMITTED TO BLOCKING MY ACCESS, BUT WENT ABOUT THEIR BUSINESS CLEANING OUT THEIR CAR.
AND I HAVE A PICTURE OF THIS, BUT IT'S INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE.
DESPITE THE CONTINUING NU NUISANCE, THERE IS NO CITATION.
THERE'S NO STRIKE BECAUSE IT'S NOT POSSIBLE FOR ONE PERSON IN CO CODE ENFORCEMENT, MUCH LESS TWO OR THREE TO BE ON SITE TAKING THE NECESSARY PICTURES.
SO MY FAMILY AND I, MY FAMILY WHO YOU MET LAST WEEK, AND I ARE LIVING WITH AN ONGOING NUISANCE AND SAFETY CONCERNS, AND THERE'S NO PEACE IN MY ECOSYSTEM.
LAST WEEK I TOLD YOU ABOUT A PARTY AT A SHORT-TERM RENTAL.
DESPITE TWO OFFICERS BEING THERE FOR
[01:20:01]
MORE THAN AN HOUR, THERE'S NO POLICE REPORT THUS FAR.AND THEREFORE, THERE'S NO STRIKE.
WHEN A SPEAKER MISSTATED THE AMOUNT OF REVENUE THAT SHORT-TERM RENTALS GENERATED LAST YEAR, YOU, THE MAYOR, RESPONDED, I WISH, MEANING THAT YOU WISH SHORT-TERM RENTALS GENERATE THAT MUCH MONEY.
HOW ABOUT YOU STAND BY YOUR CAMPAIGN PROMISE AND I WILL QUOTE YOU.
LET'S WORK TOGETHER TO BUILD A LONG BEACH WHERE EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD AND RESIDENT IS HEALTHY, SAFE, AND THRIVING.
I DID NOT COME HERE JUST TO COMPLAIN.
HOWEVER, I AM HERE JUST TO MAKE A FEW SUGGESTIONS.
WHEN YOU REVISE THE ORDINANCE, PLEASE GIVE CONSIDERATION TO THE CENSUS TRACK.
IT'S NOT AN ACCURATE MEASURE OF NEIGHBORHOODS ACCEPTING OR REJECTING.
A SHORT-TERM RENTAL HOMEOWNERS WITHIN THE, WITHIN THE SAME BLOCK OF THE STR ARE IMPACTED BY IT RATHER THAN HOMEOWNERS BLOCKS AWAY.
CONSIDERING THE PETITION PROCESS, MAYBE IT SHOULD BE 50% OF RESPONDERS, NOT 50% OF THE CENSUS TRACK.
MANY ARE APATHETIC AS EVIDENT BY THE LOW VOTER TURNOUT.
PLEASE CONSIDER RESTRICTING CUSTOMERS FROM SMOKING ANY SUBSTANCE OR VAPING WITHIN 500 FEET OF NEIGHBOR'S PROPERTY.
WHY SHOULD I BE EXPOSED TO SO MUCH SECONDHAND SMOKE? AN ORDINANCE SHOULD BE MUCH STRONGER IN THE CASE OF VIOLENCE OR POLICE ENFORCEMENT.
YOU'RE PUTTING ME IN HARM'S WAY BECAUSE WE NEED TWO VIOLENT INCIDENCES BEFORE YOU'LL RESTRICT THE PERMIT.
THE CITY COLLECTS OCCUPANCY TAX AND IS ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR ADMINISTERING THE PETITION TO RESTRICT, AND THAT'S A CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
FURTHER, I AM ALARMED THAT ONE OF YOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS HAS OPERATED IN AIRBNB.
THIS IS ALSO A CLEAR CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
LOOK AT THE CITIES OF LONG, LONG BEACH.
WHEN YOU CONSIDER WHAT YOU'RE DOING, PLEASE RESTRICT THE SHORT TERM RENTALS TO HOSTED ONLY.
ALRIGHT, OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DONNA YOUNG.
MR. MAYOR TO THE CITY COUNCIL OF DIOCESE, SAY HER NAME, SOLI SORO, COUNCILWOMAN OF DISTRICT SIX.
WE MUST BE THE CHANGE THAT WE WANT TO SEE AND HOPE THAT THE INDIVIDUALS WE VOTE FOR BELIEVE IN OUR JOURNEY AS WELL.
TRUST IS A NOUN THAT IT'S ALWAYS SEEMS TO BE USED AND ABUSED WITHIN THE BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES, BY THE COUNCIL PERSON WHO PLEDGES TO ASSIST AND SUPPORT THEIR CONSTITUENTS ONLY WHEN THEY NEED OUR VOTES.
COUNCILWOMAN SOLI SORROW IS TIME TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE OBVIOUS MESSAGE FROM OUR COMMUNITY, YOUR DISTRICT SIX VOTERS.
WE ARE EXHAUSTED WITH DELAYS, FALSE PROMISES IN A CAMPAIGN THAT IS FEATURED ONLY TO TOKEN OPPOSITION.
IT RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR LEADERSHIP, YOUR TRUST, YOUR TRANSPARENCY AND TRUTH INTENTIONS, AND IF YOU EVEN CONSIDERED OR ARE WILLING TO, UH, DELIVER ON YOUR CAMPAIGN PROMISES INCLUSIVE TO ALL ETHNICITY GROUPS.
MR. MAYOR, THERE SEEMS TO BE AN IMMEDIATE CRISIS AT HAND.
DISTRICT SIX RECEIVE AN $8.5 MILLION GRANT EARMARK FOR PARKS PLUS AN ADDITIONAL 100, EXCUSE ME, $1 MILLION FUNDED FROM THE LA COUNTY MEASURE A AND ALSO $1 MILLION FROM THE CITY OF LONG BEACH.
ELEVATED 28 PROGRAM, TOTALING $10.5 MILLION TO RENOVATE DISTRICT SIX PARKS.
THERE ARE 166 PARKS IN THE WHOLE CITY OF LONG BEACH.
11 OF THOSE PARKS ARE WITHIN DISTRICT SIX, ERNEST MCBRIDE PARK, ROSA PARKS, MARTIN LUTHER KING PARK, LOCUST PARK OFFICER DARRELL W BLACK MEMORIAL PARK, FELLOWSHIP PARK, NAACP, FREEDOM PARK, JENNY RIVERA MEMORIAL PARK, ROT, UH, ROTARY, CENTENNIAL PARK, PEACE PARK.
BY THE WAY, WHOSE SIGNAGE IS MISSING DUE TO THEFT? AND OF COURSE, MACARTHUR PARK.
PER MY MATHEMATIC CALCULATIONS, MR. MARIN, 954.54.
$5,450 SHOULD HAVE BEEN ALLOCATED FOR EACH PARK, DEPENDING ON THE SIZE AND THE FACELIFT FOR EACH LOCATION.
AFTER THE FACELIFT OF DISTRICT SIX PARKS, EACH ONE WOULD OFFER ITS OWN UNIQUE CHARM PROVIDING LASTING MEMORIES FILLED WITH JOY, LOVE, AND COMMUNITY GATHERINGS FURTHER CREATING ATTRACTIONS, MAKING IT A DREAM DESTINATION FOR VISITORS OF ALL AGES BECAUSE OF THEIR ENCHANTING RENOVATION.
THIS PARTICULAR GRANT MONEY WAS ALLOCATED FOR 11 PARKS.
IT WAS DOCUMENTED, HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED PER, UH, COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR MEGAN KING AT THE LONG BEACH CITY AUDITOR'S OFFICE.
AND THAT BEING ACKNOWLEDGED, WHO GAVE THE AUTHOR AUTHORIZATION MR. MAYOR, TO USE THE ENTIRE $10.5 MILLION ON A MACARTHUR PARK FACELIFT? IS THIS COUNCILWOMAN SULI SORROW DISTRICT
[01:25:01]
SIX PAID A PLAY OPTION, HUH? COUNCILWOMAN SU UH, SULI SORROW LACKS CREDIBILITY AND HER ACTIONS OF TRUSTWORTHINESS ARE PERSONALLY NOTED BY ME.MA'AM, YOUR TIMES CONCLUDED, UH, CANDIDATE'S STATEMENTS IN HER BALLOT VOTING, VOTING BALLOT, UH, BOOKLET FROM DISTRICT SIX, MY ACCOMPLISHMENT, MA SHE TOOK, UH, CREDIT FOR MA'AM, YOU THREE MINUTES.
IN CLOSING OUR, UH, COMMUNITY DEMANDS YOU LISTED TO OUR VOICES AND PROVIDE PRECISE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THE GRANT.
THE MICROPHONE'S NO LONGER ON.
I WOULD LIKE TO LEAVE THIS, THESE DOCUMENTS WITH YOU FOR FURTHER, UH, REVIEW.
FEEL FREE TO HAND 'EM TO THE CLERK.
I HAVE A SET OF DOCUMENTS FOR YOU AS WELL.
WHO GETS THESE? HAND 'EM TO THE CLERK.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JEWEL SMITH.
UM, HELLO, MY NAME IS JULES SMITH AND I RESIDE IN THE SISTER, UH, SIXTH DISTRICT.
SAY HER NAME, SULY SORROW COUNCILWOMAN SIXTH DISTRICT.
I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND AND KNOW THAT THE SIXTH DISTRICT IS A HOT MESS.
LONG BEACH IS VERY DEAR TO ME, AND I HAVE SENTIMENTAL TIES TO THE SIXTH DISTRICT.
UM, THE HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT AT 1698.
MARTIN LUTHER KING JUNIOR AVENUE IN LONG BEACH NEEDS TO BE CLEANED UP AND MAINTAINED.
THERE'S A SURGE OF VISIBLE HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT, TENTS AND FIRES PITS SET UP THE CORNER OF THE STREET ON THE 1000 TO 1100 BLOCK OF EAST 16TH STREET.
THIS ENCROACHMENT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO COUNCIL A WOMEN'S SIRLY SORROW ATTENTION ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS TO NO BILLABLE.
INSTEAD, OR, UM, COMMUNITY HAS ENDURED RELATIVE ATORY BEHAVIOR FROM THE ENCAMPMENTS.
THERE HAVE BEEN BREAK-INS OF PEOPLE'S HOMES, UM, WHICH INCLUDES PHYSICAL AND VERBAL ALTERCATIONS.
OUR VEHICLES ARE BROKEN INTO CONTINUOUSLY EVERY NIGHT AND VANDALIZED HOME BURGLARIZED ITEMS STOLEN FROM OUR YARDS AND GARAGES.
TRASH CANS EMPTIED ARE STOLEN AND IDENTITY THEFT WHEN OUR MAIL IS STOLEN FROM OUR MAILBOXES.
UM, I WOULD LIKE FOR, UH, COUNCILMAN SULI SORO TO, YOU KNOW, WALK AROUND SIX DISTRICT, TAKE A LOOK AT THE WHOLE SIXTH DISTRICT.
IT'S, IT'S HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS.
THERE'S, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE LIVING IN BUSHES.
OUR KIDS ARE NOT SAFE WALKING THE STREETS OF THE SIXTH DISTRICT, GOING TO POLY HIGH SCHOOL ROOSEVELT.
UM, WE REALLY NEED TO, YOU KNOW, DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS.
AND I WOULD IMPEDE YOU TO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVE, IF YOU WANT OUR NUMBERS TO CALL US, YOU KNOW, TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO GO FURTHER.
WE WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DOUGLAS CHAMPION.
I, I MOVE A LITTLE SLOW, BUT I'M MOVING.
I WENT LONG BEACH POLY, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION.
MS. STERLING, YOU SAT ON MY PORCH WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED RUNNING FOR OUR V DISTRICT.
WE SAT AND WE TALKED IN MY LIVING ROOM.
THE THINGS THAT YOU TOLD ME HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN DONE YET.
AND I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THAT.
YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU CAN SAY, WELL, WE'RE WORKING ON IT.
I, I'M TIRED OF WORKING ON IT.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE TAKE A LOT OF THINGS IN OUR OWN HANDS.
LIKE RIGHT NOW, YOU ABOUT TO GET A NEW PARK OVER MACARTHUR, THAT'S FINE.
I GOT THE SAME TOILETS EVERY TIME I GO AND SIT.
SO I NEED YOU TO FIX, GET NEW TOILETS IN THERE SO WE DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT.
WE NEED NEW TREADMILLS IN THERE.
I KNOW YOU'LL MOVE THE OFFICER ONCE YOU GET YOUR PARK OVER AT MACARTHUR.
SO WE CALL IT USED TO SAY WHITE FLIGHT.
WE COULD CALL IT CAMBODIAN FLIGHT.
SO WHAT I'M TRYING TO TELL YOU, I DON'T CARE WHERE YOU GO FIX MCBRIDE PARK.
SO WE CAN STILL HAVE OUR EVENTS IN THE PARK.
WE'LL HAVE TOILET THAT, THAT ARE CLEAN AND WE CAN SIT THERE AND HAVE TREADMILLS AND THINGS.
WE DON'T EVEN HAVE RACKS IN THE, IN THE STALLS.
SO THOSE THINGS NEED TO BE DONE.
WE TAUGHT AT ATED BUILDING VERIZON RIGHT THERE WITH THE PEOPLE.
THEY WANT TO KEEP UP THE PROPERTY, BUT THEY'RE MAKING MONEY OFF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
YOU WON'T DO NOTHING ABOUT IT.
AND YOUR OFFICER'S RIGHT THERE,
[01:30:02]
MS. LEY, KEEP YOUR WORD.OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS THEODORE CARUTHERS.
MY NAME IS THEODORE CARUTHERS.
THE THIRD, THE SON OF TED CARUTHERS, THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN ACCOUNTANT FOR THE CITY OF LONG BEACH.
AND WAS ALSO WORKING ON THE QUEEN MARY DURING TIMES WHERE HE WAS UNDESIRABLE, WHERE IT TOOK THE CITY MANAGER TO MOVE HIM BECAUSE OTHER PEOPLE WERE JEALOUS OF HIS WORK ETHIC.
I COME BE HERE AS A BUSINESS OWNER WITH MY FATHER, 1141 EAST 16TH STREET INCOME TAX, CARUTHERS FINANCIAL AND TAX SERVICE.
WE MOVED FROM MR. AUSTIN'S DISTRICT TO THE SIXTH DISTRICT.
MR. AUSTIN WAS PROLIFIC IN WHAT HE DID.
I SAW AN EXAMPLE, WHAT SHOULD BE DONE AND HOW IT CAN BE DONE.
WE MOVED IN FEBRUARY OF LAST YEAR, RIGHT BEHIND EASTER POLLY HIGH SCHOOL.
I REACHED OUT TO CHALK, WHO'S ONE OF THE STAFF MEMBERS FOR MISS THE SIXTH DISTRICT PERSON.
I'VE MADE OVER 25 CALLS, GOT ONE RESPONSE.
PEOPLE ARE FLYING UP AND DOWN THE CORRIDOR OF EAST 16TH STREET BETWEEN ALAMEDAS AND DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING.
I BROUGHT THAT TO HER ATTENTION.
I ALSO MENTIONED THE FACT THAT WE HAD OUR BUILDING PAINTED TO TRY EMBELLISH AND BEAUTIFY OUR DISTRICT.
I ALSO CONTACTED CITY HALL BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT? SHE NEVER ANSWERED.
HER PHONE NEVER RETURNED THE MESSAGE.
I DIDN'T COME HERE TO PICK ON YOU.
BUT I NOTICE WHEN I SEE THE HONORABLE DORIS TOPSY L BOARD, WHEN I SEE THE HONORABLE CLARENCE SMITH OF THE FORMER SIXTH DISTRICT, AND I SEE WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO.
I THINK ABOUT BROTHER DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING.
THEY WERE ALL INCLUSIVE, VERY WELL ON THE ART.
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? AFRICAN AMERICANS WERE IMMIGRANTS TOO.
NEXT SPEAKER IS JOHN KENDRICK.
I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE DECLINE OF LINCOLN PARK.
IN THE LAST OVER TWO YEARS, THE PARK HAS COME UNDESIRABLE.
IT USED TO BE A PLACE WHERE WE TOOK OUR KIDS THERE TO PLAY AND TALK TO OTHER PARENTS.
BUT NOW IT'S RUN BY TEENAGERS WHO CHOOSE TO SELL DRUGS, DO DRUGS, TAG THE PLAYGROUND AND SO ON, AND START FIGHTS.
I HAVE BROKE UP ABOUT FOUR FIGHTS THERE OVER THE YEARS.
AND YESTERDAY I BROKE UP A FIGHT.
YESTERDAY THERE WAS 20 SOME YOUNG PEOPLE FROM MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL SITTING THERE T TAUNTING AND HITTING ON A, A HOMELESS OLD WOMAN AT THE PARK.
AND ALL SHE COULD DO WOULD COVER HER HEAD AND LET THEM HIT HER WITH HER WITH A SLIP BAG OVER HER HEAD.
THE OTHER PARENTS SAT THERE AND SAW WHAT HAPPENING.
HE LOOKED AT ME, HE GOES, DAD, LET'S LEAVE.
HE HAS MORE COMMON SENSE THAN SOME ADULTS.
AS WE WERE LEAVING, THEY STARTED TO HIT ON THE LADY AGAIN AND SPRAY HER.
I TOLD THEM, WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? WHY DON'T YOU STOP? YOU KNOW, THE LADY HAD SOME, SOME, SOME, SOME MEDICAL PROBLEMS. THEY GOT INSULTED AND LIKE, HOW DARE YOU DISRUPT US? AND THEN THEY CIRCLED ME AND CALLED ME OUT.
AND THEN ONE OF 'EM CAME BEHIND ME FROM THE SIDE AND COLD CLOCKED ME WITH ALL HIS WEIGHT.
HE WAS ON ONE LEG OFF BALANCE.
AND WHEN I TURNED, HE NOTICED I DIDN'T PHASE.
AND I SAID, OH, YOU ONE OF THOSE YOU WANT, YOU WANNA BE A MAN, BUT YOU HIT PEOPLE WHEN THEY AIN'T LOOKING.
AND WHEN I TOOK TWO STEPS FROM HIM, HE RAN FASTER THAN THE THE ROAD RUNNER AND THE BUGS BUNNY CARTOON.
MY 8-YEAR-OLD SON IS TRYING TO DEFEND ME, TAKING ON 20 SOME KIDS.
AND I'M, I'M TELLING THEM, THIS PARK HAS SIX TO EIGHT CAMERAS.
[01:35:02]
THEY DIDN'T GIVE A DAMN.YOU KNOW, I'VE HAD KIDS OVER THERE ASK ME IF I WANNA BUY DRUGS.
YESTERDAY I HAD MY SON GO OVER TO THE BLUE LINE STATION ON PINE IN PACIFIC.
THERE WAS FOUR COPS SITTING OVER THERE AS MY SON WAS GOING OVER THERE TO TELL THE COPS.
ONE OF THE KIDS PUSHED MY SON DOWN.
'CAUSE I STARTED TO TURN AROUND AND SAY, FORGET IT, YOUR KIDS, I DON'T CARE NO MORE.
AFTER ABOUT 10 MINUTES, MY SON DIDN'T COME BACK.
BUT THIS IS WHAT THEY DID TO ME, SPECIALIST.
WE'RE WE'RE, WE'RE AWARE OF THE SITUATION, BUT THANK YOU FOR SHOWING UP TONIGHT.
I WAS COMING TO SPEAK WITH JUST A YOUNG LADY OVER HERE.
SHE SPOKE OF A LOT OF THE ISSUES THAT WHERE THE DISPARITY AND THINGS THAT'S GOING ON HERE.
AND BECAUSE I'M WAS INVOLVED IN SOME LEGAL LITIGATION, WHICH IS STILL ONGOING.
BUT I WAS WANTED SOME CLARITY FROM THE, UH, CITY FINANCE MANAGER BECAUSE, WELL, IT WAS EXPLAINED TO ME THAT ONE DEPARTMENT THAT WE ACTUALLY WAS LISTED WAS PUBLIC WORKS.
BUT THEY SAYS PUBLIC SERVICE BUREAU AND, AND WE'RE, UM, THE FORMER DIRECTORS SAID THEY HAD A BUDGET.
IT WAS LIKE 20 TO $22 MILLION.
BUT SO I'M THE TYPE THAT I, UM, ALWAYS TRY TO INVESTIGATE THINGS BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THE JOB THAT I DO FOR THE GOVERNMENT.
AND I WAS JUST TRY TO IDENTIFY THAT IF YOU HAVE STORM WATER AND DRAINS THAT COME UNDER THE PUBLIC SERVICE AND THEN YOU HAVE STORM WATER AND DRAINS COMPLIANCE AND REGULATORY UNDER ENGINEERING, AND THEN YOU HAVE A CAPITAL INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT PLAN, A CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN.
YOU'VE GOT MEASURE A WHERE YOU'RE GETTING FUNDS FROM AND SEVERAL OTHER FUNDS THAT I, YOU KNOW, THAT I HAVE IDENTIFIED BY DOING SOME RESEARCH BECAUSE I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I'M ACCURATE WHEN I SPEAK.
AND IF ANYBODY THAT KNOWS ME PERSONALLY, I DON'T LIKE TO DO ALLEGATIONS AND JUST MAKE ASSUMPTIONS UNLESS I SUBSTANTIATE WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
'CAUSE I AND I LIKE TO DO RESEARCH LIKE THAT.
SO WHEN I DO HAVE TO PRESENT SOMETHING LEGALLY, I CAN GO AND POINT ON THE WEBSITE.
I CAN POINT TO THE LAWS THAT YOU BROKE OR YOU USING TO DEFEND YOURSELF BECAUSE I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I'M ACCURATE.
AND SO WHAT I'M GONNA SAY IS THIS THAT, UM, I'M LOOKING BACK FROM, SINCE I MOVED OVER IN LONG BEACH FROM, UM, CORONA IN 2000, MAYBE FOUR OR FIVE, NO, EXCUSE ME, SEVEN.
BUT I'M LOOKING BACK AT REPORTS THAT IF YOU GET ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTS AND REPORTS FROM DIFFERENT AGENCIES THAT DO STORMWATER FROM THE LA COUNTY FLOOD DISTRICT TO STORMWATER DISTRICT TO STORM WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, THAT TELLS YOU THAT A PARTICULAR, UH, PUMP AREA IS DEFICIENT.
IT'S OPERATING BELOW STANDARDS FROM BEFORE I MOVED OVER THERE AND IT'S NOT IDENTIFIED IN THE PIPES, THAT TOOTH ARE NOT RESTRICTED.
