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WELL, HAPPY FIRST TUESDAY OF SEPTEMBER.
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GO.I WOULD LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND CALL THE SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2024 BOC MEETING, UM, TO OPEN, UH, CAN I GET A ROLL CALL PLEASE? YES.
[REGULAR AGENDA]
CHAIR RICK SODI.UH, CAN WE PLEASE READ THE FIRST ITEM? ITEM ONE
[ROLL CALL]
IS A RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FOR THE BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MEETING OF TUESDAY, AUGUST 27TH, 2024.UM, ANY COMMENTS OR MODIFICATIONS FROM MY FELLOW COMMITTEE MEMBERS?
[1. 24-54724 Recommendation to approve the minutes for the Budget Oversight Committee meeting of Tuesday, August 27, 2024. Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]
NO.SEEING NONE, UH, WE CAN GO AHEAD FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
IF ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM NOW.
WE CAN GO AHEAD AND, UM, VOTE.
ITEM TWO IS A RE RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE A PRESENTATION ON GROW LONG BEACH AS A PART OF THE NOVEMBER 20, 24 BALLOT.
[2. 24-54725 Recommendation to receive and file a presentation on Grow Long Beach, in addition to revenue opportunities (inclusive of the proposed regional tax) as a part of the November 2024 Ballot. Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]
UH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER RICK SODI, UM, BEAU MARTINEZ, DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
GONNA GIVE A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE GROW LONG BEACH INITIATIVE UPDATE AND WHERE WE'RE AT TODAY, AND WHERE HOW WE'RE GONNA MOVE FORWARD INTO THE FUTURE.
UM, WITH THAT, IN MARCH, 2023, THE CITY COUNCIL REQUESTED CITY STAFF TO DEVELOP STRATEGIES, POLICIES AND BENCHMARKS TO FOCUS ON, UH, UH, THE GROWTH OF KEY INDUSTRY SECTORS, WHICH WE'RE GONNA FOCUS ON FIVE, AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IN THE, UH, IN THE NEXT COUPLE SLIDES, UH, SECURE LONG BEACH'S FINANCIAL FUTURE AND LOOKING AT HOW WE NOT ONLY DIVERSIFY ECONOMY, BUT ALSO DIVERSIFY THE CITY REVENUE STREAMS. HOW DO WE CONTINUE TO DO PROACTIVE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT WHEN IT COMES TO BUSINESS RECRUITMENT, BUSINESS GROWTH, RETENTION IN THE CITY'S ECONOMY, AND EXPAND OUR CITY'S TAX BASE AND MAKING SURE WE GET, GET PAYING JOB STOCK, OFFSET ALL PREDICTION REVENUES.
AND THEN AGAIN, AS WE MENTIONED, UH, FOCUSING ON THE FIVE INDUSTRY SECTORS.
AND AS WE THINK ABOUT OUR DIVERSIFYING OUR CITY REVENUE STREAMS, WE ALSO, UH, WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO DELIVER HIGH QUALITY COMMUNITY SERVICES AND AMENITIES THAT OUR RESIDENTS COME TO ENJOY, AS WELL AS OUR VISITORS AND BUSINESSES.
AND ALSO LOOKING AT 52 STRATEGIES THAT CAME OUT OF THIS SESSION IN MARCH OF 2023, THAT WILL BE PART OF THE GROW LONG BEACH INITIATIVE.
OUR FOLKS WILL CONTINUE TO BE ON, ON THE, UH, SIX INDUSTRY SECTOR INITIATIVES THAT I HAVE JUST, UH, TALKED ABOUT BRIEFLY, AND THAT'S FEELING OUR EL SPACE AND AVIATION ECONOMY.
AS YOU ALL PROBABLY KNOW, THAT SPACE SPEECH CONTINUES TO DO, SEE A LOT OF GROWTH AND INVESTMENT IN THAT AREA FROM, UH, STARTUPS TO GAZELLES TO FAST-GROWING COMPANIES, AS WELL AS FORTUNE 500 COMPANIES WHO ARE LOOKING TO LOCATE AND DO BUSINESS IN OUR SPACE, SPEECH, AND, UH, ECOSYSTEM.
WE ALSO WILL CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON TRANSPORTATION, LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE PORT OF LONG BEACH, AND A LOT OF THE DIFFERENT BUSINESSES AND INDUSTRY THAT ARE PART OF THAT, UM, UH, THAT SECTOR.
WE ALSO WILL CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON THE CREATIVE ECONOMY THROUGH MUSIC, ATHLETICS, TOURISM, HOSPITALITY, AND ENTERTAINMENT.
WE FELT THIS IS A VERY STRONG SECTOR AND ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING SECTORS HERE IN LONG BEACH, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO LEVERAGE THAT.
UH, WE'LL CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON HEALTHCARE AND EDUCATION.
WE KNOW THAT'S GONNA BE HUGE AS WE THINK ABOUT HEALTHCARE IN INNOVATION, UM, THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, WORKING WITH OUR LOCAL HOSPITALS, OUR LOCAL UNIVERSITIES, OUR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT TO MAKE SURE THAT I KNOW WE BUILDING THE PIPELINE FOR THE FUTURE, BUT ALSO LEVERAGING LIFE SCIENCES, BIOSCIENCES, BIOTECHNOLOGY, AS WELL AS OUR EXISTING HEALTHCARE.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE WILL CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON, UH, BUILDING A CLIMATE FORWARD ECONOMY AND THEN GROWING LONG BEACH TOGETHER AND REALLY LOOKING AT HOW, HOW WE CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON NEIGHBOR MARKETPLACES, OUR COMMERCIAL CORRIDORS, AND WHAT MAKES UNIQUE AND AUTHENTIC LONG BEACH.
SO AS PART OF THIS, UM, UH, AS I TALKED A BIT, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SPACE BEACH, WE HAVE SEVERAL DIFFERENT AREAS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE FOCUSED ON.
SO WE, WE TALKED ABOUT, UH, HOW IMPORTANT SPACE BEACH IS TO THE CITY OF LONG BEACH.
AND WHEN WE THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE AT THE AIRPORT AND AROUND SPA, UH, AROUND, UH, SPACE BEACHES, WE'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, 16 ACRES, UH, PARCEL THAT'S LOCATED AT, AT LONG BEACH AIRPORT.
UM, ONE OF THE PARCELS THERE WAS JET ZERO.
THEY'VE, WE WERE A STARTUP COMPANY HERE IN LONG BEACH, AND NOW THEY'VE CONTINUED TO BUILD UP AND SCALE UP, AND NOW THEY'RE, UH, THEY'RE POSITIONING THEMSELVES WELL TO REALLY LOOK AT HOW THEY BUILD THE FUTURE, UH, GENERATION, UH, JET FIREFIGHTERS, AS WELL AS COMMERCIAL AIRLINES IN A BLENDED WING FASHION.
UM, WE ALSO WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH, UH, OTHER VACANT PARCELS SO THAT WAY WE CAN CONTINUE TO DRIVE NEW COMPANIES JOBS AND INVESTMENTS, UH, TO NOT ONLY, UH, SPACE BEACH, BUT TO OUR AWARD, AWARD-WINNING AIRPORT.
WE ALSO WILL BE LOOKING TO FOCUSING ON, UH, BUSINESS RETENTION, EXPANSION AND ATTRACTION.
THIS WILL INCLUDE WORKING WITH COMPANIES SUCH
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AS VAST SPACE, WHO CONTINUES TO GROW AND SCALE UP HERE IN LONG BEACH AS THEY BUILD, UH, FUTURE, UH, SPACE STATIONS.UH, AMP AIRS TO ACTUALLY ANNOUNCE THEIR RELOCATION AND HEADQUARTERS TO LONG BEACH ARE GOING TO THE AIRPORT, AND THEY'RE GONNA BE BUILDING THE NEXT GENERATION OF, UH, HYDROELECTRIC, UH, AIRPLANES THAT YOU'LL BE SEEING IN THE FUTURE.
UM, RELATIVITY SPACE CONTINUES TO SCALE UP AND GROW HERE IN LONG BEACH.
THEY, YOU KNOW, HAVE BUILDING THE WORLD'S LARGEST 3D ROCKET, WHICH WILL TAKE, UM, UH, SPACE AND SATELLITES TO, TO ORBIT.
AND THESE ARE SOME OF THE FEW COMPANIES THAT I'M GONNA NAME THAT ARE PART OF THE SPACE EACH AND ARE AS PART OF OUR, UM, AIRPORT, UH, ECOSYSTEM.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, UH, THIS SUMMER WE ACTUALLY LAUNCHED SPACE SPEECH CAMP, WHERE WE ARE WORKING WITH, UH, UH, YOUNG ADULTS AND YOUTH THE AGES FROM 16 TO 24.
WE ARE INTRODUCING THEM TO THE AEROSPACE AND AVIATION SECTORS.
AND I CAN TELL YOU THESE ARE STUDENTS THAT WERE ON THE FRINGE, STUDENTS THAT WERE NOT IN HIGH SCHOOL.
STUDENTS ARE TRYING TO GET THEIR GD STUDENTS ARE TRYING TO GET THEIR CERTIFICATIONS AND STUDENTS WHO ARE JUST LOOKING TO, UM, FOR CAREER OPPORTUNITIES.
AND I CAN TELL YOU THIS FIRST COHORT WAS AMAZING.
THEY HAD SOME AMAZING STORIES.
THEY GOT TO TOUR AND GET BEHIND, BEHIND THE SCENES, LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN EACH OF THESE SECTORS FROM AEROSPACE TO AVIATION.
AND I CAN TELL YOU ALL OF OUR COMPANIES PARTICIPATE AND WE'RE A VERY STRONG, UH, PART OF THIS PROGRAM, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO HOSTING THIS, UM, NOW AND FOR FUTURE YEARS TO COME.
AND AS WE THINK ABOUT, UH, TRANSPORTATION, LOGISTICS, AND SUPPLY CHAIN, UM, OBVIOUSLY THE PORT OF LONG BEACH IS AN IMPORTANT PARTNER AS WE LOOK TO LEVERAGE THIS OPPORTUNITY IN THIS SECTOR WITHIN LONG BEACH.
UM, THE PORT OF LONG BEACH CONTINUES TO SEE STRONG GROWTH IN CARGO SHIPPING.
I KNOW THAT WE, THEY SAY WE'RE RANKED NUMBER TWO, BUT I SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, SOONER OR LATER WE'RE GONNA BE RANKED THE BUSIEST US PORT IN THE UNITED STATES, UM, GOING FORWARD, WE'RE ALSO, UH, WORKING VERY CLOSELY ON NEW INVESTMENTS, AND WE'RE GONNA SEE BILLION DOLLARS OF, UH, BILLIONS AND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS NEW INVESTMENT WHEN, WHEN IT COMES TO GREENING THE PORTS FROM HYDROGEN TO ELECTRIFICATION TO, UM, UM, PEER WIND.
AND SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ONLY LOOK AT IT FROM A GREENPORT PERSPECTIVE, BUT REALLY POSITION THE PORT AND THE CITY OF LONG BEACH FOR, UH, FOR MANY GENERATIONS TO COME.
AND WHEN I TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THE DIFFERENT STRATEGIES HERE, WE'VE GOT SEVERAL DIFFERENT STRATEGIES HERE THAT WE'RE FOCUSING ON OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS AND BEYOND.
AND THIS WILL LOOK AT HOW WE CONTINUE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PORT IS GREEN.
IT HAS ZERO EMISSION PROJECTS FROM WIND, HYDROGEN, AND ELECTRIFICATION.
