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I WOULD LIKE TO CALL THE BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MEETING[CALL TO ORDER]
TO ORDER FOR AUGUST 6TH, UH, 2024.CAN I GET A ROLL CALL? COUNCIL MEMBER DUGGAN HERE.
[ROLL CALL]
VICE CHAIR URANGA.[1. 24-54417 Recommendation to approve the minutes for the Budget Oversight Committee meeting of Tuesday, August 29, 2023. Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]
CAN WE GET THE FIRST ITEM READ PLEASE? YES.ITEM ONE IS A RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FOR THE BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MEETING OF TUESDAY, AUGUST 29TH.
UH, CAN I GET A FIRST AND A SECOND? I'M TRYING TO GET THERE.
UH, ANY DISCUSSION FROM MY COMMITTEE MEMBERS? SEEING NONE, UH, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND VOTE.
UM, IF THERE IS ANY, UH, PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS PARTICULAR ITEM, UM, PLEASE COME FORWARD.
[2. 24-54418 Recommendation to receive and file an overview of the budget engagement and educational opportunities available to the community. Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]
PLEASE.ITEM TWO IS A RE RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE AN OVERVIEW OF THE BUDGET, ENGAGEMENT, AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE TO THE COMMUNITY.
WE JUST NEED A SECOND ON THIS ITEM.
UM, I BELIEVE WE HAVE A STAFF PRESENTATION.
I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE TO MARIO JOHNSON, BUDGET ANALYST TO PROVIDE THE STAFF REPORT.
GOOD AFTERNOON CHAIR RICK SODI AND MEMBERS OF THE BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE.
THIS PRESENTATION IS TO PROVIDE YOU WITH AN OVERVIEW OF THE FY 25 PROPOSED EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS, AS WELL AS VARIOUS OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC AS WE CONTINUE OUR BUDGET DEVELOPMENT PROCESS THROUGH AUGUST.
THIS PRESENTATION WILL INCLUDE A SUMMARY OF THE EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS, DISCUSS FEEDBACK THAT WE RECEIVED FROM THE COMMUNITY IN JAN DURING THE JANUARY ASPECT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
OFFER OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE ON THE PROPOSED FY 25 BUDGET, OFFER COMMUNICATION RESOURCES, AND ALSO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT MAY ARISE THIS YEAR.
THE CITY CONTINUED WITH ITS TWO PHASE APPROACH TO COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AS PART OF THE FY 25 DEVELOPMENT.
CITY STAFF CONDUCTED EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES IN JANUARY OF THIS YEAR PRIOR TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ANY BUDGET PROPOSALS.
THE EARLIER ENGAGEMENT INCLUDED FOUR IN PERSON AND ONE VIRTUAL MEETING.
THESE WERE HELD ON JANUARY 17TH, JANUARY 22ND, JANUARY 25TH, JANUARY 30TH, AND JANUARY 31ST.
THE ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS ALSO INCLUDED THE DISTRIBUTION AND COLLECTION OF THE FY 25 BUDGET PRIORITY SURVEY, WHICH OPENED ON JANUARY 2ND AND CLOSED ON FEBRUARY 1ST.
GOALS OF THIS PROCESS INCLUDED INCREASED OUTREACH TO AND PARTICIPATION OF BROADER DEMOGRAPHIC GROUPS.
THE COMMUNITY MEETINGS WERE PROMOTED ON THE FY 25 BUDGET WEBSITE AND THE CITY CALENDAR, AND WIDELY DISTRIBUTED THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS AND DEPARTMENT NEWSLETTERS, INCLUDING THE GO LONG BEACH NEWSLETTER AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD RESOURCES CENTER LIFT.
SERVE PRINTED FLYERS FOR THE COMMUNITY MEETINGS WERE ALSO MADE AVAILABLE AT EACH OF THE LIBRARY BRANCHES, AS WELL AS CITY PARKS FOR ALL COMMUNITY MEETINGS.
SPANISH KAMAI AND TAGAL INTERPRETATION SERVICES WERE MADE AVAILABLE AS WELL.
THE BUDGET PRIORITY SURVEY COMMUNITY MEETING FLYER WERE ALSO MADE AVAILABLE IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES.
THIS PRODUCED A TOTAL OF 102 ATTENDEES AT OUR COMMUNITY MEETINGS AND 846 SURVEY RESPONDENTS TO THE BUDGET PRIORITY SURVEY.
NEXT, WE WILL DISCUSS THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FEEDBACK RECEIVED THROUGH THIS PROCESS.
SIMILAR TO LAST YEAR AND FY 24, THE CITY STRATEGIC VISION 2030 PLAN WAS USED AS A FRAMEWORK FOR THE COMMUNITY PRIORITY SERVICE AREAS.
THE SURVEY ASKED PARTICIPANTS TO RANK TO RANK THE STRATEGIC VISION THEMES IN ORDER FROM ONE TO EIGHT, WITH ONE BEING THE MOST IMPORTANT AND EIGHT BEING THE LEAST IMPORTANT.
THESE SER THE EIGHT KEY SERVICE AREAS INCLUDE EDUCATION, ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, EQUITY AND RESILIENCY,
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DIGITAL INCLUSION AND TECHNOLOGY, HOUSING AND, AND HOMELESSNESS, MOBILITY AND PLACEMAKING, PUBLIC SAFETY, HEALTH AND WELLNESS, AND CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY.THE TOP RANK THEME FOR THE 2030 STRATEGIC VISION THEME IDENTIFIED THROUGH THE BUDGET PRIORITY SURVEY WAS PUBLIC SAFETY WITH HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS BEING SECOND AND EDUCATION BEING THIRD.
COMMUNITY MEETING PARTICIPANTS WERE ALSO ASKED TO RANK THESE VISION THEMES IN A SIMILAR FORMAT AS THE BUDGET PRIORITY SURVEY ITSELF, AND THIS PRODUCE EDUCATION BEING FIRST HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS SECOND, AND CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY BEING RANKED THIRD.
IN ADDITION TO RANKING THE 2030 STRATEGIC THEMES, PARTICIPANTS WERE ALSO ASKED TO IDENTIFY THEIR TOP THREE PROGRAMS UNDER EACH THEME AREA.
SO NEXT WE WILL TAKE A LOOK AT THE THREE TOTAL AGGREGATE THEMES BETWEEN BOTH THE BUDGET PRIORITY SURVEY AND THE COMMUNITY MEETINGS, STARTING WITH HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS.
THE NUMBER ONE SERVICE AREA HERE WAS ADDRESS AND PREVENT HOMELESSNESS THROUGH EMERGENCY SHELTER AND WRAPAROUND SERVICES.
NUMBER TWO IS RAPID RESPONSE AND HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT CLEANUPS.
AND THIRD BEING, INCREASE THE SUPPLY OF AFFORDABLE AND WORKFORCE HOUSING.
UNDER THE EDUCATION THEME, THE TOP THREE PROGRAMS INCLUDE AFTER SCHOOL AND SUMMER PROGRAMS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, ACCESS TO LIBRARIES AND LIBRARY PROGRAMS, AND THIRD, PARTNERSHIPS WITH EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS TO EX EXPOSE STUDENTS TO MAJOR EMPLOYERS.
AND LASTLY, FOR PUBLIC SAFETY, THE TOP THREE PROGRAMS INCLUDE MAINTAIN RAPID POLICE RESPONSE TO CAUSE FOR SERVICES AND EMERGENCIES AND HIGH VISIBILITY PATROLS.
NUMBER TWO, NUISANCE ABATEMENT PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS LOADING ILLEGAL DRUG ACTIVITY, EXCESSIVE NOISE, AND ILLEGALLY DUMP ITEMS AND THIRD PREVENTION PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS VIOLENCE IN THE COMMUNITY.
AS WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE REST OF THE BUDGET DEVELOPMENT PROCESS, RESIDENTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS CAN ENGAGE IN THE BUDGET PROCESS BY ATTENDING BUDGET HEARINGS, BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MEETINGS, OUR COMMUNITY BUDGET MEETINGS THAT WE WILL DISCUSS A LITTLE LATER IN THIS, IN THIS PRESENTATION, THEY CAN ALSO FILL OUT THE FY 25 DIGITAL COMMENT CARD AND ACCESS ONLINE AND OTHER RESOURCES.
THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF AUGUST.
THERE WILL BE A SERIES OF BUDGET HEARINGS WHERE DEPARTMENTS WILL BE PRESENTING THEIR PROPOSED BUDGETS FOR, FOR THIS YEAR.
THE CITY COUNCIL AS WELL AS THE COMMUNITY, WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE, COMMENT AND DISCUSS THESE ITEMS. LATER TODAY, WE WILL HEAR THE F THE PROPOSED FY 25 BUDGET, AS WELL AS THE PROPOSED CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN.
ON AUGUST 13TH, WE'LL HEAR FROM OUR POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS.
AUGUST 20TH DEPARTMENTS WILL INCLUDE PARKS, RECREATION AND MARINE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS.
ON SEPTEMBER 3RD, WE'LL HEAR FROM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, LIBRARY ARTS AND CULTURE, AND ALSO HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES WITH SEPTEMBER 10TH BEING THE DATE STATED FOR BUDGET ADOPTION BY THE CITY COUNCIL.
THERE ARE ALSO A FEW BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MEETINGS THROUGHOUT THIS MONTH THAT WILL ADDRESS VARIOUS TOPICS RELATED TO THE PROPOSED BUDGET AND ALSO THE CITY'S FINANCES.
AND ANYONE FROM THE PUBLIC CAN PARTICIPATE IN THESE AS WELL.
IN ADDITION TO THE EARLIER COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN JANUARY, THERE ARE FOUR ADDITIONAL MEETINGS AND ONE VIRTUAL MEETING THAT WILL BE HELD THIS MONTH IN AUGUST, WHERE THE PUBLIC WILL HAVE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE INPUT ON THE PROPOSED FY 25 BUDGET.
THE MEETINGS WILL ALSO HAVE INTERPRETATION SERVICES MADE AVAILABLE AT EACH OF THOSE IN SPANISH, KAMA TAGAL, AND ALSO A SL.
THE FIRST MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR TOMORROW, AUGUST 7TH, AT RECREATION PARK FROM SIX TO 7:30 PM ADDITIONAL ADDITIONAL MEETINGS WILL BE HELD THROUGHOUT EACH REGION OF THE CITY ON MONDAY, AUGUST 12TH AT CABRILLO HIGH SCHOOL, AUGUST 15TH AT RAMONA PARK, AUGUST 19TH AT BILLIE JEAN KING LIBRARY.
AND WE'LL ALSO HAVE ANOTHER VIRTUAL OPTION AVAILABLE TO FOLKS WHO MAY NOT BE ABLE TO, TO ATTEND IN PERSON ON AUGUST 14TH FROM SIX TO 7:30 PM AS WELL.
I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO NOTE THAT YOUR COUNCIL DISTRICTS HAVE RECEIVED THE COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT, WHICH INCLUDES RESOURCES THAT YOU CAN, OUTREACH RESOURCES THAT YOU CAN, UM, SPREAD AWARENESS ABOUT EACH OF THESE BUDGET MEETINGS THAT WE ARE DISCUSSING IN THIS PRESENTATION TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS.
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HEALTHY SNACK OPTIONS WILL ALSO BE MADE AVAILABLE AT EACH OF THE MEETINGS, INCLUDING POPCORN, PRETZELS, AND WATER.ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE RELEASED THE FY 25 BUDGET.
WE HAVE RELEASED THE FFY 25 DIGITAL COMMENT CARD.
AND THE PURPOSE OF THIS DIGITAL COMMENT CARD IS TO PROVIDE ANOTHER ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITY TO GAIN FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY ON THE JANUARY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT RESULTS, AS WELL AS THE PROPOSED FY 25 BUDGET.
NOW THAT IT IS DEVELOPED, THIS DIGITAL COMMENT CARD DOES INCLUDE THREE QUESTIONS AND ALSO AN ADDITIONAL SECTION OF DEMOGRAPHIC OF DEMO DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONS SO THAT WE CAN FURTHER OUR OUTREACH TO AREAS IN THE CITY THAT WE HAVEN'T REACHED JUST YET.
ON THAT, THE DIGITAL COMMENT CARD DOES CLOSE ON AUGUST 23RD AT 5:00 PM AND THE SUMMARY OF THE COMMENTS WILL BE ISSUED TO THE CITY COUNCIL THROUGH A MEMO BEFORE BUDGET ADOPTION.
UH, WE, WE ALSO WANTED TO NOTE FOR THE PUBLIC, IF YOU DON'T HAVE A LAPTOP OR A COMPUTER, YOU CAN COMPLETE THE DIGITAL COMMENT CARD VIA A PHONE OR ALSO AT ANY OF OUR LIBRARY BRANCHES AS WELL ON WALK-IN BASIS, WE HAVE A, A VARIETY OF RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC WHO ARE INTERESTED IN ENGAGING IN THE BUD BUDGET PROCESS.
INFORMATION ON ALL MEETINGS CAN BE FOUND ON THE FY 25 BUDGETPAGE@LONEBEACH.GOV SLASH FY 25.
AND A FLYER, INVITING, INVITING THE COMMUNITY TO OUR MEETINGS HAS, HAS BEEN CREATED AND TRANSLATED OF COURSE INTO SPANISH KAMAYA TAGAL.
AND THESE ARE DISTRIBUTED THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS, INCLUDING FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND INSTAGRAM.
AND THEY HAVE BEEN DELIVERED TO OUR CITY PARKS AND LIBRARIES AS WELL.
UM, WE HAVE ALSO RECENTLY DISTRIBUTED THE FLYER AND PERSONALLY INVITED OUT OVER 300 COMMUNITY GROUPS THAT ARE THROUGHOUT OUR CITY AS WELL.