AND THESE ARE IDENTIFIED WITH THESE REPORTS THAT I HAVE POSSESSION OF FOR THE 7, 8, 7 TIMES.
THEY MENTIONED THE SAME THINGS THAT'S NOT DONE.
AND THEN YOU HAVE ALL THESE RESOURCES THAT YOU START OFF AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR THAT YOU CAN FUND ALL THESE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS AND YOU HAVE DIFFERENT DIVISIONS.
I'M NOT GONNA GET UP HERE AND NAME ALL THE DIVISIONS, BUT I DO HAVE 'EM WROTE DOWN WHY THESE THINGS ARE NOT DONE EVERY FLOOD EVERY YEAR THAT IT RAINS.
I DIDN'T FIGURE IT OUT UNTIL WE GOT INTO THIS LEGAL SITUATION THAT THE WATER WAS BACKING UP FOR THE PUMPS BECAUSE IT'S TOO RESTRICTED.
AND THEN I FOUND OUT THAT THINGS THAT MAKE THE PUMPS WORK.
'CAUSE I HAVE TWO PEOPLE THAT'S EXPERIENCED WORKING WITH LLOYD CHRISTIANSEN.
THEY ACTUALLY BUILT PUMPS FOR DIFFERENT AREAS.
SOME WATER PEOPLE THAT I WORKED WITH WHEN I WAS RAISING CHARITY FUNDS THAT IDENTIFIED THESE PROBLEMS, THEY'RE NOT FIXED.
I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO STAY UP ALL NIGHT AND WATCH FLOOD WATERS 'CAUSE I CAN REST IN MY HOME IN DISTRICT NINE.
AND ALSO I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO TAKE LESS MONEY FROM MY HOUSE IF I SELL IT BECAUSE I STILL HAVE THESE PENDING ISSUES.
I GOTTA TAKE LESS IF I SOLD MY HOUSE TODAY BECAUSE I STILL GOTTA DISCLOSE.
SIR, YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED THE WATER OVER.
WELL, THAT SATISFIES, UH, PUBLIC COMMENT.
THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING OUT AND SPEAKING.
UH, WE'LL RESUME THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING.
WE'LL START WITH ITEM 28, REPORT FROM CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE ORDINANCE AMENDMENT TO REDUCE THE CANNABIS CULTIVATION, TAX AND ADULT USE RETAIL TAX RATE AND ADD PROVISIONS FOR THE PILOT TAX CREDIT PROGRAM.
READ THE FIRST TIME AND LATER THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING OF CITY COUNCIL FOR FINAL READING CITYWIDE.
WELL, THIS IS, UH, AN ORDINANCE, BEEN IN THE WORKS, UH, FOR SOME TIME.
UH, AND THERE'S BEEN A LINE OF REFINEMENT
[01:40:01]
SINCE, UM, YOU KNOW, IN REFORMING[28. 24-52772 Recommendation to approve ordinance amendment to Section 3.80.261 of the Long Beach Municipal Code (LBMC) to reduce the cannabis cultivation tax rate and adult-use retail tax rate and add provisions for the Pilot Tax Credit Program, read for the first time and laid over to the next regular meeting of the City Council for final reading. (Citywide) Office or Department: City Manager Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]
SORT OF OUR, OUR CANNABIS PROGRAM SINCE ITS LEGALIZATION IN 2017.AND WE'VE HEARD FROM A NUMBER OF, YOU KNOW, LOCAL BUSINESSES ABOUT THE NEED TO, UH, REFORM, UH, BASED BASED ON THE CHALLENGES THEY'VE SEEN WITH, YOU KNOW, HIGH LOCAL TAXES, SHIFTING REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT.
UH, WE'RE PROUD CITY COUNCILS TAKE SOME STEPS.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER RICK OTI, UH, LAST APRIL TOOK SOME STEPS TO TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT, UH, A NEW TIER, A NEW STRUCTURE, UH, BY OFFERING A BALANCED APPROACH TO THE ISSUE.
UH, WE APPROVED FUNDING FOR THIS IN FY 24 BUDGET.
UH, OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS THEY'VE BEEN WORKING DILIGENTLY ON A NEW PROPOSED STRUCTURE.
WHAT'S IN FRONT OF, TO, UH, IN FRONT OF US TODAY IS AN ORDINANCE, UH, THAT REFLECTS MANY OF THOSE CHA THOSE CHANGES THAT THE CITY COUNCIL REQUESTED.
SO NOW WE'LL, WE WILL HAND IT OVER TO CITY, TO OUR CITY STAFF TO GET INTO THE WEEDS.
THIS EVENING WE HAVE, UM, VALENCIA MOTA, OUR, UM, CANNABIS MANAGER.
I CAN'T CONCENTRATE AFTER THAT COMMENT.
HONORABLE MAYOR, MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL.
ITEM 28 ON TONIGHT'S AGENDA IS THE FIRST READING TO APPROVE THE ORDINANCE AMENDMENT TO SECTION 3.8 0.26, ONE OF THE LVMC TO REDUCE THE CANNABIS CULTIVATION AND RETAIL TAX RATE BY 1% AND ADD PROVISIONS TO ESTABLISH A PILOT TAX CREDIT PROGRAM.
IN LATE JANUARY, YOUR HONORABLE BODY RECEIVED AN UPDATE ON THE PROPOSED CANNABIS TAX RELIEF PLAN WITH STAFF REQUESTING DIRECTION ON THE PROPOSAL BASED ON STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK.
THE FOLLOWING MOTION WAS PASSED, INCLUDING, WHICH INCLUDED AMENDMENTS TO THE PILOT TAX CREDIT PROGRAMS, ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA, AND REQUEST FOR CLARIFICATION FROM STAFF ON THE TIMING OF BUSINESS ELIGIBILITY AND COLLECTION AND ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS TAKING PLACE PARALLEL TO THIS PROPOSED PROGRAM, THIS IS THE OTHER HALF OF THE MOTION.
AND SO PER CITY COUNCIL DIRECTION, THE FOLLOWING UPDATES WERE MADE TO THE PROPOSED PILOT TAX CREDIT PROGRAM.
FIRST IS TO UP THE FIRST UPDATE INCLUDED A REDUCTION IN THE LOCAL HIRING CRITERION FROM 50% TO 40% TO ALIGN WITH THE EXISTING EQUITY EMPLOYEE REQUIREMENT AS STATED IN SECTION 5.92 OF THE LBMC.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE LOCAL HIRING CRITERION IN THE PILOT TAX CREDIT PROGRAM IS SEPARATE FROM THE EXISTING EQUITY EMPLOYEE PROVISIONS IN THE, IN THE MUNICIPAL CODE, WHICH REQUIRES BUSINESSES TO HAVE 40% OF TOTAL WORK HOURS PER YEAR TO BE CONDUCTED BY AN EQUITY EMPLOYEE.
WHEREAS THE LOCAL HIRING CRITERION IN THE PILOT TAX CREDIT PROGRAM REQUIRES BUSINESSES TO HAVE 40% OF, OF TOTAL EMPLOYEES TO BE LONG REACH RESIDENTS.
AGAIN, THESE, THESE REQUIREMENTS ARE SEPARATE BUT ARE MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL AS EQUITY EMPLOYEES ARE TYPICALLY LONG BEACH RESIDENTS.
SO IN ESSENCE, COMPLIANCE WITH THE EXISTING 40% EQUITY EMPLOYEE REQUIREMENT WILL HELP BUSINESSES MEET THE LOCAL HIRING CRITERION IN THE PILOT TAX CREDIT PROGRAM.
THE SECOND UPDATE INCLUDED THE REMOVAL OF THE PART-TIME EMPLOYEES WAGE REQUIREMENT UNDER THE WORKFORCE QUALITY OF LIFE CRITERION.
AND INSTEAD SET THE WAGE REQUIREMENT FOR ALL EMPLOYEES, WHETHER PART-TIME OR FULL-TIME AT 110% OR ABOVE THE STATE MINIMUM WAGE WITH 80% OF EMPLOYEES RECEIVING 115 OR ABOVE THE STATE MINIMUM WAGE.
IN ADDITION, CLARIFICATION WAS REQUESTED ON THE REQUIREMENT FOR BUSINESSES TO BE UP TO DATE, UM, WITH CITY TAXES AS PART OF THEIR ELIGIBILITY FOR THE TAX PROGRAM TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE PROGRAM, BUSINESSES MUST BE UP TO DATE ON TAXES.
PLEASE NOTE THAT ENROLLMENT IN A PAYMENT PLAN DOES NOT CONSTITUTE COULD STANDING NOR ELIGIBILITY FOR THE PROGRAM.
THE TIMING OF BUSINESS ELIGIBILITY IS DEPENDENT ON THEIR ABILITY TO CONCURRENT ON DELINQUENT TAXES AND OF COURSE, SATISFACTION OF OTHER GOOD STANDING REQUIREMENTS AND ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA.
ULTIMATELY, THE PILOT TAX CREDIT PROGRAM IS DESIGNED AS AN INCENTIVE PROGRAM AND THEREFORE CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS AND CRITERIA MUST BE MET TO RECEIVE THE BENEFIT.
IN ANY CASE, STAFF HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH BUSINESSES TO PROVIDE PATHWAYS TO COMPLIANCE WITH OUTSTANDING TAXES.
THIS INCLUDE, THIS INCLUDES PAYMENT PLAN OPTIONS OF THREE MONTHS TO A YEAR, DEPENDING ON THE TOTAL DELINQUENT AMOUNT OWED.
ON THIS SIDE, YOU WILL FIND THE UPDATED PILOT TAX CREDIT PROGRAM TABLE.
THIS IS ALSO FOUND IN ATTACHMENT A OF THE STAFF REPORT HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW ARE THE GOOD STANDING REQUIREMENTS AS IT RELATES TO THE CLARIFICATION REQUESTED AND AMENDED ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR LOCAL HIRING AND WORKFORCE QUALITY OF LIFE.
BEFORE CONCLUDING THIS PRESENTATION, I WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO PROVIDE A BRIEF UPDATE ON THE INCREASED COLLECTION EFFORTS BY THE BUSINESS SERVICES BUREAU IN THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT.
SINCE AUGUST, 2023, ALL BUSINESSES HAVE RECEIVED THREE, AT LEAST THREE NOTICES REGARDING DELINQUENT BALANCES.
THIS INCLUDES AN EMAIL NOTICE, A CERTIFIED MAIL LETTER, AND A PAYMENT DEMAND LETTER ALSO SENT BY CERTIFIED MAIL.
[01:45:01]
SENT ON FEBRUARY 16TH REQUESTED BUSINESSES TO PAY DELINQUENT BALANCES IN FULL OR ENROLL IN A PAYMENT PLAN BY MARCH 18TH OF THIS YEAR.BUSINESSES WHO FAIL TO ACT BY THE DEADLINE ARE SUBJECT TO LICENSE IN SUSPENSION.
AS OF THIS MONTH, THE TOTAL ESTIMATED AMOUNT IN DELINQUENT CANNABIS TAXES IS, IS AN ESTIMATED 8.5 MILLION.
5.8 MILLION OF THIS DELINQUENT AMOUNT IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING SECURED ON A PAYMENT PLAN.
OUT OF 295 LICENSE ACCOUNTS, 25 20% HAVE PAID IN FULL SINCE JANUARY.
HOWEVER, THERE REMAINS TO BE AN ESTIMATED 700 OUTSTANDING QUARTERLY REPORTS.
HENCE THE 8.5 MILLION DELINQUENT AMOUNT IS SOLELY BASED ON THE GROSS RECEIPTS REPORTED.
IT DOES NOT INCLUDE OUTSTANDING REPORTS FOR NEXT STEPS.
STAFF WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH BUSINESSES TO PROVIDE PATHWAYS TO COMPLIANCE WITH DELINQUENT TAXES.
BUSINESSES NOT IN COMPLIANCE WITH QUARTERLY REPORTS OR SUBJECT TO SUSPENSION OR REVOCATION OF THE BUSINESS LICENSE.
COMMITMENT TO A PAYMENT PLAN WILL PREVENT TO A PAYMENT PLAN AS WELL.
UM, WHICH INCLUDES, UM, REPORT OF QUARTERLY REPORTS WILL PREVENT THIS FURTHER ACTION TO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT.
THIS CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION AND I'M AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS.
UH, THANK YOU FOR, UH, YOUR PRESENTATION.
UM, WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO IS GO AHEAD AND GO TO, UH, UH, TO PUBLIC COMMENT.
SO IF I CAN ASK THE FOLLOWING SPEAKERS TO KINDLY LINE UP IN THIS ORDER.
UM, CAN WE START WITH KELLY HAYES, FOLLOWED BY DEREK SMITH, SIERRA HALL.
STEPHANIE, UH, BALLER GOING DOWN.
OKAY, THEN CAMILLE, YOU'LL BE NEXT.
OKAY, SO WE HAVE SEVEN SPEAKERS.
DEREK, SIERRA, STEPHANIE, CAMILLE, DARION, AND ADAM.
I'M A CANNABIS ATTORNEY AND I AM BASED IN SAN DIEGO.
AND I CAME ALL THE WAY UP HERE TODAY TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT YOUR TAX PROGRAM.
I REPRESENT A NUMBER OF BUSINESSES IN YOUR CITY AND I THANK YOU FOR THE TIME AND EFFORT THAT YOU'VE BEEN PUTTING INTO THIS ORDINANCE.
BUT I HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS.
HOW MUCH OF THAT EIGHT AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS IS OWED BY CULTIVATORS AND RETAILERS ONLY MANUFACTURERS, DISTRIBUTORS, AND TESTING LABS HAD NOW HAVE A 1% GROSS RECEIPT TAX.
I ENCOURAGE YOU TO GET AWAY FROM THESE GOOD STANDING REQUIREMENTS AND JUST CUT THE TAX FOR EVERYBODY.
THIS INDUSTRY IS UNLIKE ANY OTHER INDUSTRY THAT YOU'VE HAD TO REGULATE BEFORE.
THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO GET BANK ACCOUNTS BECAUSE CANNABIS IS ILLEGAL ON A FEDERAL LEVEL, WHICH ALSO MEANS THEY CANNOT GET LOANS FROM ANY FINANCIAL INSTITUTION.
SO WHERE DOES THAT MONEY COME FROM? IT COMES FROM SALES, WHICH ARE PLUMMETING BECAUSE OF THE ILLEGAL INDUSTRY THAT IS HAPPENING OUTSIDE, EVERYWHERE.
IT'S ALSO COMING FROM INVESTORS.
BUT HOW DO YOU GET A NEW INVESTOR INTO YOUR BUSINESS WHEN YOU HAVE TO SUBMIT NEW APPLICATION FEES TO CITY AND STATE REGULATORY BODIES, PAY LICENSE, ADDITIONAL LICENSE FEES JUST TO BRING AN INVESTOR AND AN OWNER INTO YOUR BUSINESS.
THESE ARE SERIOUS ISSUES AND THIS INDUSTRY IS REALLY FAILING.
I'M ENCOURAGING YOU TO JUST GET AWAY FROM THE GOOD STANDING REQUIREMENTS.
ALTERNATIVELY, I ALSO WORK WITH THE LONG BEACH COLLECTIVE ASSOCIATION AND I IMPLORE YOU TO CONSIDER SOME OF THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE LETTER THAT YOU RECEIVED TONIGHT.
ALSO, I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SOCIAL EQUITY INCUBATION PLAN THAT A NUMBER OF MY CLIENTS HAD TO SUBMIT TO THE CITY BACK IN 2017, IN WHICH WE ARE STILL WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM.
THE CITY HAS RECEIVED NUMEROUS GRANT MONEY FROM THE STATE AND BUSINESSES THAT ARE REQUIRED TO PAY A SOCIAL EQUITY FEE TO THE CITY.
YET THERE IS NO SOCIAL EQUITY BUSINESS OPERATING AT ANY POINT IN TIME RIGHT NOW.
AND I DON'T KNOW WHEN THAT'S GONNA BE.
SO HOW DO I KNOW THAT MY CLIENTS ARE GONNA BE ABLE TO MEET THESE GOOD STANDING REQUIREMENTS AND THAT THE CITY'S GONNA IMPLEMENT THEM PROPERLY? I ASK THAT YOU RECONSIDER THIS MEASURE.
TAKE IT BACK, DO SOME MORE HOMEWORK ON IT.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TONIGHT.
OKAY, MR. DEREK SMITH, YOU ARE UP.
UH, GOOD EVENING VICE MAYOR AND LONG BEACH CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND LONG BEACH, UH, CITY STAFF.
MY NAME IS DEREK SMITH AND I'M THE POLITICAL DIRECTOR OF UFCW LOCAL 3 24, WHICH REPRESENTS CANNABIS WORKERS IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH.
UM, I'D LIKE TO THANK THE COUNCIL FOR THE THOUGHTFUL, UH, ALTERATIONS TO THE CANNABIS PILOT PROGRAM FROM THE JANUARY MEETING.
AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK OF CITY STAFF IN CRAFTING THIS PROPOSAL.
AS THE MAYOR MENTIONED, THIS ORDINANCE HAS BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR
[01:50:01]
SOME TIME, AND OUR GOAL FROM THE OUTSET HAS BEEN TO ENCOURAGE THE CANNABIS OPERATIONS TO INVEST MORE MONEY IN ITS WORKFORCE AND IN RETURN, THE CITY WOULD EXPAND ITS INVESTMENT TOWARDS THESE GOOD ACTORS THROUGH A BETTER TAX RATE.THE IDEA IS A GOOD ONE, BUT WE HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE FINANCIAL CIRCUMSTANCES OF SMALL CANNABIS OPERATORS HAVE GOTTEN MORE DIRE OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
UM, THERE ARE MANY REASONS FOR THAT AND I'M SURE THEY'RE GONNA BE ELOQUENTLY STATED, FAR BETTER THAN I COULD, UM, BY BUSINESS LEADERS AND, AND, AND OUR MEMBERS.
UM, AND, BUT WE'VE WORKED WITH THESE BUSINESS LEADERS AND WE TRUST THEM.
AND, UH, AND I DON'T THINK IT'S HYPERBOLIC TO SAY THAT THIS INDUSTRY, UH, IS IN TROUBLE AND RETAIL OPERATIONS ARE CLOSING UP.
AND THE COMPOSITION OF SMALL, LOCALLY OWNED OPERATORS, WHICH WE'RE ALL VERY PROUD OF, IS UNDER REAL THREAT.
ULTIMATELY, THE ONLY REAL CONCERN WE HAVE WITH THIS PROPOSAL IS THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION TO HAVE THE TAX CREDIT CONTINGENT UPON GOODS STANDING STATUS, WHICH IS DEFINED BY BEING CURRENT ON BOTH STATE AND LOCAL TAXES.
UM, IT'S OUR BELIEF THAT IF ONLY OPERATORS THAT ARE CURRENT ON STATE AND LOCAL TAXES ARE ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE, UM, IN THIS PILOT PROGRAM, THE PROGRAM WILL HAVE VIRTUALLY NO APPLICANTS.
UH, UFCW HAS 12 OPERATIONS UNDER CONTRACT IN LONG BEACH.
OF THESE, WE BELIEVE THAT ONLY TWO DISPENSARIES AND THEY SHARE THE SAME OWNERSHIP WOULD BE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY AVAIL THEMSELVES OF THIS 3% CREDIT.
UH, MANY OF THE OPERATORS THAT MEET THE WAGE AND HIRING STANDARDS WOULD BE PRECLUDED FROM ENTRY AND THEY'VE PAID UNION WAGES SINCE THE INCEPTION OF CANNABIS IN LONG BEACH.
AND I BELIEVE PART OF THE REASON FOR THEIR TAX DELINQUENCY IN THE FIRST PLACE IS BECAUSE THEY'VE MADE A COMMITMENT TO PAYING STAFF AND RETAINING STAFF, UM, TO PRESENT THIS INDUSTRY WITH A PROMISE OF A MUCH NEEDED TAX CREDIT.
BUT TO SET THE BARRIER OF ENTRY SO HIGH THAT NOBODY QUALIFIES IS WORSE THAN DOING NOTHING AT ALL.
UM, USCW IS VERY PROUD OF THIS MODEL PROGRAM, BUT WE STRONGLY URGE YOU TO TAKE THE NECESSARY STEPS TO ENSURE ITS SUCCESS.
AND I WOULD SAY THAT THAT IS TO ALLOW OPERATORS WHO WOULD OTHERWISE MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS PROGRAM, BUT HAVE A TAXED DEBT TO THE CITY TO QUALIFY FOR THE TAX BREAK IMMEDIATELY, SO LONG AS THEY'RE IN A PAYMENT PROGRAM, UM, WITH THE CITY.
UM, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF.
MY NAME IS SIERRA HALL AND I, UH, LIVE AND WORK IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH AS A BUD TENDER AND A MEMBER OF UFCW.
I'M HERE TODAY TO ASK THE COUNCIL TO CONSIDER TAX BREAKS TO CANNABIS COMPANIES TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING.
UM, COMPANIES ARE BEING OUTSOLD ON THE BLACK MARKET AND NEED REDUCTIONS ON TAXES IN ORDER TO HAVE COMPETITIVE PRICES.
UM, AS A BUD TENDER, I'VE SEEN MEDICINAL USERS PREFER THE BLACK MARKET BECAUSE OF PRICING AND WE'RE NOT ABLE TO RECEIVE THE COUNSELING THAT BUD TENDERS PROVIDE.
UM, AND THAT CAN LEAD TO MISINFORMATION AND MISUSE OF THE PRODUCT.
UH, NO OTHER AGRICULTURAL PRODUCT IS TAXED SO OUTRAGEOUSLY.
UM, AND AS A RESIDENT AND WORKER, UH, IN THE INDUSTRY, PLEASE CONSIDER LOWERING TAXES FOR CANNABIS COMPANIES, PROVIDING JOBS TO THE COMMUNITY SO THAT WE CAN ENSURE A SUCCESSFUL FUTURE FOR LONG BEACH CANNABIS USERS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE COMMENTS.
WAS MISS STEPHANIE AFTER SARAH HALL? YOU WERE RIGHT.
YES, STEPHANIE, SORRY ABOUT THAT.
HELLO, LONG BEACH CITY AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.
MY NAME IS STEPHANIE BAZAR AND I AM A BUD TENDER AND A UFC 3, 2, 4 MEMBER.
I HAVE BEEN WORKING FOR OVER 10 YEARS IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY AND UP UNTIL LAST YEAR, I WAS SATISFIED IN THE INDUSTRY.