THIS WILL ADD TENS OF THOUSANDS OF NEW JOBS AND REALLY, AND BILLION DOLLARS AND BILLIONS IN NEW INVESTMENT AND POSITION TO PORT LONG BEACH FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.
SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THESE THREE AREAS THAT WE'RE GONNA FOCUS ON, AS WELL AS OTHER EMERGENCY EMERGING INDUSTRY SECTORS.
ANOTHER BIG ONE FOR US IS, UM, UNLEASHING THE CREATIVE ECONOMY THROUGH MUSIC, ATHLETIC TOURISM, ENTERTAINMENT, AND HOSPITALITY.
UH, WE WILL CONTINUE TO PROMOTE, SUPPORT AND EXPAND THE CREATIVE ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES TO DRIVE, UH, LONG BEACH'S, UH, ECONOMY FROM, UH, GROWING JOBS TO ENHANCING OUR QUALITY LIFE TO VISITORS, BUSINESSES AND RESIDENTS.
I THINK THIS IS GONNA BE ONE OF THE BIG SECTORS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WILL CONTINUE TO, TO LEVERAGE HERE IN THE LONG BEACH WITH, UH, LONG WORKING WITH THE VISIT LONG BEACH, MEET A LONG BEACH, AND A LOT OF OUR, OUR ORGANIZATIONS AND MUSICIANS AND ARTISTS, ALL THAT ARE PART OF THIS CREATIVE ECONOMY, WHICH MAKES UNIQUE LONG BEACH, UNIQUE LOCAL AND AUTHENTIC.
AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE FOCUSING ON IS, UH, REALLY MAKING SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO INVEST IN OUR AWARD-WINNING LONG BEACH CONVENTION AND ENTERTAINMENT CENTER AND SOME OF THE BIG INVESTMENTS WE HAD OVER THIS PAST YEAR WAS OVER $57 MILLION IN PLANT AND INVESTMENTS THAT ARE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW THAT ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
RECENTLY COMPLETING THAT INCLUDES $7 MILLION TO THE ARENA WHERE WE REPLACED ALL THE, UH, LIGHTING.
WE ADD A NEW TELESCOPIC SEATING AS WELL AS REPLACE OUR 60-YEAR-OLD PLUS SEATING ALONG THE ARENA.
IT LOOKS BRAND NEW AND IT LOOKS FRESH.
AND I CAN TELL YOU WE LOOK FORWARD TO LEVERAGE THAT ASSET WITH MORE CONCERTS AND MUSIC AND SPECIAL EVENTS HAPPENING AT THE ARENA.
WE ALSO WILL CONTINUE TO WORK, UH, PROACTIVELY WITH THE QUEEN MARY AS WE MAKE, MAKING SURE THAT IT CONTINUES TO BE VERY PROFITABLE AND MAKING SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO GET MORE ROOM NIGHTS SPECIAL EVENTS ENTERTAINMENT AT THE QUEEN MARY.
I KNOW THAT THERE'S SOME BIG PLANS COMING UP.
WE'RE GONNA BE WALKING BACK DARK HARBOR.
THERE'S GONNA BE SEVERAL SPECIAL EVENTS AND MUSIC EVENTS AT THE QUEEN MARY.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE ARE ALSO LOOKING FORWARD TO MAKING SURE THAT WE, WE CONTINUE TO LEVERAGE THAT PARTNERSHIP, NOT ONLY WITH QUEEN MARY, BUT ALSO CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES AS THEY LOOK TO EXPAND AND INCREASE THEIR PASSENGER CAPACITY IN LONG BEACH.
AND OF COURSE, THAT A LOT OF THIS ALL HAS TO DO.
ALSO, MAKING SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO LEVERAGE AND WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE INTERNATIONAL ACURA GRAND PRIX.
UM, THIS PAST YEAR THEY HAD OVER 192,000 ATTENDEES, AND I THINK FOR THEIR 50TH ANNIVERSARY THAT WE PROBABLY WILL ECLIPSE 200,000 ATTENDEES, UH, FOR THIS, UH, 50TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY.
THAT'S COMING UP IN APRIL, 2025.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, UH, WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK ON, UH, OPENING UP A, A FUTURE OUTDOOR AMPHITHEATER, WHICH WILL HAPPEN IN THE SUMMER OF 2025.
AND RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL OUT ON THE STREET, AND WE EXPECT BIDS TO COME IN.
I BELIEVE THE DEADLINE FOR THAT IS SEPTEMBER 24TH.
AND SO I, I WOULD IMAGINE THAT THERE'LL
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BE LOTS MORE NEXT STEPS TO COME FROM THAT.AND THEN WHEN WE THINK ABOUT, UM, OUR HOTELS HOTEL INVENTORIES, UM, CURRENTLY AT 6,245 ROOMS DOWNTOWN LONG BEACH INVENTORY IS ABOUT 3,400 ROOMS. AND WE'RE GONNA BE WELCOMING SEVERAL NEW HOTEL BRANDS TO LONG BEACH.
AND THAT INCLUDES THE UP AND COMING OPENING OF THE, UH, FAIRMONT BREAKERS HOTEL, WHICH IS GONNA BE OPEN THIS FALL.
WE'RE GONNA SEE A NEW BOUTIQUE HOTEL OPEN IN DOWNTOWN CALLED LONG BEACH CALLED CITY CENTER.
AND WE'RE ALSO PLANNING TO OPEN UP, HOPEFULLY BY THE 2028 OLYMPICS, A NEW HOTEL CALLED THE HARD ROCK HOTEL, WHICH WILL BE 34 STORIES AND OH 400 ROOMS AND $400 MILLION OF NEW INVESTMENT COMING TO OUR DOWNTOWN OR ADJACENT TO OUR, UM, ADJACENT TO OUR, UM, LONG BEACH CONVENTION IN ENTERTAINMENT CENTER.
AND THESE ARE SOME OF THE DIFFERENT STRATEGIES THAT WE HAVE AS PART OF THIS, UH, UM, UH, THIS, THIS SECTOR.
AND ONE OF THE BIG GOALS THAT WE HAVE FOR THIS SECTOR IS REALLY LOOKING TO CREATE 1000 NEW ROOMS IN LONG BEACH BY THE 2028 OLYMPICS.
AND WE'RE WELL ON OUR WAY, AND NOT ONLY WE HOPING TO REACH THAT GOAL, BUT ALSO EXCEED THAT GOAL INTO THE FUTURE.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO EXPLORE PARTNERSHIPS WITH CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES, WHO'S LOOKING TO ADD IN BIGGER SHIPS AND BRING IN MORE PEOPLE TO OUR PORT, WHICH MEANS THAT THEY'RE GONNA BE SPENDING MONEY AT OUR RETAIL OPERATIONS, OUR RESTAURANTS, AND REALLY SUPPORTING THE LOCAL ECO ECOSYSTEM WITHIN DOWNTOWN AND BEYOND.
WE ALSO WILL LOOK, UH, TO, UH, WORK, LOOK TO BRING ANY NEW SPORTING EVENTS TO THE CITY, CULTIVATE LONG BEACH AS THE MOST HAUNTED PLACE TO BE FOR HALLOWEEN, EG, THE DARK HARBOR THAT'S COMING.
UM, I THINK THERE WAS SOMETHING OUT THERE, I THINK IN THE FIRST 45 MINUTES.
THEY SOLD 15,000 TICKETS WHEN THEY FIRST OPENED UP FOR THAT, THAT THAT DARK, DARK HARBOR INSTALLATION.
AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON QUEEN MARY DEVELOPMENT, WHICH INCLUDES A, AN OUTDOOR 10 TO 12,000 SEAT WORLD CLASS APP OUTDOOR AMPHITHEATER THAT'S BEING PLANNED FOR SUMMER 25.
WE ALSO WILL LOOK LONG TERM TO LOOKING AT HOW WE POSITION AND LEVERAGE QUEEN MARY DISTRICT FOR FUTURE MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT.
SO THESE ARE ALL THINGS THAT WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON.
AND AGAIN, UH, FOCUSING ON HOW WE CONTINUE TO MAKE OUR LONG BEACH ARENA A PREMIER PLACE FOR ADVANCED MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT.
ANOTHER ONE THAT WE'RE, UH, FOCUSING ON IS, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THROUGH HEALTHCARE AND EDUCATION PARTNERSHIPS.
UM, AS WE THINK ABOUT THOSE PRIORITIES THERE, WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH OUR HEALTHCARE PARTNERS, UH, UH, TO ENSURE THAT THEY CONTINUE TO INCREASE INVESTMENTS, JOBS, AND INNOVATION AND BUILD A TALENT PIPELINE FOR THE FUTURE.
A GOOD EXAMPLE IS THAT WE JUST REOPENED THE NORTH LONG BEACH HIGHER EDUCATION CENTER, UM, THIS, THIS SUMMER, I MEAN THIS, UH, PAST SPRING SUMMER.
AND THAT WAS A BIG WIN BECAUSE IT'S REALLY BRINGING EDUCATION TO THE COMMUNITY AND COMMUNITY TO EDUCATION.
AND IT WAS REALLY A GREAT GROUND BREAK.
GROUNDBREAKING, GROUNDBREAKING, AND A PARTNERSHIP WITH LONG BEACH COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND A LOT OF OTHER PARTNERS WITHIN COMMUNITY TO DELIVER, UH, EDUCATION TO THE COMMUNITY.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE ALSO WORKING WITH LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE TO, UH, DEVELOP A MIXED USE STUDENT HOUSING PROJECT ADJACENT TO THE MICHELLE OBAMA LIBRARY.
AND THEN THE LAST PART OF IT IS WE'RE GONNA BE FOCUSED ON HOW WE BRING EDUCATION TO DOWNTOWN LONG BEACH.
AND AS WE THINK ABOUT BUILDING A, A CLIMATE, UH, FORWARD ECONOMY, ONE OF THE BIG THINGS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE FOCUSING ON THAT IS, UH, LOOKING AT HOW WE WILL CONTINUE TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE, THAT THROUGH MITIGATION, UH, MITIGATION ADAPTATION, AND REALLY RESILIENCE EFFORTS CITYWIDE.
I KNOW THAT THIS IS GONNA BE BIG NOT ONLY FOR THE CITY, BUT FOR THE PART OF LONG BEACH.
AND WE, WHEN WE THINK IT'S ABOUT JOBS AND INVESTMENT WITHIN THE SECTOR, THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF NEW OPPORTUNITIES AS WELL, NEW CAREERS FOR, FOR THE RESIDENTS OF LONG BEACH WHEN WE THINK ABOUT A CLIMATE FORWARD ECONOMY.
AND THEN THIS IS THE LAST SECTOR, WHICH WE CALL KIND OF THE SIXTH SECTOR.
AND IT'S THE GROWTH LONG BEACH TOGETHER.
AND WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THIS LOOKING GROW LONG BEACH TOGETHER IS IT'S WELL POSITIONED FOR IT TO BE TRANSFORMATIONAL.
AS I TALKED ABOUT, WE HAVE 52 BOLD STRATEGIES AND ACTIONS THAT WILL REQUIRE GREATER COLLABORATION WITH ALL OUR PUBLIC PRIVATE SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS AND MOST IMPORTANTLY PEOPLE.
AS WE MOVE THIS FORWARD AND WE THINK ABOUT SOME OF THE DI DIFFERENT, UH, CITY INITIATIVES THAT ARE GONNA REALLY BE FOCUSED ON, WE HOSTED OUR INAUGURAL ALREADY HERE SITE SELECTION CONFERENCE THIS PAST YEAR IN APRIL.