AND THE MEETINGS HAVE BEEN PROMOTED ON THE CITYWIDE EVENTS CALENDAR.
ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE CITY'S BUDGET WEBSITE IS THE BUDGET 1 0 1 VIDEO.
THIS GIVES AN OVERVIEW OF BUDGET BASICS THAT INCLUDES THE CITY'S FUNDS AND FUND SUMMARIES.
AND THIS VIDEO IS AVAILABLE IN SPANISH, AND WE ARE WORKING TO HAVE IT TRANSLATED INTO OTHER LANGUAGES AS WELL.
ALL OF THIS INFORMATION, INCLUDING EVERY CHAPTER OF THE BUDGET BOOK, SUCH AS THE CITY MANAGER MANAGER'S, BUDGET, BUDGET, MESSAGE BUDGETS, BY DEPARTMENT FUND SUMMARIES, AND OTHER ATTACHMENTS IS MADE AVAILABLE ONLINE.
THE CITY'S PUBLIC AFFAIRS TEAM IS ALSO UTILIZING SOCIAL MEDIA TO PROMOTE ALL OF THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENGAGEMENT REFERRED TO IN THIS PRESENTATION.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE@LONGBEACH.GOV SLASH BUDGET.
THAT CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATION AND WE ARE AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS.
UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT.
UM, UH, ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM MY COUNCIL? COLLEAGUES? COUNCIL MEMBER DUGGAN, THANK YOU FOR THAT PRESENTATION THERE.
THERE'S A LOT THAT GOES INTO COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND KEEPING TRACK OF ALL THE COMMENTS FROM BOTH SURVEYS AND IN PERSON.
I'M INTERESTED IN HOW YOU PUSH OUT THE DIGITAL COMMENT CARD.
DOES THAT ALSO GO OUT BY SOCIAL? IF I COULD JUST UNDERSTAND THAT MORE.
SO THERE ARE A VARIETY OF WAYS THAT WE DO PUSH THAT OUT, INCLUDING SOCIAL MEDIA, TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM.
AND SO OUR PUBLIC INFORMATION TEAM, THEY'LL BE PUSHED, THEY'VE ALREADY STARTED THAT PUSH AND THEY WILL CONTINUE THAT UNTIL IT CLOSES.
SO EACH WEEK, OF COURSE, THEY'LL BE PUSHING THAT OUT THROUGH THOSE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS. IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE ALSO DO PROMOTE IT AT OUR COMMUNITY MEETINGS.
SO FOR INSTANCE, TOMORROW WE'LL ACTUALLY HAVE LIKE QR CODES UP AROUND THE ROOM FOR FOLKS TO, UM, SIGN IN THAT WAY AND COMPLETE THE DIGITAL COMMENT CARD.
WE ALSO DO, UM, WE, WE, I SHOULD SAY WE ACTUALLY DO PROMOTE PROMOTED WORD OF MOUTH TO CITY EMPLOYEES TO TELL THEIR NEIGHBORS AND STAFF THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY AS WELL.
AND HISTORICALLY, ABOUT HOW MANY OF THE DIGITAL COMMENT CARDS COME BACK? 'CAUSE WE HAVE WHAT, CLOSE TO A THOUSAND, UH, PEOPLE HAVE INPUT.
SO JUST A REMINDER, SO WE DID START THE DIGITAL COMMENT CART LA LAST YEAR WAS THE FIRST YEAR THAT WE DID IMPLEMENT THAT FOR FY 24.
AND THE TOTAL RESPONSES THAT WE DID HAVE THAT YEAR WAS 202 FOR, FOR LAST YEAR.
AND SO WE'RE HOPING OF COURSE TO HAVE AN UPTICK OF THAT THIS YEAR.
WE DID SEE AN UPTICK IN THE, THE, THE BUDGET SURVEY FROM JANUARY.
IF YOU LOOK AT IT COMPARATIVELY FROM FY 24 TO FY 25, WE AND FFY 24 WAS 577 RESPONDENTS,
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AND THIS YEAR WE HAD 846.SO WE DO SEE OUR OUTREACH EFFORTS WORKING.
OF COURSE, WE KNOW THAT WE DO STILL HAVE ROOM TO IMPROVE THERE OVERALL.
COUNCILMAN BARGA, DAVE, FOR THE UPDATE.
I UNDERSTAND CONCERNED, UH, MONTH NUMBER COMMUNITY RESPONSE, 200 OUT OF THE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WE HAVE WHO LIVE IN LONG BEACH IS A VERY, VERY MINUSCULE SAMPLE OF WHAT PEOPLE THINK ABOUT OUR BUDGET WHEN PEOPLE THINK ABOUT THE CITY.
SO I THINK WE NEED, WE NEED TO REDOUBLE OUR EFFORTS TO GET BETTER RESPONSES.
OUR RELIANCE ON TECHNOLOGY IS GOOD, BUT OBVIOUSLY NOT AS EFFECTIVE AS WE WOULD LIKE IT TO BE.
SO WE NEED MORE HANDS-ON, UH, TO FACE, I KNOW IT PROBABLY COST MONEY, BUT GETTING CANVASERS, PERHAPS SOMEBODY TO, UH, OR ENTITY TO SPONSOR OR HOST A CANVASING PROGRAM THAT GOES HOUSE TO HOUSE MOTOR TO VOTER, WHATEVER, TO GET THEIR OPINIONS.
AND THEY DON'T WANNA GIVE IT FINE, BUT 200 IS JUST 0.0001 OF WHAT WE HAVE IN THE CITY.
SO I'M NOT VERY CONFIDENT ABOUT THAT.
THE OTHER ASPECT THAT I SEE IS A, IS A VERY SHORT TURNAROUND BETWEEN AUGUST, UH, NO, BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 3RD, WHICH IS THE LAST BUDGET PRESENTATION BY, UH, YOUNG HUMAN SERVICES AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND LIBERAL ARTS AND ADOPTING THE BUDGET.
YOU CAN DO IT, YOU CAN, YOU CAN HAVE A, UH, ADEQUATE RESPONSE OR, UH, PLAN TO DELIVER TO THE CITY COUNCIL AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT COMMENTS THAT YOU GOT.
BUT STILL IT'S A SHORT TURNAROUND.
AND THEN JUST WHAT THAT, AND THAT'S ENOUGH ONE WEEK, ENOUGH TIME TO GIVE YOU, UH, AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME CITY COUNCIL AND PROVIDE A SUMMARY OF WHAT THE PUBLIC HAS TO SAY ABOUT OUR BUDGET.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? CERTAINLY, CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND THOSE NOTES, COUNCIL MEMBER.
AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT.
WE HAD, COMPARATIVELY TO LAST YEAR, WE ACTUALLY HAVE SHIFTED THE AMOUNT OF TIME WE, WE ACTUALLY GIVE HAD GIVEN OURSELVES AN EXTRA WEEK THIS YEAR, UM, COMPARED TO LAST YEAR TO GET MORE INPUT SPECIFICALLY FOR THE DIGITAL COMMENT CARD.
THERE IS A TIGHT TIMELINE FOR THE BUDGET HEARINGS THEMSELVES IN THE BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE.
UM, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN LOOK AT FOR THE FUTURE FOR SURE WITH OUR CITY MANAGEMENT TEAM.
OVERALL, HOW MUCH, UH, I KNOW THERE, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF, UM, CITY EMPLOYEES WHO LIVE IN LONG BEACH.
HAVE THEY BEEN SERVING? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
SO IT, LAST YEAR WAS THE FIRST YEAR THAT WE DID AN INTENTIONAL PUSH ALSO FOR EMPLOYEES.
AND SO WE, WE ARE CONTINUING THOSE SAME EFFORTS THIS YEAR.
OUR PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, UM, SENDS OUT A NEWSLETTER FROM THE CITY MANAGER TO MOCA.
AND SO THIS INFORMATION IS INCLUDED IN THERE FOR THEM.
SO THAT INCLUDES THE COM DATES FOR THE COMMUNITY MEETINGS THEMSELVES, AND ALSO INFORMATION FOR THEM TO COMPLETE AND LET THEIR NEIGHBORS ALSO KNOW ABOUT THE THE DIGITAL COMMENT CARD.
I ALSO WANNA LET YOU KNOW THAT, UM, IN MY DISTRICT, WE HAVE A NEWSLETTER.
AND SO IT'S LIKE IF YOU GIVE US INFORMATION, I'D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO INCLUDE IT IN MY NEWSLETTER.
THAT GETS OUT TO THE COMMUNITY AS WELL TO JUST ENHANCE AND IMPROVE OUR RETURN RATE OF COMMUNITY INPUT INTO, INTO THIS AREA.
ONE LAST THING IS THAT, UH, YOU NAME IT, YOU NAME THEM ABOUT MAYBE 10, 11 DEPARTMENTS.
THE CITY IS COMPRISED OF MORE THAN 20 DEPARTMENTS.
SO IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR OTHER DEPARTMENTS TO COME AND MAKE BUDGET PRESENTATIONS OF THE REST
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WERE NEEDED? THERE? THERE ARE.SO THAT IS AT THE DISCRETION OF THE CITY COUNCIL.
SO IF YOU ALL WOULD LIKE TO SEE A PRESENTATION FROM A DEPARTMENT THAT'S NOT CURRENTLY SCHEDULED, UM, YOU CAN PROPOSE THAT AND WE CAN MAKE THAT HAPPEN FOR YOU.
FOR EXAMPLE, I DON'T SEE LIBRARY HERE FOR, FOR THE BUDGET HEARINGS.
SO LIBRARY SERVICES WILL ACTUALLY BE GOING ON.
I CAN SEE THE, OH, THE PRESENTATION IS STILL OFF.
I WAS GONNA BRING IT UP, BUT I BELIEVE THEY'RE, THEY'RE THE THIRD, THE 20TH IN ADDITION TO PARKS AND RECREATION.
YEAH, SO LIBRARY, LIBRARY ARTS AND CULTURE WILL BE BY OVERSIGHT BY OVERSIGHT ON SEPTEMBER 3RD BY SAYING SORRY.
UH, THAT'S ALL I HAVE OF CHAIR.
YEAH, AND I WOULD, I WOULD, UH, I WOULD JUST KIND OF UPLIFT COUNCIL MEMBER AGA'S, UM, COMMENTS AROUND THE, I KNOW IT'S RESOURCE INTENSIVE TO DO CANVASSING, UM, BUT I WAS, GIVE THE EXAMPLE, I DID AN EVENT IN ONE OF MY NEIGHBORHOODS AND I HAD A GROUP OF, UM, SPANISH SPEAKING WOMEN WHO LET ME KNOW THAT THEY DON'T USE EMAIL AND THEY DON'T DO SOCIAL MEDIA.
SO IF YOU WANT THEM TO SHOW UP TO STUFF, THEY WILL, BUT YOU HAVE TO CALL THEM, RIGHT? SO I THINK WE, MANY OF US, I THINK, UM, PARTICULARLY IN PREDOMINANTLY MINORITY COMMUNITIES, LIKE WE RECOGNIZE THAT LIKE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE IS A THING, RIGHT? SO I THINK WE AS A CITY IN GENERAL, RELY ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND EMAIL A LOT TO DISSEMINATE INFORMATION.
UM, BUT THERE IS A PLACE FOR US TO THINK ABOUT LIKE, HOW ARE WE MAKING EVERYTHING MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR EVERYBODY, UM, TO GIVE THEIR INFORMATION.
UM, SO, AND I, SO I I, I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER ORRAN.
THE OTHER THING I, I THINK I'D LIKE US TO HAVE A DISCUSSION ON IS HOW ARE WE INCENTIVIZING IT, RIGHT? SO ONE OF THE THINGS I, WE DID THIS YEAR IN MY OFFICE IS THAT WE JUST KIND OF CIRCULATED SOME OF THE PRE THE PRESENTATION THAT YOU ALL, UM, PROVIDED TO SOME OF OUR COMMUNITY RESIDENTS IS JUST SAY, HEY, GIVE US YOUR RESIDENT FEEDBACK, UM, ON OUR DISSEMINATION, OUR OUTREACH, ET CETERA.
UM, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT KIND OF CAME BACK WAS, WELL, WHAT IS IN IT FOR RESIDENTS? LIKE, WHY SHOULD, BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES WE USE KIND OF LOFTIER LANGUAGE AND A LOT OF THESE PRESENTATIONS, RIGHT? THINGS MAY GO OVER PEOPLE'S HEAD.
HOW IS IT THAT WE'RE COMMUNICATING TO THEM THAT IT'S A VALUABLE USE OF THEIR TIME TO WORK ALL DAY AND THEN COME TO A COMMUNITY MEETING, A BUDGET MEETING AT SIX O'CLOCK AT NIGHT, RIGHT? SO LIKE, HOW ARE WE INCENTIVIZING PEOPLE? SO THAT MIGHT BE THINGS LIKE WE TALKED ABOUT, LIKE FOOD OR SNACKS.
LIKE ARE WE PROVIDING FOOD TO PEOPLE? ARE WE THINKING ABOUT ISSUES AROUND CHILDCARE? DO PEOPLE FEEL COMFORTABLE BRINGING THEIR KIDS? RIGHT? SO I THINK WE HAVE TO HAVE A LEGITIMATE CONVERSATION AROUND LIKE, HOW ARE WE REMOVING BARRIERS, BUT ALSO INCENTIVIZING PEOPLE SO THAT THEY WANT TO COME AND GIVE THEIR, UM, YOU KNOW, GIVE THEIR PRESENTATIONS, GIVE THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF THE, OF THE BUDGET AND GIVE THEIR SUGGESTIONS.
