Sep 25, 2024 Technology and Innovation Commission

[00:01:27]

CHAIR BRUNSON, ARE WE READY TO BEGIN? CHAIR B BRUNSON? YES.

CAN WE GO CALLING TO ORDER THE TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION COMMISSION MEETING WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH, 2024.

WE WILL DO A QUICK ROLL CALL CHAIR.

LISA ABRAMSON.

PRESENT VICE CHAIR JONATHAN DEMA.

[CALL TO ORDER]

COMMISSIONER NICOLE CALLAHAN.

PRESENT.

COMMISSIONER ASHLEY CHITTICK.

[ROLL CALL]

COMMISSIONER WILLIAM PATTERSON.

COMMISSIONER EMILY WOODMAN NANCE HERE.

THANK YOU.

CAN WE GET A FIRST AND A SECOND TO, FOR ITEM NUMBER ONE? OKAY.

SO ITEM ONE IS A RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE TECHNOLOGY AND EVICTION COMMISSION MEETING OF WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28TH.

CAN I GET A FIRST AND A SECOND PLEASE? SO WE HAVE A FIRST AND A SECOND.

ARE THERE ANY DISCUSSION ON THE MINUTES? IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? SCENE NONE.

PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE.

[1. 24-54961 Recommendation to approve the minutes for the Technology and Innovation Commission meeting of Wednesday, August 28, 2024.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]

I CAN MARK IT ON MY END.

COMMISSIONER RECEIVED.

MOTION CARRIES.

THANK YOU.

ITEM NUMBER TWO, RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE DIRECTOR'S REPORT.

I, GOOD.

AFTERNOON COMMISSION.

MY NAME IS BARRAN.

I AM THE DIGITAL SERVICES BUREAU MANAGER.

I WILL BE FILLING IN FOR LEAH TODAY, WHO IS ATTENDING THE ICMA

[2. 24-54962 Recommendation to receive and file Director’s Report.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]

UH, COUPLE OR A FEW ITEMS FOR YOU ALL TODAY.

UM, FIRSTLY, YOUR RANKS WILL SOON BE SWELLING.

THERE IS A NEW COMMISSIONER, UM, THAT UNFORTUNATELY THAT PERSON IS STILL GOING THROUGH ONBOARDING AND WE DO HOPE THAT THEY WILL BE JOINING YOU NEXT MONTH.

UH, NEXT LEAH, UH, WANTED TO SPECIFICALLY CALL OUT AND THANK THE WORK OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS, UH, WOODMAN, NANCE AND PATTERSON FOR THE WORK THAT TOOK PLACE LAST WEEK ON THE DATA PRIVACY, UM, WORKSHOPS.

AND SHE, AND WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE OUTCOMES OF THOSE WORKSHOPS IN COMING MEETINGS.

SHIFTING OVER TO CYBERSECURITY.

AS, AS YOU ALL KNOW, OCTOBER

[00:05:01]

HOWEVER, WE WILL ALSO BE DOING SOME WORK AND MESSAGING EXTERNALLY AS WELL.

AND WE'LL BE LOOKING TO THE COMMISSION FOR SOME OUTREACH THERE.

SO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR SOME EMAILS COMING YOUR WAY SOON.

AND, UM, WE ARE ALSO ON THE AGENDA.

WE HAVE, UH, WE HAVE A TOPIC TO LOOK AT THE 2024 TOPICS AND THE WORK PLAN.

UH, GIVEN THAT THERE WILL BE A NEW COMMISSIONER COMING ON BOARD AND AS WELL AS THE FACT THAT LEAH IS NOT HERE, UM, THERE WILL BE FURTHER, UH, CONVERSATIONS ON THE 2024 WORK PLAN, UH, INCOMING MEETINGS.

AND LASTLY, WE DO HAVE A PRESENT, UH, PRESENTATION TODAY FROM MY WONDERFUL COLLEAGUE NIA REGARDING, UH, DIGITAL EQUITY.