WE INVITED FIVE NATIONAL SITE SELECTORS WHO REPRESENT FORTUNE 500 COMPANIES AND FAST GROWING COMPANIES IN OWEN HOUSE, ALS WORLDWIDE.
AND WHEN THEY CAME TO LONG BEACH, WE PROVIDED THEM WITH A FAM TOUR.
THEY MET WITH, UH, A LOT OF OUR EDUCATIONAL PRO UH, PARTNERS.
THEY MET WITH OUR PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR PARTNERS.
AND WE REALLY JUST SHOWCASED ALL THE DIFFERENT, UH, FIVE TARGET ENTRY SECTORS THAT I JUST TALKED ABOUT.
AND SOME OF THE BIG TAKEAWAYS THEY SAID IS WHAT MAKES LONG BEACH UNIQUE FROM OTHER CITIES, NOT ONLY THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, BUT WHAT SETS YOU APART NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY.
SO REALLY START TO DEVELOP A COMMUNICATION PLAN ON HOW YOU TELL YOUR STORY.
AND ANOTHER TAKEAWAY IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY FELT THAT WE WERE VERY STRONG IN AND HAD A VERY STRONG SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION.
WE WORKED TOGETHER REALLY WELL AS PARTNERS AND WE REALLY WORKED REALLY WELL, NOT ONLY FROM A PUBLIC SECTOR STANDPOINT, BUT ALSO OUR PRIVATE SECTOR PARTNERS AND OUR EDUCATION SYSTEMS WERE ALL ALIGNED.
UM, SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT
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WE'LL CONTINUE TO LOOK AT IS EXPLORE AND ASSESS, UH, PARKING MOBILITY ASSETS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.AND AS I ALWAYS SAY, ONCE YOU HAVE A PARKING PROBLEM, THAT MEANS YOU ARRIVED AS A CITY.
AND SO I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE SOMETHING THAT WE'LL CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON.
WE ALSO WILL BE LOOKING AT, UH, THE EXPLORATION, EXPLORATION AND CREATION OF ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT ZONES IN ECONOMIC INFRASTRUCTURE AND FINANCING DISTRICTS.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE, UM, WITH FI FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE, AND MORE TO COME ON THAT.
AND WE'VE ALSO CONTINUED TO PROMOTE THE ACTIVATION AND IN INVESTMENTS OF, UH, LARGE UNDERLIES PROPERTIES THROUGHOUT THE CITY, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO DIVERSIFY OUR ECONOMY AND REVENUE STREAMS. THAT INCLUDES JOBS, PROPERTY, AND SALES TAX OPPORTUNITIES, WHICH, UH, KEVIN WILL COVER LATER.
AND AS WE ALWAYS MENTION, SMALL BUSINESS IS BIG BUSINESS WHEN IT COMES TO THE CITY OF LONG BEACH.
THEY'RE THE HEART OF OUR ECONOMY.
THEY ARE REALLY OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE AS CULTURE HUBS THROUGHOUT OUR NEIGHBORHOOD MARKETPLACE AREAS.
THEY'RE THE ECONOMIC ENGINES FOR FAMILIES AND BUILD WEALTH IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND THEY'RE VERY IMPORTANT PART OF OUR ECOSYSTEM.
AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT SMALL BUSINESSES BIG AS BUSINESS, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE DO NOW AND GOING FORWARD IS WE WANNA MARKET BRAND AND PROMOTE WIDE LONG BEACH.
AND THIS IS GONNA BE HAPPENING THROUGH SEVERAL DIFFERENT PROJECTS, INITIATIVES THAT ARE UNDERWAY FROM THE LONG BEACH NEIGHBOR AND MARKETPLACE PROFILE PROJECT THAT WE'RE GETTING READY TO CONTRACT ON, AND REALLY START TO TELL THE STORY OF OUR CURRENT UNIQUE AND SPECIAL AND AUTHENTIC COMMERCIAL QUARTERS THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF LONG BEACH.
UM, WE'LL BE CREATING UP TO 25 DIFFERENT MARKETPLACE PROFILES.
WE'RE GONNA START WITH OUR BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS FIRST AND THEN START TO GO OUT, UH, WITH OTHER DISTRICTS AS WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH THE MARY CITY COUNCIL TO DEVELOP THESE, UH, BRANDING AND MARKETING BROCHURES FOR, FOR, UM, OUR, OUR COMMERCIAL CORRIDORS.
WE ALSO WILL CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON PROACTIVE COMMUNICATION.
'CAUSE WE REALLY THINK THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF TELLING OUR STORY.
AND THAT'S ONE OF THE BIG THINGS THAT CAME OUTTA THE SITE SELECTION CONFERENCE WHEN WE INVITED THESE NATIONAL FIVE SITE ELECTRIC SAID, TELL YOUR STORY.
YOU GOT GUYS HAVE SOME AMAZING THINGS GOING ON FROM YOUR COMMERCIAL CORRIDORS TO ALL THE DIFFERENT INDUSTRY SECTORS.
AND SO WHAT WE WANNA DO IS MAKE SURE THAT WE TELL OUR STORY FROM EVERY ROOFTOP ACROSS THE CITY.
AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE JUST RECENTLY DID WAS THE VACANCY TO VIBRANCY, UH, REAL ESTATE MAP.
I WE'RE EXCITED THAT THAT GOT LAUNCHED THIS PAST WEEK.
SO THAT'S GONNA BE A PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS, OUR REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS TO OUR BROKERAGE COMMUNITY, TO OUR PROPERTY OWNERS, TO DEVELOPERS AND PEOPLE WHO WANT TO HAVE A BUSINESS HERE AT LONG BEACH.
AND SO THAT'S GONNA BE SOMETHING REALLY BIG FOR US, AND WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO SPOTLIGHT, UH, OUR SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY, UM, EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK.
UM, ANOTHER BIG THING FOR US AS FAR AS DELIVERING FOR, UH, FOR SMALL BUSINESSES AS OUR BIZ CARE PROGRAM, UH, SINCE THE DECEPTION OF 2020, WE'VE PROVIDED OVER, WE PROVIDED AS ASSISTANCE AND ADVOCACY AND BEING A RESOURCE TO OUR BUSINESS, SMALL BUSINESS COMMITTEE OF OVER 7,000 PEOPLE IN BUSINESSES, UH, SINCE IT'S, UH, UH, CREATION OF 2020.
AND WE ALSO, UH, ARE LOOKING TO REALLY FOCUSING ON HOW WE LOOK AT, UH, NOT ONLY BIZ CARE, BUT ALSO HOW THEY INTERACT WITH THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY.
WHETHER IT'S THROUGH BUSINESS WALKS, UH, CITY COUNCIL ROUND TABLES, GOING OUT THERE, MEETING BUSINESSES, ONE-ON-ONE, AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE SHARING ALL THE, UH, GREAT RESOURCES AND SMALL BUSINESS, UH, PROGRAMS, INITIATIVES THAT THEY CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF.
AND SOME OF THOSE SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS THAT I JUST WANNA MENTION IS THE VISUAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.
THAT'S BEEN A VERY SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM.
I WISH IT WASN'T SO SUCCESSFUL.
'CAUSE THAT MEANS IF IT WASN'T, WASN'T SUCCESSFUL THAT A LOT OF OUR BUSINESSES THAT WOULD BE IMPACTED BY, UH, VANDALISM AND PROPERTY DAMAGE, WE WILL CONTINUE TO PROMOTE AND MARK OUR, OUR REVOLVING LOAN FORM PROGRAM, WHICH IS VERY UNIQUE FOR A CITY.
MOST CITIES DO NOT DO THIS TYPE OF, UH, UH, LENDING PROGRAM.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE.
'CAUSE WE'RE REALLY LOOKING AT OPPORTUNITIES AS WE THINK ABOUT SMALL BUSINESSES.
THE TOP THREE ISSUES THAT THEY TELL US IS ACCESS TO CAPITAL, TALENT, RETENTION AND RECRUITMENT, SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING, AND REALLY HOW THEY REALLY BLEND BRICKS AND MORTAR WITH CLICKS, BRICKS VERSUS BRICKS BLENDING CLICKS.
AND WHEN I TALK ABOUT THAT, IT'S REALLY HOW DO THEY NOT ONLY LEVERAGE THEIR RETAIL OPERATIONS FROM A BRICK AND MORTAR STANDPOINT, BUT ALSO LEVERAGE OUT ON THE INTERNET OF THINGS.
AND SO THOSE ARE THE TOP THREE THINGS THAT WE HEAR FROM OUR SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY.
AND THEN SOME OF THE OTHER PROGRAMS WE RECENTLY LAUNCHED IS THE LEVEL UP EXTREME SMALL BUSINESS MAKEOVER PROGRAM.
SO WE ACTUALLY INVITED 35 BUSINESSES TO BE PART OF THIS BOOTCAMP.
THEY JUST RECENTLY COMPLETED THEIR BOOTCAMP AND THEY'VE LEARNED HOW TO DO SOCIAL MEDIA AND MARKETING.
THEY LOOKED AT, UM, PROCURING OPPORTUNITIES WITH LOCAL AS WELL AS STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS.
THEY LOOKED AT HOW THEY CONTINUED THAT.
THEY CONTINUE TO DO DRAW NEW PATRONS AND VISITORS TO THEIR PLACE OF BUSINESS.
THEY ALSO FOCUS IN ON REALLY LOOKING AT MAKING SURE THEY'RE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF ALL THE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS INITIATIVE THAT ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE CITY.
AND AT THE END OF THIS BOOTCAMP, THEY ACTUALLY ARE CREATING AN ACTION PLAN.
AND WITH THAT ACTION PLAN, UH, ONCE THEY GRADUATE, THEY'RE GONNA PROVIDE, WE'RE GONNA PROVIDE UP TO $10,000 AND A GRANT TO, FOR THEM TO REINVEST BACK INTO THEIR BUSINESS.
AND WE REALLY FEEL THIS IS A NATIONAL BEST
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PRACTICE WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING SURE WE CONTINUE TO DELIVER GREAT PROGRAMS FOR OUR SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY.WE'RE ALSO WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR INCLUSIVE BUSINESS NAVIGATORS, AND THEY ARE FOUR LOCAL PARTNERS FROM CENTRAL CHI APRIL PARKER FOUNDATION AT THE UNITED CAMBODIA COMMUNITY AND RIGHTSOURCE SERVICES.
THEY PROVIDE A LOT OF, UH, ONE-ON-ONE COUNSELING, SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND ADVOCACY, BUSINESS PLANNING, REALLY MAKING SURE THAT OUR ENTREPRENEURIAL AS OUR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES HAVE A PLACE TO GO WHERE THEY, THEY HAVE A TRUSTED SOURCE TO WORK WITH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR PARTNERS TO NOT ONLY BUT GROW AND PROSPER THEIR BUSINESS, BUT ALSO MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE, THEY REMAIN HAPPY, HEALTHY IN HERE IN LONG BEACH.
WE'RE ALSO WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS AND MAKING SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THEM WHERE THERE'S A CLEAN AND SAFE ACTIVITY, SPECIAL EVENTS AND ACTIVATIONS.
UM, RECENTLY WE PROVIDED A, A GRANT OF, OF TWO, 250,000 FOR THOSE TYPES OF SERVICES.
AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO REINVEST AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE VERY PROACTIVE 'CAUSE THEY REALLY SEE THE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT IN DISTRICTS AS AN EXTENSION OF OUR WORK IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND THROUGHOUT THE CITY TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR COMMERCIAL CORRIDOR CONTINUE TO THRIVE, BE VIBRANT, UNIQUE AND AUTHENTIC.