UM, ALSO, IS THERE A REASON WHY WE DON'T, I KNOW WE, IT'S PROBABLY A STAFFING ISSUE, BUT IS THERE THE ABILITY TO DO SOME OF THESE MEETINGS ON WEEKENDS? RIGHT? SO THINKING ABOUT THE AVAILABILITY, I KNOW A LOT OF TIMES WE TEND TO DO IT AT OUR OWN CONVENIENCE, BUT I THINK WE ALSO NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE NEED TO, TO THINK ABOUT OUR OUTREACH IN WAYS THAT ARE CONVENIENT TO RESIDENTS SO THAT THEY CAN GIVE US THEIR FEEDBACK.
UM, A COUPLE OF THE THINGS WAS, UM, I THINK THE DIGITAL COMMENT CARD IS GREAT QUESTION.
IS THE DIGITAL COMMENT CARD, UM, ALSO TRANSLATED IT IS, THAT'S CORRECT.
UM, AND THEN HERE YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU CAN DO, UH, YOU CAN FILL OUT DIGITAL COMMENT CARD, UM, BY PHONE, AND YOU CAN ALSO GO TO YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY.
SO YOU GO TO YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY.
CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH HOW THAT WORKS? YEAH, SO ESSENTIALLY IF YOU ARE A COMMUNITY MEMBER THAT WOULD LIKE TO FILL IT OUT AT A LIBRARY, YOU'LL WALK INTO THE FRONT DESK.
THEY WILL, I, I'M NOT FOR SURE THE ACTUAL PROCESS ONCE YOU WALK INTO THE BRANCH, BUT THEY WILL ACCESS, GIVE YOU ACCESS TO A PUBLIC, UM, COMPUTER, AND THEN THEY'LL BE ABLE TO HELP YOU AT THAT POINT.
AND THERE ARE OPTIONS, UM, THEY, THERE ARE OPTIONS ON THE COMPUTER TO WHERE YOU CAN CHOOSE YOUR LANGUAGE OF CHOICE FOR, FOR THAT.
SO, UM, AND JUST TO CLARIFY, SO A LIBRARIAN, SO LET'S JUST SAY THAT SOMEONE IS NOT KIND OF TECHNOLOGICALLY SAVVY, DOESN'T, ISN'T USED TO USING LIKE KIND OF NAVIGATING COMPUTER.
WOULD A LIBRARIAN THEN BE ABLE TO KIND OF SIT THEM AND ASSIST THEM IN ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS, THINGS TO THAT SORT? THAT THAT'S CORRECT, YES.
COUNCIL MEMBER, THAT IS CORRECT.
UM, IS IT POSSIBLE FOR YOU ALL TO JUST KIND OF TYPE UP LIKE A GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF HOW THAT PROCESS WORKS? BECAUSE I THINK FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE, LIKE YOU SAY, LIKE, YOU CAN GO TO YOUR LIBRARY, BUT LIKE, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? RIGHT? IS THERE A KIOSK? DO I NEED TO GO TO THE COMPUTER? HOW DO I ACCESS THE COMPUTER? WHO DO I ASK FOR ASSISTANCE? SO THAT WOULD BE GREAT FOR THOSE OF US WHO ARE GONNA DISSEMINATE THIS IN OUR NEWSLETTERS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE LIKE CLEARLY DELINEATING LIKE, HEY, IF YOU DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THE COMPUTER, THAT'S OKAY.
HERE ARE YOUR OPTIONS FOR BEING ABLE TO FIGURE TO, TO FILL OUT THE DIGITAL COMMENT CARD.
CERTAINLY WE'LL BE SURE TO GET, GET A SNIPPET OF THAT TO YOUR, TO YOUR COUNCIL OFFICES.
UM, AND THEN FOR THE BUDGET SURVEY, UM, CAN YOU JUST GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF A BACKGROUND BACKGROUND, UM, BREAKDOWN? SO I KNOW IN THE PAST YOU ALL HAVE KIND OF BROKEN DOWN BY DEMOGRAPHICS AND COUNCIL DISTRICT WHO FILLED OUT THE BUDGET SURVEY.
DO YOU ALL HAVE THAT INFORMATION?
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YES.SO WE DO, WE DO COLLECT DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION.
IT IS A CHALLENGE TO DETERMINE AT THE COMMUNITY MEETINGS, WHICH RESIDENTS ARE ACTUALLY FROM THAT SPECIFIC COUNCIL DISTRICT.
SO FOR INSTANCE, TOMORROWS, AT TOMORROW'S MEETING, UM, WE FROM EXPERIENCE, WE WILL HAVE RESIDENTS FROM DISTRICT THREE, FROM DISTRICT FIVE, AND FROM DISTRICT TWO TO AN EXTENT.
AND SO WE COLLECT THAT DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION AND WE COLLECTIVELY PUT IT ALL TOGETHER.
IT'S A LITTLE EASIER FOR THE, FOR THE BUDGET SURVEY BECAUSE AN INDIVIDUAL PERSON IS JUST FILLING THAT OUT ON THAT END.
BUT I CAN PROVIDE YOU WHAT THE INFORMATION WAS OR THE DATA POINTS WERE FROM, UM, THE COMMUNITY BUDGET MEETINGS PER DISTRICT, AND ALSO FROM THE BUDGET SURVEY, IF THAT'S HELPFUL.
AND CAN YOU, AND JUST FOR THE SAKE OF THE CONVERSATION RIGHT NOW, I KNOW YOU'LL GIMME THE SPECIFICS, BUT FOR THE COMMUNITY MEETINGS WE HAD EARLIER IN THE YEAR AND FOR THE, UM, FOR THE BUDGET SURVEY, CAN YOU JUST LET ME KNOW THE, MAYBE LIKE THE TOP TWO TO THREE DISTRICTS THAT ARE REPRESENTED? UM, AND THEN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE, THE RACE, ETHNICITY, UM, DEMOGRAPHICS.
SO FOR THE COMMUNITY MEETINGS, FROM THE DEMOGRAPHIC SURVEYS THAT WE DID GET BACK FROM RESIDENTS, I DO WANNA NOTE THAT.
SO WE DO HAND OUT DEMOGRAPHIC SURVEYS AT EACH OF THE MEETINGS, AND THEN WE DO GET MOST OF THEM BACK FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
BUT WE ALSO TRY TO DO A HARD COUNT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE THERE, THAT ARE NON-STAFF.
AND SO THAT'S WHY YOU'LL SEE, IT'S NOT A FLUCTUATION IN THE NUMBERS, BUT YOU'LL SEE A NUMBER THAT SAYS, WE HAD, WE HAD A CERTAIN AMOUNT ATTEND THE MEETINGS.
AND THEN IN THE, IN THE ACTUAL MEMO, YOU'LL NOTICE A TOTAL RESPONSE OF 60, THAT THOSE, THAT NUMBER, THE 60 NUMBER IS HOW MANY RESPONSES WE ACTUALLY RECEIVED BACK.
AND SO DURING THE JANUARY MEETINGS, THE TOP DISTRICTS WERE DISTRICT TWO AND DISTRICT SEVEN.
AND, AND ALSO ACTUALLY THERE WAS A TIE, SO IN DISTRICT SEVEN AND DISTRICT NINE AS WELL, AND FOR THE, FOR THE BUDGET SURVEY, UM, THE TOP RESPONDENTS WERE FROM DISTRICT THREE AND DISTRICT FIVE.
AND I THINK HISTORICALLY THAT'S BEEN IT FOR THE, FOR THE, FOR THE SURVEYS, RIGHT? SO, WHICH I THINK IS WHY COUNCIL MEMBER RAG AND I, UM, JUST WANNA MAKE SURE, BECAUSE I THINK WHEN WE'VE, IN THE PAST WHEN WE'VE DISAGGREGATED THE DATA OUT, RIGHT? AND, UM, AND SAID LIKE, HEY, IF WE DON'T HAVE, LIKE, SAY IF WE DON'T HAVE THREE AND FIVE AND WE'RE LOOKING AT ALL THE OTHER COUNCIL DISTRICTS, SOMETIMES THOSE PRIORITIES VARY SIGNIFICANTLY, RIGHT? AND SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE NOT, UM, SKEWING THE DATA THAT WE'RE SEEING.
UM, SO I'M GONNA REITERATE IT ONE MORE AGAIN 'CAUSE I KNOW I REITERATED LAST YEAR, UM, WHEN IT COMES TO THE OTHER PARTS OF THE CITIES, SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT NORTH CENTRAL AND WEST LONG BEACH, LIKE REALLY THINKING CRITICALLY OF LIKE RIGHT ABOUT HOW WE'RE ACCESSING, HOW WE'RE PROMOTING THIS, RIGHT? SO THAT'S MY ASK OF YOU ALL OVER THE NEXT YEAR, UM, MOST LIKELY I'M GOING TO AGENDIZE AN I AN ITEM NEXT YEAR DURING BOC TO BASICALLY SAY, HEY, WALK ME THROUGH YOUR NEW ENGAGEMENT PROCESS, RIGHT? WALK ME THROUGH WHAT ADDITIONAL THINGS THAT YOU ARE DOING BEYOND THE DIGITAL ASPECTS, UM, IN ORDER TO OUTREACH TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS, RIGHT? WHAT FRUIT HAS THAT, UM, HAS THAT BROUGHT RIGHT? WHAT CHANGES HAVE YOU SEEN? WHAT ELSE DO YOU FEEL LIKE WE NEED TO DO? RIGHT? BECAUSE I REALLY DO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS WE'RE PUSHING THE NEEDLE ON MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE REALLY PRIORITIZING ENGAGEMENT, UM, IN OUR BUDGET PROCESS.
SO, UH, YOU KNOW, SO THAT, YOU KNOW, MANY OF US, I KNOW WE PROBABLY GET EMAILS FROM RESIDENTS AND SAYING LIKE, HEY, IT'S FAST.
WE DON'T KNOW, RIGHT? SO I WANT US TO MAKE SURE THAT AS A CITY, WE'RE BEING AS TRANSPARENT AS POSSIBLE.
UH, THAT BEING SAID, THOSE ARE, AND MY REMARKS, UM, DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? IF ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM NOW.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO GO, SO ELSE, SO RECEIVING THE EMAIL AND HERE, OKAY.
HOLD, HOLD, HOLD ON ONE MOMENT.
ARE YOU SPEAKING ON THIS ITEM? CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? OKAY, SO I JUST WANNA CLARIFY THIS.
I'VE BEEN SENT, UM, I RECEIVED AN EMAIL, AND IN MY EMAIL IT SAYS THAT THE MEETING IS ON AUGUST THE NINTH, WHICH IS FRIDAY.
AND THEN WE COME HERE IN PERSON AND WE SEE THAT THE NEXT MEETING IS GONNA BE TOMORROW ON AUGUST THE SEVENTH.
SO, SO YOU'RE SAYING THE DATE, THE DATES WERE WRONG? YEAH.
YEAH, I CAN, I CAN SHOW YOU RIGHT NOW.
AND, UM, ALSO THE, UM, THIS THING THAT YOU WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT, WHAT IS IT? UM, ID CARD.
OH, THE DIGITAL COMMENT CARDS.
IT SAYS THAT IT IS NOT ACCEPTING ANY RESPONSES AT THIS TIME, AND I'M JUST TRYING IT RIGHT NOW AGAIN, AND
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I CAN DO IT SO WE CAN, YOU KNOW, FIGURE IT OUT SOMETHING SO WE CAN COME INTO, BRING MORE PEOPLE IN AND, YOU KNOW, STUFF LIKE THAT.AND CAN YOU, UM, FOR THE FLYER YOU GOT, CAN YOU HAND THAT TO THE CITY CLERK SO THAT WAY WE CAN ACTUALLY SEE THE, THE FLYER THAT YOU GOT THAT HAS THE WRONG DATES ON IT? OF COURSE.
UH, DO WE HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL PUBLIC COMMENT? DOES THAT CONCLUDE PUBLIC COMMENT? THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT.
UH, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND TAKE IT BACK BEHIND THE RAILS.
ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS FROM MY, UM, COUNCIL MEMBERS?
AND I SEE YOU'RE COVERING THAT NOW.
SO I JUST WANNA COMMEND YOU ON, ON BEING ABLE TO COVER THE COMPASS.
I WON'T BRING IT UP ANYMORE UNTIL YOU MESS UP.
COUNCIL MEMBER ARANGA, UH, SIGNAL.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS, UH, WE'LL AHEAD AND, UH, VOTE AND WON CHAIR, UH, MY SCREEN.
[3. 24-54419 Recommendation to receive and file an update on the Long Beach Recovery Act programming, funding status, and sunsetting; inclusive of Safe Passage. Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]
PLEASE.OUR NEXT, NEXT AGENDA ITEM ITEM THREE IS A RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE AN UPDATE ON THE LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT, PROGRAMMING, FUND, PROGRAMMING, FUNDING STATUS, AND SUN SETTING, INCLUSIVE OF SAFE PASSAGE.
I BELIEVE WE HAVE A, UH, PRESENTATION.
I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE, UH, MONIQUE SAL, THE ASSISTANT TO THE CITY MANAGER, AND MEREDITH REYNOLDS, OUR DEPUTY CITY MANAGER TO PROVIDE A PRESENTATION.
GREETINGS CHAIR, MEMBER OF THE BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE.
UM, WE ARE HERE TO PRESENT AN UPDATE OF THE LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT TO SATISFY A PREVIOUS BOC REQUEST, UH, FROM A PREVIOUS YEAR TO RETURN AND PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON PROGRESS.
UH, TODAY WE'RE GOING TO BE COVERING A LITTLE BIT OF, UH, SOME HISTORY AND GROUNDING, UH, A LITTLE BIT OF INFORMATION ABOUT BUDGET AND STAFFING, THE INFORMATION WE HAVE ABOUT COLLECTIVE IMPACT AND EQUITY, SHARE SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF OUTCOMES AND IMPACT.
TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IMPROVED CITY PROCESS AND END WITH ORGANIZATIONAL IMPACT.