AS A PERSON THAT HAS GROWN WITH THE MARKET, I DEFINITELY HAVE WITNESSED FIRSTHAND ITS GROWING PAINS.
WHEN I FIRST STARTED THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY THROUGH THE MEDICAL MARKET, THE WAGES WERE REASONABLE AND ALLOWED ITS WORKERS TO EARN A LIVABLE WAGE.
THE LURE ABOUT WORKING IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY BESIDES THE WORK CULTURE, WAS ALSO THE BENEFITS OF THE EMERGENCY RECREATION, EMERGING RECREATIONAL LEGAL CANNABIS INDUSTRY.
I WAS REALLY EXCITED TO MAKE A SAFE AND SECURE CANNABIS INDUSTRY.
WE WERE TOLD IF WE WERE ABIDED BY THE RULES AND PAID TO PLAY, IT WOULD INCREASE QUALITY OF LIFE.
HAVING BEEN IN THE LEGAL CANNABIS INDUSTRY ACROSS THREE STREETS, INCLUDING CALIFORNIA, OREGON, AND WASHINGTON, I CAN SAY A FEW THINGS ABOUT EACH STATE'S INDUSTRY.
OREGON IS MORE FAMILY ORIENTED.
AND ONE THING I COULD SAY ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA CANNABIS INDUSTRY IS EXPENSIVE COMPARED TO THE OTHER CITIES.
I BELIEVE LONG BEACH HAS A DISADVANTAGE
[01:55:01]
FOR SUCCESS FOR THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY.BUYING INTO THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY HAS AN EXORBITANT PRICE, PLUS ADDING THE HIGH COST OF LIVING IN LONG BEACH.
IT IS A FAST WAY TO DEPLETE THE WELLNESS OF A BUS BUSINESS.
I AM NOT SURPRISED THAT THE COMBINATION OF THE TWO COSTS IS FORCING BUSINESSES TO FACE CHALLENGES, WHICH LEADS TO THE BUSINESSES SHUTTING DOWN.
THE AMOUNT OF CLOSURES IN LONG BEACH IS NOT ONLY SHOCKING, BUT DEVASTATING TO THE EMPLOYEES LIKE ME AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN LONG BEACH AT LARGE.
LIFE IS UNFAIR, BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE.
IF WE GET TOGETHER AND COLLECTIVELY DECIDE TO EMBRACE THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY BY LOWERING TAXES AND GIVING THIS INDUSTRY A CHANCE, NOT ONLY TO SURVIVE, BUT TO THRIVE, IT WILL MAKE ALL OF OUR LIVES BETTER.
SO I'M ASKING YOU TODAY TO GIVE US A CHANCE TO MAKE THE LEGAL CANNABIS ECONOMY HELP OUR CITY ECONOMY BY LOWERING THE TAXES, FRAUD BUSINESSES WITHOUT ANY EXCEPTIONS OR EXTRA HURDLES.
LET US LIVE A LONG, LENGTHY EXISTENCE THROUGH LEGAL CANNABIS.
WE ARE COUNTING ON YOU TO MAKE DECISIONS THAT MAKE POSITIVE IMPACTS ON OUR LIVES.
WE CA FOR YOU IN HOPES YOU WOULD MAKE GREAT DECISIONS FOR US AND THIS INDUSTRY.
PLEASE CHOOSE US AS WE CONTINUE TO CHOOSE TO SUPPORT YOU.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND THANK YOU.
IS IT, IS IT DARION'S TURN YET? OKAY.
I'M ACTUALLY FROM OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA ORIGINALLY.
UM, I MOVED OUT HERE TWO YEARS AGO AND I ACTUALLY, THIS IS MY FIRST TIME ACTUALLY WHEN I MOVED OUT HERE.
I ACTUALLY STARTED IN CANNABIS.
SO, UM, I ACTUALLY CAME FROM RETAIL ONLY AND SO I CAN'T SPEAK FOR EVERYBODY ELSE, BUT WHAT IT GAVE ME MY FIRST TWO WEEKS OF LITERALLY SLEEPING IN MY CAR.
UM, THE FACT THAT I WENT TO THE CIRCLE AND I JUST WALKED IN, THEY HIRED ME ON THE SPOT AND GAVE ME 1675.
AND THEN ALSO JUST A PLACE TO CALL A COMMUNITY.
UM, A LOT OF THESE PLACES, A LOT OF THESE CANNABIS DISPENSARIES ARE NOT JUST PLACES, THEY'RE COMMUNITIES.
AND IF YOU TAKE THAT FROM THE COMMUNITY, YOU TAKE IT A LOT.
AND I DON'T THINK YOU GUYS UNDERSTAND.
SO THAT'S JUST MY MAIN, MY MAIN THING.
JUST DON'T TAKE THE COMMUNITY THAT THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY ALL WE GOT.
UM, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, GOOD EVENING.
UH, I JUST WANNA START BY SAYING I'M SO GRATEFUL TO BE ABLE TO BE SPEAKING HERE WITH YOU GUYS.
I'M ACTUALLY JUST GONNA TAKE IT IN FOR A SECOND 'CAUSE IT'S PRETTY SURREAL.
UM, MAYOR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, MY NAME IS CAMIL ROUGE AND I'M HONORED, LIKE I SAID, TO BE STANDING HERE TODAY.
UM, I RESIDE HERE IN LONG BEACH DISTRICT TWO, UM, AND I'VE BEEN DILIGENTLY WORKING IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY FOR TWO AND A HALF YEARS.
CURRENTLY, I SERVE AS A UNION CANNABIS SPUR FOR THE UFCW 3 24 LOCAL.
I'M HERE TODAY TO ADVOCATE FOR THE TAX RELIEF PROGRAM, UM, FOR THE CITY'S CANNABIS INDUSTRY.
SPEAKING FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A CANNABIS WORKER, MY EXPERIENCE IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY HAS BEEN A LOT MORE THAN A JOB.
TO ME, IT'S A PASSION, A LIVELIHOOD, AND LIKE MANY OTHERS HAVE SAID, A COMMUNITY.
IN MY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, I'VE WITNESSED FIRSTHAND THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF THIS INDUSTRY.
IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT SELLING PRODUCTS, IT'S ABOUT PROVIDING RELIEF, HEALING AND JOY TO OUR CUSTOMERS.
IT'S AN INDUSTRY THAT IS CONSIST CONSTANTLY EVOLVING, PUSHING BOUNDARIES AND CHALLENGING NORMS. I AM DEEPLY APPRECIATIVE OF MY PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITY AFFORDED TO ME DURING MY TIME AT THE STORE, MED BEND, LONG BEACH, WHICH IS WHERE I WAS WORKING.
UM, AND WITHIN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY AS A WHOLE.
WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE SHOP, MY COLLEAGUES AND I CREATED A WORK ENVIRONMENT SIMILAR TO A CLOSE-KNIT FAMILY.
AND THAT CAMARADERIE NOT ONLY EXTENDED TO US AS A STAFF, BUT TO OUR CLIENTS AS WELL.
WHAT PARTICULARLY RESONATED WITH ME WAS THE PROFOUND SENSE OF COMMUNITY THAT CHARGED OUR INTERACTIONS DAY TO DAY.
FURTHERMORE, MY EXPERIENCE WAS UNIQUELY ENRICHED BY MY RESIDENTS BEING IN SUCH CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE SHOP.
THE CLOSURE OF THIS ESTABLISHMENT HAS LED TO A NOTICEABLE CHANGE IN THE ATMOSPHERE OF OUR BLOCK.
AND I'M JUST GONNA MENTION THAT THAT IS BROADWAY TEMPLE AND BROADWAY DISTRICT TWO.
UM, WHAT WAS PREVIOUSLY A LIVELY HUB OF ACTIVITY NOW SEEMS EMPTY, DEVOID OF ENERGETIC SPIRIT AS IT ONCE HAD.
SO YES, I DO LIVE AND WORK IN LONG BEACH, AND UNFORTUNATELY, I HAVE SEEN FIRSTHAND THE DEVASTATING IMPACT OF A CANNABIS DISPENSARY CLOSING DOWN.
[02:00:01]
JUST THE LOSS OF JOBS, IT'S THE LOSS OF A COMMUNITY HUB, A SAFE SPACE, AND A SOURCE OF SUPPORT FOR MANY.WHEN A DISPENSARY CLOSES, IT RIPPLES THROUGH THE COMMUNITY.
NOT ONLY AFFECTING WORKERS, BUT ALSO CUSTOMERS, PATIENTS, AND NEIGHBORING BUSINESSES.
AS A CANNABIS WORKER, THE SURVIVAL OF THIS INDUSTRY IS PARAMOUNT TO ME.
IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT MY JOB, IT'S ABOUT THE LIVELIHOOD OF COUNTLESS INDIVIDUALS WHO DEPEND ON THIS INDUSTRY TO SUPPORT THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES.
ENSURING OUR COMMUNITY HAS SAFE, UH, ACCESS AND REGULATED CANNABIS PRODUCTS, UM, TODAY, URGE YOU ESTEEM, AIR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS TO CONSIDER THE IMPORTANCE OF THE TAX RELIEF FOR THIS CITY'S CANNABIS INDUSTRY.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING AND I HOPE YOU WILL TAKE ACTION TO SUPPORT OUR INDUSTRY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING OUT TODAY.
UM, GOOD EVENING MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL, CITY STAFF, UH, CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, ADAM HII, UH, BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE LBCA, UH, LOCAL, YOU KNOW, BUSINESS OWNER FOR QUITE A BIT OF TIME HERE IN THE CITY.
UH, YOU KNOW, I WANTED TO JUST, AGAIN, GIVE SOME A LITTLE BIT OF PERSPECTIVE ON WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE MARKET.
WE, I THINK WE'RE GOING ON TO OUR NINTH OR 10TH CONSECUTIVE, UH, QUARTER WHERE THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA IS LOSING CANNABIS TAX REVENUE, RIGHT? SO THIS IS A LITTLE BIT BEYOND JUST WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE IN LONG BEACH.
SO, UH, THIS IS NOT ONLY, UH, SOMETHING THAT'S HAPPENING HERE LOCALLY, IT'S HAPPENING ON THE STATE LEVEL.
AND WE ACTUALLY SEE THE SAME TRENDS HAPPENING ON OTHER, UH, STATES AS WELL.
UH, WE HAVE BEEN SEEING RETAILS CLOSING DOWN.
I THINK WE'RE AT THE THIRD, GOING ON MAYBE THE FOURTH RETAIL DISPENSARY TO CLOSE IN THE CITY, WHICH IS REALLY INTERESTING BECAUSE JUST HISTORICALLY, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT CANNABIS AND RETAILS LIKE THAT IS ONE OF THE MOST COVETED, UH, YOU KNOW, LICENSES IS RECESSION PROOF, RIGHT? PEOPLE WERE FLOCKING FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD AND THE STATE TO BE ABLE TO GET INVOLVED, AND THEY RAISED MILLIONS AND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
YOU KNOW, AND, AND 'CAUSE YOU KNOW, HISTORICALLY IT'S, IT'S BEEN, YOU KNOW, A LICENSE THAT'S BEEN ABLE TO, UH, YOU KNOW, BE RECESSION PROOF IN THE SENSE.
BUT NOW WE'RE SEEING THIRD THREE DISPENSARIES CLOSED DOWN IN THE CITY GOING ON THE FOURTH.
UH, YOU KNOW, THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY IS NOT LIKE OTHER INDUSTRIES.
LIKE, WELL, WHY SHOULD A TAX REDUCTION COME TO THIS CANNABIS INDUSTRY VERSUS SO MANY OTHER INDUSTRIES? WE'RE NOT A HUNDRED YEARS OLD.
THE MAJORITY OF THIS INDUSTRY IS STILL IN THE ILLICIT MARKET, AND PART OF THE REASON WHY IT'S AN ILLICIT MARKET IS BECAUSE THERE ISN'T AN EASIER PATHWAY FOR THE INDUSTRY TO ACTUALLY GET INVOLVED IN THE LEGAL MARKET, RIGHT? WE, WE HEARD SOMEBODY TALKING ABOUT EQUITY BUSINESSES NOT ABLE TO OPERATE IN THE CITY.
THAT IS BECAUSE OF THESE HIGH TAXES REGULATIONS IN ON, IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH AND ON THE STATE LEVEL.
SO IT DOES AFFECT, I THINK, OVERALL, UM, YOU KNOW, UM, IN REGARDS TO, IT'S A BRAND NEW INDUSTRY AND WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO SUSTAIN IT.
UH, ALSO IT'S A PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUE, RIGHT? WE DON'T WANT TO GO BACK INTO UNTESTED CANNABIS BEING SOLD LEFT AND RIGHT, JUST BECAUSE WE RIGHT NOW WE'RE SEEING A DECLINE IN THE INDUSTRY.
SO WE, IT'S, IT'S IN THE CITY'S PUBLIC SAFETY INTEREST TO ALSO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, SAFE AND LEGAL.
AND THANKFULLY WE HAVE A LOT OF SAFETY, YOU KNOW, IN REGARDS TO, UH, THE INDUSTRY NOW.
BUT, UH, MAINTAINING THAT SAFE ACCESS, UM, YOU KNOW, WE NEED A PARTNERSHIP IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH.
WE HAVE HAD A PARTNERSHIP IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH.
IT'S BEEN A VERY, UH, DYNAMIC, INTERESTING STORIES OVER THE LAST 14 YEARS, RIGHT? WE'VE BEEN, UH, TOGETHER IN SO MANY TIMES AND ODDS WE HAD TO GO STRAIGHT TO THE PEOPLE.
WE HAD TO DO A BALLOT INITIATIVE AND LET THIS PEOPLE, THE VOTERS OF THE CITY OF LONG BEACH SPEAK THE VOTERS THAT HAVE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALL HERE.
AND, UM, I THINK, UH, IT, ONE THING THAT HAS TAUGHT US IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WANNA, I THINK WHAT TAUGHT US ALL IS THAT WE SHOULD WORK TOGETHER AND LISTEN TO THE VOICES OF THE PEOPLE TO GET SOMETHING DONE RIGHT.
AND THIS PARTNERSHIP IS IMPORTANT THAT MR. HIJA, YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED THERE.
OH, IT'S DONE, HUH? I WAS ABOUT TO GET TO THE BEST POINT.
WELL, THANK YOU VICE MAYOR FOR HELPING MANAGE PUBLIC COMMENT.
UH, AND THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO CAME OUT AND SPOKE.
JUST, JUST, YOU KNOW, A FEW, A FEW COMMENTS, UH, THAT HISTORY THAT MR. HIJAZI TALKED ABOUT.
I WAS HERE FOR, I WAS HERE FOR MOST OF IT, UH, STARTING OFF AS A STAFF MEMBER FOR COUNCIL MEMBER NEIL.
AND THEN, UH, AND THEN AS A, AS A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER MYSELF.
AND I THINK THERE HAS BEEN A REAL PARTNERSHIP.
AND WHEN FOLKS SAY THAT THERE ARE CHALLENGES IN THIS NEW EMERGING INDUSTRY, I BELIEVE THEM.
UH, I WOULD ALSO SAY THAT FOR ME, AND FOR MANY PEOPLE, IT'S REALLY BEEN ABOUT, UH, REALLY TWO THINGS.
[02:05:01]
I MEAN, THE USE OF CANNABIS DIDN'T BEGIN WITH THE LEGALIZATION OF CANNABIS.CANNABIS HAS BEEN USED FOR PEOPLE.
THERE'S NO SHORTAGE OF PEOPLE HAVING ACCESS TO CANNABIS, BUT WE'RE A PUBLIC HEALTH JURISDICTION.
WE'RE ONE OF THREE CITIES IN THE ENTIRE STATE OF CALIFORNIA.
AND WE BELIEVE IN TESTING, AND WE BELIEVE IN WEIGHTS AND MEASURES AND ANALYSIS, AND MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE HAVE ACCESS.
IF THEY'RE GOING TO UTILIZE THIS, MAKE SURE THAT IT IS SAFE, UM, AND MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE ALSO THE REGULATORY FRAMEWORK, THE TAX REVENUE TO SUPPORT THE INSPECTIONS, THE PROCESSES THAT, THAT ARE ABLE TO, TO PROVIDE SOME LEVEL OF ASSURANCE TO THE PUBLIC, THAT THERE IS SOME ACCOUNTABILITY TO THAT SAFETY, AS WELL AS THE ABILITY TO DO EDUCATION AND OUTREACH AROUND PUBLIC HEALTH ON THIS.
AND ALL OF THAT MEANS THAT IN ORDER TO HAVE THAT, THAT, UH, THE REVENUE TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN, THERE HAS TO BE A BALANCE, UH, THAT KEEPS THE LEGAL MARKET ALIVE AND THRIVING.
AND SO, FOR THAT REASON, WE HAVE TO BE NUANCED IN HOW WE APPLY TAXES.
WE HAVE TO PROVIDE ENOUGH TO MANAGE THE PROGRAM AND ENSURE PUBLIC HEALTH, BUT ALSO NOT, UM, SORT OF CREATE AN UNFAIR ADVANTAGE FOR THE ILLICIT MARKET, WHICH IS NOT, WHICH IS UNSAFE.
AND SO I THINK WHAT'S, WHAT'S BEING PROPOSED HERE, UH, IS A STEP TOWARD THAT, THAT BALANCE, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO REFINE.
UH, BUT I KNOW THAT THERE'S, THERE'S MORE TO BE DONE.
AND I KNOW COUNCIL MEMBER, RICKS OTIS CONTINUE TO DO SOME WORK HERE.
SO I WANNA PASS IT OVER TO COUNCIL MEMBER, RICKS OTI, THE MAKER OF THE MOTION.
UM, THANK YOU MAYOR, AND I WANNA APPRECIATE YOUR, UH, FRAMING, UM, FRAMING OF THAT.
UH, AND I ALSO WANNA JUST THANK STAFF FOR THE WORK THAT THEY'VE DONE, UM, IN CRAFTING THIS.
UH, I KNOW IT'S BEEN A BIT OF A JOURNEY.
UM, AND I ALSO WANNA THANK ALL OF OUR, UM, OUR PARTNERS, UM, IN COMING UP WITH SOMETHING THAT, UM, REALLY THREADS THE NEEDLE, RIGHT? I KNOW, YOU KNOW, FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE CITY, RIGHT? WE WANNA CRAFT SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN SUPPORT, THAT WE CAN ENFORCE, BUT WE ALSO WANNA CRAFT SOMETHING FROM THE INDUSTRY, RIGHT? THAT YOU ALL CAN SUPPORT, THAT YOU ALL, THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE INVESTING, UM, IN, YOU KNOW, A BURGEONING BUSINESS, YOU KNOW, AND MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE, UH, IN THE CITY, UH, WHAT WE NEED FOR EVERY INDUSTRY TO THRIVE, RIGHT? AND SO WE ARE REALLY TRYING TO CRAFT SOMETHING, UM, THAT DOES THAT, UM, IN A WAY THAT TAKES IN ALL THE PERSPECTIVES.
AND SO I WANNA THANK, UH, THE FOLKS FROM UFCW.
I WANNA THANK THE FOLKS FROM LVCA, RIGHT? I KNOW YOU ALL SENT IN A LETTER, UM, AROUND SOME OF YOUR CONCERNS AROUND, UM, THE, THE ORDINANCE AS PROPOSED.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN TALKING TO STAFF, UM, AND SO I'M GONNA MAKE A MOTION HERE TO TAKE SOME OF THAT INTO ACCOUNT, UM, AND REFLECTIVE OF SOME OF THOSE CONCERNS AND SOME OF THE, THE QUESTIONS AND INPUT, UM, THAT MY, MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES HAVE HAD, AS WELL AS MY, UM, AS WELL AS STAFF.
UM, BEFORE I DO THAT THOUGH, I, I WANNA ASK A COUPLE OF CLARIFYING QUESTIONS.
AND SO I WANNA THANK STAFF FOR, UM, CLARIFYING THE DEFINITION OF GOOD STANDING, UM, BASED ON OUR CONVERSATION LAST TIME, AND JUST FOR EVERYBODY LISTENING, UM, AND SO EVERYONE KNOWS, IS THE CITY CURRENTLY ASSESSING ANY LATE FEES FOR THE DELINQUENT TAXES? NO.
UM, AND NOW FOR OPERATORS THAT ARE CURRENTLY ON A PAYMENT PLAN, WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF TIME THAT THEY HAVE TO REPAY, UH, THE TAXES? SO CURRENTLY STAFF IS OFFERING SIX MONTH PAYMENT PLANS, AND WE'RE CONSIDERING THE OPTION OF, UM, IN A SELECT FEW SITUATIONS, POTENTIALLY OFFERING, UM, MORE TIME.
UM, AND WE'RE LOOKING TO SEE WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE.
BUT SIX MONTHS IS THE, UM, THE INITIAL ONE THAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW.
UM, AND THEN LASTLY, UM, I KNOW A COUPLE OF FOLKS BROUGHT UP THE EQUITY BUSINESS, UM, PORTION.
AND SO REGARDING THE EQUITY BUSINESS SUPPORT ASPECT, UM, HOW WOULD THIS LOOK IN PRACTICE? UM, IF WE DO NOT HAVE ANY EQUITY BUSINESSES CURRENTLY IN THE CITY AND OPERATION? I THINK THAT THE CHALLENGE WE HAVE FACED WITH, LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, THE INCUBATION SUPPORT, UM, WAS YES, BUSINESSES ARE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT A, A INCUBATIONS PLAN, INCUBATION SUPPORT PLAN WHEN THEY ENTER THE LICENSING PROCESS.
UM, BUT WHAT WE FOUND IS AT LEAST HISTORICAL AND LIKE ANECDOTAL FEEDBACK THAT WE'VE GOTTEN FROM APPLICANTS, IS THAT THERE IS AN ASSISTANCE BEING PROVIDED.
UM, AND SO WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO AS PART OF THIS INCENTIVE PROGRAM IS TO BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, PUT SOME TEETH TO IT AND BE ABLE TO ALLOW, BE ABLE TO SEE, SEE THIS WORK ACTUALLY HAPPENING.
AND SO WHAT'S IN THE PILOT TAX, THE PROPOSED PROGRAM RIGHT NOW, UM, AS IT RELATES TO LIKE THE 50 HOURS OF INCUBATION SUPPORT, THEY'RE ALREADY SUPPOSED TO BE PROVIDING INCUBATION SUPPORT.