AND, UM, YEAH, AND THAT, THAT'LL BE IT FOR THE DIRECTOR'S REPORT.

DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, UH, FOR BARING AT THIS TIME? DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEM NUMBER TWO? SEEING NONE, CAN WE PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTES? THANK YOU.

MOTION CARRIES.

ITEM NUMBER THREE, RECOMMENDATION TO REVIEW THE TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION COMMISSION 2024 TOPICS.

OKAY.

UM, I BELIEVE YOU ALL HAVE A HANDOUT BEFORE YOU.

YES.

AWESOME.

UM,

[3. 24-54963 Recommendation to review the Technology and Innovation Commission’s 2024 topics.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]

UM, AND THAT IS BECAUSE CHAIR BRUNSON HAS INDICATED THAT SHE WILL BE STEPPING DOWN FROM THAT ASSIGNMENT.

UM, THE OTHER AD HOC COMMITTEE THAT HAS BEEN FORMED, BUT NAN NEEDS AT LEAST ONE MEMBER IS THE RACIAL EQUITY ACTION PLANNING AD HOC COMMITTEE AT THIS TIME.

COMMISSIONERS, DO WE HAVE ANY ADDITIONS, ANY CHANGES, EDITS? UM, DO WE WANNA TAKE SOME TIME TO LOOK IT OVER AND, UM, WE'LL BRING IT UP AS WELL AT NEXT MONTH'S MEETING.

UM, JUST WHEN RYAN AND LEAH RETURN AND WE THERE COULD BE MORE DISCUSSION.

YEAH, WE, I HAVE QUESTIONS ESPECI, ESPECIALLY ABOUT THE RACIAL, UM, EQUITY ACTION PLAN.

LIKE WHEN EVERYTHING WILL LIKE START UP SO I CAN DETERMINE WHETHER I WANNA BE ON THAT SUBCOMMITTEE.

'CAUSE I'M ALREADY ON TWO AND I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I DON'T, UM, OVERWHELM MYSELF.

UNDERSTOOD.

I, I DON'T KNOW WHEN THAT WORK IS GOING TO COMMENCE.

IT ALREADY ALREADY STARTED.

IT ALREADY STARTED.

YEAH, IT ALREADY STARTED, BUT I, I REMOVED MYSELF LAST, UM, MEETING BECAUSE I COULD, I COULDN'T FULFILL THE OBLIGATION, SO THERE'S A SPOT OPEN.

OH, SO YOU GUYS ALREADY STARTED MEETING? WELL, WE'VE HAD ONE MEETING SO FAR.

OKAY.

SO IT'S STILL EARLY.

UM, AND NO OTHER MEETINGS HAVE BEEN SET UP YET, RIGHT? FOR THE RACIAL EQUITY? THAT'S CORRECT.

WE WE'RE IN POSTPONEMENT FOR THE BRIEF MOMENT UNTIL WE REGROUP AND ADD THE OTHER PERSON.

YEAH.

OKAY.

I, I'LL JUST WAIT UNTIL NEXT MONTH AND SEE.

THANK YOU.

YEAH.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? AND COMMISSIONER WOODMAN AND I WILL LET RYAN, UM, AND LEAH KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT YOU WANNA HOLD OFF AND IF THEY HAVE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION, UM, I CAN EMAIL THE WHOLE COMMISSION AND, AND LET YOU GUYS KNOW WHERE WE ARE.

THANK YOU.

DO WE HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEM NUMBER THREE? SEEING NONE, MEMBERS PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTES.

THANK YOU.

MOTION CARRIES.

ITEM NUMBER SIX, RE RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE A PRESENTATION ON DIGITAL EQUITY AND INCLUSION OVERVIEW VIEW.

OKAY, WITH THAT I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO THE EXCEPTIONAL STEPHANIE AZLA, OUR DIGITAL EQUITY AND ECONOMIC INCLUSION OFFICER FOR HER PRESENTATION

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THANKS SO MUCH, BRI.