AND THEN, UH, TALENT OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
SO WHEN I TALK ABOUT TALENT AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, I THINK TALENT IS EVERYTHING.
AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT SUCCESSFUL CITIES OF THE FUTURE, THEY'RE REALLY GONNA FOCUS ON TALENT RETENTION, TALENT RECRUITMENT AS WELL, THE BUILDING PIPELINE FOR THE FUTURE.
SO AS WE THINK ABOUT TALENT AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, UM, OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE THAT LONG BEACH IS A MAKE IT FOR 21ST CENTURY TALENT.
AND ONE OF THE BIG THINGS WE'RE GONNA BE DOING THIS, UH, COMING YEAR IS WE'RE GONNA REBRAND PACIFIC GATEWAY WORKFORCE INNOVATION NETWORK.
WE'RE GONNA REALLY MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO TELL ALL THE GREAT PROGRAMS AND SERVICES THAT ARE COMING THROUGH, UH, ALB WIN THAT WE'RE GONNA CALL IT.
AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON MAKING SURE WE INVEST IN TALENT FROM CAREER SERVICES, YOUTH AND ADULT AND BUSINESS SERVICES.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL TRAINING, CERTIFICATION, LOOKING TO RESCALE, UPSCALE AND PROVIDE NEW SKILLS TO OUR, UH, YOUTH, OUR YOUNG ADULTS, TO OUR MATURE ADULTS, AND MAKING SURE WE BUILD A PIPELINE FOR THE FUTURE.
AND WOULD LIKE TO SAY IN LONG BEACH THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN GET A GREAT JOB, BUT YOU ALSO COULD BUILD A CAREER HERE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
AND WE HAVE A LOT OF BUSINESS INDUSTRY THAT'S WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
UM, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER ON, UH, I TALKED ABOUT THE ALREADY HERE SITE SELECTION CONFERENCE.
UM, WE REALLY WANNA MAKE THIS AN ANNUAL EVENT BECAUSE WHEN YOU BUILD THAT RELATIONSHIP WITH, UH, NATIONAL SITE SELECTORS, WHAT THAT MEANS TO OUR COMMUNITIES AND RETURN ON INVESTMENTS AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE GONNA BRING IN NEW BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY TO OUR COMMUNITY, NEW COMPANIES, WORKING WITH OUR EXISTING COMPANIES WHO ARE LOOKING TO EXPAND AND JOBS AND INVESTMENT.
AND SO I THINK THIS IS GONNA BE HUGE FOR US GOING FORWARD.
AND SO WE'LL BE LOOKING TO HOST ONE THIS COMING APRIL AND FOR MANY YEARS TO COME.
AND ANOTHER THING THAT WE'RE GONNA BE FOCUSING ON IS MAKING SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO, UH, WORK WITH A LOT OF OUR EXISTING COMPANIES AND FOCUSING ON NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT.
AND I MENTIONED SOME OF THE DIFFERENT COMPANIES FROM MAP AIR TO SPACEX AND RECENTLY FORD MOTOR COMPANY, UH, RANKED NUMBER 17 ON THE FORTUNE 500 LIST.
UH, LAUNCH IS LOOKING READY TO LAUNCH A NEW RESEARCH AND A RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FACILITY HERE IN LONG BEACH WITH WHICH FOCUS ON THE NEXT GENERATION OF E UH, ELECTRIC VEHICLES.
AND SO THE NEXT UH, THING IS AS WE THINK ABOUT GROW LONG BEACH AND HOW WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO BUILD AMERICA'S NEXT GREAT INTERNATIONAL CITY, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON QUALITY OF PLACE INFRASTRUCTURE, COMMUNITY AMENITIES, AND CAPITAL AND RESOURCES.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO CREATE VIBRANT AND THRIVING HUBS, MAKE NEIGHBOR MARKETPLACES, AND REALLY LOOKING AT HOW WE MAXIMIZE AND LEVERAGE OUR WATERFRONT DESTINATIONS.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON PRIORITIZING AND ACTIVATING UNDERLAY UNDERUTILIZED PROPERTIES SO THAT WE CAN DRIVE JOBS, GROWTH AND INVESTMENT, WHETHER IT'S MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT OR FOCUSING ON OUR FIVE OR SIX TARGETED INDUSTRY SECTORS AS WELL AS EMERGENCY EMERGING SECTORS AND MAKING SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO AGAIN, TELL WHY LONG BEACH.
AND AS WE THINK ABOUT THE FISCAL IMPACT AND LOOKING FORWARD, UM, KEVIN'S GONNA COVER A LOT OF THIS, BUT ONE OF THE BIG THINGS THAT WE ARE GONNA BE LOOKING AT IS OUR LONG RANGE FORECAST.
WE'RE GONNA LOOK IN WORKING IN CONSULTATION WITH MAYOR CITY COUNCIL AS WE LOOK TO PRIORITI PRIORITIZE AND DIVERSIFY OUR EXPANDING REVENUE BASE, ADVANCING OUR TARGET INDUSTRY SECTORS THAT I TALKED ABOUT EARLIER, FURTHER DEVELOPING THE, AND IMPLEMENTING AND EXECUTING ON THE 52 ECONOMIC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES THAT WILL CONTINUE TO HELP US GROW LONG BEACH GOING FORWARD.
WE WILL CONTINUE AND INVEST IN PEOPLE TALENT IN PLACE MAKING.
SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT GREAT PLACES TO LIVE, YOU THINK ABOUT HOW YOU CONNECT PEOPLE TO NOT ONLY GREAT PLACES, BUT ALSO MAKING SURE WE'RE FOCUSING ON HOW WE DIVERSIFY OUR ECONOMY AND, AND OUR REVENUE STREAM SO WE CAN CONTINUE TO DELIVER HIGH QUALITY COMMUNITY SERVICES AMENITIES.
AND WE WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO WORK ON MAKING SURE THAT SMALL BUSINESS ALWAYS REMAINS BIG BUSINESS WITHIN THE STATE OF LONG BEACH.
AND IT ALL STARTS WITH COMMUNICATION AND BRANDING AND TELLING OUR STORY.
SO WITH THAT, I'D JUST KIND OF LIKE TO, UH, CLOSE IT OUT THAT,
[00:30:01]
YOU KNOW, I REALLY BELIEVE THAT WE, UM, ARE IN A SPECIAL PLACE HERE IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH.WE ARE A TAPESTRY OF UNIQUE NEIGHBORHOODS AND BUSINESS DISTRICTS.
WE GOT A THRIVING AND EMERGING DOWNTOWN.
WE ARE AN INTERNATIONAL CITY POISE FOR GREATNESS.
AND AS I LIKE TO LEAVE IT HERE, I THINK WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE 2020 OLYMPICS AND THE CLOSING CEREMONIES, I REMEMBER WHEN THEY DID THE VIDEO AND IT SHOWED THAT THEY WERE IN VENICE BEACH.
BUT THEN I THINK OUR COMMUNITY HAD AN UPRISING.
AND I'D LIKE TO SAY THAT WE ARE LONG BEACH, WE ARE NOT VENICE BEACH AND WE'RE READY TO ROLL.
DIRECTOR MARTINEZ, CHAIR MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE.
KEVIN RIPER, FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR.
UH, I HAVE THE LAST THREE SLIDES.
UM, AND THEY ADDRESS OTHER REVENUE OPPORTUNITIES THAT COULD HELP THE GENERAL FUND IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS.
AND THERE ARE TWO SUCH REVENUE OPPORTUNITIES AND BOTH OF THEM ARE ON THE NOVEMBER BALLOT.
THE FIRST ONE IS NOW KNOWN AS COUNTY MEASURE A.
SO LA COUNTY VOTERS ACROSS THE ENTIRE COUNTY ARE GOING TO VOTE ON WHAT WAS PREVIOUSLY CALLED THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING HOMELESSNESS SOLUTIONS AND PREVENTION NOW INITIATIVE.
THIS IS AN INITIATIVE WAS PLACED, UH, PLACED ON THE BALLOT BY, UM, SIGNATURES OF ELIGIBLE VOTERS.
AND WHAT THE INITIATIVE WOULD DO IS IT WOULD REPEAL THE EXISTING COUNTYWIDE MEASURE H ONE QUARTER CENT SALES TAX THAT'S RIGHT NOW DEDICATED TO PROVIDING FUNDING TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS, UH, THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY.
AND IT WOULD REPLACE THE ONE QUARTER CENT COUNTY MEASURE H WITH A NEW HALF CENT SALES TAX THROUGHOUT ALL OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY.
AND THAT WOULD PROVIDE A NEW FUNDING TO ALL PARTS OF THE COUNTY, ALL CITIES AND UNINCORPORATED PARTS OF THE COUNTY.
UH, AND IT WOULD BRING REVENUE DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTLY TO THE CITY OF LONG BEACH.
UM, AND THE NUMBERS ON HERE COME FROM THE, THE BEST ANALYSIS OF, UH, COUNTY MEASURE A, WHICH IS FROM DEPUTY MAYOR FOR HOUSING, CONNOR LOCKE, WHO'S LOOKED REALLY CLOSELY AT THE DIFFERENT PROVISIONS OF COUNTY MEASURE A.
AND, UM, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE PROJECTS AT LEAST $10 MILLION A YEAR IN, UH, NEW LOCAL SOLUTIONS FUND AND PRODUCTING PRODUCTION PRESERVATION AND OWNERSHIP OF HOUSING MONEY FROM COUNTY MEASURE A IF THE VOTERS, UH, APPROVE IT ON NOVEMBER 5TH COMING DIRECTLY TO LONG BEACH AND AS MUCH AS 10 TO MAYBE EVEN $20 MILLION MORE PER YEAR COMING TO LONG BEACH, EITHER DIRECTLY FROM THE COUNTY OR INDIRECTLY AS THE COUNTY EXPENDS MEASURE A PROCEEDS ON BEHALF OF LONG BEACH, ALL THAT'S TO BE SORTED OUT BY THE COUNTY IF AND WHEN THE BALLOT MEASURE PASSES.
NOW ALL THAT FUNDING WOULD BE FOR ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS ISSUES, BUT THERE'S A SECOND ASPECT OF COUNTY MEASURE A THAT HAS AN IMPACT ONLY ON LONG BEACH.
UM, COUNTY MEASURE A IF APPROVED BY ALL COUNTY VOTERS WOULD ALSO BRING OUR OWN CITY OF LONG BEACH MEASURE A.
AND IS THAT CONFUSING OR WHAT WOULD BRING OUR OWN MEASURE A SALES TAX FROM ITS CURRENT, THREE QUARTERS OF A PERCENT ALL THE WAY BACK UP TO ITS FULL 1% RATE IN APRIL OF 20 25, 2 AND A HALF YEARS BEFORE IT'S SCHEDULED TO BOUNCE BACK FROM 0.75% TO 1% ON OCTOBER 1ST, 2027.
SO THAT WOULD RESULT IN A ONE-TIME INFUSION OF ABOUT $12 MILLION OF MEASURE A REVENUE, UH, TO THE CITY OF LONG BEACH IN FISCAL YEAR 25.
AND THEN TWICE THAT IN FISCAL YEAR 26 AND 27.
AND THAT'S NOT IN OUR FORECAST RIGHT NOW.
THE FORECAST THAT WE'VE BEEN PRESENTING TO YOU SINCE MARCH DOES NOT ASSUME THAT COUNTY MEASURE A WILL PASS, THEREBY IMPROVING LONG BEACH MEASURE A REVENUE, BUT IF IT DOES PASS, IT WILL.
SO THAT'S THE FIRST, UH, BALLOT INITIATIVE THAT'S ON NOVEMBER 5TH.