SO THIS IS REALLY JUST ASKING, JUST, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ASKING YOU TO QUANTIFY IT 50 HOURS PER YEAR AND THEN ALSO PROVIDE PROOF THAT THIS IS ACTUALLY TAKING PLACE.
AND THEN, AND JUST LIKE I SAID, AND I THINK JUST FOR LIKE, AGAIN, CLARIFICATION, WE TALKED ABOUT THE INCUBATION SUPPORT.
CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE? YEAH,
[02:10:01]
SO THERE'S DIFFERENT MODELS TO IT.UM, IT CAN BE, UM, THINGS LIKE HELPING, YOU KNOW, DRAFT A BUSINESS PLAN.
IT'S ALSO, YOU KNOW, ALMOST LIKE A SHADOWING TYPE OF SCENARIO WHERE YOU'RE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, PRO HOW THE POWER PRODUCTS BEING MADE, LEARNING THE FINANCIAL SIDE OF IT.
SO THERE'S NOT ONE, YOU KNOW, JUST ONE MODEL.
EVERY BUSINESS CAN APPROACH IT IN VERY DIFFERENT WAYS.
UM, AND AGAIN, THIS IS, IT'S NOT IT THE REQUIREMENT RIGHT NOW, IT'S NOT JUST TO PROVIDE THIS FOR BUSINESSES WHO ARE LICENSED.
WE DO HAVE ONE LICENSED EQUITY CULTIVATOR, BUT IT'S ALSO TO PROVIDE THIS ASSISTANCE TO EQUITY ENTREPRENEURS, EQUITY APPLICANTS WHO ARE SEEKING TO OPEN A BUSINESS, BUT THEY'RE JUST NOT THERE YET TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THE SUPPORT THAT MENTORSHIP IN THIS, IN THE PROGRAM.
UM, SO A LOT OF FOLKS, DUE TO LACK OF ACCESS TO RESOURCES, THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO PAY FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES.
SO HAVING THE INCUBATION SUPPORT FROM THE EXISTING BUSINESSES THAT HAVE BEEN LICENSED FOR A FEW YEARS IS SUPER BENEFICIAL TO THEM.
UM, ASIDE FROM OTHER PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE IN OPERATION RIGHT NOW, SUCH AS OUR DIRECT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
UM, BUT THIS IS, THIS IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, UM, AND THAT THEY GET THE, YOU KNOW, REAL SUPPORT FROM THE BUSINESSES.
IT'S DIFFERENT THAN TALKING TO A CONSULTANT.
SO THAT'S JUST A LITTLE BIT ADDED TO THAT.
UM, SO IN LIGHT OF THOSE, AND THANK YOU FOR ANSWERING MY QUESTIONS AND THANK YOU FOR THAT GREAT PRESENTATION.
UM, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION, UH, TO DO A FEW THINGS.
SO, UM, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO ADOPT THE ORDINANCE REVISING SECTION 3.8 0.26, ONE OF THE LONG BEACH MUNICIPAL CODE, AND TO ADOPT THE PROPOSED PILOT TAX CREDIT PROGRAM CHART ATTACHED TO THE COUNCIL LETTER WITH THE FOLLOWING EDITS AND ADDITIONS.
SO ONE, I'D LIKE TO STRIKE THE REQUIREMENT TO COMP, UH, TO BE COMPLIANT WITH THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TAX AND FEE ADMINISTRATION REGULATIONS TO BE CONSIDERED, UH, TO BE IN GOOD STANDING.
AND TWO, I'D LIKE TO ADD TWO REQUIREMENTS SET FORTH BELOW TO BE CONSIDERED TO BE IN GOOD STANDING.
THE FIRST BEING TO CREATE A SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES PAYMENT PLAN THAT ALLOWS UP TO 12 MONTHS TO PAY OUTSTANDING TAXES TO BE CONSIDERED IN COMPLIANCE WITH A LONG BEACH MUNICIPAL CODE.
THIS WOULD CREATE ADDITIONAL TIME FOR PAYMENT FOR THOSE BUSINESSES THAT HAVE SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES AND NEED ADDITIONAL TIME TO PAY.
THOSE BUSINESSES WOULD BE CONSIDERED IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE MUNICIPAL CODE, AND THEREFORE NOT AT RISK OF SUSPENSION FOR NON-PAYMENT.
IF THEY PAY, IF THEY PAY EVERY MONTH, HOWEVER, THEY WOULD BE SUBJECT TO BUSINESS LICENSE SUSPENSION IF THEY DEFAULT ON THE PAYMENT PLAN.
IN ADDITION, THEY ALSO HAVE, UH, ALL OF THEIR, THEY ALSO NEED TO HAVE ALL OF THEIR QUARTERLY REPORTS SUBMITTED AND THEN, UH, IN ADDITION, REQUIRE THE BUSINESSES TO BECOME CURRENT ON THEIR PAYMENTS FOR LOCAL TAXES BEFORE THEY'RE ELIGIBLE FOR THE CANNABIS TAX CREDIT PROGRAM.
WITH THE EXCEPTION THAT ANY BUSINESS ON THE SPECIAL, SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES PLAN OF UP TO 12 MONTHS BECOME ELIGIBLE AFTER SIX MONTHS OF PROVEN PAYMENTS AND ALL QUARTERLY REPORTS SUBMITTED.
THIS WOULD ALLOW BUSINESSES WITH SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES TO PARTICIPATE AFTER SIX MONTHS AFTER THEY MEET THE OTHER REMAINING ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS WITH DEMONSTRATED PAYMENT, BUT NOT BE ADVANTAGED TO OVER OTHER CANNABIS BUSINESSES WHO HAVE PAID WITHIN THE CURRENT SIX MONTH TIMEFRAME THAT YOU'VE OFFERED.
UH, AND THEN LASTLY, I'D LIKE TO REQUIRE A THOROUGH REVIEW OF THE TAX RELIEF PROGRAM, INCLUDING THE IMPACTS OF THESE ELIGIBILITY STANDARDS ON PROGRAM ENROLLMENT AND PARTICIPATION NO LATER THAN SIX MONTHS FROM WHEN THE PROGRAM OFFICIALLY BEGINS.
THIS REVIEW SHOULD ASSESS COMPLIANCE AND BUSINESS APPLICATION LEVELS, ECONOMIC IMPACTS, AND ANY UNFORESEEN CONSEQUENCES.
AND THE CITY COUNCIL WOULD THEN BE ABLE TO PROPOSE ANY NECESSARY AMENDMENTS TO THE ELIGIBILITY STANDARDS OR THE PROGRAM DESIGN BASED ON THE REVIEW FINDINGS.
SO, UH, JUST A FEW THINGS BEFORE WE GO DOWN THE LINE, UM, ON, ON THE MOTION.
SO STAFF, UH, TOM, UH, COULD YOU JUST WALK THROUGH STAFF'S REACTION TO SOME OF THE, THE, TO THE NEW MOTION? SURE.
I THINK THIS IS A VERY REASONABLE COMPROMISE.
UH, SO YOU'RE ESSENTIALLY ADOPTING THE ORDINANCE AS IT'S WRITTEN, UH, BUT WITH A COUPLE OF, OF ADDITIONS.
ONE IS, UH, THE WAY WE WROTE IT IS TO BECOME COMPLIANT.
UH, YOU WOULD BE, UM, COMPLIANT WITH BOTH STATE TAXES AND LOCAL TAXES.
THIS IS BASICALLY SAYING IT'S, UH, TO BE IN GOOD STANDING, YOU WERE IN FOR THE LOCAL TAXES.
WE'RE KIND OF NOT TALKING ABOUT STATE TAXES.
WE'RE REALLY FOCUSED ON WHAT WE HAVE JURISDICTION OVER, WHICH IS THE LOCAL TAXES.
SO, WHICH I THINK MAKES SENSE.
WE WANT FOLKS TO BE UPDATED ON THEIR LOCAL TAXES.
THE STATE IS IN THEIR OWN PROCESS AND, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA BE, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA BE NEUTRAL ON WHAT TAKES PLACE AT THE STATE LEVEL.
UH, BUT WE REMAIN OUR FOCUS INTACT.
MAYOR, I DON'T THINK WE HAVE A SECOND ON THE MOTION THAT COUNCIL MEMBER RICK SODI JUST MADE.
SO WE NEED TO HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER URANGA CONFIRM THERE'S A SECOND ON COUNCIL MEMBER URANGA THAT WAS ON THE ORIGINAL MOTION, NOT ON THE ONE SHE JUST MADE.
WELL, I THINK ONCE STAFF EXPLAINS THE MOTION, WE MIGHT CLARIFY THAT, BUT COUNCIL MEMBER URAN, YOU SECOND THAT.
AND THEN NUMBER TWO, WE UNDERSTAND THIS TO BE A, A CHANGE A LITTLE BIT TO HOW WE CONSIDER GOOD STANDING.
SO CURRENTLY, UH, WE, UH, WE'RE RECOMMENDING A STAFF, YOU, UM, YOU GET, UM, WITHIN GOOD
[02:15:01]
STANDING AND THEN AFTER YOU'RE IN GOOD STANDING, THEN WE TURN ON THE CREDIT PROGRAM.THERE ARE SOME CONCERNS THAT, UM, SOME OTHER CITIES HAVE SEEN THESE PROGRAMS THAT ARE REALLY WELL DESIGNED, BUT PEOPLE WEREN'T ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THEM BECAUSE, UH, IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO PAY BACK.
AND SO WE CURRENTLY OFFER SIX MONTH, UM, TAX, UH, PROGRAM.
UH, WE UNDERSTAND THE AMENDMENT WOULD ALLOW UP TO 12 MONTHS FOR CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES THAT THEY WOULD WORK THROUGH WITH, UM, UH, WITH UH, FM.
BUT, AND THEN, SO THAT WOULD BE NUMBER ONE.
WE'D CREATE A 12 MONTH PROGRAM.
SO EXPAND EXPANDS THE SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES FROM SIX MONTHS TO 12, CORRECT? OKAY.
AND, BUT THEY HAVE TO PAY EVERY MONTH.
AND IF THEY DO NOT PAY IN ANY OF THOSE MONTHS, THEN THEY'RE BASICALLY CONSIDERED OUT OF COMPLIANCE AND, AND OUT OF GOOD STANDING AND SUBJECT TO, UM, TO BUSINESS LICENSE SUSPENSION.
AND THEN SECOND, UM, RECOGNIZING THAT THOSE THAT HAVE THOSE LARGER BILLS, UH, THAT IT'S A LONG TIME TO WAIT THAT 12 MONTH UNTIL YOU'RE ELIGIBLE FOR THE TAX PROGRAM, THAT AFTER SIX MONTHS OF PAYING AND DEMONSTRATED PAYMENT, IF YOU'RE ON THAT SIX MONTH PLAN, THEN YOU GET TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE, UM, FOR THE, UM, FOR THE TAX CREDIT PROGRAM.
UH, THAT ALSO DOESN'T ALLOW THEM TO JUMP THE LINE IN FRONT OF THOSE THAT HAVE BECOME CURRENT OR ARE CURRENTLY ON PLANS BETWEEN ZERO AND SIX MONTHS.
SO I THINK THAT'S A REASONABLE COMPROMISE.
UM, YOU KNOW, STAFF ARE VERY CONCERNED THAT WE GET PEOPLE CURRENT BEFORE WE TURN ON ANY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS.
IF SOMEONE REALLY IS PAYING OFF MOST OF THEIR BILL AND HAS BEEN COMPLIANT IN SIX MONTHS, THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN SUPPORT IF THAT'S WHERE THE COUNCIL WANTS TO GO.
AND I ALSO JUST NOTE THAT SINCE, UH, SINCE WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING THIS PROGRAM, WE HAVE SEEN A BIG RESPONSE AND MANY OF THE, UH, RETAILERS WHO HAVE BEEN BEHIND ON THEIR LOCAL TAXES, MANY OF THEM HAVE CAUGHT UP AND BEGAN MAKING THEIR PAYMENTS.
SO, UH, OUR TEAM'S BEEN DILIGENTLY WORKING ON THAT.
SO WE'VE SEEN, UM, ABOUT 42% OF THE ACCOUNTS HAVE COME CURRENT, UH, THAT ON THE PAYMENT PLAN OVER THE LAST MONTH.
UH, WE ALSO HAVE MORE PEOPLE RESPONDING TO US AND LETTING US KNOW WHAT THE PAYMENT AMOUNT IS SO WE HAVE MORE ACCURATE REPORTING.
UH, WE STILL HAVE ABOUT $5 MILLION LEFT TO GO.
UH, AND THE TEAM WILL BE FOLLOWING UP WITH EACH AND LETTING 'EM KNOW THAT, UM, WITHOUT PAYMENT, THE, THE NEXT STEPS ARE GONNA BE BUSINESS LICENSE, SUSPENSION, AND THEN ULTIMATELY REVOCATION.
WELL, THAT'S, THAT'S GOOD TO HEAR MONEY TALKS AND WE'RE SEEING SOME, SOME RESPONSE TO, TO, TO LOCAL POLICY THAT'S IMPORTANT.
UH, NEXT SPEAKER IS COUNCIL MEMBER URANGA.
AND AGAIN, FOR THE RECORD, I CONCUR WITH THE MOTION THAT'S PRESENTED BY COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, RICK SONI.
I'VE BEEN, I'VE BEEN DEALING WITH THIS ISSUE SINCE 2010, 2005 FOR A LONG TIME.
AND EVERY YEAR THERE'S NEW, NEW INFORMATION THAT COMES FORWARD.
AND THIS, I LOOK AT THIS AS A LIVING DOCUMENT.
IT'S EVOLVING, IT'S CHANGING, AND I WANT THAT.
WE'RE EVOLVING AND CHANGING AS A BUSINESS IS EVOLVING AND CHANGING.
SO THERE'S AN EFFORT TO STAY ABREAST OF WHAT'S TAKING PLACE.
BUT IF I WANNA SAY ONE THING IS THAT I AM CONCERNED WITH THE, UH, RISING NUMBER OF BUSINESSES GOING ON OF, OF CANNABIS BUSINESSES, GOING OUT OF BUSINESS.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS EVENTUALLY IN THE FUTURE AND BE MORE ACCOMMODATING AND HELPFUL AND ENSURING THEIR SUCCESS.
AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR BRINGING THIS MOTION FORWARD.
UH, AGAIN, THANK YOU STAFF FOR THE, THE WORK ON THIS ITEM.
UH, I WANT TO THANK MY COLLEAGUE, DR.
RICK SODI FOR, FOR BRINGING IT FORWARD, UM, FOR DISCUSSION.
AND, UM, I DO HAVE A COUPLE OF, UH, AREAS OF CLARIFICATION THAT I'D LIKE TO GET.
UM, I'M GENERALLY SUPPORTIVE OF THIS.
I SUPPORTED IT WHEN IT CAME BEFORE US LAST TIME.
UM, BUT I WANT TO JUST MAKE CLEAR THAT MY PRIORITY, UM, WHEN IT COMES TO THIS INDUSTRY, IT'S ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT JOBS.
AND SO IT'S GREAT TO SEE THE WORKERS COME FORWARD AND GIVE, UH, TESTIMONY AND, AND, UH, AND EQUITY, OF COURSE.
I KNOW WE, WE DID, AND IN THIS ORDINANCE, IT REDUCES THE, THE LOCAL HIRING, UM, KINDA SOCIAL EQUITY REQUIREMENT FROM 50% TO 40%.
CAN WE JUST EXPLAIN EXACTLY WHY THAT IS? AGAIN, SO THE REDUCTION IN THE LOCAL, UM, HIRING REQUIREMENT FOR THE TAX CREDIT PROGRAM AS REQUESTED BY COUNCIL LAST TIME AROUND WAS TO REQUEST IT FROM 50 TO 40.
BUT IT IS A, IT'S SEPARATE FROM THE EXISTING EQUITY EMPLOYEE REQUIREMENT.
THAT IS ALREADY IN OUR, OR IN OUR ORDINANCE, UM, WHERE BUSINESSES HAVE TO EMPLOY 40%
[02:20:01]
OF THEIR TOTAL WORK HOURS PER YEAR HAVE TO BE BY EQUITY EMPLOYEES, WHICH BY NATURE, THEY'RE TYPICALLY LONG BEACH RESIDENTS BASED ON THE CRITERIA FOR THAT.AND SO WITH THIS PILOT TAX CREDIT PROGRAM, THIS, WHAT WAS REQUESTED IS TO NOT MAKE IT, INSTEAD OF HAVING IT AT 50 TO DROP IT DOWN TO 40, SO THAT THE THRESHOLD IS SIMILAR TO WHAT WE HAVE FOR THE EXISTING REQUIREMENTS.
WE DO, IT'S NOT A CUMULATIVE, UM, LIKE PERCENTAGE IS NOT GONNA, WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT GOING FROM 40 TO 80.
IT'S GONNA BE 40 FOR EACH ONE AS THEY'RE SEPARATE.
UM, AND AGAIN, IF ASSUMING A BUSINESS IS ALREADY MEETING THE REQUIREMENT OF HAVING THE EQUITY EMPLOYEES, UM, BUT THE 40% OF TOTAL WORK HOURS, ASSUMING THEY'RE ALREADY LONG BEACH RESIDENTS, WHICH IS HIGHLY THE CASE, THEN IT'S GONNA BE SIMPLER FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO REACH THE 40% ON LOCAL HIRING FOR THE PILOT TAX CREDIT PROGRAM BECAUSE OF THAT OVERLAP, THE LOCAL HIRING ON THE, THE LOCAL HIRING REQUIREMENT, THE CRITERION IN THE PILOT TAX CREDIT PROGRAM, UM, IS, UM, OH, EXCUSE ME, I JUST LOST MY POINT, BUT YES, IT IS, THAT IS WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING RIGHT NOW, JUST TO, IT IS JUST TO ALIGN IT IN TERMS OF THE PERCENTAGE, BUT THEY ARE SEPARATE AND APART.
UM, AND THEN TOM, YOU, YOU MENTIONED ALMOST $5 MILLION, I GUESS, IN UNACCOUNTED FOR, UH, TAX REVENUES THAT ARE OWED TO THE CITY.
UM, THAT'S, THAT'S A PRETTY BIG NUMBER.
WE, THERE'S, AND I, I DO BELIEVE THAT THE, THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR DEALS WITH BAD STANDING AND, UH, A 12 MINUTE, 12 MONTH SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCE KIND OF GRACE PERIOD OR LEEWAY FOR ALLOW TO ALLOW THESE, THESE BUSINESSES TO, TO CATCH UP.
UM, SO, SO YOU EXPLAINED AFTER THAT THEY, THE LICENSE CAN BE SUSPENDED, RIGHT? SO SUSPENSION OF LICENSE MEANS WHAT, IS THAT A TOTAL OR, OR WHERE DO WE GET TO REVOCATION OF A LICENSE? I'LL TURN TO TARA MORTENSON TO TALK THROUGH THAT PROCESS.
THE SUSPENSION OF THE LICENSE WILL MEAN THEY HAVE TO STOP WORKING, AND WE'RE GOING TO ALLOW SUSPENSION TO LAST FOR 90 DAYS.
AND IF THERE'S NO ACTION TAKEN TO EITHER BECOME COMPLIANT OR, YOU KNOW, JUST ANY POSITIVE ACTION TO MOVE FORWARD WITH GETTING OUT OF SUSPENSION, THEN AFTER THE 90 DAYS WE'LL MOVE TOWARDS REVOCATION.
THAT'S OUR INTENT AND POLICY DECISION THAT WE'VE MADE.
AND UNDERSTANDING THAT WE DO HAVE KIND OF CAPS ON THE AMOUNT OF CANNABIS BUSINESSES THAT ARE PARTICULARLY RETAIL, THAT CAN, UM, OPERATE IN THE CITY.
UH, IF A, IF A BUSINESS FAILS TO, TO, UM, MEET THEIR TAX OBLIGATIONS AND FINDS THEMSELF IN THAT SITUATION, UM, HOW DO WE GO ABOUT AWARDING THE NEXT LICENSE? IS THAT GONNA GO TO A SOCIAL EQUITY AC APPLICANT? SO BASED ON THE LOTTERY PROCESS THAT TOOK PLACE IN 2016, UM, FOR THE, WE'RE JUST STRICTLY TALKING DISPENSARIES WITH THE 32 EXISTING DISPENSARIES.
THE WAY THE MEDICAL ORDINANCE IS WRITTEN RIGHT NOW IS IF A, IF A BUSINESS WERE TO FALL, WERE TO BE REVOKED OR THEY WOULD GIVE UP THEIR LICENSE, WE WOULD HAVE TO GO BACK BASED ON THE ORIGINAL LIST.
UM, 'CAUSE THERE IS, THERE WAS, WHEN WE AWARDED THE LOTTERY, THERE WAS A WAITING LIST.
SO WE WOULD HAVE TO REEVALUATE THAT TO SEE IF THAT IT'S STILL APPLICABLE.
UM, AND OF COURSE WE HA SEPARATELY, WE ALREADY HAVE THE EQUITY, UM, DISPENSARY LICENSES HAPPENING AS PART OF A DIFFERENT PROCESS.
THAT'S A DIFFERENT, UM, THOSE WERE EIGHT, EIGHT DISPENSARY LICENSES THAT COUNCIL ALLOCATED A YEAR OR TWO AGO, UM, THAT ARE, IT'S IN PROCESS OF BEING AWARDED RIGHT NOW.
SO I GUESS I'M, MY QUESTION IS NOW ABOUT THE LIST AND HOW LONG A LIST CAN STAND, RIGHT? I MEAN, IN MOST CASES, I MEAN, A, A LIST WOULD EXPIRE AFTER SO LONG, WE'RE TALKING SEVERAL YEARS.
WE WOULD HAVE TO LOOK BACK AT THE MEDICAL ORDINANCE TO REVIEW LIKE, THOSE SPECIFIC PROVISIONS.
I DON'T REMEMBER OFFHAND IF THERE'S LIKE AN EXPIRATION DATE TO IT, BUT I KNOW IN GENERAL IT WAS THE, THE PROVISION STATED THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO TURN BACK TO THE ORIGINAL LIST BEFORE TAKING ANY OTHER ACTION.
AND JUST A REMINDER, THERE'S TWO SEPARATE LISTS.
ONE IS MEDICAL MARIJUANA ORDINANCE, WHICH WAS PASSED BY THE VOTERS, WHICH YOU DO NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO CHANGE.