I KNOW WE HAVE A HARD STOP AT, UH, THREE O'CLOCK, AND SO WE'RE GONNA GET THROUGH AS MUCH OF THIS AS WE CAN.
CAN WE, UH, ASK YOU TO, UM, READ YOUR VOICE JUST A LITTLE BIT? SURE.
IS THAT A LITTLE BIT BETTER? YES.
ALRIGHT, SO, UH, TAKING US BACK, UM, A LITTLE, UH, HISTORY TIME TRAVEL HERE, UH, TO REMEMBER WHERE WE WERE IN JANUARY OF 2020, UH, THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION FIRST ANNOUNCED THE EMERGENCE OF A MYSTERIOUS CORONAVIRUS, THAT IT WAS DISCOVERED, UH, NEARLY 7,000 MILES FROM LONG BEACH.
AND FOR A WHILE THIS WAS A FAR AWAY PROBLEM, BUT THE VIRUS WAS IMMUNE TO DISTANCE AND BOUNDARIES AS IT STEALTHILY TRAVELED FROM PERSON TO PERSON, UH, ABOARD, UH, AIRPLANES AND CRUISE SHIPS.
AND BEFORE, UH, IT REACHED CALIFORNIA AND LONG BEACH, IT HAD ALREADY CAST ITS SHADOW OVER THE NATION WITH A DECLARATION OF A NATIONAL EMERGENCY PROCLAIMED ON MARCH 13TH.
AND WHEN COVID CAME, UH, IT CAME HARD AND CHANGED HOW WE LIVE IN THE WORLD AND HOW WE LIVED HERE IN LONG BEACH.
UH, IN ONE SHORT YEAR, IT KILLED MORE THAN 2.5 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE, UH, INCLUDING MORE, UH, AT THE END FOR HERE IN LONG BEACH, UH, FOR OVER 1400 DEATHS.
AS WE WERE THINKING ABOUT, OH, SORRY.
WE'RE STILL HAVING A HARD TIME HEARING.
I THINK THE MIDDLE MICROPHONE IS NOT GREAT.
CAN WE GET YOU TO, LET ME, LET ME SHIFT.
YEAH, LET'S SHIFT, LET'S SHIFT TO A DIFFERENT SEAT.
IS THIS A LITTLE BIT BETTER? BETTER? OKAY.
SO, SINCE, UH, MARCH OF OF 2020, THE CITY COUNCIL THEN DECLARED A LOCAL HEALTH EMERGENCY TO ADDRESS THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, WITH THE TOP PRIORITY BEING FOCUSED ON MITIGATING THE RISKS TO RESIDENTS WHILE BEING, AS WELL AS IMPACTS TO THE ECONOMY AND THE LOCAL BUSINESSES HERE.
UH, DURING THIS TIME, THE CITY WAS FOCUSED ON MOBILIZING EMERGENCY INFORMA, UH, OPERATIONS FOR PANDEMIC RESPONSE AND THE SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY BY ESTABLISHING EMERGENCY SHELTERS AND ISOLATION AND QUARANTINE SITES, UH, PROVIDING NEARLY 5 MILLION PIECES OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT, CONDUCTED MORE THAN 1 MILLION COVID TESTS AND HELPING TO ADMINISTER OVER 30, UH, 350,000 VACCINES.
UH, WE ALSO DECLARED CITY EMPLOYEES DISASTER SERVICE WORKERS, AND REASSIGNED HUNDREDS OF CITY STAFF WHO HELPED LONG BEACH BE THE LEADER IN THE PANDEMIC RESPONSE, UH, REGIONWIDE AND ALSO COLLECTED
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AND ANALYZED DATA, SETTING UP A DASHBOARD TO EVALUATE THE TRENDS OF WHO WAS IMPACTED AS THE PANDEMIC RAGED ON THE DATA WE COLLECTED, PAINTED A STARK PICTURE WHERE YOU LIVE IN LONG BEACH GREATLY INCREASES ONE'S CHANCES OF CON CONTRACTING COVID-19.AND WHAT EMERGED WAS A RESULT OF HISTORIC MAP TO SYSTEMIC INEQUITIES, DEEPLY ROOTED IN RACIST POLICIES LIKE REDLINING THAT CONTINUE TO DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACT THE CITY'S COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.
THE LESSONS THE CITY TOOK FROM THIS DATA HELPED GUIDE OUR APPROACH TO COVID TESTING AND VACCINATIONS, EDUCATION AND OUTREACH AND PANDEMIC RESPONSE, BUT IT ALSO PLAYED A KEY DATA POINT IN OUR FOCUS ON EQUITY.
AS THE CITY LEARNED FUNDING WOULD BE AVAILABLE FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO SUPPORT PANDEMIC RECOVERY BEHIND THE SCENES.
DURING THIS TIME, CITY STAFF WERE ALSO ASSESSING LONG-TERM E ECONOMIC AND BUDGETARY IMPACTS TO DETERMINE HOW THE CITY WILL BE IN A FINANCIAL POSITION TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES IN THE FUTURE.
AND LONG BEACH WAS BEING HIT AT THAT TIME BY A LOSS OF SALES TAX, OIL REVENUE, TRANSIT, OCCUPANCY TAX, WHILE ALSO CHURNING THROUGH STAFF OVERTIME AND OTHER COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH PANDEMIC RESPONSE.
THE CITY WAS PROJECTING REVENUE LOSSES AND INCREASED IN EXPENSES BROUGHT ON BY THE VIRUS.
UH, AND THAT WAS ESTIMATED BETWEEN 38,000,040 8 MILLION DURING THAT FISCAL YEAR ENDING IN SEPTEMBER.
AND THAT WAS OPTIMISTIC WITH STAFF WARNING THAT WITHOUT IMMEDIATE PERIOD OF RECOVERY, THE CITY SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR MORE ADVERSE IMPACTS.
FEDERAL SUPPORT WAS A HOPEFUL LIGHT AT THE END OF THE EMERGENCY TUNNEL, UH, WHERE THE CITY FOUND ITSELF, UH, IN, AS IT ASSESSED LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY AMONGST DWINDLING FINANCES.
THE FEDERAL CORONAVIRUS AID RELIEF AND ECONOMIC SECURITY ACT, OR CARES WAS EN ENACTED IN MARCH OF 2020, AND LONG BEACH WAS AWARDED APPROXIMATELY 40 MILLION IN CARES DOLLARS FOR COVID RESPONSE THAT HAD TO BE ALLOCATED BY DECEMBER OF 2020.
THIS REALLY PRIORITIZED, UH, OUR EMERGENCY RESPONSE TO OFFSET COSTS OF CITY EMERGENCIES.
IT ALSO, UH, SUPPORTED THE COMMUNITY TO INVEST IN COMMUNITY NEEDS, LIKE SHELTERING HOUSING, SUPPORT, FOOD, AND OLDER ADULT RESOURCE SOURCES, MENTAL HEALTH, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PREVENTION, AND, UH, YOUTH WORKFORCE AND EARLY CHILDHOOD SUPPORT, AS WELL AS BUSINESS RECOVERY FOR OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES.
DESPITE CARES ACT FUNDING, THE CI CITY NEEDED TO PROTECT AGAINST UN THE UNKNOWN AND POTENTIALLY LONG-TERM IMPACTS.
AND THE CITY ULTIMATELY RESOLVED TO EMPLOY STAFF FURLOUGHS WHILE IT WATCHED FOR ADDITIONAL SIGNS OF SUPPORT FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
THEN ON MARCH 11TH, 2021, THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT WAS SIGNED INTO LAW, WHICH PROVIDED 350 BILLION IN ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO ADDRESS THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND ECONOMIC CRISIS CAUSED BY THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON MARCH 16TH, AHEAD OF MOST OTHER CITIES IN THE COUNTRY, THE LONG BEACH CITY COUNCIL APPROVED THE LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT, A PLAN INCLUSIVE OF FEDERAL, STATE, AND COUNTY RECOVERY RELATED FUNDING TO ADDRESS THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS AND DISPARITIES OF THE PANDEMIC.
THE PURPOSE OF THESE RECOVERY RELATED FUNDING SOURCES WAS TO PROVIDE PROGRAM AND INTERVENTIONS INTENDED TO ADDRESS IMMEDIATE NEEDS, ALONG WITH MORE LONG-TERM APPROACHES THAT STRATEGICALLY AND EQUITABLY INVEST IN ECONOMIC RECOVERY FOR THOSE HARDEST HIT BY THE PANDEMIC THROUGH DECEMBER, 2024.
THE LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT IS MADE UP OF OVER 80 PROGRAMS ORGANIZED IN THREE CATEGORIES, INCLUDING ECONOMIC RECOVERY, HEALTHY AND SAFE COMMUNITIES, AND SECURING OUR CITY'S FUTURE.
THESE FUNDING CATEGORIES ARE GROUNDED IN A STRATEGIC AND EQUITABLE RECOVERY.
AND MUTUAL REINFORCING PROGRAMS ARE INTENDED TO RESULT IN COLLECTIVE IMPACT.
UM, AND SO, UH, IN DESIGNING OUR PROGRAMS, IT WAS IMPORTANT TO BUILD ON EXISTING PLANS AND OUTREACH TO ADVANCE THIS COLLECTIVE IMPACT AND EQUITY PRIORITIES.
INCLUDED IN THE COUNCIL ADOPTED RECOVERY ACT WERE BASED ON THE COMMUNITY'S FEEDBACK COLLECTED DURING FIVE ECONOMIC EQUITY STUDIES THAT, UH, THAT AND FEEDBACK FROM OVER 30 LISTENING SESSIONS AND OVER 350 COMMUNITY LEADERS AND REPRESENTATIVES.
WE WERE ALSO ABLE TO COLLECT COUNCIL AND COMMUNITY INPUT THROUGH THE ECONOMIC AND FINANCE COMMITTEE, AS WELL AS THE FEDERAL LEGISLATION COMMITTEE.
THESE PROGRAMS, UH, THEY WERE NOT INDEPENDENT STRATEGIES, BUT RATHER A FORM OF A COORDINATED APPROACH TO SUPPORT LONG LASTING ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND PUBLIC HEALTH EQUITY.
THE PROGRAMS ALSO ADDRESS THE INTERSECTIONAL IMPACTS OF THE PANDEMIC ON DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES.
AND SO, UH, DURING THE DESIGN PROCESS, DEPARTMENTS WERE PREPARED, UH, THEY PREPARED IMPLEMENTATION PLANS THAT OUTLINED HOW THE PROGRAM WOULD ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS MOST IMPACTED BY THE COVID TO 19 PANDEMIC.
UM, THEY WOULD EMBED AN EQUITY LENS TO THE DESIGN OF EACH PROGRAM AND ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF THE MOST ADVERSELY IMPACTED AND VULNERABLE COMMUNITY MEMBERS, AND DEMONSTRATE HOW EACH PROGRAM CONFORMS TO FEDERAL FUNDING, ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES, PURCHASING AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS AND DELIVERY SERVICE AND COLLECTIVE IMPACT METRICS.
UM, AS THE EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC HAVE RESULTED IN GREATER AND GREATER HEALTH AND ECONOMIC IMPACT TO SOME COMMUNITIES
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AND OTHERS.THE RECOVERY PLAN UTILIZES AN EQUITY LENS TO IDENTIFY THE NEEDS OF DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES.
THAT INCLUDES FUNDING FOR SPECIFIC PROGRAMS, OUTREACH, LANGUAGE ACCESS, AND DIGITAL ACCESS TO ENSURE THE RECOVERY PLAN, UM, WOULD ASSESS THOSE MOST VULNERABLE AND HARDEST HIT.
AND SO EACH PROGRAM WAS DESIGNED USING THE CITY'S, UH, THE CITY'S EQUITY TOOLKIT.
IN ADDITION, THE PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION PLANS CONTAINED AN EQUITY MATRIX THAT ASKED PROBING QUESTIONS TO ELICIT A THOUGHT OUT PROCESS FOR RACIAL EQUITY.
AND SO THE FIRST PROGRAM OF THE LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT IS ECONOMIC RECOVERY WITH THE TOTAL INVESTMENT OF 69.9 MILLION.
THIS PROGRAM AREA FOCUSES ON RESIDENTS, UH, BUSINESS MOST IMPACTED BY THE PANDEMIC AND ON RELAUNCHING BUSINESS SECTORS, UM, HARDEST HIT BY THE PANDEMIC TO PROMOTE RECOVERY THAT STRENGTHENS REVENUE GENERATION AND LEVERAGES CONSUMER SPENDING TO STIMULATE ECONOMIC GROWTH.
THE SECOND PROGRAM AREA IS HEALTHY AND SAFE COMMUNITY, WHICH INVESTS A TOTAL OF 150.7 MILLION.
THIS CATEGORY FOCUSES ON ADDRESSING THE UNDERLINING SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH AND PRIORITIZING BASIC NEEDS IN THE MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS MOST ADVERSELY IMPACTED BY THE PANDEMIC.
THE THIRD PROGRAM IS SECURING OUR CITY'S FUTURE AT, UH, 76.3 MILLION.
THESE FUNDS MAINTAINED AND PROVIDE CITY SERVICES THAT WOULD OTHER OTHERWISE NOT LIKELY, UM, OTHERWISE WOULDN'T HAVE, HAVE BEEN LIKELY TO BE MAINTAINED DUE TO BUDGETARY SHORTFALLS.
IN THE PREVIOUS YEARS, THESE FUNDS HAVE BEEN CRITICAL IN HELPING THE CITY, UH, TO BE ABLE WEATHER, TO BE ABLE TO WEATHER THE NEXT FINANCIAL CRISIS BY EFFECTIVELY ALLOWING FOR THE RESTORATION OF DEPLETED EMERGENCY AND OPERATING RESERVES AND ASSISTING IN DEVELOPING STRATEGIES FOR THE FUTURE.