SO

[4. 24-54964 Recommendation to receive and file a presentation on Digital Equity and Inclusion Overview.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]

I AM ESTEPHANIE AZLA.

I AM YOUR DIGITAL EQUITY OFFICER HERE FOR THE CITY OF LONG BEACH.

UM, CAN I GET THE GOOD ? THANK YOU.

SO I AM GOING TO BE PROVIDING YOU ALL WITH AN OVERVIEW OF DIGITAL INCLUSION, HOW THE CITY THINKS ABOUT DIGITAL INCLUSION AND WHAT WE ARE, UH, UP TO.

SO FIRST OFF, I WANTED TO START WITH OUR VISION STATEMENT.

SO OUR VISION STATEMENT IS THAT EVERYBODY IN LONG BEACH, REGARDLESS OF BACKGROUND, NEIGHBORHOOD, OR IDENTITY, HAS HIGH QUALITY ACCESSIBLE TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES AND SERVICES TO BE CIVICALLY ENGAGED AND SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY EMPOWERED.

UM, SO WHAT YOU'LL SEE IN THIS VISION STATEMENT IS REALLY THAT RACIAL EQUITY LENS, THAT, UH, ECONOMIC INCLUSION LENS THAT WE ARE TAKING TO DIGITAL EQUITY AND INCLUSION.

AND WE THINK ABOUT DIGITAL INCLUSION THROUGH THREE FOCUS AREAS.

THE FIRST ONE IS CAPACITY, SO MAKING SURE THAT FOLKS HAVE THE DIGITAL SKILLS THAT THEY NEED IN ORDER TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN SOCIETY.

THE SECOND ONE IS CONNECTIVITY.

SO MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE HAVE FREE AND LOW COST, HIGH SPEED QUALITY IN HOME BROADBAND, INTERNET SERVICES AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT.

AND THE LAST IS TECHNOLOGY, MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE HAVE FREE AND LOW QUA, UH, LOW COST QUALITY INTERNET ENABLED TECHNOLOGY DEVICES.

SO LAPTOPS, COMPUTERS, CHROMEBOOKS, WHATEVER IT IS THAT WORKS FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL PERSON.

OKAY, SO HERE WE HAVE A TIMELINE.

AND THIS TIMELINE REALLY TRACKS, UH, LONG BEACH'S INVESTMENT IN DIGITAL INCLUSION.

UM, IT'S A LITTLE HARD TO SEE ON, UH, THE SCREEN HERE, BUT I REALLY WANNA NOTE THAT THE TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION COMMISSION HAS BEEN A LEADER IN MAKING SURE THAT THE CITY, UH, INVESTS IN AND CONSIDERS DIGITAL INCLUSION A PRIORITY.

UH, SO IN JANUARY OF 2018, COUNCIL DID DIRECT CITY STAFF TO LAUNCH A MULTI-DEPARTMENTAL CROSS-SECTORAL DIGITAL INCLUSION INITIATIVE.

FROM THERE, IT WAS THE TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION COMMISSION THAT DID THIS COMPREHENSIVE STUDY ON THE DIGITAL DIVIDE ON UNDERSTANDING, UH, WHO, UH, IN LONG BEACH DID NOT HAVE INTERNET ACCESS, WHO IN LONG BEACH NEEDED THAT DIGITAL SKILLS TRAINING, UM, AND WHERE WE AS A CITY COULD, UH, WEIGH IN AND DEVELOP PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT, UM, DIGITAL INCLUSION.

SO THIS WORK HAS ALWAYS KIND OF BEEN GUIDED FROM THE TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION COMMISSION.

DO YOU WANNA GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO CHAIR BRUNSON, UH, FOR BEING A LONGSTANDING LEADER IN THIS, IN THIS WORK? UM, SO FROM, UH, 2019 OBVIOUSLY WE HAD A LITTLE THING CALLED THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.