AND THEN THERE'S THE RECREATIONAL ORDINANCE, WHICH WE CRAFTED, WHICH WE DO HAVE THE ABILITY.
SO IT IS A LITTLE, YOUR POINT IS WELL TAKEN.
IT'S A LITTLE UNCHARTED TERRITORY.
UH, I THINK IT'S GONNA BE A VERY HIGH, UM, UH, INCENTIVE FOR A, UH, UH, PERSON TO BECOME COMPLIANT.
'CAUSE THEY DO NOT WANNA LOSE THEIR SPOT IN A NORMAL, UH, LICENSE REVOCATION, YOU REVOKE THE LICENSE, THEY CAN APPLY AGAIN IN THIS, YOU'RE GONNA PROBABLY HAVE TO START ALL OVER AGAIN AND NOT BE GUARANTEED TO GO BACK TO YOUR ORIGINAL LOCATION.
SO, UH, THAT'S THE, THE STICK, THE CARROT IS THEN SAYING, LET'S GIVE YOU A LONGER PAYMENT PLAN.
LET'S GET YOU, UH, THE ABILITY AND SOME RUNWAY TO GET CURRENT.
AND WITH THE MOTION THAT'S ON THE TABLE, IT GIVES THEM SOME ABILITY, UH, TO DO THAT AND EARN INCOME, UH, BUT ALSO PROVE TO THE CITY THAT THEY CAN MAKE THOSE PAYMENTS FOR SIX MONTHS BEFORE, UH, THEY'RE ABLE TO GET ANY ADDITIONAL BENEFIT.
WELL, LOOK, I AGREE, THOMAS, I COULD JUST ADD TO THAT, IF YOU'RE
[02:25:01]
REVOCATED, THERE'S ACTUALLY A LENGTH OF TIME WHERE YOU HAVE TO WAIT IN ORDER TO GET A NEW LICENSE.SO IF YOU WENT THROUGH THE PROCESS AND YOU WERE SUSPENDED AND THEN YOUR LICENSE WAS REVOCATED, YOU CAN'T JUST AUTOMATICALLY BE A PART OF THE LOTTERY AND THEN REAPPLY.
UH, AND SO I DO AGREE WITH, UM, MY COLLEAGUE, COUNCIL MEMBER
AND I, I THINK WE SHOULD, AS A COUNCIL, THINK ABOUT THAT POLICY RELATED TO THE LIST AND, AND HOW LONG A A LIST SHOULD, SHOULD STAND.
UM, YOU KNOW, I KNOW OUR CIVIL SERVICE PROCESS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A, THERE'S A, THERE'S A SHELF LIFE FOR THE LIST.
THERE SHOULD BE A SHELF LIFE FOR, FOR, FOR, UM, THE CANNABIS, UH, LIST OR RETAIL LIST AS WELL.
UM, AND SO WITH THAT, THANK YOU FOR THE CLARIFICATION.
I'LL BE SUPPORTING THE MOTION.
UM, ALSO, THANK YOU, UH, COUNCILMAN JONI, RICK SODI FOR YOUR VERY CONCISE AND, UM, A MOTION.
UM, AND YOU ALSO ASKED SOME OF MY CLARIFYING QUESTIONS, SO I APPRECIATE, UM, YOU DOING THAT RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS JUST A VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE, UM, THAT TOUCHES, UH, BUSINESSES, WORKERS, AND, UM, OBVIOUSLY JUST ISSUES OF FAIRNESS.
AND I KNOW WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS A LONG TIME, SO IT'S REALLY GREAT TO SEE, UH, THIS ITEM COMING TODAY.
UM, I'VE HEARD FROM MANY FOLKS IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY ABOUT BEING OVERTAXED AND, UH, OVERBURDENED BY REGULATIONS.
SO I KNOW WITHOUT A DOUBT, WITH ALL THE CONVERSATIONS THAT I HAD, THAT THE STRUGGLE, YOU KNOW, IS REAL.
AND, UM, AS A FORMER BUSINESSWOMAN, I, I THINK THAT IT'S, UM, NOT FAIR TO OVER TAX A PARTICULAR, YOU KNOW, INDUSTRY.
AND, AND IN MY OPINION, THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY IS OVERTAXED AND OVERREGULATED.
SO, UH, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE TREAT ALL BUSINESSES THE SAME, YOU KNOW, UNDER THE LAW.
AND CURRENTLY ALL LEGAL ADULT USE CANNABIS OPERATORS ALREADY PAY APPLICATION FEES.
THEY PAY ANNUAL FEES AND EQUITY PROGRAM FEES, ADDITION TO STATE FEES AND FEES AND FEES AND FEES.
SO, UM, I, I THINK LOOKING INTO WHETHER WE CAN REDUCE OUR SALES TAX ONE WAY OR WE CAN HELP THESE BUSINESSES SUCCEED AND KEEP JOBS, UM, IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY.
SO I REALLY DO APPRECIATE THE WORKERS, UM, THAT CAME OUT TO SPEAK TODAY.
UM, THAT MEANT A LOT TO ME PERSONALLY.
UM, AND I KNOW, UM, THAT, UH, WE HAVE POLICY THAT CAN PROVIDE SOME RELIEF, HOPEFULLY, UH, TO OUR, UH, CANNABIS OPERATORS.
SO I, UM, I'M SUPPORTIVE, UH, OF THE ITEM.
AND, UM, AND I, UH, I, I HOPEFULLY, UH, THIS HELPS YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BIT, BUT I KNOW LIKE THERE'S STILL, WE STILL HAVE SOME WORK TO DO, SO THANK YOU.
WELL, WE HAVE OUR MOTION, WE HAVE OUR SECOND.
WE'VE HEARD PUBLIC COMMENT MEMBERS, PLEASE CATCH YOUR VOTE.
COMMUNICATION FROM VICE MAYOR ALLEN COUNCILWOMAN ZENDEJAS, COUNCIL MEMBER URANGA RECOMMENDATION TO REQUEST PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT TO CONDUCT A FEASIBILITY STUDY OF ELECTRIC SCOOTERS ON THE BEACH BIKE PATH TO DETERMINE THE VIABILITY OF SAFE USE AND MANAGEMENT OF THIS ECO-FRIENDLY SHARED MODE OF TRANSPORTATION ON
[31. 24-52927 Recommendation to request the Public Works Department to conduct a feasibility study of electric scooters on the Beach Bike Path to determine the viability of safe use and management of this eco-friendly shared mode of transportation on the Path, and report back in 45 days. Office or Department: Cindy Allen, Vice Mayor, Second District; Mary Zendejas, Councilwoman, First District; Roberto Uranga, Councilmember, Seventh District Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]
THE PATH AND REPORT BACK IN 45 DAYS.JUST GIVE ME, UH, JUST GIMME ONE SECOND HERE.
ALRIGHT, SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR THIS ITEM.
YOU KNOW, THIS, UH, PROPOSAL HAS BEEN A PRIORITY OF MINE FOR A LONG TIME, AND, UH, IT JUST, IT STEMMED FROM A LOT OF COUNTLESS CONVERSATIONS, YOU KNOW, THAT I'VE HAD, UM, WITH THE RE WITH MY RESIDENTS, UM, SINCE, UM, I'VE BEEN IN OFFICE.
UM, I LOVE OUR MICRO MOBILITY PROGRAM AND, UH, MANY OF YOU KNOW, I AM AN ACTIVE, UH, E SCOOTER USER.
YOU SEE ME ALL OVER TOWN, UM, IN MY SCOOTER.
AND, UM, AND SO I LOVE OUR MICRO MOBILITY PRO PROGRAM.
UM, I STRONGLY SUPPORT OUR PROGRAM AND I BELIEVE THAT IT SHOULD BE, YOU KNOW, EXPANDED IN AREAS, INCLUDING OUR BEACH PATH.
UM, AND I KNOW THAT THE BEACH PATH AREA IS A VERY POPULAR ATTRACTION FOR BOTH OUR RESIDENTS, UM, AND OUR VISITORS.
UM, I KNOW THE BIKE PATH VERY WELL.
UM, MY, MY APARTMENT IS RIGHT THERE NEAR THE BIKE PATH.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT WE, IF WE HAVE
[02:30:01]
AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THIS MORE ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE, UM, THEN I, UH, SUPPORT THAT.NOW IN TERMS OF SAFETY AND, UM, YOU KNOW, I LIKE TO, UH, LOOK AT, UM, TODAY'S FEASIBILITY STUDY.
UM, AND WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR ANYTHING MORE.
UM, IT'S A CHANCE FOR US TO LOOK AT THIS HOLISTICALLY, AND I'M HOPING THAT WE CAN EVALUATE THE DEPLOYMENT AND OBVIOUSLY THE SAFETY, WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME.
AND, UM, THE RESPONSIBLE MANAGEMENT OF THE SCOTERS ON OUR BIKE PATH.
UM, I'M ALSO HOPING THAT THIS JUST STARTS A CONVERSATION THAT CAN, UM, ADDRESS ALL THE ILLEGAL ACTIVITY THAT HAPPENS ON OUR BIKE PATH.
I MEAN, I SEE, I LITERALLY JUST SAW LAST NIGHT A CAR ON OUR BIKE PATH.
I'M LIKE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU CAN'T DRIVE YOUR CAR ON OUR BIKE PATH.
UM, THEY'VE BEEN OUT THERE THIS WEEK TOO, JUST SO PD KNOWS.
I MEAN, THEY'RE OUT THERE ON THE SAND.
UM, MOTORCYCLES, THERE'S ALL KINDS OF THINGS THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS THIS, THE SAFETY.
SO HOPEFULLY HAVING A LEGAL PROGRAM, WHAT'S LEGALLY OUT THERE, WE CAN ADDRESS ALL THESE ISSUES THAT'S HAPPENING.
UM, WE ALSO NEED TO ADDRESS THE SAFE SPEED OF, OF ANYONE THAT'S ON, ON THE BIKE PATH.
UM, AND I SEE SOME OF OUR REGULAR BIKERS OUT THERE THAT DO THIS, OR THEY'RE SOME OF THE WORST OFFENDERS THAT ARE GOING SO FAST AND IT'S DANGEROUS.
SO, UM, PART OF THIS I'D LIKE FOR US TO LOOK LIKE, HOW DO WE MAKE THIS SAFE FOR EVERYONE THAT'S USING THIS PROGRAM? I KNOW, UM, THIS WEEKEND I WAS OVER BY BELMONT BREWERY, AND I KNOW THEY HAVE THAT SIGN THAT SAID, AT THAT TIME, YOU KNOW, 3000 PEOPLE HAD USED THE BIKE PATH THAT DAY.
UM, AND SO IF WE HAD SIGNAGE OUT THERE, I THINK THAT WOULD BE REALLY GOOD.
EVEN SIGNAGE THAT WE CAN TELL PEOPLE THEIR SPEED BECAUSE, UM, THOSE OF YOU THAT USE THE BIKE PATH A LOT LIKE I DO, I THINK THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE BIGGEST PROBLEM OUT THERE IS WHETHER YOU'RE ON E-BIKES OR, UM, AND, UH, WHAT WHATEVER YOU'RE USING, THE SPEED IS A PROBLEM.
AND IN WHETHER YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN BICYCLES, LIKE PEOPLE NEED TO RESPECT THE SAFETY AND THE SPEED.
SO HOPEFULLY THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN LOOK AT TOO.
UM, AND THEN ALSO, YOU KNOW, ENFORCEMENT ON, ON THE BIKE PATH.
I MEAN, WE HAVE, UH, UH, BICYCLE OFFICERS IF WE CAN LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE GETTING OUT THERE BECAUSE IT HAS BECOME THE WILD, WILD WEST OUT THERE OF JUST EVERYTHING GOES.
AND SO IT WOULD BE NICE IF WE HAD A POLICY THAT SAID, YES, YOU'RE ALLOWED TO HAVE, THESE ARE THE ITEMS THAT YOU'RE ALLOWED TO HAVE ON THE BIKE PATH, INCLUDING SCOOTERS.
AND SO IN HOUSE SOME ENFORCEMENT.
AND SO I'D REALLY LIKE FOR, FOR, UM, STAFF TO, UM, TO LOOK AT, TO LOOK AT THAT.
AND I'M HOPEFUL THAT THROUGH MANAGING AND REGULATING ON OUR BIKE PATH, THAT UH, WE CAN MANAGE ALL OF THE, UM, ALL THE ACTIVITIES, UM, THAT'S GOING ON OUT THERE.
UM, ALSO, UM, COUNCILWOMAN, UH, ZENDEJAS IS NOT HERE TODAY, BUT SHE DID, UM, SEND ME A LITTLE THING TO READ ON HER BEHALF BECAUSE SHE DOES, UM, SUPPORT, UH, THIS FEASIBILITY STUDY.
SO IF I CAN JUST READ THIS, IT'S NOT VERY LONG.
IT SAYS, THIS ITEM IS A FEASIBILITY STUDY REQUEST ONLY, AND IT ALLOWS US TO CONSIDER POLICY OPTIONS SO EVERYONE CAN ENJOY MULTI-MOBILE ACCESS TO THE PUBLIC BEACH PATH IN A SAFE AND ACCESSIBLE WAY.
PRIVATE SCOTERS AND BIKES ARE ALREADY ACTIVE ON THE BEACH PATH.
SO THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO USE THESE ALTERNATIVE AND ECHO FRIENDLY MODES OF TRAVEL TO BE REGULATED SAFELY.
WE WOULD, WE SHOULD CONSIDER MEASURES TO PREVENT SAFETY HAZARDS AND OF COURSE, MITIGATE ACCESSIBILITY CHALLENGES WITH THE ONSET OF THE OLYMPICS AND OUR AQUATIC CITY STATUS.
MORE ACTIVATION HELPS SHOWCASE OUR WORLD RENOWNED WATERFRONT.
I WOULD ASK MY COLLEAGUES TO SUPPORT OUR REQUEST.
UM, THAT'S THE END OF HER STATEMENT.
I HOPE MY COLLEAGUES SUPPORT THIS PROPOSAL AND MAKE OUR COASTLINE AND OUR WATERFRONT AMENITY AMENITIES ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE.
SO, UM, I'D LIKE, UH, ALSO TO MAKE THE MOTION THAT WE REDUCE THE REPORT BACK TO 30 DAYS AND NOT 45 DAYS.
UM, SO IF WE CAN MAKE THAT CHANGE, PLEASE.
AND JUST AT MY, AT MY COMMENTS, UH, I WOULD, I WOULD SAY, UM, I'M GLAD TO THAT YOU'RE GONNA TAKE ON THIS ISSUE.
WE HEAR ABOUT, UH, YOU KNOW, CHALLENGES WITH, WITH MOPEDS AND ALL THOSE THINGS ON THE BIKE PATH.
AND TYPICALLY WHEN YOU HAVE THOSE CHALLENGES, YOU START WITH A FEASIBILITY STUDY AND YOU FIGURE OUT NEW WAYS TO ACTIVATE IT WHEN MORE PEOPLE ARE THERE AND UTILIZING IT.
UH, THERE'S MORE OF A COMMUNITY SENSE OF, OF ACCOUNTABILITY, RIGHT? PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE OUT SAYING, THESE ARE THE RULES OF THE ROAD, AND THIS IS HOW WE USE THE BIKE PASS.
[02:35:01]
I REMEMBER WHEN WE BEGAN THE DISCUSSION ON EE SCOOTERS IN THE CITY.IT WAS NEW AND WE SAW A LOT OF BAD EXAMPLES FROM CITIES ALL OVER, ALL OVER CALIFORNIA, ALL OVER AMERICA, WHERE THE E SCOOTERS WERE LEFT ALL OVER THE PLACE AND ALL THESE CHALLENGES FROM AN ACCESSIBILITY MOBILITY STANDPOINT.
BUT I, I THINK WE'VE, WE'VE LEARNED A LOT SINCE THOSE DAYS ABOUT THE TOOLS THAT THE E SCOOTERS ACTUALLY HAVE TO HELP REGULATE THEMSELVES.
YOU CAN REGULATE SPEED ON E SCOOTER, YOU CAN REGULATE ALL OF THESE THINGS.
SO IF THERE'S A CONTRADICTION THAT YOU CAN HAVE A PRIVATE E-BIKE OR A PRIVATE E SCOOTER WITH NO REGULATION, WHERE YOU CAN'T TELL WHERE IT IS, OR THERE ISN'T A PRIVATE OPPORTUNITY TO GO OUT AND COLLECT IT EVERY NIGHT, UH, THE WAY THE E SCOOTERS ARE, AND THERE'S NO WAY TO REGULATE SPEED ON THOSE, WHY ARE WE LIMITING THE EXPERIENCE OF PEOPLE WHO MAY JUST WANT TO TRY IT OUT OR VISIT THE CITY OR, OR, YOU KNOW, EXPERIENCE OUR BIKE PATH IN A DIFFERENT WAY.
AND I THINK BRINGING MORE PEOPLE INTO OUR BIKE PATH IS, IS AGAIN, ONE WAY TO FURTHER ACTIVATE IT.
AND IF WE'RE GONNA BE A, A, YOU KNOW, A BIG CITY, A MODERN CITY HOSTING, UH, AND WE HAVE ECONOMIC PRESSURE TO ACTIVATE OUR WATERFRONT AND DO MORE ON A WATERFRONT, THEN WE HAVE TO BEGIN TO THINK ABOUT THINGS DIFFERENTLY.
SO I WELCOME THIS, THIS FEASIBILITY STUDY.
I LOOK FORWARD TO WHAT COMES, WHAT COMES BACK.
UH, NEXT IS COUNCIL MEMBER KERR.
UH, THANK YOU, UH, VICE MAYOR ALLEN.
UM, I KNOW I, I'M ON RECORD AND DIRECTOR LOPEZ AND MR. VAN D**E.
YOU KNOW THIS AS A MEMBER OF THE MOBILITY COMMITTEE.
WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT MICRO MOBILITY.
UM, I'M A USER OF E SCOOTERS DOWNTOWN.
I'M A WALKER ON THE BIKE PATH, AND A, AND I RIDE MY BIKE ON THE BIKE PATH.
AND WE'VE HAD THE CONVERSATIONS OF MAKING SURE THERE'S ACCESS FOR PEOPLE WHO MAY NOT OWN A BIKE AND THEY'RE USING A CITY BIKE OR WHO MAY NOT OWN THEIR SCOOTER, BUT WANNA TRY OUT THE SCOOTER AS THE MAYOR SAID.
UM, AND SO WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT IT IN MOBILITY AND A FEASIBILITY STUDY IS THE EXACT RIGHT NEXT STEP THAT WE TAKE, UM, TO BE ABLE TO EXAMINE WHAT WE CAN, WHAT WE DO WELL, AND, AND WHERE THE AREAS AND THE GAPS ARE, AND THE CHALLENGES IN WHAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE AND WHAT WE COULD DO POLICY WISE IN THE FUTURE.
UM, SO I'M GRATEFUL FOR A STEP THAT ALLOWS US TO GET MORE INFORMATION.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE SAFEST WAY FOR SOMEONE TO GET DOWNTOWN, AND I'VE UTILIZED IT MYSELF ON A BIKE, UM, OR A SCOOTER FROM DOWNTOWN TO RESTAURANTS IN BELMONT SHORE OR OVER TO SECOND, AND PCH IS ON THE BIKE PATH.
IT, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT A MOBILITY THAT WE DON'T ALWAYS FEEL SAFE RIDING ON THE STREETS.
UM, SO THE PROTECTED BIKE LANES ON BROADWAY OR THE BIKE PATH ARE THE EASIEST WAY TO TRANSVERSE, UM, THE CITY THAT WAY.
AND SO KNOWING WHAT WE HAVE AND THAT WE'RE DOING IS GREAT.
AND WHAT THE POSSIBILITY FOR POLICY IMPLICATIONS AND POLICY SUGGESTIONS BASED ON BEST PRACTICES, UM, IS SOMETHING THAT I'M ALSO LOOKING FORWARD TO IN A FEASIBILITY STUDY, UM, AS WE MOVE FORWARD IN THE CONVERSATION.
OUR NEXT, UH, SPEAKER IS COUNCIL MEMBER URANGA.
AND I WANNA ALSO THROW IN MY, MY COMMENTS THAT I SUPPORT THEM.
THE, UH, THE FEASIBILITY STUDY, THAT'S WHAT IT IS.
WE REFER TO THE, UH, BIKE PATH.
I, WHEN I WAS A MEMBER OF THE COASTAL COMMISSION, IT WAS BORN ON JUST A PATH, SOME A, UH, AN AREA ON LONG BEACH, THEN PEOPLE CAN WALK OR BIKE OR DO WHATEVER TO ENJOY THE COASTLINE.
AND THEY NICE TO AND SUPPORT THAT.
WE ALSO, AT THAT TIME WITH THE COAST COMMISSION BROUGHT UP ISSUES ABOUT SCOOTERS, MOTOR SCOOTERS.
AND IF I RECALL CORRECTLY, WE INSTITUTED A GEOGRAPHIC BARRIER FOR SCOOTERS THAT COULD GO BEYOND WELL, TO GET ONTO BIKE PATH ONE AND TWO, REGULAR SPEED.
SO I THINK THAT THAT'S IMPORTANT.
SO I THINK NOW WE'RE IN A JUNCTURE WHERE WE NEED MORE DATA TO SUPPORT WHETHER WE SHOULD CONTINUE ON WITH ALLOWING SCOOTERS, AND IF SO, HOW TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF NON BIKERS, WALKERS, JOGGERS, AND OTHER PEOPLE WITH PANTS, WHATEVER.
WE HAVE A PATH THAT IS SAFE FOR EVERYONE TO USE, BUT WE CAN'T DO SO WITHOUT DATA.
SO LOOKING FORWARD TO THE STUDY TO SEE WHAT GOES BACK AND ENSURE THAT WHEN WE MOVE, THEN THAT THERE IS A OPPORTUNITY AS WELL FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT IN FAVOR OF
[02:40:01]
HAVING THE FLEXIBILITY STUDY OR GETTING THE DATA THAT THEY COME FORWARD AT THAT TIME AND PRESENT THEIR, THEIR, THEIR CASE.BECAUSE EVERYTHING UP TO THIS POINT IS PERCEPTION.
AND WE CAN'T, WE CAN'T MAKE DECISIONS BASED ON PERCEPTIONS.
UH, WHEN I HEARD ABOUT THIS ITEM, MY FIRST REACTION WAS THAT WE REALLY NEED TO GET EXTENSIVE COMMUNITY INPUT.