TO ADDRESS PROJECTED SIGNIFICANT OPERATING BUDGET SHORTFALLS, THE LUMBER BEACH RECOVERY ACT HAS PLAYED A HUGE, A CRUCIAL ROLE IN KEEPING THE FIN THE CITY FINANCIALLY AFLOAT DURING THE TOUGHEST YEARS RECOVERING FROM COVID-19.
AND WHILE THE CITY STRUGGLED TO PROVIDE CORE SERVICES, AS BUSINESSES SHUT DOWN, THE FUNDING OUT OUTLOOK APPEARED DIRE AND, UH, CITY EMPLOYEES WERE FURLOUGHED
SO AT THE END OF THE DAY, UH, THE TOTAL OF THE LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT WAS CLOSE TO 300 MILLION, UH, THAT WAS INVESTED IN THE COMMUNITY.
UM, AND THESE PROGRAMS WERE MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE FUNDING SOURCES, UH, COMING FROM STATE, FEDERAL COUNTY, AND EVEN THROUGH PHILANTHROPIC DOLLARS.
A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE 300 MILLION IN RECOVERY IS, IS EARMARKED AND GOES DIRECTLY TO FUND THE 80 PROGRAMS AND SERVICES APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL UNDER THE LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT.
THE WORK ASSOCIATED WITH THE AMOUNT OF FUNDING UNDER THE CITY'S RECOVERY EFFORT IS A VERY HUGE LIFT.
UH, 300 MILLION IS A AMOUNT LARGER THAN MOST CITY BUDGETS OF CALIFORNIA CITIES AND CREATES A WORKLOAD ON PAR WITH, WITH A SIMILAR SIZE ORGANIZATION.
GIVEN THIS, WE KNEW WE COULD NOT DO THIS WORK BY ADDING ADDITIONAL TASKS TO OUR CURRENT, UH, WORKFORCE WHO WAS STILL IN EMERGENCY MODE.
SO THE CITY HAD INITIATED A TEMPORARY THREE YEAR STAFFING PLAN FOCUSED ON RETAINING THE NECESSARY HUMAN RESOURCES, SETTING UP FINANCIAL CONTROLS, AND DEVELOPING COLLECTIVE IMPACT PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT THESE RECOVERY EFFORTS.
OVER A HUNDRED EMPLOYEES WERE HIRED, MANY OF WHOM VOLUNTARILY LEFT THEIR PERMANENT POSITIONS TO ASSIST THE CITY DURING THIS TIME OF NEED, DRIVEN BY THE DESIRE TO HELP THE CITY AND THE COMMUNITY RECOVER ADDITIONALLY TO MINIMIZE AUDIT ISSUES AND TO ENSURE PROGRAM FLEXIBILITY, THE CITY CHOSE TO USE THE INDIRECT FUNDING METHOD OPTION PROVIDED, UH, UH, BY THE ARPA FUNDS WHERE THE REGULATIONS ALLOW FUNDING TO BE USED TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN CURRENT CITY SERVICES, UH, NORMALLY FUNDED BY THE GENERAL FUND, AND THEN THE SAVINGS THAT WAS THEREBY CREATED IN THE GENERAL FUND WAS USED TO DELIVER THE PROGRAMS IN THE LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT.
THIS STRATEGY SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCED ADMINISTRATIVE COST ASSOCIATED, UH, WITH SPENDING FEDERAL FUNDS AND WITH GRANT COMPLIANCE RISK THAT COULD OTHERWISE RESULT IN RETURN FEDERAL FUNDS.
STANDING UP THIS TEMPORARY STAFF PLAN IN THE OVERALL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT WAS CAREFULLY PLANNED AND ACCOUNTED FOR.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT HERE IN THE GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE WHERE WE THOUGHT THROUGH HOW BEST TO IMPLEMENT EQUITY AND PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION, UH, TO ACHIEVE COLLECTIVE IMPACT AND REAL RESULTS FROM RECOVERY.
INFORMATION RELATED TO THIS IS TRACKED AND REPORTED FOR TRANSPARENCY ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE AND THROUGH A VARIETY OF OTHER SOURCES.
UH, AND ON HERE YOU CAN FIND AN ONLINE PORTAL FOR ALL INFORMATION THAT INCLUDES A CLEARINGHOUSE FOR ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS, ANNOUNCEMENTS AND RESOURCES FOR CONTRACT OPPORTUNITIES AND GRANTS REPORTS, DATA AND COMMUNITY STORIES, UH, THAT TALK ABOUT THE IMPACT.
UH, AND HERE YOU CAN SEE THE MAIN SECTION OF THE, UH, DATA DASHBOARD THAT SHOWS THE, UH, FUNDING SPEND, UH, FOR EVERY ONE OF THE THREE PROGRAMS AS WELL AS OVERALL, UH, AS WE CONTINUE TO CLOSE OUT THE PROGRAM, UH, HERE IN 2024.
AND WE WANTED TO SHOW SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF SOME OF THE OUTCOMES AND IMPACTS, UM, IN FO FIRST WITH ECONOMIC RECOVERY.
UH, SO AS YOU CAN SEE, OVER 4,000
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BUSINESSES WERE ASSISTED THROUGH THE BIZ CARE CALL CENTER AND OUTREACH.OVER 45,000 RIDERS HAVE TAKEN THE SHUTTLE AS SHOWN IN THE PHOTO, UM, IN DOWNTOWN LONG BEACH AND IN BELMONT SHORE.
AND OVER 13 MILLION HAS BEEN SPENT IN DIRECT PAYMENTS AND EXPENDED IN DIRECT BUSINESS GRANTS THROUGH PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT RESTAURANTS, BREWERIES, AND BARS, PERSONAL SERVICES AND FITNESS BUSINESS AND OTHER SMALL BUSINESS RELIEF.
UM, SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE HEALTHY AND SAFE COMMUNITIES.
UH, MOST NOTABLY, WE HAD, UM, OVER 60,000 YOUTH PARTICIPATING IN YOUTH AND YOUTH HEALTH AND SAFETY PROGRAMMING.
OVER 81 MILLION EXPENDED THROUGH THE EMERGENCY RENTAL HOUSING PROGRAM AND ALMOST 54,000 INDIVIDUALS SERVED AT PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH EVENTS.
ANOTHER PROGRAM IN THIS CATEGORY IS THE SAFE PASSAGE PROGRAM.
SAFE PASSAGE IS A PROGRAM THAT SEEKS TO INCREASE SAFETY AMONG STUDENTS, PARENTS, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS AS THEY NAVIGATE TO AND FROM PUBLIC SPACES, INCLUDING SCHOOL AND PARKS, AND THROUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION AND STRATEGICALLY PLACED OF ADULT MONITORS, UM, ALONG FREQUENTLY USED TRANSIT ROUTES.
AND SO THESE LOCATIONS WERE SELECTED BASED ON DATA AROUND GUN VIOLENCE.
AND THE LOCATIONS INCLUDE NORTH LONG BEACH SUPPORTING HOUGHTON AND JORDAN HIGH SCHOOL AND CENTRAL SUPPORTING LINCOLN, WHITTIER AND FRANKLIN.
UH, THIS PROGRAM BEGAN IN APRIL OF 2024 AND IS CONTINUING THROUGH DECEMBER, 2024.
UH, THE NORTH INCLUDED SAFE PASSAGE DAILY TO AND FROM SCHOOL AND SUMMER COMMUNITY INTERVENTIONS IN AND AROUND HOWTON PARK CENTRAL INCLUDED SUMMER ACTIVATION EVENTS AND SAFE DAILY PASSAGE TO AND FROM SCHOOLS.
THE PROGRAM IS FUNDED BY LBRA AND IS SCHEDULED TO END IN DECEMBER, 2024.
AND WITH THE CONCLUSION OF LBRA FUNDS, NO ADDITIONAL CITY FUNDS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED, BUT THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS CONSTANTLY LOOKING FOR GRANT FUNDS TO SUPPORT PROGRAMS THAT SUPPORT VIOLENCE PREVENTION.
UM, AND, UH, SOME HIGHLIGHTS, UH, FROM THE OUTCOMES AND IMPACTS FROM SECURING OUR CITY'S FUTURE INCLUDE 11.5 MILLION THAT COVERED THE FY 22, UH, YEAR END GENERAL FUND BUDGET SHORTFALL OVER 13 MILLION THAT REPLACED LOST REVENUE IN OPERATING RESERVES IN FY 20 AND THE CRUCIAL 4.5 MILLION THAT ELIMINATED EMPLOYEE FURLOUGHS IN THE SECOND HALF OF FY 21.
YOU KNOW, I THINK SOME OF THESE, SOME OF THESE NUMBERS JUST LOOK LIKE FIGURES ON A SCREEN, BUT I REALLY WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT THIS ALSO TELLS A STORY.
AND SO, WHILE WE HAVE THESE NUMBERS, WE HAVE A LOT OF QUALITATIVE STORIES THAT WE HAVE BEEN COLLECTED, UM, PERSONALLY, YOU KNOW, FOR THIS 4.5 MILLION AS, AS A EMPLOYEE HERE DURING THE FURLOUGHS, I VIVIDLY REMEMBER THAT 10% CUT AND AS A NEW MOM, YOU KNOW, IN COVID TRYING TO BUDGET AND FIGURE OUT HOW I'M GOING TO MAKE IT.
AND SO WHEN WE GOT THIS, I HONESTLY FELT THE TANGIBLE RELIEF OF THAT STRESS COMING OFF OF ME.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, I AM A PERSONAL TESTAMENT TO SOME OF THESE, TO SOME OF THESE NUMBERS THAT ARE ON THE SCREEN.
I JUST, YOU KNOW, DEFINITELY WANNA HIGHLIGHT THAT THEY'RE JUST MORE THAN NUMBERS, BUT THEY REALLY DID IMPACT OUR LIVES.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE A FEW OTHER STORIES FROM, UM, MY HOOD, MY CITY, SOME ARE NEIGHBOR ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM.
WE HAVE A TESTIMONY FROM BIKE SHARE FOR ALL, AND EVEN SOME PARTICIPANTS FROM BIZ CARE BIZ CARE, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT TALKS ABOUT IF BIZ CARE WASN'T THERE, YOU KNOW, THEY WOULDN'T HAVE KNOWN THE DATA AND THE INFORMATION THAT WAS OUT THERE.
UM, AND THIS PARTICIPANT WAS SPECIFICALLY TALKING ABOUT DOWNTOWN LONG BEACH.
AND SO, UM, IN ADDITION TO THE AMAZING WORK THAT HAS BEEN AND HAS THAT IS HAPPENING AND, YOU KNOW, UM, HAS BEEN DONE, UH, WE WERE ABLE TO IMPROVE CITY PROCESSES ALONG THE WAY.
STAFF WAS ABLE TO MAINSTREAM AND INNOVATE HUMAN RESOURCES PROCESSES BY TESTING PROCESSES WITH HIRING OF THE LONG BEACH RECOVERY EMPLOYEES, UM, THAT RESULTED IN A REDUCED TIME TO HIRE.
AND SO, UM, SHOWING SOME NUMBERS HERE, THE DATA THAT SHOWED THE PROCESS IMPROVEMENT, UM, THEY FOUND, UH, EFFICIENT SOLUTIONS TO APPROVE REQUISITIONS AND REDUCED HIRING FROM 146 DAYS TO 43 WORKING DAYS.
SOME EXAMPLES OF PROCESS IMPROVEMENT INCLUDED DEVELOPING STRICTER BUT REALISTIC TIMELINES FOR THOSE INVOLVED WITH REQUISITIONS, JOB BULLETIN DEVELOPMENT AND APPROVALS, SHORTENING POSTING TIMELINES FOR CRITICAL NEED POSITIONS TO FILL, CLEARLY COMMUNICATING NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS TO PROMOTE TRANSPARENCY, COLLABORATION, AND ACCOUNTABILITY.
AND SO THE LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT HUMAN RESOURCES TEAM USE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO PILOT THESE STREAMLINED PROCESSES ON A SMALLER SCALE.
AND SO ANOTHER IMPROVED PROCESS WAS, UH, PROCUREMENT.
AND SO WE HAD THE EXTREME PROCUREMENT MAKEOVER, WHICH IS A RENOVATION OF PROCUREMENT POLICY, UM, AND PRACTICE.
AND SO A FEW EXAMPLES OF PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS INCLUDED HOSTING KICKOFF MEETINGS WITH DEPARTMENTS TO PLAN OUT PROCUREMENT PROCESSES DURING THE PROGRAM.
DESIGN, PUBLISHING AN ONLINE PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE FORECAST FOR UPCOMING CONTRACT OPPORTUNITIES AND PROVIDING MORE SUPPORT AND RESOURCES TO STAFF TO HELP FIND, UH, TO REACH OUT TO NEW VENDORS AND CREATING A COORDINATED COMMUNICATIONS CAMPAIGN.
ACCORDING PRESS RELEASES, SOCIAL MEDIA AND NEWSLETTERS TO ADVERTISE CONTRACTING OPPORTUNITIES
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IN, UM, IN NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING COMMUNITIES.AND SO, UH, WE ALSO HAVE SOME OF THE DATA HERE THAT SHOWS, UH, AN INCREASE OF THE LOCAL, THE INCREASE IN THE PERCENTAGE OF LOCAL BUSINESSES, PERSON OF COLOR OWNED BUSINESSES AND WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES BEING AWARDED.
OF THE 130 AWARDS THAT WERE GIVEN OUT, 68 OF THE TOTAL AWARDEES WERE FIRST TIME VENDORS.
WE ALSO HAVE, UH, DATA TRANSPARENCY AS A IMPROVED CITY PROCESS, UH, WITH OUR INNOVATIVE AND USER-FRIENDLY DASHBOARD THAT TRACKS OUR SPENDING KEY PERFORMANCE METRICS AND ENHANCES TRANSPARENCY, UM, ENSURING A RESULT DRIVEN AND EQUITABLE AND TRANSPARENT APPROACH TO THE USE OF THE RECOVERY FUNDING.