UM, AND WE WERE REALLY ABLE TO LEVERAGE THIS, UH, DIGITAL INCLUSION INFRASTRUCTURE THAT THE CITY HAD BUILT IN ORDER TO VERY QUICKLY LAUNCH COVID-19 RECOVERY PROGRAMS. UM, FROM THERE, MY PREDECESSOR, REBECCA KAMA WAS ALSO ABLE TO COME UP WITH THE DIGITAL INCLUSION ROADMAP, WHICH WAS A COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNITY BASED, UH, STRATEGY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF, UH, DIGITAL INCLUSION AND FOUR PROGRAMS THAT WOULD CLOSE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE.

SO THAT VISION STATEMENT, ALL THOSE FOCUS AREAS I JUST READ TO YOU, THAT COMES STRAIGHT FROM OUR DIGITAL INCLUSION ROADMAP, WHICH IS STRAIGHT FROM OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS.

UM, SO FOLLOWING THE END OF OUR CO RECOVERY FUNDING, UM, THE CITY OFFICIALLY ESTABLISHED THE OFFICE OF DIGITAL EQUITY AND INCLUSION IN THE TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION.

SO WE ARE NO LONGER JUST AN INITIATIVE.

WE ARE AN OFFICIAL OFFICE.

WE HAVE STRUCTURAL FUNDING.

UM, THE CITY RECOGNIZES THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS AN ONGOING ISSUE AND THAT WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUALLY, CONTINUALLY INVEST IN.

UM, FROM THERE, UH, I CAME ON BOARD AS WELL AS MY, UM, MY WONDERFUL COLLEAGUE, RAUL VASQUEZ.

UM, AND TOGETHER, ALONG WITH ONE OF OUR FELLOWS, WE ARE THE OFFICE OF DIGITAL EQUITY.

UM, AND THEN THIS MONTH, UH, WE LAUNCHED THE DIGITAL EQUITY AND INCLUSION IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.

I KNOW, UH, COMMISSIONER DIM ARMAS WAS THERE, SO THANK YOU FOR BEING THERE.

UH, WE HAD AN IN-PERSON LAUNCH AT THE BILLIE JEAN KING LIBRARY, AND, UH, WE HAD A WONDERFUL TURNOUT AND WE'RE ABLE TO KIND OF CELEBRATE ALL OF THE WORK THAT HAS HAPPENED THUS FAR.

UM, SO I MENTIONED THE DIGITAL INCLUSION ROADMAP.

THAT IS OUR STRATEGIC PLAN.

THAT IS HOW WE THINK ABOUT THE WORK.

THAT IS OUR VISION STATEMENT.

THAT IS OUR MISSION STATEMENT.

UH, WE ALSO HAVE, UM, THE CITY'S OVERALL STRATEGIC VISION, UH, WHICH INCLUDES ANYTHING FROM HOUSING, HOMELESSNESS, UM, ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE, CIVIC

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SO THE CITY HAS, UH, MEANT, HAS PRIORITIZED DIGITAL INCLUSION AS ONE OF ITS KEY FOCUS AREAS IN THE WAY THEY THINK ABOUT THE OVERALL CITY.

AND THEN OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE OUR DIGITAL INCLUSION IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, WHICH AGAIN, WE LAUNCHED THIS MONTH THAT HAS REALLY SPECIFIC PROGRAM IDEAS AND STRATEGIES, UH, FOR US TO BE ABLE TO LEVERAGE DIGITAL EQUITY ACT FUNDING, UM, AND FOR US TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON CLOSING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE IN A POST COVID WORLD.

SO I WANTED TO PROVIDE YOU ALL WITH SOME DATA.

THIS IS, UH, BASED ON THE RECENT, UM, CENSUS BUREAU DATA.

IT'S HOUSEHOLD WITHOUT INTERNET ACCESS BY RACE AND ETHNICITY.