UM, THE THIRD DISTRICT MAKES HALF ABOUT HALF OF THE BIKE PATH, AND SO MANY PEOPLE DO USE IT AND LOVE IT.
THE BEACH BIKE PATH HAS ITS CHALLENGES OVERALL WITH SAFETY.
UM, BUT IT'S REALLY A GREAT PLACE TO GO AND ENJOY OUR COASTLINE.
I THINK IT DRAWS PEOPLE TO OUR COASTLINE, BRINGS THEM IN.
UM, YESTERDAY I DID START A SURVEY AND I WANTED TO MAKE SURE I HAD THE OUTREACH PROCESS, UH, STARTED.
SO I SENT IT OUT TO THIRD DISTRICT RESIDENTS IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS.
85% OF 85% OF THE RESPONDENTS ARE OPPOSING THE SCOOTERS, SCOTERS ON THE BIKE PATH.
UM, THERE'S OVER 45 E COMMENTS.
WE'VE HAD 50 PLUS EMAILS DIRECTLY TO MY OFFICE WHO AREN'T SUPPORTIVE OF THIS.
AND I DID SEE A COUPLE AREAS, UH, CATEGORIES THAT WERE SPECIFICALLY SPOKEN ABOUT THE MOST.
AND I THINK THE FIRST WE ALL ARE CONCERNED ABOUT IS SAFETY FOR BOTH RIDER AND STRS.
SCOOTERS ARE GREAT FOR THAT LAST MILE TRANSPORTATION, BUT WHEN WE ALLOW THEM IN THE RECREATIONAL AREAS LIKE THIS, IT REALLY RAISES CONCERNS FOR PEOPLE SEEING MORE AND MORE MODES OF TRANSPORTATION ON A LIMITED AREA SPACE.
AND PEOPLE ARE ALREADY, THEY'VE BEEN EMAILING OVER THE PAST YEAR ABOUT CRASHES WITH PEDESTRIANS, WITH RIDERS, UM, AND ANIMALS TOO, WHEN DOGS ARE ON THE BEACH.
'CAUSE THAT'S PART OF THE, THE GEOGRAPHICAL SPACE WHERE, UH, THE THIRD DISTRICT HAS THE BIKE PATH.
NOW, I UNDERSTAND WE COULD REDUCE THE SCOOTER SPEED TO FIVE MILES PER HOUR, BUT I THINK THAT WOULD DEFEAT THE PURPOSE OF ACTUALLY MAKING IT A GOOD MODE OF TRANSPORTATION.
I'VE ALSO HEARD CONCERNS THAT PEOPLE DON'T USE THE SCOOTERS RESPONSIBLY BY WEAVING IN AND OUT GOING FAST.
UM, THERE'S A LOT OF USES, FAMILIES, UM, KIDS, THERE'S A DA ISSUES.
THERE'S SO MANY THINGS THAT PEOPLE ARE DOING WITH THE SCOOTERS TOO, STOPPING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PATHWAY.
UM, REGULAR BICYCLISTS ARE USING THE PATH.
E-BIKES ARE USING IT, WHICH WE REALLY NEED TO WORK ON ENFORCEMENT OF THAT.
AND POST SIGNS AS WERE MENTIONED.
UM, WE CAN SAY THAT WE'RE GONNA POST SIGNS, BUT SCOOTERS ARE USING THE PATH RIGHT NOW.
UM, WE DON'T HAVE THE CAPACITY TO MONITOR THE BIKE PATH.
IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT WHEN WE'RE ALREADY SHORT ON ENFORCEMENT IN SO MANY AREAS.
BUT TO PATROL THE BEACH PATH FOR SCOOTERS OR FOR SPEEDING SCOOTERS, IT'S REALLY A CONCERN TO ME.
UM, THE SCOOTERS TEND TO GET THROWN ALL OVER.
THEY GET DRUG THROUGH THE SAND, THEY'RE LEFT EVERYWHERE.
UH, IT'S ENVIRONMENTALLY AND SAFETY WISE, IT'S NOT A GOOD, UM, OPTION.
SO OUR BEACH MAINTENANCE STAFF, THEY'VE PICKED UP 10 MILLION POUNDS OF TRASH THIS YEAR.
UM, WE STILL SEE TRASH BECAUSE THEY'RE WORKING REALLY HARD ON SOMETHING THAT'S DIFFICULT.
I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD EXPECT THEM TO BE ALSO PICKING UP AND DELIVERING SCOOTERS BACK BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA OPEN THIS AS AN AREA.
UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT THE, THE LIME AND THE BIRD SYSTEM, YOU TAKE A PICTURE
[02:45:01]
AND, UM, WHERE IT'S, WHERE THE SCOOTER'S PARKED AND THEN IT GETS PICKED UP.BUT THIS ISN'T EVEN THE ISSUE WE'RE FACING.
RIDERS AREN'T EVEN THE ONES KNOCKING THEM OVER, UM, THROWING THEM INTO SENSITIVE AREAS.
THEY JUST GET PICKED UP AND MOVED AROUND.
WE CAN PUT IN CONTROLS, BUT THE REALITY IS WE CAN'T CONTROL THE PEOPLE WHO THROW THE SCOOTER IN OUR PATHWAYS.
WE CAN'T CONTROL THE PERSON WHO IS PUTTING THE SCOOTERS.
WE SEE THEM ON OUR SIDEWALKS, ON OUR CORNERS.
UM, I JUST THINK THAT WE CAN SAY WE'RE GONNA MONITOR THE PATHWAYS, BUT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THESE CLEARED.
I DON'T THINK WE HAVE ENOUGH STAFF TO DO THAT.
AND WE CAN'T FULLY ADDRESS THE ISSUES WE'RE FACING NOW TO ADD ADDITIONAL WHEELS, YOU KNOW, E VEHICLEHIS, IT'D BE A PROBLEM COMING INTO THIS ITEM.
I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH WAS DONE.
AND, BUT AFTER THE RESULTS OF THE SURVEY YESTERDAY WITH 594 RESPONSES, UM, 85% OPPOSITION, I FEEL LIKE I'VE HEARD ENOUGH FROM MY RESIDENTS TO KNOW I CAN'T SUPPORT SPENDING THE TIME AND THE RESOURCES MOVING THIS ITEM FORWARD.
AND, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE COULD GO TO A PARKING LOT, PARK THEIR BIKE, OR PARK THEIR SCOOTER, WALK TO THE BEACH, THEY CAN GET ON AND THEY COULD USE OCEAN TO GO DOWN TO THE NEXT BEACH PARKING LOT.
UM, I WANT TO HELP EXPAND OR LOOK AT EXPANDING OTHER WAYS OF TRANSPORTATION.
GET PEOPLE OUTTA THEIR CARS, USE MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION.
BUT, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER, YOUR TIME IS UP IF YOU WANNA QUEUE UP.
I JUST, I I HAVE TWO MORE SENTENCES AND I WILL WRAP IT UP.
UM, I, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HOW WE COULD IMPROVE OCEAN BOULEVARD TO BE MORE BIKE AND SCOOTER FRIENDLY, UM, ESPECIALLY BETWEEN LIVINGSTON AND SHORELINE.
BUT FROM THE QUICK AND STRONG RESPONSE IN OPPOSITION TO THIS ITEM FROM MY RESIDENTS, I CAN'T SUPPORT ASKING CITY STAFF TO WORK ON SOMETHING THAT'S NOT SUPPORTED BY AN OVERWHELMING NUMBER OF THIRD DISTRICT RESIDENTS.
UH, I JUST WANNA MAKE A THREE COMMENTS ACTUALLY.
I DON'T THINK THEY, THEY RISE TO THE LEVEL OF FRIENDLY AMENDMENTS, BUT JUST SOMETHING I'D LIKE, UH, THE TEAM TO TAKE A LOOK AT IN THE STUDY.
UM, THE FIRST WOULD BE, AND IT'S BEEN ALLUDED TO THAT WE GET A LOT OF COMPLAINTS.
THE SCOOTERS JUST BEING DUMPED ALL OVER.
WELL, IF IT'S DONE IN A CITY, YOU HAVE THE ABILITY FOR A VEHICLE TO PULL UP NEXT TO IT AND PICK IT UP.
WHAT, WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO WITH, WITH DUMP SCOOTERS ON THE PATH.
UM, THE OTHER THING I'D LIKE TO LOOK AT, POSSIBLY, BECAUSE WE HAVE A, UH, VARYING OPINIONS HERE, UM, CAN WE LOOK AT SEGMENTING THE BIKE BIKE PATH SO THAT A CERTAIN SECTION OF IT DOES NOT ALLOW SCOOTERS, MAYBE IN THE THIRD DISTRICT.
UM, BUT, UH, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE TO HAVE AN AREA THAT'S SCOOTER FREE? AND THE LAST THING IS, UH, SINCE THE DIRECTOR OF PRM IS IN THE ROOM, BRENT, HOW YOU DOING TONIGHT? UM, I JUST GOT A TEXT WITH THREE WORDS ON IT.
YEAH, I WAS LIKE BIKE PATH BASTARDS.
UM, SO I'M IN SUPPORT OF THIS ITEM, AND THE REASON WHY IS, YOU KNOW, AS THE CHAIR OF MOBILITY PARTS INFRASTRUCTURE, WE DID A PRESENTATION IN OUR MICRO MOBILITY.
AND I THINK THERE WAS, UM, A LOT OF CONVERSATION ABOUT, UH, YOU KNOW, BEING ABLE TO ENSURE THERE'S ACCESS MOBILITY THROUGHOUT OUR CITY.
AND, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS ABOUT BEING ABLE TO USE THE SCOOTER FROM THE BUS OR THE TRAIN IS, IS THE LAST MILE.
NOW I AGREE THAT IT NEEDS TO BE USED IN A SAFE WAY.
AND I THINK THAT THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF EXPLORATION THE SCOOTER COMPANIES HAVE DONE, AND THEY WERE, AND, AND THAT DIDN'T REALLY WORK.
BUT MAYBE WE NEED TO REVISIT IT SUCH AS ZONES AND WHERE, UH, SCOOTERS CAN GO, UM, OR OTHER WAYS IN LIMITING LOWERING CER HAVING SPEED LIMIT ONTO THESE SCOOTERS THAT WHERE THEY CAN'T GO A CERTAIN LIMIT.
UM, SO I THINK THAT WE'RE JUST KIND OF GOING AROUND, AGAIN, BACK TO EXPLORING WAYS TO FIND A FINE BALANCE AROUND MICRO MOBILITY, UM, THAT ALLOWS PEOPLE TO SEE OUR CITY IN WAYS THAT YOU WOULDN'T ON A, IN A CAR, RIGHT? UM, YES, ON A BICYCLE, BUT SOMETIMES PEOPLE WANNA HAVE OPTIONS AS WELL.
SO, UM, I LOVE TO SEE IDEAS THAT WE
[02:50:01]
CAN GO BACK TO THAT'S BEEN DONE, BUT TWEAKING IT IN A WAY THAT COULD HAVE THAT BALANCE.I THINK IT'S BEEN A, A, A GOOD DISCUSSION, UH, VICE MAYOR.
UM, AND I, I, UM, WITH REGARDS TO, UH, COUNCILMAN SUPER, YEAH.
I THINK WE SHOULD ACT ABSOLUTELY PART OF THIS.
IF I WASN'T CLEAR ON MY COMMENTS THAT WE WANT TO LOOK AT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE IN THE FEASIBILITY STUDIES TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE ARE, ARE, ARE PICKED UP AND THERE'S NOT, I MEAN, RIGHT NOW THERE'S NOT SCOOTERS BEING DRAGGED THROUGH THE SAND.
I DRIVE MY PERSONAL SCOOTER, I'M NOT DRAGGING MY PERSONAL SCOOTER THROUGH THE SAND.
THERE ARE NEW SCOOTERS ON THE SAND BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED DOWN THERE.
UM, BUT WE, BUT IF THIS WERE TO HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE, WE, AS PART OF THIS, WE ABSOLUTELY WOULD WANT TO HAVE A, UM, A, A PROGRAM FOR, FOR THAT.
AND, AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO ME THAT IT'S THE ENTIRE BIKE PATH.
UM, I, SOMEONE THAT RIDES ABOUT 20 MILES A WEEK ON A SCOOTER, UM, BEING ON OCEAN BOULEVARD IS UNSAFE.
IT'S, I I, EVERY TIME I SEE A SCOOTER ON OCEAN BOULEVARD, I'M LIKE, PLEASE GET OFF.
SO WE WANT TO HAVE THE, UM, WHEN, UH, COUNCILMAN KERR TALKED ABOUT THE SAFETY GOING FROM DOWNTOWN, I CAN WRITE ALL THE WAY TO THE COUNT TO THIS FROM, FROM MY WISE SPOT, PRETTY SAFELY USING THIS, THE BIKE PATH OR GOING DOWN TO, UM, THE EAST SIDE.
SO IT NEEDS TO INCLUDE THE, THE FEASIBILITY STUDY, UM, NEEDS TO INCLUDE THE ENTIRE, UH, UH, BIKE PATH.
UM, BUT PLEASE INCLUDE THAT AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT JUST A COLLECTION.
'CAUSE I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE IMPORTANT TO, UM, TO ALL OF US.
UH, WE'LL NOW GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT.
WE HAVE FOUR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC SIGNED UP TO SPEAK VERSUS SONAI KIN FEY.
AND AFTER AYA IS RONALD SAMPSON.
OKAY, I'M GONNA BE CONCISE AND STRAIGHT TO THE POINT.
SO MY APOLOGIES, IT'S NOT PERSONAL.
UH, FIRST OF ALL, MY NAME IS SONAI KEN FAY.
I'M A SIXTH DISTRICT RESIDENT.
I DO NOT WORK FOR ANY, UH, BIRD LIME.
I'M SPEAKING SPECIFICALLY AS A PRIVATE CITIZEN, OKAY? WITH, WITH RESPECT TO METHODOLOGY, WE HAVE SOME SCIENTISTS AND DOCTORS IN THE ROOM.
WE HAVE ONE RIGHT HERE THAT'S ON THE CITY COUNCIL, UH, RESPECTFULLY, COUNCILWOMAN DUGGAN.
THAT IS NOT A SURVEY THAT YOU, YOU ENGAGED IN.
THAT IS CALLED A QUESTIONNAIRE.
YOU, UM, REPRESENT A DISTRICT, UH, FOUR OVER 40,000 PEOPLE.
YOUR, YOUR ZIP CODE HAS ABOUT 31,000 PEOPLE.
594 PEOPLE IS ONE FIFTH OF 1% OF THE PEOPLE THAT YOU REPRESENT IN YOUR DISTRICT.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE WHAT THE SAMPLE SIZE AND METHODOLOGY OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN YOUR EMAIL BLAST FOR US TO SAY.
NOW WITH RESPECT TO, UM, THE ABANDONMENT OF SCOOTERS, THE AVERAGE ELECTRIC SCOOTER WEIGHS 28 POUNDS.
OKAY? LA COUNTY ON AVERAGE HAS OVER 5,000 ABANDONED CARS ANNUALLY, RIGHT? THE, THE AVERAGE SIZE OF A CAR, THE WEIGHT OF A CAR IS OVER 4,000 POUNDS.
SO WE HAVE OVER 20,000 POUNDS OF VEHICLES ABANDONED EVERY YEAR.
WE CANNOT SERIOUSLY COMPLAIN ABOUT 50 TO A HUNDRED SCOOTERS BEING ABANDONED.
JUST, I'M QUANTIFYING IT ON A SCALE LEVEL.
IT'S NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL, OKAY? WITH RESPECT TO ME AS A PERSON, I HAVE USED OVER 1,830 MILES RIDING A SCOOTER, OKAY? THE AVERAGE EMISSION IS 0.77 OF A POUND OF CO2 PER MILE, RIGHT? SO THAT IS SAVING THE WORLD ABOUT 1,409 POUNDS OF CO2, MY CARBON FOOTPRINT, IT DOESN'T EXIST BECAUSE I RODE A E SCOOTER.
I WRITE A E SCOOTER DOWN PACIFIC AVENUE TO GET TO HERE EVERY TUESDAY.
I'M SAVING THE WORLD, ME AS AN INDIVIDUAL.
UM, I THINK THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO ENGAGE AND, AND, AND SCALE WORLDWIDE.
AND LONG BEACH HAS THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT WITH WHAT WE'RE DOING ALREADY.
SO WHY CHANGE THE FORMULA? IT'S WORKING.
YOU KNOW, AS MY COUNCILWOMAN SUGGESTED, WE HAVE, WE HAVE IMPARTED INTO THE CULTURE OF TRANSPORTATION IN THE CITY, AN AMPLE ALTERNATIVE FROM THE LAST MILE, WHETHER YOU'RE COMING FROM THE METRO STATION TO THE BUS STATION TO YOUR HOUSE.
SO I DON'T SEE THE NEED TO CHANGE ANYTHING THAT'S ALREADY WORKING.
AND FINALLY, THE CITY OF LA, THEY DID A DOCKLESS, UH, PILOT PROGRAM ALREADY.
WE DON'T HAVE TO SPEND ANY MONEY.
[02:55:01]
EVERY YEAR ARE BEING MR. CAMP UTILIZE ON THE SCOOTERS.NEXT SPEAKER IS RONALD SAMPSON.
UM, MAYOR RICHARDSON AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, I'M HERE TO SPEAK ON THE, UM, THE SCOOTERS.
UM, FIRST OFF, I BELIEVE THAT IT'LL STRETCH OUT THE LAW ENFORCEMENT.
I'M A RESIDENT OF THE THIRD DISTRICT.
THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE THAT CAN RIDE THE SCOOTERS, THEY'RE NOT HOMELESS PEOPLE.
THEY'RE OUR CHILDREN, OUR CHILDREN, PEOPLE THAT CAN AFFORD THE SCOOTERS.
YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M SAYING? AND SO WHEN I THINK OF MY CHILD, YOU KNOW, ON A REGULAR, YOU GOTTA THINK ABOUT THEM BEING, UM, WHAT'S THE WORD THAT I'M LOOKING FOR? TO DO THINGS THAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DO.
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? CHILDREN.
SO I START THINKING OF TRUANCIES.
I STARTED THINKING OF, UH, THIS BEING A BEACH COMMUNITY.
MY GRANDFATHER WAS ONE OF THE FIRST MEN WHO BUILT ON THE SPACE SHUTTLE, AND HE'S ALSO ONE OF THE MEN WHO PUT THE ENGINES IN OUR C UP OUT HERE IN OUR HARBOR.
SO WHEN WE COME TO THIS HARBOR, IT REMINDS ME OF HARD WORK.
I THINK OF, UH, THIS AS BEING A COMMUNITY AS FAR AS LIKE BIKES.
LIKE WHEN YOU COME TO THE BEACH, YOU COME FOR THE BEACH, BEACH ATMOSPHERE.
YOU COME FOR THAT SCENIC ROUTE.
YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M SAYING? THE MAJORITY OF US, WE DRIVE TO THE BEACH.
YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M SAYING? WE DON'T REALLY DRIVE OUR SCOOTERS TO THE BEACH UNLESS WE STAY ON THE BEACH.
WE DRIVE TO THE BEACH AND THEN WE DRIVE HOME.
NOW, THE PROBLEM IS, IS WHEN YOU HAVE CHILDREN THAT ARE DELINQUENT AND STUFF LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? AND EVERYONE MAKES MISTAKES.
I THINK OF ME HAVING TO GO AND PICK A CHILD UP WHERE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE HERE, BUT YOU'RE HERE.
I THINK OF SCOOTERS, PEOPLE GETTING RAN OVER.
I THINK OF ACCIDENTS WHERE IT COMES DOWN TO IT.
WELL, WHO'S GONNA PAY FOR THESE ACCIDENTS? IT HAS TO BE THE TAXPAYER.
I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT I, I'M, I'M TIRED OF, UH, RECKLESS PAYMENTS ON THINGS.
WE NEED TO START NIPPING THINGS IN THE BUD.
LET, LET'S TRY TO PREVENT ACCIDENTS FROM OCCURRING.
IF IT'S A BEACH BIKE PATH, THEN THAT'S WHAT IT SHOULD BE.
A BEACH BIKE PATH FOR ROLLERBLADERS AND SKATEBOARDS.
I THINK THAT, UH, THE BEACH SHOULD NOT, UH, IT SHOULD BE A ZONING TO WHERE YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE ELECTRIC SCOOTERS OR ANYTHING ELECTRIC WITH MOTOR OR ANYTHING AS FAR AS ON THE BEACH, BECAUSE THAT'S NOT WHAT THE BEACH WAS DESIGNED FOR.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? THANK YOU.
NEXT SPEAKER IS JOHN KENDRICK.
YOU KNOW, THE ONLY ONE THAT MADE SENSE WAS YOU, YOU THE ONLY ONE THAT CAME CLOSE TO TALKING ABOUT THE PROBLEMS. I'M A SKATER.
I'M A BIKE RIDER, AND I USED TO BE A SURF RUNNER.
AND WHEN, I MEAN A SURF RUNNER RUN FROM BREAKWATER TO BREAKWATER IN THE WATER WHEN I USED TO BE ABLE TO RUN.
BUT NOW I WORK WITH MY GRANDKIDS DOWN THERE.
I ALSO BELONG TO HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL.
OVER THE YEARS, I PULL OVER 15 SCOOTERS OUT OF THE SURF.
OVER THE YEARS I'VE REPORTED TO, TO THE STAFF OF SCOOTERS IN THE WATER BY THE AQUAQUARIUM.
AND THEY'VE BEEN THERE SO LONG, THEY WERE RUSTED.
OKAY? I'VE SEEN KIDS RIDING THE SCOOTERS ON THE BLUE LINE PLATFORMS AND GOING THROUGH THE TRAINS, AND SOMETIMES IT'S ADULTS.
THESE THINGS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT DON'T EVEN TOUCH THE SURFACE.
SOMETIMES YOU SEE A PACK OF NINE SCOOTERS AND EACH SCOOTER'S GOT ANYWHERE FROM ONE TO THREE KIDS ON THEM, AND THEY AIN'T OLD ENOUGH TO EVEN HAVE A LICENSE.
AND THEY'RE RACING AT NIGHT DOWN, DOWN THE PIKE AND GOING BETWEEN, UH, TOURISTS AND EVERYBODY ELSE.
YOUR PROBLEM IS BIGGER WHEN YOU WANT.
AND SOMETIMES I GO SKATING IN THE MORNING AT FIVE IN THE MORNING BECAUSE I'M SENSITIVE TO SUNLIGHT AND I'VE SEEN SCOOTERS IN THE BIKE PATH.