PARTICIPANTS CAN DISAGGREGATE DATA BY PROGRAM, RACE, ETHNICITY, ZIP CODE, AND PROGRAM STATUS.
UM, AND WE ALSO, UH, PROVIDED COMMUNICATION THAT IS CONSISTENT WITH THE CITY'S LANGUAGE ACCESS POLICY THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS WITH KEY COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS.
UM, AND WE COULD, UH, AND WE ALSO MAKE THIS A STANDARD PRACTICE TO TRANSLATE ALL COMMUNICATIONS SO THAT THE INFORMATION, UH, WAS IN LANGUAGES ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE.
THIS WAS AN IMMENSELY DEDICATED AND INTENTIONAL EFFORT.
AND I WANNA END TODAY SHARING WITH YOU THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE WORK THAT MADE THIS ALL POSSIBLE.
SO THE WORK OF THE LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT HAS DRAWN A WORKFORCE THAT ARE, IS OVERARCHINGLY WOMEN AND EMPLOYEES OF COLOR WHO HAVE STEPPED INTO THIS SPACE TO SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY, RECOVER FROM THE PANDEMIC.
CLOSE TO 60% OF EMPLOYEES HIRED INTO THESE TEMPORARY POSITIONS, UH, ARE WOMEN, WHICH IS 10% ABOVE THE CITYWIDE EMPLOYEE DATA.
AND WE ALSO HAVE, UH, A NUMBER HERE, UH, OF OUR DIFFERENT, UH, EMPLOYEE GROUPS, UH, BY THE, UH, ETHNICITY THAT TALK ABOUT HOW THE DIFFERENT GROUPS STEPPED UP IN THIS SPACE.
AND SO THIS IS INFORMATION THAT WE TRACK AND THAT WE SHARE, UH, BECAUSE ULTIMATELY THESE ARE, UH, VALUABLE, DEDICATED AND SKILLED EMPLOYEES AND WHO ALSO REPRESENT THE LIVED EXPERIENCE AND DIVERSITY OF OUR COMMUNITY WHO ARE HERE IN THESE PROGRAMS, UH, PROVIDING THEIR INPUT AS WE ROLL THESE OUT FOR MAXIMUM IMPACT.
YOU CAN SEE HERE THE QUOTES FROM OUR DEDICATED STAFF.
AND WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE REASONS THEY WERE INTERESTED IN WORKING ON THE LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT, OR WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST REWARDING HERE IS WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY.
THEY DO THIS WORK TO SUPPORT OUR MOST VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES AND UPLIFT THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN NEGATIVELY IMPACTED BY COVID AND DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED BY SYSTEMS OF INEQUITY.
THEY HAVE EXPANDED THEIR PROFESSIONAL HORIZONS AND LEARNED NEW THINGS.
THEY HAVE IMPROVED, UH, SKILLS AND PROCESSES, AND THEY'RE READY TO SET UP FOR THE NEXT CHALLENGE, CREATING A SUCCESSION PLAN FOR OUR ORGANIZATION.
THEY HAVE ALSO BUILT STRONG INTERNAL AND COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS, WHICH IMPROVES TRUST AND CREDIBILITY IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND INCREASES ACCESS AND IMPROVES OUTCOMES FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
MUCH OF THE WORK THAT WE'VE DISCUSSED TODAY IS WHAT YOU DON'T SEE.
UH, AND THESE ARE JUST A NUMBER OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO SUCH A LARGE, COMPLEX AND MEANINGFUL EFFORT.
UH, A NUMBER OF STAFF WHO HAVE HIRED INTO THESE TEMPORARY POSITIONS, UH, AS YOU SEE HERE, HAVE FOUND PERMANENT JOBS WITH THEIR ORGANIZATION.
AGAIN, FURTHER SUC, UH, UH, CONTINUE OUR ORGANIZATIONAL SUCCESSION PLAN.
AS YOU SEE THAT THEY'RE FOCUSED ON THINGS LIKE, UH, INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS, UH, PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS ABOUT COMMUNITY IMPACT, UH, AND ABOUT THE, UH, PRIDE THEY HAVE IN WORKING FOR THE CITY AND WHAT THEY HAVE LEARNED ALONG THE WAY.
UH, WITH THAT, UH, STAFF IS AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS AND ANYTHING THAT WE'RE NOT ABLE TO, TO TACKLE TODAY, UH, WITH THE REMAINDER OF TIME, WE'RE HAPPY TO FOLLOW UP WITH ANY, UH, ANSWERS FOR THE COMMITTEE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT PRESENTATION.
UM, DO WE HAVE ANY COMMENTS FROM MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES? I HAD A COUPLE OF COURSE.
UM, SO JUST TO CLARIFY, FOR THE SAFE PASSAGES PROGRAM, DID YOU SAY THAT THE FUNDING FOR THAT IS ONLY AVAILABLE FOR LBRA THROUGH THE END OF 2024? YES, THAT'S CORRECT.
AND SO AFTER THAT, WE'D HAVE TO IDENTIFY ADDITIONAL EITHER STRUCTURE OR ONE-TIME FUNDING TO CONTINUE THAT PROGRAM? THAT'S CORRECT.
UM, FOR PAGE 28, WHERE YOU WERE TALKING, OR LIKE SLIDE 28, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE EMPLOYMENT STATISTICS.
JUST FOR EVERYBODY'S KNOWLEDGE, WHAT DOES EEO STAND FOR? SURE.
SO, UH, EEO STANDS FOR EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY, UH, AND WE HAVE, UH, A DIVISION OF OUR HR DEPARTMENT, UH, WHO, UH, LOOKS AT THESE STATS AND DEMOGRAPHICS, AND WE DO PROVIDE, UH, REGULAR REPORTING ON THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF OUR STAFF, UH, TO SUPPORT, UM, OUR DIVERSITY AND EQUITY, UM, GOALS, AND ALSO TO TAKE A LOOK AT, UH, HOW WE BUILD FOR SUCCESSION PLANNING MOVING FORWARD.
AND THEN ON SLIDE 14, THERE'S TWO LINES FOR GENERAL FUND.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THOSE TWO? UH, FOR THE TWO LINES, UH, FOR, FOR GENERAL FUND ONE, UH, IT HAS TO DO WITH SOME OF OUR, UM, FUNDING FOR A PARTICULAR, UH, PROGRAM OR SERVICE AND A NUMBER OF PROGRAMS. SO WE CAN PROVIDE THE BREAKDOWN OF WHAT THOSE ARE TO YOU.
AND THEN ALSO, UH, WHICH ONES ON HERE MAY BE, UH, GRANT
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FUNDED, BECAUSE I KNOW THERE WAS A QUESTION ABOUT THAT AS WELL.SO HAPPY TO FOLLOW UP WITH THAT FOR YOU.
UM, AND THEN LAST THING IS, UM, I KNOW IT MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE TO FOLLOW, LIKE ALL THE DIFFERENT BREAKDOWNS OF FUNDING 'CAUSE THERE WAS A SECURING OUR FUTURE, THE HEALTHY AND SAFE COMMUNITIES ECONOMIC RECOVERY, AND THEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT ARPA AND THEN THE, THE CORONAVIRUS FEDERAL DOLLARS.
SO JUST KIND OF IN LIKE BIG PICTURE, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THESE DIFFERENT BUCKETS OF MONEY, WHERE ARE ALL THESE DOLLARS COMING FROM? UH, SO THE ORIGINAL, UH, SOURCE OF THE 40 MILLION FOR THE CARES ACT, UH, IS FEDERAL, FEDERAL FUNDING, FEDERAL DOLLARS.
UH, THAT WAS THE, THE FIRST SORT OF, UH, IMMEDIATE FUNDS AVAILABLE DURING, UH, UH, AS SOON AS THE PANDEMIC HIT.
UH, THE LONGER TERM PROGRAM WAS THE, UH, FEDERAL ARPA DOLLARS, UH, THAT CAME ALSO FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
UH, AND THEN FROM THERE THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF, OF GRANTS AND OTHER SOURCES AMASSED FROM FEDERAL, STATE, COUNTY, AND PHILANTHROPIC, UH, SOURCES THAT HAVE, UH, BEEN AMASSED TO TOTAL THE, THE ALMOST 30 MILLION THAT WE HAVE FOR THE TOTAL OF THE LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT.
UM, AND THEN FOR THOSE GRANTS, ARE THEY DEPENDENT ON THE DOLLARS THAT WE HAD AS PART OF THE LVRA? ARE THOSE GRANTS THAT WE COULD THEN, UM, GO AFTER SEPARATELY FROM ANY LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT FUNDS THAT WE HAVE? UM, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, AND WE CAN CONFIRM, BUT TO MY KNOWLEDGE, WE DON'T HAVE ANY, UH, RECOVERY DOLLARS THAT ARE SOMEHOW WRAPPED UP INTO A MATCH THAT WOULD INVALIDATE ANY OF OUR GRANTS.
UH, THOSE WERE THINGS THAT WERE SUPPLEMENTAL, UH, AND MANY OF OUR GRANT SOURCES ARE THINGS THAT, UM, ARE FOR A VERY SPECIFIC, UH, TYPE OF PROGRAM.
UH, SO THAT WOULD BE, THERE WOULDN'T BE ANY, UM, DETRIMENT TO THE FULFILLING OF THAT GRANT OBLIGATION BECAUSE OF THE REDUCTION OR THE, THE CONCLUSION, I GUESS I SHOULD SAY, OF ANY LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT PROGRAM.
AND THE LAST QUESTION, UM, OBVIOUSLY THE LBRA FUNDED A NUMBER OF PROGRAMS IN THE CITY.
UM, AND SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO MAKE SOME DECISIONS ABOUT THE THINGS THAT WE WANNA CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD.
UM, AT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR PRESENTATION, YOU TALKED A LOT ABOUT THE EQUITY FRAMEWORK, THE EQUITY TOOLKIT, RIGHT IN THAT LENS.
IS THAT, UM, FROM STAFF'S PERSPECTIVE, IS THAT THE LENS MOVING FORWARD WHEN WE THINK ABOUT WHICH TYPES OF PROGRAMS WE'RE GONNA PRIORITIZE FUNDING AND MOVING FORWARD WITH POTENTIALLY? UH, YES.
SO THERE'S A VARIETY OF LENSES WE LOOK THROUGH.
UH, EQUITY IS DEFINITELY ONE OF THEM, UH, IN TERMS OF HOW WE THINK ABOUT THOSE MOST VULNERABLE AND OUR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.
WE ALSO LOOK THROUGH THE LENS OF OUR STRATEGIC VISION 2030, WHICH INCLUDES, UH, PRIORITIES FROM OUR CITY COUNCIL, UH, SESSIONS.
SO THOSE ARE, ARE, UH, DEFINITE THINGS THAT WE TAKE A LOOK AT.
UM, AND THOSE ARE PART OF WHAT WE THOUGHT ABOUT FOR, UM, WHAT IS PROPOSED IN THE BUDGET.
UH, AS YOU CAN, IT'S INCLUDED SPECIFICALLY ON THE COMMUNITY BUDGET BOOK PAGES 18 AND 19, UH, WHICH LISTS THE PROGRAMS THAT ARE PROPOSED TO, UM, BE PART OF OUR CORE SERVICES AND, AND MOVE FORWARD FROM LESSONS LEARNED, UH, DURING THE RECOVERY ACT.
AND WE HAVE, UH, A NUMBER OF PROGRAMS, UH, 10 PROGRAMS THAT ARE PROPOSED TO CARRY ON FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS, BUT ALSO ARE ALIGNED WITH THOSE PRIORITIES.
UM, UH, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND MOVE TO PUBLIC COMMENT.
IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC YOU LIKE TO SPEAK, PLEASE COME FORWARD.
UM, I'M COMING TO YOU UPSET TO SHARE THAT A 16-YEAR-OLD WAS SHOT ON SUNDAY IN THE NORTH LONG BEACH AREA.
UM, AND TODAY IS ACTUALLY NATIONAL NIGHT OUT.
UM, SO, UM, I'M COMING TO YOU AS THE COUNCIL BUDGET COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE, UH, TO SHARE THAT WE NEED VIOLENCE PREVENTION TO BE A BUDGET PRIORITY, UM, AND A GREATER BUDGET PRIORITY WITHIN THE CITY.
SPECIFICALLY IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET.
UH, WE APPLAUD THE CITY MANAGER'S TEAM FOR PROPOSING ONE-TIME FUNDING OF $200,000 FOR VIOLENCE PREVENTION INITIATIVES.
WHILE WE'RE APPRECIATIVE OF THAT, UH, WE'RE DISAPPOINTED TO LEARN THAT MANY VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAMS ARE SCHEDULED TO RECEIVE BUDGET CUTS, OR BUDGET IS, UM, GOING TO BE ENDING AT THE END OF DECEMBER.
SOME OF THOSE INCLUDE FROM STRUCTURAL FUNDING, BE SAFE PROGRAMS, UH, PARKS, RECREATION AND MARINE, UH, FROM THE RECOVERY ACT THAT ENDS DECEMBER 31ST.
SAFE PASSAGE IS VERY IMPORTANT.
UH, ONE TIME FUNDING IS NOT SUSTAINABLE.
AND SO I'M GONNA ASK, UM, AS A COMMITTEE, UH, TO REALLY LOOK AT SUSTAINABLE FUNDING FOR VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAMS IN THE FUTURE, WHETHER THAT BE A TAX ON SUGARY DRINKS OR INNOVATION, UM, IN THE CITY.
UH, OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS VIOLENCE PREVENTION CHAMPIONS AND STRUCTURAL FUNDING.