AND THEN THERE'S A BALLOT MEASURE PLACED THEREBY YOU AND YOUR COLLEAGUES.
THAT'S THE SECOND REVENUE OPPORTUNITY.
UH, AND THAT'S THE CITY'S REQUEST OF THE VOTERS TO CONSIDER REMOVING THE UTILITY USER TAX FOR GAS EXEMPTION FROM TWO POWER PLANTS THAT ARE INSIDE THE CITY.
AND THIS IS A REPRISE OF INFORMATION THAT WAS PRESENTED TO THE FULL COUNCIL AT THE AUGUST 6TH MEETING WHEN YOU CONSIDERED WHETHER OR NOT TO PLACE THIS ON THE BALLOT FOR NOVEMBER 5TH.
UM, THAT EXEMPTION REMOVAL WOULD AFFECT TWO ENERGY PLANTS INSIDE LONG BEACH CITY LIMITS, A E S'S ALAMITOS ENERGY CENTER AND THE LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF WATER AND POWERS HANS PLANT.
UM, THE CITY COUNCIL LETTER AND THE CITY MANAGER'S PRESENTATION ON AUGUST 6TH SAID THAT, UM, THE IMPACT, THE BURDEN THE TAX WOULD BE BORN BY
[00:35:01]
IN THE FIRST CASE, UM, A'S ALAMITOS ENERGY CENTER WOULD BE BORN BY ALL 15 MILLION RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES THAT ARE SERVED IN THE SOUTHERN CAL EDISON SERVICE AREA.AND IN THE SECOND INSTANCE, LED D W'S HAYNES PLANT, THE REMOVAL OF THE UTILITY USER TAX GAS EXEMPTION AND THE RESULTING UTILITY USER GAS TAX, UTILITY USER TAX GAS PAYMENTS WOULD BE BORNE BY ALL 4 MILLION RESIDENTS, UH, IN LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF WATER AND POWERS SERVICE AREA.
AND OF COURSE, LONG BEACH IS NOT IN THAT SERVICE AREA.
UM, HOW MUCH MONEY THAT WILL GENERATE DEPENDS HIGHLY ON CONSUMPTION OF NATURAL GAS AND NATURAL GAS PRICES.
SO THE NUMBERS UP HERE ARE OUR BEST GUESS, BUT THEY COULD VARY BY MILLIONS EACH YEAR.
UM, HALF A YEAR IN FISCAL 25 WOULD BE SEVEN AND A HALF MILLION.
AND A FULL YEAR IN FISCAL 26 COULD BE 15 MILLION.
BUT AS ENERGY PRICES AND, UH, NATURAL GAS CONSUMPTION UNFOLD, UM, IT COULD BE 12, IT COULD BE 18, IT'S JUST HARD TO KNOW IN ADVANCE.
THIS IS OUR BEST GUESS 50% CONFIDENCE LEVEL ESTIMATE.
SO THOSE ARE THE ADDITIONAL REVENUE OPPORTUNITIES THAT GO ON TOP OF THE INDIRECT REVENUE AND DIRECT REVENUE OPPORTUNITIES THAT BE WENT THROUGH IN HIS PRESENTATION.
AND WITH THAT, UH, HE AND I ARE READY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BOTH OF THOSE REPORTS.
UM, ANY QUESTIONS FROM MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES? NO.
WELL, I GUESS I'M THE ONLY PERSON THAT HAS QUESTIONS.
OH, A VERY THOROUGH PRESENTATION BY THE WAY.
FOR THOSE WHO AREN'T FAMILIAR WITH PURE WIN, COULD YOU JUST TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT PURE WIND? YEAH.
SO, UH, PURE WIND IS, UH, PROPOSED TO BE A, A REALLY A MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT, UH, TO THE PORT OF LONG BEACH.
AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT WIND ENERGY, IT'S USUALLY DONE THROUGH WIND TURBINES.
AND SO WE REALLY FEEL THIS IS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT HOW WE LEVERAGE OUR WIND RESOURCES HERE IN LONG BEACH.
AND IT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT'S VERY DIFFERENT AND UNIQUE THAT YOU DON'T TYPICALLY SEE ON THE WATER.
SO THEY WOULD BUILD WIND TURBINES THAT WOULD GENERATE POWER, WIND POWER AND CREATE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF NEW JOBS.
AND IT'S NOT JUST BUILDING THE WIND TURBINES, BUT IT'S ALSO ALL THESE COMPANIES THAT ARE GONNA BE PRIOR TO THAT SUPPLY CHAIN TO BUILD THIS NEW INFRASTRUCTURE AND INDUSTRY SECTOR HERE IN LONG BEACH.
AND SO IT'S PRETTY UNIQUE, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO WATER AND WIND, BUT I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA PUT, UH, DEFINITELY LONG BEACH ON THE MAP FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.
WONDERFUL, THANK YOU FOR THAT.
UM, AND I KNOW SPACE ALONG OUR, OUR WATERFRONT IS A PREMIUM.
AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE TALK ABOUT, UM, AND ONE OF YOUR STRATEGIES IS THE ELEPHANT LOT ACTIVATION.
CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT AND FOR MAYBE POINT OUT WHERE THE ELEPHANT LOT IS FOR THOSE WHO MAY NOT KNOW
SO THAT'S WHERE THE ELEPHANT LOT IS AND WE REALLY SEE THE FUTURE OF THE ELEPHANT LOT TO BE KIND OF SOME TYPE OF MIXED USE, UH, COMMERCIAL TYPE DEVELOPMENT.
UH, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT PLAN IS GOING TO BE NOW, BUT GOING FORWARD THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WILL BE WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT AS WELL AS UH, UH, CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE AND REALLY PUTTING TOGETHER A VISION AND A PLAN FOR THE ELEPHANT LOT.
BUT WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE ELEPHANT LOT, IT'S JUST NOT JUST THAT ELEPHANT.
YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT FROM A DISTRICTWIDE PERSPECTIVE BECAUSE IT INCLUDES, YOU KNOW, THE ARENA INCLUDES THE CONVENTION CENTER, IT INCLUDES QUEEN MARY, IT INCLUDES PIKE OUTLETS, AND REALLY JUST LOOKING AT IT FROM A VERY BIG VISIONING AND PLANNING PROCESS AND FROM A DISTRICTWIDE PERSPECTIVE, 'CAUSE ONE IS NOT GONNA BE SUCCESSFUL AT THE OTHER END.
THEY HAD TO COMPLIMENT AND LEVERAGE.
OH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER RANGA A FOLLOW UP TO THAT IN, I UNDERSTAND THE LOCK IS, UH, RENTED OUT CURRENT CURRENTLY CORRECT.
SO IT, IT'S NOT RENT OUT RIGHT NOW.
IT'S USED FOR OVERFLOW PARK, WELL, FOR PARKING FOR THE CONVENTION.
AND, UH, THE CONVENTION CENTER AND THE ARENA.
AND SO, AND THEN IT'S ALSO USED FOR, UH, SCALING UP THE OPERATIONS FOR THE, UH, INTERNATIONAL GRAND PRIX.
SO IT'S DEFINITELY A LOT THAT'S BEEN, WELL, LESS UNDERSTOOD.
WELL, IT WAS ALREADY COMMITTED FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DECADES TO AN ORGANIZATION FOR PARKING.
BUT I LOOK AT PARKING LOTS AS A LAND BANKING OPPORTUNITY AND A FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY.
AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GONNA EXPLORE, UM, GOING FORWARD.
WELL, MY, MY CONCERN IS, IS THAT WE WOULD NEED TO GET OUT OF THAT LEASE OR AGREEMENT IN ORDER TO DEVELOP IT, RIGHT?
[00:40:01]
YEAH.AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WILL BE WORKING AS A CITY TEAM, NOT ONLY AT THE EXISTING AGREEMENTS, BUT HOW WE LEVERAGE IT FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES.
THANK YOU COUNCILMAN MOR RANGA.
UM, AND THEN THIS IS, UH, UNDER STRATEGY, UM, NUMBER FIVE UNDER THE BUILDING A CLIMATE FORWARD ECONOMY.
UM, WE SAY WE EXAMINE OIL PROPERTIES NO LONGER NEEDED AND TRANSITION TO PRIVATE LEASES.
CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS? SO, UH, COUNCILMAN RICK SOTE.
SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE REALLY JUST IN THE EARLY STAGES OF LOOKING AT HOW WE POSITION THE OIL ISLANDS TO MAYBE FUTURE REVENUE OP REVENUE GENERATING OPPORTUNITIES.
AND SO I KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT IDEAS FROM LOOKING AT IT FROM A ENTERTAINMENT STANDPOINT TO LOOKING AT HOW MAYBE WE PARTNER WITH A PART OF LONG BEACH TO LEVERAGE THE ASSETS TO CREATE REVENUE GENERATING OPPORTUNITIES.
AND SO I THINK RIGHT NOW, UM, THERE'S JUST A LOT OF EXPLORATION GOING ON, BUT AS WE MOVE, UH, FURTHER, FURTHER ALONG FROM REMOVING OURSELF FROM OIL RELIANCE AND THOSE BECOME, YOU KNOW, AN OPPORTUNITY FOR, UH, FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES.
AND SO RIGHT NOW THERE'S REALLY NO BIG VISION OR PLAN, BUT RIGHTS, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO EXPLORE GOING FORWARD.
UM, AND THEN I JUST WANTED TO, TO LIFT UP THE SLIDE ABOUT TELLING OUR STORY.
UH, YOU KNOW, THAT I'M A HUGE FAN OF THE, UM, NEIGHBORHOOD MARKETPLACE PROFILES AND THE VACANCY TO VIBRANCY, UM, REAL ESTATE MAP.
UM, AND SO I GOT A CHANCE TO ACTUALLY TO LOOK AT THE VACANCY OF VIBRANCY MAP, UM, THE OTHER DAY FOR THE, IS THERE A PLAN TO TIE TOGETHER, UM, THE REAL ESTATE MAP WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD MARKETPLACE PROFILES? 'CAUSE I IMAGINE IT MIGHT, MIGHT BE NICE FOR PEOPLE TO THINK ABOUT, LIKE, THESE ARE THE VACANT, YOU KNOW, ARE THE, THE, THE AVAILABLE PROPERTIES AND STOREFRONTS, AND THEN ALSO BE ABLE TO SEE THE PROFILES AND NARRATIVES THAT GO ALONG WITH THE, THE AREAS OF THE CITY THAT THEY'RE ATTACHED TO.
SO WE REALLY SEE BOTH OF THOSE WORKING IN CONCERT AND WITH EACH OTHER.
AND SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT PROACTIVE COMMUNICATION, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT HOW WE REBRAND AND TELL OUR STORY FROM AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STANDPOINT.
AND SO WE'LL BE LOOKING AT UPDATING OUR WEBSITE, OUR MESSAGING, UH, OUR LOGO, UH, WE'LL ALSO BE LOOKING TO SEE HOW WE CAN, UH, LEVERAGE ALL THE DIFFERENT PAGES WITHIN OUR WEBSITE.
SO THEY COMPLIMENT EACH OTHER AND THEY'RE EASY TO NAVIGATE FOR THE END USER.
AND SO I REALLY SEE THEM WORKING HAND IN HAND.
SO THERE'LL PROBABLY BE LINKS TYING THE, UM, VACANCY C VIBRANCY REAL ESTATE MAPPING TOOL WITH THE FUTURE NEIGHBORHOOD MARKETPLACE PROFILE PAGE.