AND PEOPLE ARE GOING TO WORK TO THE BLUE LINE ON THEIR BIKES AND THEY'RE HITTING THESE, THESE SCOOTERS LAYING OUT THERE AND YOU CAN'T ENFORCE IT.
YOU GOT STICKERS ON THE SIDEWALK SAYING NOT ON THE SIDEWALK, NOT ON THE POMADE.
THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS ALREADY SHORT.
THE RED SHIRTS, THEY CAN'T DO IT.
YOU DON'T HAVE THE MANPOWER OF ANY KIND TO ENFORCE ANYTHING THAT YOU HAVE.
SO BEFORE YOU DO THIS, YOU NEED TO HAVE THE MANPOWER TO ENFORCE IT AND DO IT RIGHT.
AND IF YOU PULL THE STATISTICS, YOU WILL SEE ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED.
SOME OF THEM HAVE BEEN DRUNK, A DUI
[03:00:01]
ON A SCOOTER.AND IF A TESLA IS A BATTERY PARTED CAR AND A MOTORCYCLE IS BATTERY PART AND IT CAN'T GO IN THERE, WHY CAN'T A SCOOTER OR A BIKE, BECAUSE IT'S JUST A MINI VERSION OF A ENGINE AND YOU GOT MINI BIKES DOWN THERE DAY AND NIGHT, THEY AIN'T GETTING STOPPED.
SO BEFORE YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING, MAKE SURE YOU CAN FIX IT AND HAVE IT SAFE AS POSSIBLE AND LIVE UP TO THE CITY'S MISSION AND VISION, WHAT IT SAYS ABOUT HAVING A SAFE CITY FOR PEOPLE WHO WORK HERE, LIVE HERE AND PLAY HERE.
I'VE BEEN HIT TWICE BY A SCOOTER.
I LIVE IN THE FIRST DISTRICT DOWNTOWN WHERE A LOT OF SENIORS LIVE AT.
SIR, ARE YOUR TIME CONCLUDED? THANK YOU.
ALRIGHT, OUR FINAL SPEAKER IS ANTONIO DIAZ.
I, UM, STRONGLY SUPPORT ITEM 31 FOR MANY REASONS.
I'M A NEIGHBOR OF CINDY ALLEN'S.
UM, AND I WALK THE BEACH PATH VERY LIKE EVERY MORNING.
IF I DON'T WALK IT, I SCOOTER, I'M SORRY, I, UH, WHAT'S IT CALLED? UM, I ROLLER BLADE IT.
SO I STRONGLY AGREE WITH SCOOTERS BEING ALLOWED ON THE BEACH PATH WITH THE CONDITIONS OF A PARKING FEASIBILITY FOR THE SCOOTERS.
LIKE IF YOU'RE GONNA BE RIDING A SCOOTER ON THE BEACH PATH, YOU SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO JUST DROP IT OFF WHEREVER YOU WANT.
AND THE COMPANIES THAT OWN THESE SCOOTERS LIKE BIRD, LYFT, THEY SHOULD NOT ALLOW YOU TO JUST DROP IT OFF WHEREVER.
THERE SHOULD BE A DESIGNATED PLACE FOR THE SCOOTERS.
UM, AND OF COURSE, THE MAINTENANCE OF A SCOOTER IS VERY IMPORTANT.
SO WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO SOMEHOW KEEP TRACK OF HOW OFTEN THESE SCOOTERS THAT ARE OUT THERE IN BUSINESS BEING RENTED OUT TO THE PUBLIC.
HOW OFTEN ARE THEY BEING MAINTENANCE ALSO? UM, I THINK THAT SCOOTERS SHOULD HAVE BIGGER WHEELS BECAUSE WHEN YOU'RE RIDING THE SCOOTER ON THE STREET OR ON THE BEACH PATH, THERE'S, UM, POTHOLES.
AND IF THOSE SCOOTERS DRIVE OVER THOSE POTHOLES, YOU ARE MORE, IT'S THE HIGHER RISK THAT YOU'RE GONNA HAVE AN ACCIDENT RIDING THE SCOOTER BECAUSE THE SCOOTER HAS A SMALL WHEEL.
SO IF YOU RIDE OVER A POTHOLE IN THE SCOOTER, YOU'RE PROBABLY GONNA TRIP.
SO SOMETIMES TO AVOID THOSE POTHOLES, YOU EITHER MOVE TO THE RIGHT OR TO THE LEFT, BUT YOU DON'T KNOW RIGHT AWAY IF SOMEONE ELSE IS WALKING OR RUNNING RIGHT NEXT TO YOU.
RIGHT? SO, UM, THAT SHOULD DEFINITELY BE IMPLEMENTED.
I AND I HAVE NOT SEEN ANYONE RIDING A SCOOTER WITH A HELMET.
HAS ANYONE SEEN SOMEONE RIDING A SCOOTER WITH A HELMET? I DON'T REALLY SEE PEOPLE RIDING SCOOTERS WITH HELMETS.
I DON'T REALLY SEE CYCLISTS OR PEOPLE THAT ARE ROLLERBLADING RIDING SCOOTERS.
AND THERE'S NO SPEED MONITORING.
I'M NOT SAYING THAT WE NEED LBPD OR LIKE PEOPLE ON BICYCLES TO BE IMPLEMENTING THE, UM, SPEED LIMIT MONITORING SYSTEM, BUT THEY NEED TO RIDE A SCOOTER AT A DECENT SPEED.
SHOULD AM YOUR TIME'S CONCLUDED.
ALRIGHT, THAT CONCLUDES A PUBLIC COMMENT.
AGAIN, THIS IS ON A FEASIBILITY STUDY.
GET THE DATA, GET THE FACTS, AND ALLOW THE CITY COUNCIL MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION WITH THAT MEMBERS.
PLEASE REPORT FROM HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES RECOMMENDATION TO ADOPT A RESOLUTION TO EXECUTE A CONTRACT WITH FIRST RATE STAFFING FOR TEMPORARY STAFFING SERVICES FOR THE PROJECT HOME KEY INTERIM HOUSING PROGRAM AT 1725
[03:05:01]
LONG BEACH BOULEVARD.IN A TOTAL AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED 350,000, ADOPT A RESOLUTION TO EXECUTE
[26. 24-52780 Recommendation to adopt resolution authorizing City Manager, or designee, to execute a contract, and any necessary documents including any necessary subsequent amendments, with First Rate Staffing, of Santa Fe Springs, CA, for temporary staffing services for the Project Homekey Interim Housing program at 1725 Long Beach Blvd., in a total amount not to exceed $350,000, for the term of February 19, 2024, to May 31, 2024; Office or Department: Suggested Action: ]
A CONTRACT WITH PROTECTION AMERICA FOR SECURITY SERVICES FOR A TOTAL AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED 200,000, AND ADOPT A RESOLUTION TO EXECUTE A CONTRACT WITH EVERY TABLE FOR MEAL DELIVERY SERVICES FOR A TOTAL AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED 150,000 DISTRICT ONE.OKAY, IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED.
UH, ANY PUBLIC COMMENT HERE, MEMBERS, PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE.
ITEM 20, REPORT FROM CITY MANAGER.
RECOMMENDATION TO EXECUTE AN AGREEMENT WITH THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA OFFICE OF PLANNING AND RESEARCH TO ACCEPT AND EXPEND GRANT FUNDING IN THE AMOUNT OF 500,000 FOR CONNECTING LB DISTRICTS ONE, SIX AND SEVEN.
[20. 24-52771 Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute an agreement and any necessary documents including subsequent amendments, with the State of California Office of Planning and Research to accept and expend grant funding in the amount of $500,000 for the Connecting Long Beach Neighbors (ConnectingLB) Program, with a term ending January 31, 2026; and Increase appropriations in the General Grants Fund Group in the City Manager Department by $500,000, offset by State of California grant funds. (Districts 1, 6, 7) Office or Department: City Manager Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]
OKAY, WHILE WILL THEY, WHILE THEY FIGURE OUT THE MOTIONS, IS THERE A BRIEF STAFF REPORT HERE? JUST THIS IS ALL GOOD NEWS, SO LET'S JUST HAVE A QUICK UPDATE.YES, WE HAVE A QUICK UPDATE BY DEPUTY CITY MANAGER MEREDITH REYNOLDS.
GOOD EVENING, MAYOR MEMBERS CITY COUNCIL.
UM, THIS IS DEFINITELY A GOOD NEWS, UH, ITEM.
UH, THIS IS A GRANT THAT, UH, WE HAVE BEEN GRANTED FROM, UH, CALIFORNIA VOLUNTEERS, UH, WHICH IS FROM, UH, STATE OF CALIFORNIA.
AND THIS IS FOR THE CONNECTING LONG BEACH NEIGHBORS PROGRAM.
THEY PROVIDE GRANT FUNDS, UH, PARTICULARLY FOCUSED ON, UH, CLIMATE EVENTS WHERE THE PROGRAM CAN FOCUS ON NEIGHBOR TO NEIGHBOR KIND OF INTERACTIONS WHERE YOU GET TO KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS AND REALLY FOCUS ON CLIMATE CHANGE.
UM, SO THEIR, UH, PROGRAM IS ABOUT MEDIAING COMMUNITY ISOLATION AND THE PERCEPTION OF LONELINESS, INCREASING VOLUNTEER PARTICIPATION, UM, AND INCREASING THOSE BONDS OF INTERACTION.
THE CONNECTING LB PROGRAM, UH, ALIGNS WITH A NUMBER OF OUR CITY'S EFFORTS FROM THE LONG BEACH CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, OUR PARK STRATEGIC PLAN, OUR HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES STRATEGIC PLAN IN THE WEST SIDE PROMISE INITIATIVE, UH, BY FOCUSING ON THE COMMUNITIES, UH, DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES PER OUR CAL AND VIRUS GREEN, UH, MAPS.
AND SO THIS, UH, HAS A NUMBER OF, UH, ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES, UH, COMMUNITY CELEBRATIONS, UH, AND COMMUNITY EVENTS IN A NUMBER OF NEIGHBORHOODS IN, UM, UH, ACROSS LONG BEACH.
UM, SO THE MAJORITY OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS WERE SELECTED BASED ON THE CRITERIA OF THE GRANT, UH, AND REALLY FOCUS ON FAMILY AND YOUTH ORIENTED ACTIVITIES SUCH AS TREE PLANTING, PARK RESTORATIONS, BIKING AND PEDESTRIAN EVENTS, OUR BE SAFE PROGRAM, MOBILE RECESS ACTIVITIES, AND SIMILAR, UH, THINGS FOCUSED ON CLIMATE.
UH, SO WITH THAT, WE'RE HERE, HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
AND THAT CONCLUDES MY STAFF REPORT.
JUST JUST TO COMMENT, UH, THANK YOU MEREDITH.
AND WE WANNA THANK, UM, JOSH FRIDAY AND THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE.
UH, THEY, THEY'RE FOLLOWING WHAT LONG BEACH IS DOING.
THEY'RE REAL PARTNERS FOR US FROM OUR CLIMATE CORE, OUR PUBLIC SERVICE CORPS.
UH, THEY'RE HELPING US, UH, BRING REAL RESOURCES, MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UH, THEY WERE REAL FANS OF THE WORK WE DID WITH OUR NEIGHBORHOOD SUMMIT LAST YEAR, AND HAVE INVITED US TO PARTICIPATE IN A NUMBER OF GRANT OPPORTUNITIES, INCLUDING THIS ONE.
IT'S, IT'S A HALF A MILLION DOLLARS, UH, TO HELP SUPPORT, UH, THE WEST SIDE PROMISE AND ADJACENT COMMUNITIES.
UH, AND IT'S ALIGNED, ALIGNED WITH ALL THE PLANS THAT MEREDITH LAID OUT.
SO THIS IS REAL MONEY, REAL OPPORTUNITIES THAT CAME OUTTA THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING HERE AT LONG BEACH.
UH, THAT SAID, LET'S SEE IF WE ACTUALLY HAVE A MOTION.
OH, NO, I THOUGHT IT WAS, THAT'S WHAT IT SAYS ON MINE.
COUNCIL MEMBER YOU WANNA SPEAK ON SAY SOMETHING.
YEAH, IT'S A GREAT, UH, GOOD NEWS ITEM, UM, FULLY SUPPORTED AND, UH, GRATEFUL FOR THE SUPPORT OF THE STATE.
COUNCILMAN AUSTIN? YEAH, I JUST, UH, WOULD JUST LIKE TO COMMENT.
I WOULD LOVE TO THINK THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE ON TOP OF WHAT, WHAT WE'RE ALREADY BUDGETING SO THAT WE CAN DO MORE YEAH.
WITH THESE DOLLARS IN INSTEAD OF, YOU KNOW, BACKFILLING ANY POTENTIAL CUTS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
AND SO, NO, THIS IS NEW MONEY.
I WANT IT TO BE NEW MONEY, AND I WANT IT TO BE ABLE, ABLE TO EXPAND SERVICES.
AND THAT'S JUST MY, MY COMMENT.
WE GONNA DO WHAT THEY TELL US TO DO WITH THEIR MONEY.
ANY PUBLIC COMMENT HERE? IT'S CALLED EASY MONEY.
UM, THANK YOU MEM UH, NO PUBLIC COMMENT.
MEMBERS, PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE.
MOTION IS CARRIED 21 REPORT FROM CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION TO ADOPT SPECIFICATIONS AND AWARD A CONTRACT TO AQUA CROP LLC TO IMPLEMENT AND OPERATE THE MOBILE HEALTHY FOOD MARKET IN A TOTAL AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED 630,000 CITYWIDE.
[03:10:01]
REPORT ON THIS ONE.ALL RIGHT, WE HAVE MEREDITH AND OUR HEALTH TEAM HERE.
THANK YOU MAYORS MEMBER CITY COUNCIL.
UH, TONIGHT WE HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU A RECOMMENDATION, UH, TO AWARD A CONTRACT, UH, FOR THE MOBILE HEALTHY FOOD MARKET PROGRAM.
UH, AND THIS IS, UH, ONE OF THE, UM, ORIGINAL LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT PROGRAMS, UH, WHERE WE WERE FOCUSED ON, UH, HEALTHY FOOD.
THERE WAS A NUMBER OF THESE, AND THIS IS ONE OF THEM.
SO I'M GONNA HAND IT OVER TO OUR FOLKS FROM THE HEALTH TEAM TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE DETAILS OF THE PROGRAM AS WELL AS, UH, THE VENDOR.
SO I'LL HAND IT OVER TO LAURA, YOU WANNA GO? UH, LAURA TURNBULL IN THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
SO THE MOBILE HEALTHY FOOD MARKET IS, UH, JUST WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE.
IT'S A MOBILE MARKET ON WHEELS THAT WILL, UH, BE ABLE TO TRAVEL TO MULTIPLE NEIGHBORHOODS TO SELL FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES OPERATING ON A SET SCHEDULE SO THAT OUR RESIDENTS KNOW WHEN THEY CAN SHOP.
UH, THE VEHICLE SELECTED, UM, THROUGH THE RFP PROCESS IS KNOWN AS AN ECO CART.
UH, THIS WILL HELP TO REDUCE NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT AS THE VEHICLE ITSELF IS ELECTRIC.
UM, AND THE OPERATOR IS ACTUALLY ALSO LOOKING INTO SOLAR PANELS SO THAT IT CAN CHARGE WHILE SET UP ON LOCATION.
UM, THE BEST THE SITES FOR THIS MOBILE MARKET, UM, ARE CURRENTLY BEING VETTED AND WILL BE SELECTED IN COOPERATION WITH, UH, THE OPERATOR.
UM, BUT ARE SPECIFICALLY LOOKING AT SITES THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS HAVING LIMITED HEALTHY FOOD ACCESS.
UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT SITES WHERE OUR OLDER ADULTS RESIDE, UM, HIGH TRAFFIC SITES THAT REACH WHERE COMMUNITY ARE ALREADY COMING, UM, SO THAT WE CAN, UM, SORT OF SET UP ONE STOP SHOPPING.
WE WILL ALSO BE CO-LOCATING OTHER SERVICES, UH, WHEN THE MOBILE MARKET IS OPERATING SO THAT, AGAIN, RESIDENTS COMING TO SHOP MAY ALSO BENEFIT FROM POTENTIALLY GETTING CONNECTED TO PROGRAMS LIKE CALFRESH, UH, WHICH THE MOBILE MARKET WILL BE, UM, APPLYING TO ALSO, UH, ACCEPT TO INCREASE BUYING POWER FOR OUR RESIDENTS.
SO THAT CONCLUDES OUR STAFF REPORT, AND WE'RE HERE FOR ANY QUESTIONS.
UH, THIS IS JUST, YOU KNOW, MORE GREAT, GREAT WORK.
IT'S A LONG HISTORY IN OUR HEALTH DEPARTMENT OF, UM, EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR HEALTHY FOOD ACCESS FROM HEALTHY CORNER STORES AND ALL OF THAT WORK A FEW YEARS BACK.
I KNOW YOU'VE, YOU'VE BEEN, UH, YOU KNOW, PLAYING THE LEAD ROLE FOR MANY YEARS THERE.
AND, UM, AND A FEW YEARS AGO AFTER, YOU KNOW, AFTER WE HAD OUR CONVERSATION ABOUT, UM, ABOUT HAZARD PAY FOR FRONTLINE GROCERY WORKERS, WE LOST A FEW GROCERY STORES AND THE CITY COUNCIL CAME FORWARD AND ASKED FOR YOU, YOU ALL TO LOOK AT A STRATEGY TO HELP DEPLOY MORE HEALTHY FOOD AND SOME OF THESE STRATEGY IN SOME OF THESE, UH, AREAS THAT NEED MORE ACCESS.
UH, THE RECOVERY PLAN WAS A FUNDING MECHANISM THAT OPENED UP THE DOOR FOR THIS WORK.
SO IT WAS GREAT TO SEE AFTER ALL THOSE STEPS, UH, THAT WE'RE DEPLOYING THIS INNOVATIVE OPPORTUNITY IN, IN WEST AND CENTRAL AND NORTH LONG BEACH.
UH, WE'LL GO TO VICE MAYOR ALLEN.
OH, I JUST COMPLETELY, THIS IS AWESOME.
AND I COMPLETELY SUPPORT, YOU KNOW, UH, HEALTHY ACCESS TO, FOR FOOD, ESPECIALLY FOR OUR SENIORS.
I KNOW THE CITY HAS LONG TRIED TO INNOVATE IT AROUND FOOD DESERTS.
THERE'S WORK OUT IN NORTH LONG BEACH PROBABLY 10 YEARS AGO, UM, AND DOING POP-UPS AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND PARKS AND, AND THIS CONTINUATION OF, OF BRINGING THE FOOD TO PEOPLE WHERE THEY NEED IT IS REALLY GREAT.
AND I LOVE THAT IT'S AN ELECTRIC CAR.
UH, IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT HERE? SEEING NONE, MEMBERS, PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE.
MOTION IS CARRIED WHEN YOU DEPLOY IT.
ALL RIGHT, NEXT IS, UH, DID WE VOTE HERE? OKAY, GREAT.
PLEASE REPORT FROM CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION TO ADOPT A RESOLUTION TO EXECUTE A GENERAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES FOR A FIVE YEAR PERIOD FROM JULY 1ST, 2024 THROUGH JUNE 30TH, 2029.
THIS, THIS IS ESSENTIALLY AN AGREEMENT, UM, BETWEEN US AND THE COUNTY TO DO A REIMBURSEMENT FOR A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT SERVICES THAT THE COUNTY CAN PROVIDE AND SUPPORT US WITH, INCLUDING BRIDGE WORK, THAT TYPE OF THING.
ANY PUBLIC COMMENT MEMBERS, PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE.
24 REPORT FROM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE CITY MANAGER OR DESIGNEE TO EXECUTE ALL DOCUMENTS NECESSARY TO AMEND CONTRACTS WITH VARIOUS CONTRACTORS FOR ON-CALL ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CONSULTING SERVICES.
TO ADD AN AGGREGATE AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED 4.6 MILLION AND TO EXTEND THE TERM OF THE CONTRACTS TO MARCH 5TH, 2025 CITYWIDE.
[03:15:01]
UH, IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT HERE? MEMBERS, PLEASE CATCH YOUR VOTE.COUNCILWOMAN SORO, ARE YOU IN? YEAH.
ITEM 27, JUST AS A REMINDER, MAYOR, WE DO HAVE ITEM 25 STILL ON THE AGENDA.
AND IF APPROVED, REFER BACK TO CITY COUNCIL FOR CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL.
WELL, UH, AT THE STATE OF THE PORT, UH, A PROPOSAL WAS ANNOUNCED TO, TO NAME, UH, THE, THE THIRD FLOOR, SECOND FLOOR, I THINK IT'S THE SECOND FLOOR, THE THIRD FLOOR, THE THIRD FLOOR OF THE PORT BUILDING, UH, AFTER OUR RETIRED CONGRESSMAN.
UM, AND NOW THEY'RE FOLLOWING UP WITH THAT AND GOING THROUGH OUR OFFICIAL NAMING PROCESS.
THE PORT IS A PART OF THE CITY OF LONG BEACH AND STILL NEEDS TO GO THROUGH THE SAME PROCESSES THAT WE DO.
AND SO WE ARE, UH, GLAD THAT WE ARE SEEING THAT PROCESS TAKE PLACE.
AND, UH, AND I ANTICIPATE THAT IT WILL RECEIVE A, A, YOU KNOW, A, UM, POSITIVE, UM, RESPONSE FROM THE, FROM THE COUNCIL.
UH, IS THERE ANY STAFF REPORT HERE? OR IS, IS THERE ANYBODY FROM THE PORT? I THINK YOU COVERED IT WELL, AND JAMILA UH, IS HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS IF THE COUNCIL HAS ANY ABOUT THE PROPOSAL.
I DON'T SEE ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE COUNCIL, SO THANK YOU SO MUCH.
AND, UH, COUNCILMEN, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER SUPER NA IS GONNA BE HEADING YOUR WAY.
UH, IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT HERE? OKAY.
MEMBERS, PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE.
ALRIGHT, UH, LET'S DO ITEM 27, REPORT FROM HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES RECOMMENDATION TO EXECUTE AN AGREEMENT WITH THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT TO RECEIVE AND EXPEND GRANT FUNDING IN AN AMOUNT OF 1,706,641 FOR THE HEALTHY HOMES PRODUCTION GRANT PROGRAM.