UH, CAN WE COUNT ON YOU ALL OF BEING, UH, OUR CHAMPIONS, UM, FOR PROTECTING VIOLENCE PREVENTION, AS WELL AS, UM, INCREASING FUNDING FOR VIOLENCE PRE PREVENTION PROGRAMS IN OUR CITY.
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UM, FROM THE LAST COMMUNITY BUDGET AS WAS JUST PRESENTED, UH, IN JANUARY, SAFETY WAS A TOP PRIORITY AMONGST SURVEY RESPONDENTS AND VIOLENCE PREVENTION WAS THE THIRD MOST VOTED UNDER SAFETY.UM, IN REGARDS TO BUDGET NEEDS OUTSIDE OF WHAT'S ALREADY BEING, UH, FUNDED.
IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE A ROBUST, UH, BUDGET LINE ITEM FOR SAFE PASSAGE, WHICH INCLUDES $1.5 MILLION.
THAT'S 300,000 PER SITE, UP TO FIVE SITES, UM, BRINGING BACK SUMMER NIGHT LIGHTS OR INCREASING BE SAFE, UM, AND MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE OVER 300,000 PER SITE.
SO THAT'S ANOTHER ONE, $1.5 MILLION.
UM, THE LA THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY, UH, OFFICE OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION HAS A TRAUMA PREVENTION INITIATIVE.
UM, THEY CAN BRING THAT TO LONG BEACH.
THE WHOLE PROGRAM WOULD COST $2 MILLION TO BRING THAT TO THE CITY OF LONG BEACH.
UH, AND IN ADDITION, THE CITY DOES HAVE, UH, GRANTS COMING IN FOR THE CALIFORNIA VIOLENCE PREVENTION, UH, AND PREVENTION GRANT, WHICH IS CALLED CAL GRIP.
UH, IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT TO LOOK INTO HOW, UH, WE CAN HAVE STRUCTURAL FUNDING OFFSET THE MATCHING REQUIREMENTS SO THAT WE CAN GET THOSE PROGRAM, UH, OFF AND RUNNING.
UM, SO I'M OPEN TO MEETING WITH EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU, UH, INDIVIDUALLY TO TALK ABOUT THESE PROPOSALS MORE, MORE IN DEPTH.
UM, AND I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR AND REFLECTION TO HONOR ALL THOSE THAT WE HAVE LOST TO GUN VIOLENCE.
UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION.
GOOD AFTERNOON, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS.
UM, GOOD AFTERNOON, CITY COUNCIL MANAGER, CITY ASSISTANT, CITY MANAGER AND BUDGET SITE OVER COMMITTEE.
I'M HERE TO REPRESENT, UM, A LOSS OF FUNDING OF 73 EMPLOYEES THAT RECEIVE LAYOFF NOTICES.
I AM A REPRESENTATIVE, A UNION STEWARD FOR THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, UH, TO HELP DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES.
I'M HERE WITH 73 HEALTH, YOU KNOW, INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE BEING CUT FROM THEIR JOBS, DOING, UH, VERY IMPORTANT JOBS, CONTROLLING DISEASES, KEEPING LONG BEACH, HEALTHY AND SAFE.
I KNOW IN THE PAST DOC, DOC, MR. DONGA HAS BEEN AN AO FOR US.
I'VE BEEN WITH THE CITY FOR OVER 22 YEARS.
WE'VE ALWAYS TALKED ABOUT GETTING SOME REAL FUNDING INSTEAD OF JUST GRANTS FOR THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
AND I REALLY SEE THAT DURING COVID WE REALIZED HOW IMPORTANT IT WAS TO HAVE A CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT, AND I'M HERE ADVOCATING FOR THAT.
I'M HERE TO SAVE, HOPEFULLY, IF WE CAN, 73 INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE DOING OUR HIV SURVEILLANCE, OUR TB CONTROL.
UM, THEY'RE DOING HEALTH EDUCATION FOR THE COMMUNITY, HOMELESSNESS.
THEY'RE ALL BUNCH OF POSITIONS THAT WERE BEING CUT BY SEPTEMBER 30TH THIS YEAR.
BY THE END OF THIS FUNDING, I'M HERE TO ASK YOU TO REALLY LOOK AT THE BUDGET, REALLY ADVOCATE FOR YOUR CITY EMPLOYEES, BECAUSE THIS IS GONNA AFFECT THE WAY WE TREAT TB, THE WAY WE TREAT HIV, THE WAY WE TREAT ANY KIND OF DISEASE.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, IT'S STILL OUT THERE.
WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A LITTLE TB OUTBREAK THAT IT'S NOT EASY TO TREAT.
I'M, YOU'VE HEARD, YOU KNOW, PRESENTATIONS FROM DR. DAVIS.
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT AND I'M HERE TO ASK AS A UNION STEWARD, AND I AM REPRESENTATIVE FOR ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES THAT WE HAVE 3000, I AM MEMBERS, 600 EMPLOYEES AT THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT THAT ARE ALWAYS ON AT WILL POSITIONS FOR GRANT FUNDED POSITIONS.
WE REALLY NEED A DIFFERENT KIND OF FUNDING.
I KNOW THERE'S BEEN DISCUSSIONS IN THE PAST, BUT I REALLY THINK WITH THE FUTURE THAT WE ARE UPHOLDING AND MORE DISEASES AND MORE HEALTH, THE CITY OF LONG BEACH IS NOT GONNA BE HEALTHY BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE ENOUGH STAFF.
WE BARELY CAN KEEP UP WITH THE WORK AS IT IS.
AND TO CUT 73 INDIVIDUALS IN THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS AMAZING TO THE, TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE THOSE KIND OF CASE LOADS.
WE CONSTANTLY TRAIN AND DEVELOP STAFF AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN WE HAVE TO LET THEM GO.
YOU KNOW, IT'S A CONSTANT 180.
WE NEED TO REMEMBER, WE NEED TO INVEST IN THE HEALTH OF CITY OF LONG BEACH.
WE NEED TO INVEST IN THE COMMUNITY OF LONG BEACH, AND WE NEED TO INVEST IN THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, LIKE WE INVEST WITH POLICE DEPARTMENT AND FIRE.
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS A VERY INTEGRAL PART FOR THE CITY.
AND I'M HERE TO ADVOCATE FOR OUR 73 EMPLOYEES AND ASKING FOR US CITY COUNCIL TO REALLY, REALLY CONSIDER THIS.
THERE HAS TO BE SOME WAY THAT THERE CAN BE GENERAL FUND ALLOCATIONS MORE THAN JUST A MILLION DOLLARS FOR, OR, I'M NOT EVEN SURE YOU EVEN GIVE ANY KIND OF GENERAL FUNDS FOR THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, BUT JUST SOMETHING THAT IT CREATES AN INFRASTRUCTURE FOR WHERE WE CONTINUE TO CREATE A BETTER HEALTH IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH.
AND I'M JUST HERE TO ADVOCATE FOR MY EMPLOYEES HERE THAT HAVE WORKED SO HARD IN THE LAST COVID YEARS.
WE'VE, THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME WE'VE HAD TIME IS CONCLUDED.
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THIS IS LIKE PROBABLY THE THIRD TIME.SO I WANNA SAY THAT WE'VE LOST A LOT OF EMPLOYEES.
WE CONTINUE TO LOSE EMPLOYEES, AND I FEEL LIKE IF I ASK YOU FOR AT LEAST SOME SORT OF HELP WITH, UM, INCREASING SOME SORT OF FUNDING FOR THESE EMPLOYEES.
UH, GOOD AFTERNOON COUNCIL MEMBERS.
I'M THE CO-FOUNDER OF THE MAY NEW FOUNDATION HERE IN LONG BEACH.
AND I'M ALSO PROUD TO SERVE AS A MEMBER OF THE LONG BEACH ADVANCING PEACE STEERING COMMITTEE.
TODAY I'M HERE TO EMPHASIZE THE CRITICAL NEED FOR MAKING VIOLENCE PREVENTION A BUDGET PRIORITY IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET.
WE APPLAUD AND THANK THE CITY MANAGER FOR PROPOSING THAT ONE-TIME FUNDING OF $200,000 TO SUPPORT THE LONG BEACH VIOLENCE PREVENTION INITIATIVE.
WHILE THIS IS A POSITIVE STEP, IT IS DISHEARTENING TO LEARN THAT MANY VITAL VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAMS ARE SCHEDULED TO RECEIVE BUDGET CUTS, PARTICULARLY THE BE SAFE PROGRAM AND THE SAFE PASSAGE ADVANCING PEACE NEIGHBORHOOD ACTIVATION, WHICH WILL END THIS YEAR ONE TIME FUNDING IS SIMPLY NOT SUSTAINABLE.
OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS VIOLENT PREVENTION CHAMPIONS AND STRUCTURAL FUNDING.
CAN WE COUNT ON YOUR LEADERSHIP TO PROTECT THESE INITIAL, THESE ESSENTIAL PROGRAMS FROM BUDGET CUTS AND IDENTIFY INCREASED FUNDING FOR VIOLENCE PREVENTION INITIATIVE TO REDUCE VIOLENCE IN OUR CITY? TO ENSURE OUR COMMUNITY SAFETY, WE NEED 1.5 MILLION FOR THE SAFE PASSAGE, 1.5 MILLION FOR SUMMER NIGHT LICE, $2 MILLION TO BRING THE LA COUNTY OFFICE OF VIOLENCE PREVENTIONS TRAUMA PREVENTION INITIATIVE TO LONG BEACH AND $4 MILLION TO MATCH FUNDS FOR THE CALIFORNIA VIOLENCE INTERVENTION AND PREVENTION GRANT PER YEAR.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION.
COUNCIL MEMBERS AND COMMUNITY.
MY NAME IS THERE, CLARK, AND I'M A MEMBER OF THE MAY NEW FOUNDATION.
I'M HERE TODAY TO STRESS THE IMPORTA OF PRIORITIZING VIOLENCE POSITION.
IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET, WE ARE GREATLY APPRECIATIVE OF THE CITY MANAGER'S $200,000 TO SUPPORT THE LONG BEACH VIOLENCE INITIATIVE.
WE ARE DEEPLY BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE SCHEDULED BUDGET CUTS FOR SEVERAL ESSENTIAL VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAMS. PROGRAMS LIKE THE BE SAFE PROGRAM UNDER PARKS AND RECREATIONS IN MARINE, AND THE SAFE PASSAGE ADVANCING PEACE NEIGHBORHOOD ACTIVATION SET TO END WITH THE LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT BY DECEMBER 31ST, 2024, OUR CRUCIAL TO OUR COMMUNITY'S WELLBEING.
ONE TIME FUNDING, THOUGH APPRECIATED IS NOT SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION.
OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS CONSISTENT AND STRUCTURAL FUNDING FOR VIOLENCE PREVENTION.
COULD WE COUNT ON YOUR LEADERSHIP TO SAFEGUARD THESE PROGRAMS FROM BUDGET CUTS AND TO SEEK INCREASED FUNDING FOR VIOLENCE PREVENTION INITIATIVES TO EFFECTIVELY REDUCE VIOLENCE IN THE CITY? WE NEED 1.5 MILLION FOR SAFE PASSAGES, 1.5 MILLION FOR SUMMER NIGHTS LIGHTS, AND 2 MILLION TO BRING LA COUNTY OFFICE OF VIOLENCE PREVENTIONS TRAUMA PREVENTION INITIATIVE TO LONG BEACH AND 4 MILLION TO MATCH FUNDS FOR THE CALIFORNIA VIOLENCE INTERVENTION AND PREVENTION ANNUALLY.
ME PERSONALLY, I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA, AND I SEEN A LOT OF VIOLENCE IN MY LIFE GROWING UP, BUT I ALSO SEEN THE OTHER SIDE OF IT.
WHEN PROGRAMS LIKE THESE GO TO WORK, THIS IS PREVENTION, LIKE POLICE AND THINGS LIKE THAT, THEY'RE CALLED IN AFTER CRIMES, MOSTLY HAVE BEEN COMMITTED ALREADY.
BUT IF YOU HAVE THE PREVENTION SET IN PLACE, THEN A LOT OF THOSE CRIMES COULD BE PREVENTED.
AND IT STARTS WITH THE YOUTH, IT STARTS WITH THE STREETS.
IT STARTS WITH RETURNING CITIZENS COMING HOME FROM PRISON.
SO THINGS LIKE THESE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED FOR THE CITY.
ITD BE GREATLY APPRECIATE FOR THE, THE OUTSIDE, THE SURROUNDING CITIES, A GRATEFUL CITY FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITY ON THE INSIDE.
SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMITMENT FOR OUR SAFETY, COMMUNITY SAFETY, AND CONSIDERING THESE URGENT BUDGET CUTS.
MY NAME'S ELIZABETH MARQUEZ AND I AM SENIOR EPIDEMIOLOGIST WITH THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
THE COMMUNICABLE, UH, WITHIN THE COMMUNICABLE DISEASE SURVEILLANCE AND CONTROL DIVISION CBSC.
I'M HERE IN REGARD TO THE LOSS OF FUNDING OF MYSELF AND 73 INDIVIDUALS EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 30TH.
UM, THE HEAVY RELIANCE OF GRANT FUNDS WITHIN OUR DEPARTMENT, CONTINUOUSLY JEOPARDIZES ESSENTIAL PROGRAMS. AS A RESULT, WE STRUGGLE TO MAINTAIN A ROBUST WORKFORCE THAT IS TRAINED AND ABLE TO RESPOND TO HEALTH THREATS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.