AND REALLY MAKING SURE THAT THEY, THEY WORK IN COLLABORATION TOGETHER TO MARKET AND BRAND AND TELL OUR STORY THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
UM, AND THEN LAST QUESTION IS, UM, UNDER THE PROACTIVE BUSINESS ATTRACTION, WE TALK ABOUT DEVELOPING A JOBS CREATION INVESTMENT PLAN OR INVESTMENT PROGRAM.
CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT AT, THAT CAUGHT ME ATTENTION.
WHAT, WHAT, WHAT EXACTLY IS THAT AND HOW DOES THAT KIND OF DOVETAIL WITH THE WORK WE'RE DOING THROUGH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IN PACIFIC GATEWAY? YEAH, SO WE REALLY SEE THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE, UH, WHAT WAYS WE CAN HELP INCENTIVIZE INVESTMENT AND JOB GROWTH THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF LONG BEACH.
AND WHEN YOU DO A BEST PRACTICE LOOK ACROSS THE COUNTRY, A LOT OF CITIES, UH, LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES AND STATES HAVE INCENTIVES TO BRING IN NEW JOBS AND INVESTMENTS TO THEIR, UH, RESPECTIVE COMMUNITIES.
AND HERE AT LONG BEACH, WE DON'T HAVE A DIRECT INCENTIVE.
AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANTED TO FOCUS ON IS FIGURING OUT WHAT WOULD THAT LOOK FROM A BEST PRACTICE STANDPOINT.
AND WHEN I THINK ABOUT INCENTIVES, YOU KNOW, COMPANIES ARE NOT LOOKING TO SAY THEY'RE GONNA LOCATE JUST BECAUSE OF INCENTIVES.
IT'S A LONG LIST OF THINGS THAT ARE LOOKING AT FROM REAL ESTATE TO TALENT TO THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT, TO UTILITIES, UM, TO EDUCATION AND INCENTIVES PROBABLY FALL IN SIX OR SEVEN ON THAT LIST.
BUT IF YOU CAN SHOW THEM SOME LOVE AND GET THEM ACROSS THE FINISH LINE IN ORDER FOR THEM TO BRING IN NEW JOBS INVESTMENT TO THE CITY, THEN I THINK IT, IT COULD BE A GAME CHANGER.
AND SO IF I THINK ABOUT WHAT THAT INCENTIVE COULD LOOK LIKE, IT WOULD PROBABLY BE A JOB CREATION TYPE INCENTIVE.
SO SAY FOR INSTANCE, A COMPANY WANTS TO LOCATE TO LONG BEACH AND THEY'RE BRINGING IN A HUNDRED HIGH PAYING TECH TECH JOBS, THEN WE MAYBE PROVIDE SOME TYPE OF INCENTIVE FOR EVERY JOB THAT THEY CREATED AND WILL BE PERFORMANCE BASED.
SO THEY WOULDN'T GET THE INCENTIVE UP FRONT.
THEY WOULD HAVE TO BRING IN THE INVESTMENT, THEY HAVE TO BRING THE JOBS AND PROVE THAT THEY ARE HERE IN LONG BEACH AND THEY'RE HERE FOR, FOR THE LONG TERM, PROBABLY A FIVE YEAR INVESTMENT PLUS.
BUT THAT'S JUST ME THINKING OUT LOUD OF KIND OF WHAT THAT POTENTIAL INCENTIVE WOULD LOOK LIKE FROM A, UH, JOBS PERSPECTIVE.
UM, THAT WAS ALL MY QUESTIONS.
UH, OH, ACTUALLY I HAVE ALL MY QUESTIONS HAVE NOW ELICITED OTHER QUESTIONS.
UH, BOTH THE PRESENTATIONS WERE GREAT.
THAT'S SO MUCH INFORMATION AND WE WE'RE HEARING IT IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
I THINK IT RESONATES MORE AS WE HEAR IT MORE.
MY QUESTION, DIRECTOR MARTINEZ, IS HOW MANY WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT NON-PROFITS DO YOU THINK YOU'RE WORKING WITH IN LONG BEACH OR IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
SO ONE, WE CAN START WITH OUR BUSINESS NAVIGATORS.
[00:45:01]
SO WE'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, FOUR DIFFERENT BUSINESS NAVIGATORS, OR WE'RE WORKING WITH NOT ONLY SPORTS, SMALL BUSINESSES, BUT MAKING SURE THEY, THEY HAVE ACCESS TO TALENT AND ALL THE DIFFERENT, UH, RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH OUR WORKFORCE INNOVATION NETWORK.UM, I CAN SAY THAT AS BEING A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER MYSELF BEFORE COMING TO THE, THE, THE PUBLIC SECTOR IS THAT IF I WOULD'VE KNOWN WHEN I'VE KNOWN BACK THEN, I PROBABLY WOULD'VE BEEN MUCH MORE SUCCESSFUL.
I KNOW WE'VE HAD THESE CONVERSATIONS, BUT YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT A SMALL BUSINESS, THEY'RE WEARING MANY HATS, RIGHT? THEY'RE THE ACCOUNTANTS, THEY'RE THE SALES PERSON, THEY'RE THE MARKETING PERSON, THEY'RE THE HR PERSON.
AND WHEN I THINK ABOUT OUR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, UH, RESOURCES, I THINK ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY THEY CAN PROVIDE TO OUR SMALL BUSINESSES AND FAST GROWING COMPANIES.
AND SO, UM, IT'S A BIG ECOSYSTEM.
SO WE WORK A LOT WITH OUR SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER, OUR BUSINESS NAVIGATORS, OUR BIZ CARE TEAM.
WE WORK WITH DIFFERENT VARIOUS CITY DEPARTMENTS.
WE WORK WITH THE PORT OF LONG BEACH.
AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR PARTNERS THAT HELP GET OUR JOB DONE.
UH, NONE OF THIS HAPPENS BY OURSELVES.
UM, WE REALLY HAD TO LOOK AT HOW WE LEVERAGE NOT ONLY FINANCIAL RESOURCES, BUT ALSO PEOPLE RESOURCES TO MAKE SURE WE'RE PROVIDING GREAT SERVICES TO OUR, UM, YOUTH, OUR ADULTS, AS WELL AS OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY.
I DON'T HAVE AN EXACT COUNT, BUT I, I CAN TELL YOU THAT IT'S MANY.
I THINK WE CAN HAVE FURTHER CONVERSATION ABOUT THAT.
AND THEN I HAD ONE LAST QUESTION I FORGOT TO ASK.
SO I KNOW WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE, YOU AND I HAVE TALKED KIND OF AT LENGTH ABOUT THE VACANCY TO VIBRANCY PROGRAM, UM, AND POTENTIAL AND POT, YOU KNOW, ALL THE KIND OF, I DON'T WANNA SAY CONCERNS, BUT SOMEWHAT CONCERNS RIGHT ACROSS THE CITY AROUND JUST LIKE THE LOOK AND FEEL OF OUR VACANT STOREFRONTS OR ET CETERA, RIGHT.
AND IMPROVING THEIR LOOK AND FEEL.
UM, AND I KNOW I'VE SEEN IN CERTAIN PARTS OF THE CITY, YOU'LL SEE LIKE, KIND OF LIKE WINDOW WRAPS, RIGHT? TO IMPROVE THE, THE LOOK OF THE WAY SOME OF OUR, UM, OUR BUSINESS STOREFRONTS, RIGHT? THAT MAY NOT HAVE A PROPRIETOR IN THEM.
UM, CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME IDEAS THAT YOU POTENTIALLY MIGHT HAVE AROUND MAYBE EXPANDING THAT ACROSS THE CITY IN ORDER TO KIND OF IMPROVE THAT LOOK? MAYBE A WINDOW WRAP PROGRAM, ET CETERA, THAT WE COULD IMPLEMENT HERE IN THE CITY? YEAH, I CAN, UH, UH, COUNCILMAN RICK SODA.
I COULD TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, A PREVIOUS JOB THAT IS WHEN IS WITH THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH.
AND BEFORE, UH, WE WERE HOSTING THE SUPER BOWL, WE HAD A LOT OF VACANT STOREFRONTS AND PEOPLE WERE EITHER PUTTING PAPER BAGS IN THERE, A LOT OF THEM, YOU KNOW, HAD A LOT OF GRAFFITI AND ETCHINGS ON THE WINDOWS TO JUST, YOU KNOW, BIG REAL ESTATE SIGNS ON.
AND SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD A UNIFORM LOOK THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
AND SO WHAT WE DID IS WE CREATED RECREATED WHAT WAS CALLED THE MIAMI BEACH VACANT STOREFRONT PROGRAM.
AND THEN WE, THEN WE PARTNERED UP WITH LOCAL SCHOOLS, OUR STUDENTS, AND THEY CREATED FIVE TO SIX DIFFERENT VACANT STOREFRONT COVERS THAT BUSINESSES COULD UTILIZE THROUGHOUT THE CITY SO THAT YOU HAVE THIS NICE UNIFORM, REALLY GREAT LOOK, UM, TO THE CITY.
AND IT BECAME A VERY, VERY SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM.
SO WE PARTNERED UP WITH THE ARTIST, THEY CAME WITH THE FIVE OR SIX DESIGNS, THEN WE WORKED WITH PROPERTY OWNERS AND THEY WERE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE PART OF THIS PROGRAM TO PUT UP THESE VACANT STOREFRONT PROGRAMS THAT WERE UNIFORM.
THEY LOOKED COOL, THEY WERE UNIQUE, AND THEY WERE DONE BY STUDENTS.
AND SO IT WAS A VERY SUCCESSFUL PROJECT.
AND SO I, IF WE WERE TO LOOK TO DO THE SAME HERE IN LONG BEACH, I WOULD THINK, YOU KNOW, WE'D HAVE TO DEFINITELY SIT DOWN WITH CHRISTOPHER KUNZ AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, UH, TO TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, FROM A ZONING AND AN ORDINANCE PERSPECTIVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALIGNED THERE.
AND THEN IF WE WERE TO LOOK AT, TO A NEXT STEP FURTHER, THEN WE'D PROBABLY HAVE TO COME BACK FOR A BUDGET LINE ITEM AS TO IMPLEMENT SUCH A PROGRAM HERE IN LONG BEACH.
UM, SEEING NO ADDITIONAL COMMENTS, UH, WE CAN, FROM THE, UM, COUNCIL MEMBERS, WE CAN MOVE THIS PUBLIC COMMENT.
IF ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM NOW.
WELL THEN WE CAN GO AHEAD AND MOVE TO A VOTE.
ITEM THREE IS A RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE A LIST OF FOLLOW-UP ITEMS FROM THE BUDGET HEARINGS AND OUR BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MEETINGS.
UM, THANK YOU FOR, UM, THOSE VERY THOROUGH ANSWERS TO THE, THE QUESTIONS FROM LAST WEEK.
I KNOW WE ASKED YOU FOR, UH, A DECENT AMOUNT OF DATA TO, TO COME BACK, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT.
UM, ANY COMMENTS OR, OH, UH, QUESTION FROM COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, DUGGAN,
[3. 24-54726 Recommendation to receive and file a list of follow-up items from the Budget Hearings and/or Budget Oversight Committee meetings. Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]
THANK YOU FOR PUTTING ALL THIS TOGETHER REALLY, UH, GOOD ANSWERS.AND I'M THINKING MAYBE I SHOULD
[00:50:01]
HOLD OFF ON MY QUESTIONS ABOUT SPECIFIC DATA TO DIRECTOR KING TONIGHT REGARDING THE CCR PROGRAM.OR SHALL I ASK YOU THE QUESTION? I THINK THAT BECAUSE I DON'T SEE MS. KING HERE, THAT WOULD BE, UH, APPROPRIATE, UH, TIME TO ASK DURING THE BUDGET HEARING.