ALRIGHT, WE'RE ACCEPTING MORE MONEY.
THIS IS A GOOD THING AND WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT.
SO LET'S HAVE A STAFF REPORT, PLEASE.
I'M GONNA HAND IT OVER TO OUR SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT ON THIS.
JUDITH LONG GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.
UH, WE DID SUBMIT AN APPLICATION TO HUD UNDER THEIR HEALTHY HOMES PRODUCTION GRANT, AND WE WERE AWARDED IF THIS WAS A COMPETITIVE PROCESS.
WE ARE ONE OF 20, UM, AGENCIES SELECTED NATIONWIDE TO RECEIVE THIS AWARD, AND WE'RE SCHEDULED TO RECEIVE $1.7 MILLION FOR 42 MONTHS TO REMEDIATE AND ENROLL 130 UNITS IN LOW INCOME HOUSING.
UM, FOR MANY OF OUR FAMILIES HERE IN LONG BEACH, WE ARE EXCITED TO RECEIVE THIS AWARD AS THIS EXPANDS OUR EFFORTS TO ADDRESS ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY HAZARDS FOR MANY OF OUR FAMILIES IN LONG BEACH.
FUNDING WILL ALSO SUPPORT HOUSING AND REMEDIATION, UM, CONTRACTORS WHO WILL LIKELY RETAIN OR GENERATE NEW JOBS.
UM, AS HUD, WE HAVE BEEN HUD RECIPIENTS SINCE 1995.
WE'VE DONE MANY DIFFERENT, UM, SECTIONS OF THE HUD FUNDING AWARDS WHERE WE'VE DONE REMEDIATIONS AND LEAD AND HEALTHY HOUSING, UM, PROGRAMS WHERE MORE THAN 2,400 UNITS IN LONG BEACH HAVE BEEN REMEDIATED AND HAVE SUCCESSFULLY PARTICIPATED IN THIS PROGRAM.
THAT CONCLUDES MY REPORT AND I'M OPEN FOR ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
AND WE'RE SO, UH, GRATEFUL TO THE SUPPORT FROM, UH, FROM HUD HERE IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, SO THANK YOU.
GREAT WORK AS ANY PUBLIC COMMENT HERE, MEMBERS, PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE.
29 COMMUNICATION FROM COUNCILWOMAN KERR.
RECOMMENDATION TO INCREASE APPROPRIATIONS BY 10,000 TO PROVIDE A CONTRIBUTION TO LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION IN SUPPORT OF THEIR 2024 SUMMER FEST AND DRONE SHOW EVENT.
ALRIGHT, DID YOU WANNA SAY ANYTHING ON THAT? MORE TO COME.
UH, ANY PUBLIC COMMENT HERE, MEMBERS, PLEASE
[29. 24-52923 Recommendation to increase appropriations in the General Fund Group in the City Manager Department by $10,000, offset by the Fifth Council District One-Time Priority Funds transferred from the Citywide Activities Department to provide a contribution of $10,000 to Long Beach City College Foundation in support of their 2024 Summerfest & Drone Show event; and Decrease appropriations in the General Fund Group in the Citywide Activities Department by $10,000, to offset a transfer to the City Manager Department. Office or Department: Megan Kerr, Councilwoman, Fifth District Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]
CAST YOUR VOTE.COMMUNICATION FROM COUNCILWOMAN SORROW RECOMMENDATION TO INCREASE APPROPRIATIONS BY 1000 TO PROVIDE A CONTRIBUTION TO LB FORWARD TO SUPPORT THEIR IN FULL BLOOM EVENT ON APRIL 20TH, 2024.
UM, ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? MEMBERS, PLEASE
[30. 24-52925 Recommendation to increase appropriations in the General Fund Group in the City Manager Department by $1,000, offset by the Sixth Council District One-time District Priority Funds transferred from the Citywide Activities Department to provide a contribution to LB Forward to support their In Full Bloom event on April 20, 2024; and Decrease appropriations in the General Fund Group in the Citywide Activities Department by $1,000 to offset a transfer to the City Manager Department. Office or Department: Suely Saro, Councilwoman, Sixth District Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]
CAST YOUR VOTE.[03:20:01]
WE NOW HAVE GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT NUMBER NUMBER TWO, UH, FROM MEMBERS.ANYBODY SIGN UP, SIGNED UP FOR GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT NUMBER TWO.
ALRIGHT, I SEE TWO PEOPLE, RUBY ARRINGTON AND SONAI KIM CALLED YOU FIRST.
[ PUBLIC COMMENT: IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO ADJOURNMENT Opportunity is given to those members of the public who have not addressed the City Council on non-agenda items. Each speaker is limited to three minutes unless extended by the City Council. ]
GOOD, GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL AND DISTRICTS, AND I'M A PART OF DISTRICT NUMBER SIX.I AM A BOARD MEMBER OF THE OLIVE COURT HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, AND SO I'M REPRESENTING MY COMMUNITY.
WE HAVE HAD A LOT OF INCIDENTS HAPPEN.
HOWEVER, I WANT TO PINPOINT THE HOMELESSNESS AND THE CLOSING THE FIRE AT THE DOLLAR GENERAL STORE.
IT HAS GOTTEN, IT HAS BECOME SO SUCH AN EYESORE.
THERE'S SHOOTING GALLERIES, THERE ARE WHERE THEY'RE BRINGING CHAIRS UP AND DOING DRUGS OPENLY.
THERE IS A LOT OF BURGLARIES THERE.
UH, THREE NIGHTS AGO, THERE WAS A CAR THAT STOPPED AND THEY ACTUALLY CAME TO MY DOOR.
MY MOTHER'S 90 YEARS OLD AND I WAS IN THE SHOWER AND THEY WERE KNOCKING AND BEGGING FOR MONEY.
AND THE POLICE HAVE BEEN VERY GOOD AT RESPONDING, BUT I KNOW THAT THEY'RE SUPER TAPPED OUT.
BUT IT'S GETTING TO THE POINT WHERE I DIDN'T GROW UP HERE.
I GREW UP IN OHIO ON A NATURE RESERVE, AND TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, MY MOTHER'S HOUSE BLEW UP.
SO I HAVE NO HOME TO GO TO, AND THIS IS THE ONLY HOME I HAVE AND I'M TRYING TO KEEP IT, BUT IT'S BECOMING VERY DANGEROUS AND THE NEIGHBORS ARE ASKING US FOR HELP.
SO I'M HERE ON THEIR BEHALF TO ASK YOU TO PLEASE LOOK INTO WHAT THE DOLLAR GENERAL'S DOING BECAUSE THEY'RE BUILDING, BUT WE DON'T KNOW.
BUT THEY'RE ALLOWING DRUGS TO BE SOLD THERE OPENLY AND THEY'RE ALLOWING SHOOTING GALLERIES, LIKE I SAID, AND A LOT OF ACTIVITIES THERE.
AND THEY'RE TARGETING RE RESIDENTS FOR RETALIATION.
ALSO, THERE IS AN ISSUE OF FLOODING AND WE NEED A CITY ENGINEER TO COME OUT TO ASSESS THE FLOODING.
WE'VE TRIED MULTIPLE BUSINESSES AND THEY'VE ASKED US TO REACH OUT TO YOU TO HAVE A CITY ENGINEER TO EVALUATE THE SITUATION THERE BECAUSE THE PROPERTY WAS A PROPERTY THAT WAS BUILT IN 2007 NEW, BUT IT IS, THE FLOODING IS OUTRAGEOUS.
ONE OF THE RESIDENTS HAS HAD DAMAGE IN EXCESS OF, I'D SAY 80,000 PLUS DOLLARS.
ANOTHER ISSUE THERE IS THE COMMUNITY IS GETTING VERY, UH, AND THEY'RE GETTING RESTLESS, AND WE SIMPLY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO.
SORROW, TO WALK THE NEIGHBORHOODS TO GET TO KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS.
I MEAN, I CAN'T SPEAK FOR EVERYONE HERE, BUT AS A GENERATIONAL BLACK AMERICAN, I HAVE NEVER, I I SEE MOVIES.
I'M A HOMEOWNER, BUT BELIEVE ME, IT IS A MOVIE WHERE I LIVE.
I HAVE FOOTAGE THAT WILL, THAT WOULD MAKE YOU, IT WOULD, IT WOULD SHOCK YOU.
IF, IF MY MOTHER, IF I COULD, I WOULD RELOCATE HER I TO A PLACE WHERE SHE WOULDN'T HAVE TO SEE THIS.
I DON'T EVEN FEED MY BIRDS ANYMORE BECAUSE IT, IT, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S GETTING THAT BAD.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TESTIMONY, BUT YOU NEED TO WALK THE NEIGHBORHOODS, GET TO KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
IF YOU GOT TO, YOU WOULD HAVE YOU, IT WOULD TOUCH YOU IN A DIFFERENT WAY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND YOUR TESTIMONY.
UM, IN MY HASTE IN MY PREVIOUS, UH, STATEMENT, I SAID THAT 20,000 POUNDS OF ABANDONED CARS, UH, ANNUALLY ARE LITTERED.
UH, STILL, WE HAVE NOT YET TO SEE ANYONE TRY TO BAN THE COMBUSTIBLE ENGINE.
IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT DATE IN AMERICAN HISTORY.
IT IS THE DAY OF THE SURRENDER OF THE TRAITORS OF THE CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION KNOWN AS THE CONFEDERACY.
THEY SURRENDERED TODAY, APRIL 9TH, 1865.
UM, I JUST THOUGHT THAT WAS SOMETHING PEOPLE TO REMEMBER.
I CAME TODAY BECAUSE, UM, I DIDN'T, I MISSED, I DIDN'T GET TO SIGN UP EARLIER, BUT I JUST WANTED TO SPEAK AND TO BRING AWARENESS TO THE ZONE IN, UM, MEETING THAT'S HAPPENING, UH, ON THE 11TH, UH, SPECIFICALLY TOWARDS TITLE 22.
[03:25:01]
WE ARE CHANGING THE ZONING LAWS WITH RESPECT TO THE CENTRAL CORE, THE CENTRAL AREA THAT I LIVE IN.AND, UM, I THINK THAT IT'S IMPERATIVE.
I THINK THAT IT'S IMPERATIVE TO, UM, THE FUTURE OF THE CITY THAT WE HAVE TO MOVE PAST THE INCENTIVE BASED PROGRAMS THAT WE TRY TO UTILIZE, UH, DEVELOPERS TO ENGAGE IN CERTAIN POLICY, UH, NARRATIVES, AND INSTEAD MOVE TOWARDS A MANDATORY, UH, BASED POLICY.
UM, WITH RESPECT TO COMMUNITY, UH, BENEFIT AGREEMENTS.
UM, WE CAN'T INCENTIVIZE PEOPLE TO CARE ABOUT COMMUNITIES THAT THEY DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT.
UH, IT'S SIMILAR TO THE INCLUSIONARY HOUSING ORDINANCE THAT WE USED TO MAKE, UH, A PREROGATIVE OF DIRE DEVELOPERS UNTIL WE MANDATED IT.
UM, I JUST THOUGHT THAT WAS INTERESTING THAT THOSE, THOSE WEED PEOPLE, UH, 42% OF PEOPLE SUDDENLY FOUND THEIR DELINQUENT TAXES.
YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE, 'CAUSE IT WAS MANDATED, RIGHT? SO I JUST THINK THAT I, YOU KNOW, I COULD NEVER DO THAT AS A HOMEOWNER.
I COULD NEVER, I COULD NEVER JUST MAGICALLY, I MEAN, I WAS IN, I WAS IN PRISON AND I STILL HAD TO PAY MY PROPERTY TAXES WHILE I WAS IN PRISON.
I THOUGHT, I THOUGHT THAT THAT WAS CRAZY.
BUT WITH RESPECT TO, UH, DEVELOPMENT IN THE CENTRAL CORE, UM, I THINK THAT WE NEED TO MANDATE PEOPLE TO DO LOCAL HIRING.
AGAIN, WHEN, WHEN IN AMERICAN HISTORY DO YOU HAVE A UNION PERSON COME OUT AND SAY THEY'RE AGAINST LOCAL HIRE? THAT'S ANOTHER THING THAT'S JUST BLOWS MY MIND.
WITH RESPECT TO THE ZONE IN PROCESS, IF WE MANDATE LOCAL HIRE PREFERENCES, PEOPLE WILL ENGAGE IN COMMUNITY AND THEY WILL MAGICALLY FIND THE WORKERS IN COMMUNITY TO, TO HIRE FOR THESE NEW BUSINESSES COMING IN.
I'M NOT AGAINST THE DEVELOPMENT.
I'M NOT AGAINST THE, THE HOUSING COMING IN.
I JUST THINK IT'S FAIR THAT FOR US THAT CURRENTLY LIVE IN THESE COMMUNITIES, WE DESERVE A RIGHT TO BE AT THE TABLE OF THE FUTURE.
SO, UH, THURSDAY, APRIL 11TH, I HOPE YOU ENGAGE IN IT.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE CITY IS MAKING IT VIRTUAL.
I KNOW CONNECT LB MONEY WON'T BE, YOU KNOW, MAKING THE WIFI COME INTO EFFECT BY THEN.
BUT HOPEFULLY YOU HAVE A LOCAL LIBRARY THAT YOU CAN USE THE WIFI 'CAUSE IT'S NOT IN PERSON.
ALL RIGHT, WELL, THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT.
UH, WE'LL NOW GO TO GO TO OUR CLOSING ANNOUNCEMENTS AND ADJOURNMENT.
I WANNA GO TO COUNCIL MEMBER RICKS ODI FIRST.
LEMME PULL UP MY, MY NOTES HERE.
UM, I WANTED TO, UM, ADJOURN THIS MEETING IN MEMO, UM, IN MEMORIA.
UM, MANY OF YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THE, UH, THE NEWS REPORTS AROUND, UH, A SHOOTING IN MY DISTRICT AND THE REALLY TRAGIC LOSS OF LIFE, UM, OF A GENTLEMAN, A RESIDENT IN OUR DISTRICT.
AND SO I WANTED TO CLOSE THE MEETING IN HIS HONOR.
UM, SO I WANNA SAY THAT I'M REALLY DEEPLY SADDENED BY THE SHOOTING INCIDENT THAT OCCURRED ON THURSDAY, APRIL 4TH, UM, IN THE HOUGHTON PARK NEIGHBORHOOD IN DISTRICT NINE.
UM, OUR LONG BEACH POLICE OFFICERS RESPONDED TO REPORTING OF A SHOOTING WHICH RESULTED IN INJURIES TO ONE INDIVIDUAL AND THE TRAGIC LOSS OF ANOTHER, IDENTIFIED AS MARIO MORALES MORENO.
UM, MY HEART IS WITH THOSE WHO WERE AFFECTED BY THIS INCIDENT, UM, AND ESPECIALLY THE FAMILY AND LOVED ONES OF MR. MORALES MORENO, AND I WANTED TO SAY HIS NAME.
UM, AND SO MY HEART IS WITH HIS FAMILY AT THIS TIME.
I EXTEND MY DEEPEST CONDOLENCES TO THEM.
UM, AND I ALSO WANNA SAY THAT IN THE WAKE OF THIS INCIDENT, UM, OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT IS RAMPED UP THEIR PATROLS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN THE AREA.
THE INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING, BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION, UM, PLEASE REACH OUT TO OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AT 5 6 2 5 7 0 7 2 4 4.
AND AGAIN, I WANTED TO, UM, END THIS MEETING IN MEMORIA FOR MR. MARIO MORALES MORENO, THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER AND, UH, FOR, UH, LIFTING UP, UH, MR. MORALES MORENO.
AND I EXPRESSED MY, MY CONDOLENCES, UH, TO HIS FAMILY, HIS WIFE, ELSA.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE HAVING REPRESENTED DISTRICT NINE.
OCCASIONALLY WE'VE SEEN SOME VERY DIFFICULT CHALLENGES AND, AND IT'S NEVER EASY ANYTIME SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENS.
SO THANK YOU FOR, UH, RAISING IT FOR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND ACKNOWLEDGING IT AND FOR CALLING THE, ON THE COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT, UH, THE IMPORTANT WORK THAT OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT NEEDS TO DO NOW TO BRING CLOSURE TO THE FAMILY AND MAKE SURE THAT THIS, UH, THESE THINGS DON'T, DON'T CONTINUE TO HAPPEN.
AND SO THANK YOU FOR, FOR LIFTING IT UP.
I, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO MAKE CLOSE THE MEETING IN HONOR AND MEMORY OF ANDREA PALM, UH, TONIGHT.
UM, UH, SHE PASSED AWAY ON MARCH 25TH.
ANDREA WAS A BELOVED ARTIST AND SINGULAR OF GOSPEL, JAZZ, BLUES, R AND B, ROCK AND ROLL, AND OLD SCHOOL VARIETY.
HER NICKNAME IN THE LONG BEACH COMMUNITY WAS LIL EDA.
NOT ONLY WAS THE SHE THE LEAD VOCALIST FOR GREG YOUNG IN THE SECOND STREET BAND.
SHE WAS ALSO THE HOUSE BAND SINGER.
[03:30:01]
ICONIC BURLAND, WEST BROADWAY AND PINE AND JAZZ SUPPER CLUB.ANDREA WAS A SHINING BEAK OF LIGHT, UH, TO OUR THRIVING MUSIC COMMUNITY HERE IN LONG BEACH, AND SHE WILL CERTAINLY BE DEEPLY MISSED.
AND I'D LIKE TO JUST SHIFT GEARS AND ADD MY CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILIES OF, UH, UM, THOSE MENTIONED BEFORE MR. MORALES AND, AND, UH, MS. ADAM.
UM, SO WE'RE INVITING ALL ENTREPRENEURS, INVESTORS, AND SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS TO JOIN US THIS SATURDAY AT THE UPTOWN BUSINESS EXPO FROM 10:00 AM TO 1:00 PM AT THE NEW LBCC RED DOOR BUILDING, LOCATED AT 30, I'M SORRY, 6 3 5 EAST SOUTH STREET.
THIS EVENT IS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH, UH, MY OFFICE AND, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER DR.
JONI RICKS OTI IN THE NINTH DISTRICT AND THE UPTOWN BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT.
AT THE EXPO, PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ABLE TO NETWORK WITH BUSINESS OWNERS, ACCESS CITY, STATE, AND FEDERAL RESOURCES, AND LEARN STRATEGIC STRATEGIES FOR SCALING UP BUSINESSES.
RESOURCES WILL INCLUDE, UM, REPRESENTATIVES FROM OUR CALIFORNIA STATE TREASURER'S OFFICE, THE IRS CITY DEPARTMENTS, LIKE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND BUSINESS SERVICES, UH, NONPROFITS LIKE THE APRIL PARKER FOUNDATION, ORDERLY AND L-B-C-E-I AND MANY OTHER RESOURCES TO RSVP.
PLEASE, UH, VISIT MY INSTAGRAM AND CLICK THE LINK IN THE BIO OR VISIT, UH, UH, OR EMAIL DISTRICT8@LONGBEACH.GOV.
UH, WE HEARD THE PRESENTATION EARLIER, BUT I'D LIKE TO REMIND OF THOSE OF YOU WHO MAY HAVE MISSED IT THIS WEEKEND, I INVITE YOU ALL TO ATTEND LONG BEACH'S INAUGURAL ADAPTIVE SPORTS FAIR ON SATURDAY, APRIL 13TH AT LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE, THE LIBERAL ARTS CAMPUS ON CARSON AND CLARK FROM 10:00 AM TO 2:00 PM JOIN PLAYMAKERS LONG BEACH AND SOCAL ADAPTIVE SPORTS TO EXPLORE A DIVERSE RANGE OF SPORTS AND RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES DESIGNED WITH INCLUSION IN MIND.
THE EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO EVERYONE OF ALL AGES AND ABILITIES TO COME TOGETHER AND SHARE THE LOVE OF SPORT AND THE ART OF PERFORMANCE.
YOU CAN RSVP@LBASF.EVENTBRITE.COM TO GUARANTEE E ENTRY AND APPARENTLY CLAIM SOME KIND OF GOODY BAG.
UH, ALSO THIS SATURDAY YOU CAN JOIN, UH, IN THE SAME GENERAL AREA, PARKVIEW VILLAGE AROUND VIKING AND CARSON WAY, THEIR SECOND SATURDAY'S BLOCK PARTY FROM 11 TO THREE TO CELEBRATE SPRING WITH FAMILY FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES.
AND LASTLY, ALSO ON SATURDAY, APRIL 13TH, YOU CAN STOP BY THE LONG BEACH EXCHANGE FOR NATIONAL FARM ANIMAL DAY FROM 11:00 AM TO 7:00 PM BRING THE KIDS TO ENJOY A PETTING ZOO, PONY RIDES AND FARM ANIMAL CRAFTS, ALL WHILE SUPPORTING LOCAL VENDORS, RESTAURANTS, AND BUSINESSES.
WE HOPE TO SEE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY.
NEXT IS COUNCIL MEMBER SUBINA.
IN HIS LAST STATEMENT, HE MENTIONED PROPERTY TAXES.
AND LO AND BEHOLD, THAT DEADLINE IS TOMORROW, SO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE 'EM PAID.
UM, IF YOU'RE AVAILABLE FRIDAY MORNING, WE HAVE THE GRAND OPENING IN THE FOURTH DISTRICT OF NOTHING BUT CAKES AT 9:00 AM THAT'S AT THE CORNER OF LCD ANDINO.
[ANNOUNCEMENTS]
AND, UH, JUST TO LET YOU KNOW THAT AS MANY PEOPLE KNOW, I'M MEMBER OF THE OFFICE, CALIFORNIA COASTAL COMMISSION, AND ONCE A YEAR WE COME TO LONG BEACH.SO STARTING WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, AND FRIDAY, WE WILL BE HAVING, WE WILL BE HOSTING THE COASTAL MISSION COMMISSION HERE IN THE CHAMBERS.
SO IF YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY, PLEASE COME DOWN.
YOU'LL SAY HI TO THE COASTAL COMMISSIONERS FROM UP AND DOWN THE STATE, AND IF YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY, READ OUR AGENDA AND THERE'S SOMETHING THAT YOU WANNA COMMENT ON, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COME FILE THE CARD AND COMMENT ON ANY COURT COMMISSION ACTION THAT WILL BE TAKING PLACE DURING THAT WEEK.
ALRIGHT, WELL, UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.
THAT CONCLUDES OUR CITY COUNCIL MEETING.