THE CITY MUST INVEST MORE MONEY, UM, TO HAVE SU AND HAVE SUSTAINED FUNDING FOR THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
ADDITIONALLY, I'M HERE TO HIGHLIGHT THE IMPACT THAT THESE CUTS WILL HAVE ON FOUR KEY PROGRAMS, EPIDEMIOLOGY, HEALTHCARE ACQUIRED INFECTIONS, COMMUNICABLE DISEASE, UM, INTERVENTIONS AND VITAL RECORDS,
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WHICH TOGETHER ARE AT RISK OF LOSING 76% OF THEIR ALREADY SMALL WORKFORCE.THESE TEAMS HAVE LED AND RESPONDED TO THREE PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCIES IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS, COVID-19 MPOS AND TUBERCULOSIS.
WITHOUT ADEQUATE FUNDING AND STAFFING, WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO TRACK CONTROL AND PREVENT EMERGING, UH, MULTI-DRUG RESISTANT INFECTIONS, PRIMARILY AFFECTING OUR LONG-TERM CARE FACILITY RESIDENTS.
WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RAPIDLY RESPOND TO FOOD, UH, FOODBORNE DISEASES, WHICH CAN LEAD TO LARGE OUTBREAKS IN OUR RESTAURANTS, WHICH CAN PUT MANY PEOPLE AT RISK OF INFECTION, HOSPITALIZATION, AND EVEN DEATH.
UH, OUTBREAKS SIMILAR TO OUR CURRENT TUBERCULOSIS OUTBREAK MAY BECOME MORE COMMON WITHOUT APPROPRIATE RESPONSE, WE WILL BE UNABLE TO PLAN AND RESPOND TO EMERGING A EMERGING AND REEMERGING INFECTIONS SUCH AS AVIAN, INFLUENZA, DENGUE, AND MEASLES.
WE WILL BE UNABLE TO PLAN AND PREPARE FOR MAJOR EVENTS COMING TO THE CITY, SUCH AS THE 2028 ALLEY OLYMPICS, UM, WHERE THOUSANDS OF INTERNATIONAL VISITORS WILL COME AND INCREASE, UM, SIGNIFICANT RISK, UM, OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE HERE IN OUR CITY.
THE EPIDEMIOLOGY PROGRAM WILL NOT BE ABLE TO CREATE, UM, HEALTH REPORTS AND DATA THAT THE CITY HEAVILY RELIES ON TO CREATE, UM, REPORTS APPLIED FOR GRANTS AND ADDITIONAL FUNDING.
UM, THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT WILL ALSO NOT BE ABLE TO MEET THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCREDITATION.
WITHOUT FUNDING OUR TEAM, UH, WE WON'T EVEN BE ABLE TO MEET MINIMUM REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS, THE COMMUNICABLE DISEASE RESPONSE AND INTERVENTION.
UH, WHEN THE COMMUNICABLE DISEASE RESPONSE AND INTERVENTION TEAM IS SUCCESSFUL, OFTEN OUR IMPACTS GO UNNOTICED.
OUR INVISIBILITY IS A TESTAMENT TO OUR EFFECTIVENESS.
WHEN COMMUNICABLE DISEASE RESPONSE IS INSUFFICIENT, UM, OUTCOMES, UH, CAN BE DEVASTATING TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS INCLUDING SEVERE ILLNESS AND EVEN DEATH.
CURRENTLY, WE'RE IN A TB PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY DUE TO UNDERFUNDING AND UNDERSTAFFING OF THE, OF THE TB PROGRAM.
AND THE EXACT SAME THING IS HELP HAPPENING TO THE COMMUNICATIONS.
YOUR TIME HAS CONCLUDED, UH, PROGRAM.
AND IN SUMMARY, IF THESE ENTIRE, UM, IF THESE CUTS TAKE PLACE, UM, WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SUPE SUSTAIN OUR CURRENT EFFORTS AND WE ASK FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING AND SUPPORT FROM THE CITY.
MY NAME IS JOLENE EVANGELISTA.
I'M A PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE THROUGH WITH THE LONG BEACH HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
THIS IS MY THIRD YEAR WORKING IN THE COMMUNICABLE DISEASE SURVEILLANCE AND CONTROL DIVISION, OR CDSC AND MY SIXTH YEAR AT THE CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
I'M HERE TO SPEAK ON THE LOSS OF FUNDING RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF 73 HEALTH DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEES IN CDSC.
WE ARE LOSING MORE THAN HALF OF OUR STAFF.
I REPRESENT ONE OF THE FOUR EMPLOYEES IN CDSC WHO WILL BE LEFT TO HANDLE THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE POSITIONS BEING CUT.
DUE TO LOSS OF FUNDING, THE PROPOSED STAFFING LEVELS WOULD MEAN THAT FOUR OF US WILL NEED TO TAKE ON THE WORK OF 15 HIGHLY SPECIALIZED TEAM MEMBERS TO MAINTAIN OUR HEALTH DEPARTMENT'S ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND AVOID LOSING OUR ACCREDITATION FROM THE PUBLIC HEALTH ACCREDITATION BOARD, WE HAVE BEEN PLACED IN AN IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION.
WE ARE ALREADY UNDERSTAFFED AND OVERWHELMED AS IT CURRENTLY STANDS.
MEANWHILE, OUR 15 PERSON TEAM STRIVES DAILY TO PROTECT THE COMMUNITY FROM DISEASES AND SAVE LIVES AS EFFECTIVELY AND EFFICIENTLY AS WE CAN.
AS A DIVISION'S ONLY NURSE, I'VE SEEN FIRSTHAND THE CHALLENGE WE FACE AND THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS WE ACHIEVE.
DESPITE LIMITED RESOURCES, OUR DIVISION HAS RESPONDED, EFFECT, RESPONDED EFFECTIVELY TO PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCIES AND CONTINUES TO PROVIDE GUIDANCE TO DAYCARES, SCHOOLS AND HEALTHCARE FACILITIES.
HOWEVER, I'VE OBSERVED THAT OTHER HEALTH DEPARTMENTS, EVEN THOSE WITH SIMILAR OR SMALLER JURISDICTIONS, HAVE BETTER JOB SECURITY AND RESOURCES.
THIS COMPARISON IS NOT TO UNDERMINE OUR EFFORTS, BUT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT DESPITE OUR SMALL SIZE AND RELIANCE ON GRANTS, OUR STAFF ARE DEDICATED, PASSIONATE, AND WE HAVE MADE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE DEPARTMENT.
AND, UM, WE HAVE BEEN PREVENTING AND NEED TO CONTINUE PREVENTING THE SPREAD OF DISEASE, SUPPORTING HEALTHCARE FACILITIES AND ANALYZING DISEASE DATA TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS.
OUR COMMUNITY RELIES ON OUR SERVICES.
ELIMINATING THESE POSITIONS WOULD DISMANTLE THE SUPPORT STRUCTURE WE'VE BUILT, LEAVING THE REMAINING STAFF UNABLE TO MEET OUR COMMUNITY'S DEMAND.
HEALTH DEPARTMENTS THAT THRIVE ARE THOSE THAT ARE THOSE WITH STABLE CITY-BASED FUNDING.
WE URGE THE COUNCIL TO PRIORITIZE INCREASED AND SUSTAINED INVESTMENT IN OUR HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO PRESERVE THESE CRUCIAL POSITIONS AND PROGRAMS. THE HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITY IS AT STAKE.
[01:15:04]
THANK YOU.UM, ANY ADDITIONAL PUBLIC COMMENT? NO MORE PUBLIC COMMENT.
I'LL BRING IT BACK BEHIND THE RAIL.
UM, ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS FROM MY COUNCIL? COLLEAGUES? COUNCIL MEMBER ARANGA? THE ONLY REASON I'M COMMENTING IS THAT MY NAME WAS BROUGHT UP A LITTLE EARLIER.
YES, I WAS THE AO FOR THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
AND LET ME JUST SAY THAT WHEN I FIRST CAME IN, MY JOB WAS TO PARTNER AND PLACE OVER A HUNDRED EMPLOYEES BECAUSE OF FUNDING, BECAUSE OF FUNDING ENDED.
UH, AT THAT TIME, THE FUNDING THAT ENDED WAS THE VEHICLE LICENSE FEE BY THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, WHICH FUNDED A MARIETTA PROGRAMS THROUGH THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
IT WAS IN, AND TO THIS DAY THAT I CONTINUE TO SUPPORT INSTITUTIONALIZING THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT, IT RELIES THAT IT IS RELIANCE ON GRANTS.
FEDERAL AND STATE FUNDING HAS BEEN FOREVER.
AND IT'S TIME THAT WE AS A CITY START FUNDING SOME OF THESE PROGRAMS PERMANENTLY ON AN INSTITUTIONAL BASIS.
HOWEVER, I DO RECOGNIZE BEYONCE COUNCIL, THAT THAT IS TOUGH.
BUDGETING IS TOUGH, BUT WE ALSO KNOW, AND THOSE EMPLOYEES THAT I DEALT WITH ALSO KNEW THAT THAT FUNDING WAS GOING TO END AS UNFORTUNATE AS IT WAS THEN.
AND THE BIGGEST HEARTACHE THAT I HAD IN HAVING TO DEAL WITH SUCH, UM, A HEARTBREAKING, UM, TASK THAT HAD HURT ME.
FOR MANY PEOPLE, THEY WOULD SEE ME GOES, OH, HERE IT COMES, THE GREAT REEFER.
BUT THEY WOULD SEE WITH ENVELOPES IN MY HAND, SAY, WHO'S NEXT? BUT IT'S A MATTER OF OUR, IT'S OUR JOB.
BUT I WILL SAY THIS ALSO THAT WE HAVE GREAT GRANT WRITERS IN THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND ALL THOSE, THOSE THINGS WENT AWAY.
THEY FOUND A WAY TO FIND OTHER GRANTS, OTHER FUNDING TO SUPPORT STAFF.
AND I HOPE SINCERELY, I SINCERELY HOPE THAT WE CAN FIND THAT ADDITIONAL FUNDING.
AGAIN, IT IS, AS WE KNOW, OUR FUND IS GOING AWAY.
AND THAT'S THE REALITY THAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH AND THE REALITY THAT OUR EMPLOYEES HAVE TO DEAL WITH.
ALL I CAN SAY IS HANG IN THERE.
I HOPE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO FIND NEW JOBS.
I'M SURE THAT THE DEPARTMENT IS MAKING A GREAT EFFORT, AND THEY DID WHEN I WAS THERE TO PLACE EVERYBODY.
WE DON'T WANT TO LOSE ANY, ANYBODY, BUT WE HOPE TO FIND AS MANY POSITIONS IN THE CITY AS WE CAN SO THAT NOBODY HAS TO WALK AND YOU'RE ABLE TO MAINTAIN YOUR STANDARD OF LIVING.
SO WITH THAT CHAIR, THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS.
UH, YOUR SENTIMENTS ARE DEFINITELY, UM, HEARTFELT TO MYSELF.
UH, I THINK MANY OF YOU ALL KNOW I'M A CAR CARRYING EPIDEMIOLOGIST, SO I RECOGNIZE THE WORK THAT YOU ALL DO AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS.
UM, AND SO DON'T THINK THAT IN THE SCENARIO THAT WE'RE IN AND THE HARD DECISIONS THAT WE ARE FORCED TO MAKE, UM, AS A CITY, AS A COUNCIL, THAT WHATEVER THIS ENDS UP BEING, RIGHT.
THAT THIS IS SOMEHOW A, UM, A MARK, RIGHT, OR A REFLECTION ON THE HARD WORK AND DILIGENCE THAT WE KNOW THAT YOU ALL DO EVERY SINGLE DAY, UM, IN SUPPORT OF OUR CITY.
UM, WITH THAT, UM, CAN WE TAKE A VOTE RECEIVING FILE, CORRECT? YES.
MY PODIUM IS STILL, UM, I'M A, I'M A YAY.
[01:20:03]
THAT THE MOTION CARRIES.[4. 24-54420 Recommendation to receive and file an update and overview of the General Fund revenues, inclusive of property tax, sales, utility user tax (UUT), transient occupancy tax (TOT), and cannabis. Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]
ITEM FOUR IS A RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE AN UPDATE, AN OVERVIEW OF THE GENERAL FUND REVENUES INCLUSIVE OF PROPERTY TAX SALES, UTILITY USER TAX, UUT, TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX, AND CANNABIS.UM, I SEE A VERY FULL HOUSE TODAY AND I KNOW WE HAVE A CITY COUNCIL MEETING.
AND WHILE I'D LIKE TO BELIEVE THAT ALL OF YOU CAME TO SEE OUR WONDERFUL FACES HERE AT BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE, I THINK YOU ARE HERE FOR CITY COUNCIL.
UM, SO I'M GONNA MAKE A MOTION FOR US TO LAY OVER, UM, THIS LAST AGENDA ITEM, UH, TO OUR NEXT BOC MEETING NEXT TUESDAY AS OUR, UH, AS OUR FIRST ITEM IS.
ALSO, COUNCIL MEMBER DUGGAN HAS, UM, HAS SECONDED TURN IT.
UH, DO WE NEED TO TAKE PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS EVEN THOUGH WE'RE LAYING IT OVER? IT'S NOT, YES.
CAN I GET A MOTION TO LAY THE ITEM TO LAY, TO LAY THE ITEM? LAY THE ITEM OVER.
OH, I WAS MAKING, WELL, I MADE THE MOTION.
AND THEN COUNCIL MEMBER DUGGAN SECONDED.
I'M GONNA, ARE THERE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM TO LAY IT OVER? NO PUBLIC COMMENT.
UM, CAN WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THE VOTE? IT'S OPEN.
UM, AND, UM, AS THIS, THE END OF THE MEETING, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT OR ANY NON AGENDIZED ITEMS. IF ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT, PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM NOW.
[PUBLIC COMMENT Opportunity to address the Budget Oversight Committee on non-agenda items. Each speaker is limited to three minutes to make their comments unless extended by the Chair.]
PUBLIC COMMENT.I CALL THIS MEETING ADJOURNED.
[ADJOURNMENT]
THANK YOU.