I'M JUST GONNA CLARIFY ONE ITEM JUST SO I MAKE SURE I'M UNDERSTANDING THIS.
UH, QUESTION SIX A, YOU HAVE A CHART THAT HAS, UM, CALLS FOR SERVICE ELIGIBLE FOR CCR PERCENTAGE.
UM, I'M GOING, I'M LOOKING AT THE C-C-R-B-O-C PRESENTATION FROM LAST WEEK AND LOOKING, AND I'M JUST GOING TO DELETE, UM, HOW MANY CALLS FOR SERVICE WERE ACTUALLY, UM, TAKEN IN JULY, MARCH THROUGH JULY TO GET OUTSIDE BUSINESS HOURS? 'CAUSE I THINK THAT WAS MY SPECIFIC QUESTION.
HOW MANY CALLS FOR SERVICE WERE OUTSIDE BUSINESS HOURS? I JUST WONDERED IF YOU HAPPENED TO HAVE THAT DATA AND IT WASN'T IN THE PRE IN THE ANSWERS.
I DID IT MYSELF, BUT I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I'M ACCURATE ON THAT.
I BELIEVE IF THIS WAS, UM, IF I'M HEARING CORRECTLY, THE QUESTION FOR NUMBER THREE WITHIN THE TFF IS THE, UH, INFORMATION PROVIDED OF DISPATCHED CALLS OUTSIDE OF BUSINESS HOURS AND THAT WAS A SAMPLE DATA OF, UH, 42 CALLS WITH CALL ENTRY TIMES OCCURRED IN JULY 20, 24, 58 CALLS OCCURRED IN AUGUST.
AND THERE'S SOME MORE INFORMATION ABOUT, UH, HOW THEY INCLUDE THAT DATA OUTSIDE OF BUSINESS HOURS.
ACTUALLY A FOLLOW UP QUESTION TO THAT TOO.
SO RELATED TO THE SAME SLIDE, SO IT SAYS TOTAL CITYWIDE CALLS FOR SERVICE, UM, IS THAT TOTAL CITYWIDE CALLS FOR SERVICE IN EVERY DIVISION, INCLUDING THE ONES THAT CCR ACTUALLY IS NOT IN BECAUSE I'M WONDERING IF THE DENOMINATOR THERE IS INCORRECT 'CAUSE IT SHOULD JUST BE WEST AND SOUTH DIVISION, RIGHT? BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT DEPLOYED ALL OVER THE CITY SINCE WE HAVE THE PERCENT OF CCR ELIGIBLE, I'M WONDERING IF THE DENOMINATOR SHOULD JUST BE THE CALLS FOR SERVICE IN THE DIVISIONS IN WHICH CCR IS ACTUALLY OPERATING.
I CAN GET MORE CLARITY FROM THE CCR TEAM FOR YOU.
AND, UH, I THINK I WILL SEE IF I CAN TALK TO DIRECTOR KING TO MAKE SURE THAT, BECAUSE THE NUMBERS DON'T SEEM TO MATCH UP FROM THE PRESENTATION LAST WEEK, SO WE CAN WORK ON THAT.
AND WE CAN PROVIDE CLARITY FOR THAT AS WELL.
ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? COUNCIL MEMBER DUGGAN? COUNCIL MEMBER BARAGA.
OKAY, THEN WE CAN GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT.
IF ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM NOW.
HELLO, MY NAME IS SASHI MORRIN.
I'M A BUSINESS REP FOR THE, I AM THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MACHINISTS, REPRESENTING THE LARGEST SEGMENT OF THE WORKING POPULATION HERE IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH.
AND I AM HERE TO SPEAK FOR ONE OF OUR MEMBERS.
UM, SO I'M GONNA QUOTE, I'M GONNA READ FOR HER QUOTE WORD FOR WORD AND YOU'LL UNDERSTAND WHY I'M SAYING SPEAKING.
UH, GOOD EVENING, HONOR, HONORABLE BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE.
UH, I'M NOT ABLE TO BE IN PERSON.
MY NAME IS KIM VONG AND I AM ONE OF THE DISABILITY ADVOCATES IN THE PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT.
I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF REPRESENTATION MATTERS, UH, THE IMPORTANCE OF OF REPRESENTATION.
WHAT REPRESENTATION MATTERS WHEN IT COMES TO EMERGENCIES.
DURING THE COVID PANDEMIC, THE CITY AND OTHER GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES DID NOT INCLUDE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES WHEN THERE WERE SERVICES SUCH AS FOOD DISTRIBUTION AND OTHER SERVICES.
THIS HURTS OUR COMMUNITIES BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES TO SUPPORT THAT POPULATION.
IF, EXCUSE ME, IF THERE'S A TEAM DURING THE PANDEMIC PANDEMIC AND WE DIDN'T HAVE, UH, THEN WE WOULDN'T HAVE HAD SO MANY PEOPLE WHO WERE STRUGGLING WITH BASIC NEEDS.
PEOPLE WHO, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND A LIVED EXPERIENCE LIKE THAT, UH, THAT NEED THE PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, UH, SERVICES.
SO I'M ASKING IF WE CAN FIND THE FUNDING TO KEEP OUR PEOPLE EMPLOYED, SPECIFICALLY CEDAR AND I FORGET EXACTLY WHAT, WHAT THAT, UM, ACRONYM STANDS FOR.
[00:55:04]
GOOD AFTERNOON.MY NAME IS JOANNA AND I'M HERE REPRESENTING THE LONG BEACH LANGUAGE JUSTICE COALITION.
OUR COALITION HAS BEEN HARD AT WORK ADVOCATING FOR LANGUAGE JUSTICE WITH AND FOR OUR COMMUNITY FOR OVER 11 YEARS.
OUR COALITION PARTNERS REPRESENT THE DIVERSE DEMOGRAPHICS OF OUR CITY AND WORK CLOSELY WITH COMMUNITY ON THE GROUND.
IT HAS BEEN THROUGH OUR CONSTANT COLLABORATION WITH THE COMMUNITY THAT WE HAVE COME TO UNDERSTAND HOW DEEPLY IMPORTANT IT IS TO INCREASE STRUCTURAL FUNDS THAT FOCUS ON IMPLEMENTING THE CITY'S LANGUAGE ACCESS POLICY THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC.
WE HAVE SEEN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE NEED FOR MULTILINGUAL RESOURCES THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
IN RECENT YEARS, WE HAVE SEEN THE CHALLENGES AND COMPLETE LACK OF ACCESS TO VARIOUS CITY AND COUNTY RESOURCES WHEN WE DON'T HAVE THE PROPER TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETATION SERVICES THROUGHOUT THE VARIOUS CITY DEPARTMENTS.
THE OTHER MAJOR CHALLENGE THAT WE NEED TO HEAVILY CONSIDER IS THE FACT THAT OVER THE YEARS WE HAVE BEEN RELYING ON THE TEMPORARY FUNDS PROVIDED BY THE LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT.
ACCESS TO THOSE FUNDS WILL SUNSET AT THE END OF THE YEAR AND PUT NECESSARY CITY STAFF POSITIONS AT RISK.
THE NEED FOR FINANCIAL SUPPORT HAS BECOME SO CLEAR THAT THE MAYOR'S PROPOSED BUDGET INCLUDES ONE-TIME FUNDS IN AN ATTEMPT TO SUPPORT.
AND ALTHOUGH WE ARE HAPPY TO SEE ONE-TIME FUNDS BEING ALLOCATED, WE ARE HERE TODAY TO PUSH FOR AN ADDITIONAL 400,000 OF STRUCTURAL FUNDS TO BE ALLOCATED TOWARDS LANGUAGE JUSTICE FOR THE FOLLOWING THREE DEMANDS TO ADD A FULL-TIME TAGALOG FILIPINO LANGUAGE SPECIALIST INTERPRETER TRANSLATOR TO ADD A FULL-TIME LANGUAGE ACCESS STAFF, UH, TO OVERSEE THE CREATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF DEPARTMENTAL LANGUAGE ACCESS PLANS FOR ALL PUBLIC FACING CITY DEPARTMENTS, UM, FOR A, FOR LARGER CITY DEPARTMENTS TO APPOINT A FULL-TIME LANGUAGE ACCESS COORDINATOR AND B, TO DEDICATE APPROPRIATE RESOURCES WITHIN THE OFFICE OF EQUITY TO PROVIDE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ON THE LANGUAGE ACCESS PLAN, DEVELOPMENT, IMPLEMENTATION, MONITORING AND ENFORCEMENT.
AND NUMBER THREE IS TO ADD FULL-TIME LANGUAGE ACCESS STAFF TO CREATE AND IMPLEMENT AN EFFECTIVE PROCESS FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND ADVOCATES TO FILE COMPLAINTS WITH THE OFFICE OF EQUITY.
RELATED TO LANGUAGE BARRIERS IN ACCESSING CITY OF LONG BEACH PROGRAMS, ACTIVITIES AND SERVICES PROCESSES SHOULD BE EXPLAINED IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES WITH REASONABLE TIMEFRAMES AND CLEAR GUIDELINES FOR NOTICES, RESPONSES, INVESTIGATIONS AND RESOLUTIONS.
RESOLUTIONS SHOULD BE MADE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE.
OVER THE YEARS WE'VE HAD MULTIPLE COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO LIFE-AFFIRMING RESOURCES FROM THE CITY AND THE COUNTY.
AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE HAS EQUAL ACCESS TO THOSE RESOURCES.
OUR COMMUNITY IS STRUGGLING AND THEY DESERVE TO HAVE THE SUPPORT FROM YOU ALL.
I KNOW YOU ALL HAVE BEEN, UM, VERY SUPPORTIVE IN THE PAST AND SO I JUST REALLY WANNA EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF MOVING FORWARD AND ALLOCATING STRUCTURAL FUNDS.
FUNDS ARE GREAT TO HELP US GET US TO A CERTAIN POINT, UM, BUT WE CAN'T RISK LOSING THOSE RESOURCES WITHIN A YEAR OR TWO.
SO PLEASE, UM, ADVOCATE, UM, ALLOCATE STRUCTURAL FUNDS FOR LANGUAGE JUSTICE.
AND JUST A REMINDER, THIS IS A PUBLIC COMMENT FOR, UM, RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS FROM THE BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MEETING FROM LAST WEEK.
DEAR COUNCIL MEMBERS, MY NAME IS CARLA.
I'M A CITY OF LONG BEACH EMPLOYEE AND I'M ALSO A UNION STEWARD AND I REPRESENT THE LONG BEACH HEALTH DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEES, WHICH IS LIKE 452 EMPLOYEES.
I'M HERE TO DISCUSS SEVERAL POSITIONS THAT RECEIVED LAYOFF NOTICE AND THEIR LAST DAY, SEPTEMBER 30TH.
UM, IT IS TIME TO SAVE THESE PIVOTAL POSITIONS OF, TO THE OPERATIONS OF THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT SO WE CAN CONTINUE MAKING THE CITY OF LONG BEACH HEALTHY.
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT CITY OPERATIONS CANNOT CONTINUE TO WITHOUT STABLE FUNDING.
I KNOW I'VE HAD THIS CONVERSATION BEFORE.
UM, IT IS TIME TO SERIOUSLY ALLOCATE FUNDING TO THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND NO LONGER RELY ON GRANTS.
THANK YOU TO THE DEPARTMENT MANAGEMENT TEAM AT HR TEAM WORKING EXTREMELY HIGH HARD RIGHT NOW.
THEY'VE BEEN REALLY HARD TRYING TO FIND SOME SORT OF TEMPORARY FUNDING FOR THESE POSITIONS.
THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO ABOUT 50 PLUS POSITIONS, PERCENTAGE WISE, UM, THAT THEY'VE, YOU KNOW, BEEN ABLE TO GET TEMPORARY FUNDING.
THESE FUNDING, SOME OF THEM WILL BE DONE IN DECEMBER AGAIN, AND WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH THIS AGAIN.
IT'S LIKE A CONSTANT GRANT, YOU KNOW, AND HERE WE GO AGAIN.
AND IN THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, IT'S SUCH AN IMPORTANT ROLE.
WE LEARNED THIS THROUGH COVID, WE LEARNED THIS THROUGH FOR YEARS, OVER A HUNDRED YEARS.
PUBLIC HEALTH IS SO IMPORTANT.
IT IS SO HARD TO TRAIN AND DEVELOP THE STAFF AND THEN TO LET THEM GO.
AND THAT'S WHY THEY SEE US AS A TRAINING, A TRAINING GROUND.
WE'RE THE TRAINING GROUND FOR ALL COUNTY, ORANGE COUNTY, OTHER COUNTIES IN THE, IN THE CITY.
[01:00:01]
COUNTIES.LIKE, I JUST WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE, I KNOW THIS IS A BIG ASK.
ASKING FOR HEALTH, LIKE STRUCTURAL FUNDING.
SHE SAID, YOU KNOW, LIKE SHE MENTIONED ABOUT LANGUAGE ACCESS.
WE HAVE ALL, WE HAVE STAFF THAT SPEAK DIFFERENT LANGUAGES THAT WE'RE GONNA LOSE.
WE'RE GONNA LOSE KAMAI SPEAKING LANGUAGES.
WE'RE GONNA LOSE, YOU KNOW, TAGALO SPEAKING LANGUAGES WITH SOME OF THESE STAFF RIGHT NOW.
I KNOW THIS IS NOT THE FIRST ASK.
I KNOW IT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR YEARS.
I'VE BEEN WITH THE CITY FOR 20 YEARS, BUT IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO REALLY CONSIDER THIS.
MANAGEMENT TEAM WORKS DAY AND NIGHT TO GET GRANTS, BUT THEY, THAT IS NOT ENOUGH FOR THE DEPARTMENT.
THE DEPARTMENT HAS TO KEEP TRAINING AND DEVELOPING PEOPLE OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
SO I ASK YOU TO REALLY, REALLY CONSIDER THIS AND REALLY BE THE CHANGE OF THIS, YOU KNOW, OVER A HUNDRED YEARS AND IT HASN'T BEEN DONE.
SO WE REALLY NEED TO DO IT, LIKE BE THE CHANGE OF THIS DEPARTMENT.
UM, SEEING NO ADDITIONAL PUBLIC COMMENT, UM, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE.
UM, I BELIEVE THAT WAS THE LAST AGENDA ITEM.
IF ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON A NON AGENDA ITEM, 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.]
BUDGET, UH, OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE.MY NAME IS CHRISTOPHER COVINGTON.
I WANT, WANT TO SHARE APPRECIATIONS FIRST FOR MEETING WITH ME IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS.
I APPRECIATE MEETING WITH YOUR STAFF AND DISCUSSING THE PRIORITY OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION.
UM, JOINING YOU ALL TO SHOW, UM, MY STRONG SUPPORT FOR THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT'S VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAMS. UH, I APPRECIATE THE ONE TIME YOUTH BUDGET PROPOSALS, 100 FROM THE MAYOR AND 200 FROM THE CITY MANAGER.
A THOUSAND DOLLARS DIRECTED TOWARDS THE VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAMS. WHILE WE APPRECIATE THE 300 ONETIME USE INVESTMENT IN THE FY 25 BUDGET, UH, IT IS AN ACTUAL REDUCTION OF SPENDING, UM, ON VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAMS IN THE FY 24 BUDGET PERIOD.
SO WE'RE ACTUALLY REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF MONEY GOING TOWARDS VIOLENCE PREVENTION IN FY 25.
UM, WE'RE CALLING ON ALL OF YOU AS OUR CHAMPIONS FOR VIOLENCE PREVENTION.
UM, TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION, UH, IN YOUR NEXT MEETING, UM, TO INCREASE THE PROPOSED 300,000 TO 900,000.
THE 900,000 WILL MAINTAIN IMPACTFUL VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAMS. AND AT THE SAME TIME, WHILE WE'RE MAINTAINING PROGRAMS THIS YEAR, UH, WE ARE GONNA WORK WITH, UM, CITY LEADERSHIP TO IDENTIFY, UM, STRUCTURAL FUNDING REVENUE FOR THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO SUSTAIN THESE AND OTHER PROGRAMS OUTSIDE OF ONE-TIME FUNDS, SUCH AS THE UNHEALTHY FOOD TAX.
AND I KNOW SOME OF Y'ALL ARE INTERESTED IN THAT.
SO WE'RE DOING OUR PART TO LOOK AT WHERE WE CAN FIND THE MONEY.
AND WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT IN CARRYING THE, CARRYING THE WORK FORWARD AND SUSTAINING THE WORK INTO THE, THE NEXT YEAR.
UH, SO THE 900,000 INVESTMENT WITH SUSTAIN EVIDENCE-BASED PROGRAMS, UM, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, UH, THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT'S VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAMMING, UH, WITH THE PRIORITY, UH, IN VIOLENCE PREVENTION COMMUNITY ACTIVATIONS, UH, AS WELL AS SAFE PASSAGES.
AFTER CONDUCTING A VIOLENCE PREVENTION INTERVENTION PROGRAM, COST ANALYSIS, THE AMOUNT NEEDED FOR ROBUST PROGRAMS WITHIN THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT COMES OUT TO $15 MILLION.
WE CAME BEFORE ASKING FOR 15 MILLION, BUT WE WERE REALISTIC IN KNOWING THAT Y'ALL DON'T HAVE 15 MILLION MILLION TO GIVE US AT THIS MOMENT.
UM, SO WE'RE COMING BACK AND SAYING 900,000 IS A REASONABLE REQUEST, AND IT'S A FRACTION OF WHAT'S NEEDED TO CARRY ON THESE EVIDENCE-BASED PROGRAMS, UH, TO PREVENT VIOLENCE WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY.
I KNOW FIRSTHAND WHAT VIOLENCE LOOKS LIKE.
UH, AND WHEN CITIES DECREASE ITS INVESTMENT IN VIOLENCE PREVENTION, VIOLENCE ACTUALLY RISES.
UH, PLEASE DO YOUR PART, UH, IN INCREASING THE BUDGET PROPOSAL FOR VIOLENCE PREVENTION IN THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO 900,000.
UM, I'M AVAILABLE TO MEET WITH YOU ALL AGAIN, UM, PRIOR TO NEXT WEEK SO WE CAN DEVELOP OUT, UM, WHAT IS NEEDED TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
UH, WE APPRECIATE YOUR ONGOING SUPPORT IN BEING CHAMPIONS FOR VIOLENCE PREVENTION, AND WE HOPE TO SEE THIS NUMBER INCREASE THIS YEAR.
HELLO, MY NAME IS BILLY BROWN AND I AM A COMMUNITY MEMBER OF LONG BEACH.
[01:05:01]
BORN AND RAISED HERE.I HAVE EXPERIENCED VIOLENCE IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS IN LONG BEACH SINCE THE TIME I WAS BORN.
I, UH, HAVE FRIENDS IN THE SIXTH DISTRICT THAT HAS PASSED AWAY FROM UNNECESSARY GUN VIOLENCE TO WHERE IT IS MORE THAN I CAN COUNT ON MY HANDS AND YOUR HANDS FAR AS THE NUMBERS GO.
INVESTING IN, UM, COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS LIKE HOOPS, HOOPS AFTER DARK, DEVELOPING FUTURE LEADERS AND FOCUS IS ESSENTIAL FOR ENHANCING PUBLIC SAFETY IN LONG BEACH, ESPECIALLY WHEN ADDRESSING VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION.
THESE ORGANIZATIONS HAVE DEEP TIES IN THE COMMUNITY, ALLOWING THEM TO TRUST, UM, ALLOWING THEM TO BUILD TRUST AND CREDIBILITY AND TRADITIONAL LAW CREDIBILITY THAT TRADITIONAL LAW ENFORCE ENFORCEMENT OFTEN CANNOT ACHIEVE ALONG.
THEY CAN ENGAGE DIRECTLY WITH.
AT-RISK, INDIVIDUALS MEDIATE CONFLICTS BEFORE THEY ESCALATE AND PROVIDE CULTURALLY, UM, SENSITIVE SUPPORT.
BY INTEGRATING THESE ORGANIZATIONS INTO OUR PUBLIC SAFETY STRATEGY, WE CREATE A HOLISTIC APPROACH THAT ADDRESSES THE ROOT CAUSES OF VIOLENCE, ULTIMATELY REDUCING CRIME, FOSTERING COMMUNITY RESIDENT, AND SAVING RESOURCES IN THE LONG TERM.
UH, I AM THE FOUNDER OF FOCUS.
FOCUS STANDS FOR FAMILIES OBSERVING CULTURES AND UNITED STUDENTS.
UH, WE STARTED IN 2001 AT FRANKLIN AS A SAFE PASSAGE, THE FIRST SAFE PASSAGE IN AMERICA, REALLY THAT DEALT WITH, UH, STUDENTS, UM, GOING TO SCHOOL SAFE.
THE PROBLEM AT FRANKLIN, UH, WAS THAT IT WAS, UH, THE STUDENTS WERE GETTING TERRORIZED COMING TO AND FROM SCHOOL.
THE PRINCIPAL FROM FRANKLIN MIDDLE SCHOOL, MR. LOU DECA, CAME TO ME AND ASKED ME WHEN I WAS AT LONG BEACH STATE, COULD I HELP STOP HIS GANG AND RACIAL PROBLEM AT FRANKLIN MIDDLE SCHOOL.
AND AT THIS PARTICULAR TIME, IT WAS BULLYING, IT WAS, UH, FIGHTING.
IT WAS, UH, UM, UM, UM, SUSPENSIONS AND A BUNCH OF OUR KIDS GOING TO JAIL.
WHEN WE STARTED FOCUS, WE STARTED WITH A MULTICULTURAL PROGRAM.
WE HAD, UM, HISPANICS, WE HAD BLACKS, ASIANS, WHITES, LONG BEACH, CITY COLLEGE, LONG BEACH STATE, UM, MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY ALL WORKING TOGETHER.
WE DID IT FOR TWO YEARS STRAIGHT WHEN FOCUS, WHEN THE FOCUS MODEL OF SAFE PASSAGE WAS AT, AT FRANKLIN, THERE WAS NO MORE SUSPENSION, NO MORE FIGHTING, AND ALL THE ABOVE I JUST MENTIONED FOR TWO YEARS.
AND AT THIS PARTICULAR TIME, UM, UM, NELSON MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL, MRS. UH, REED, SHE HAD ASKED FOR THE FRANKLIN OR THE FOCUS MODEL AT NELSON BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF ISSUES THERE.
SO, UM, WHAT WE ARE HERE TO UM, PRETTY MUCH PROMOTE YOUR TIME IS CONCLUDED PRETTY MUCH TO PROMOTE IS THAT, UM, WE NEED SAFETY FOR SAFE PASSAGES OR RESOURCES FOR SAFE PASSAGES.
SEEING NO ADDITIONAL PUBLIC COMMENT, I WILL ADJOURN THE MEETING.