UM, AND THEN IN THE LIGHT LAVENDER WE HAVE 2019.

AND IN THE DARKER BLUE WE HAVE 2020, SO THAT WE'RE ABLE TO GET A SENSE OF THE IMPACT OF COVID AND ALSO THE IMPACT OF OUR COVID RECOVERY PROGRAMS. UM, SO I DO WANNA HIGHLIGHT HERE OUR LATINX POPULATION.

SO IN 2019, 10% OF OUR LATINX POPULATION IN THE CITY DID NOT HAVE INTERNET ACCESS.

AND UM, IN 2022 IT WAS JUST 5%.

SO WE ARE SEEING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE NARROW, AND THAT IS REALLY, REALLY EXCITING NEWS.

BUT WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE STILL SOME WORK TO DO.

UM, 'CAUSE I COVER THIS, UH, YOU MIGHT NOTICE THE NATIVE HAWAIIAN SLASH PACIFIC ISLANDER GROUP, UM, THAT IS THE ONLY GROUP WHERE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE ACTUALLY, UM, GOT BIGGER.

SO IN 2019 IT WAS 11%, AND IN 2022 IT WAS 14%.

UM, THEIR VARIETY OF REASONS FOR THIS, BUT THE MAIN REASON IS THAT THIS IS JUST A POPULATION THAT IS A VERY, VERY, VERY SMALL SAMPLE SIZE.

SO IT'S ONLY ABOUT 84 FAMILIES.

SO I JUST WANTED TO NOTE THAT IT IS, UH, A KIND OF A DATA ANOMALY.

UM, AND HERE WE HAVE LONG BEACH HOUSEHOLDS WITHOUT COMPUTER ACCESS.

UM, SO AGAIN, UH, WE SEE THAT THE DIVIDE IS NARROWING.

SO FOCUSING ON OUR LATINX COMMUNITY IN, UH, 2019, 5% OF OUR HOUSEHOLDS, UH, WERE WITHOUT COMPUTER ACCESS.

AND NOW IT IS JUST 1%, WHICH IS INCREDIBLE, UH, FOR OUR BLACK COMMUNITY, UH, IN 2019 IT WAS 8%, AND NOW IT IS JUST 3%.

AND THEN THIS, UM, THIS GRAPH ALSO, UH, HAS THAT ANOMALY WITH OUR NATIVE HAWAIIAN SLASH PACIFIC ISLANDER, UH, COMMUNITY.

OKAY, SO HOW DOES LONG BEACH THINK ABOUT AND APPROACH DIGITAL EQUITY? UM, I WANTED TO WALK YOU ALL THROUGH SOME SHARED LANGUAGE AND KEY DEFINITIONS.

SO WHAT IS THE DIGITAL DIVIDE? UM, DID WHEN I TALK ABOUT THE DIGITAL DIVIDE, THAT'S THE ISSUE, RIGHT? THAT'S THE GAP BETWEEN COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO DIGITAL LITERACY, INTERNET CONNECTIVITY, AND INTERNET DEVICES.

UM, AND THEN WHAT IS DIGITAL EQUITY? THAT'S OUR GOAL.

THAT'S WHAT WE ARE AIMING FOR.

UH, THAT'S WHEN EVERYBODY HAS ACCESS TO DIGITAL LITERACY, INTERNET AND THE RIGHT KIND OF DEVICE THAT ALLOWS THEM TO BE SUCCESSFUL.

AND THEN WHAT IS DIGITAL INCLUSION? THAT IS OUR WORK.

SO THAT IS OUR EFFORT HERE.

UH, WE'RE PROACTIVELY ENSURING THAT EVERYONE IS ABLE TO GET THESE THINGS RIGHT.

UM, AND YOU'RE GONNA CONTINUOUSLY HEAR ME TALK ABOUT CAPACITY, CONNECTIVITY AND TECHNOLOGY.

AND SO THAT WE ARE ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT DIGITAL INCLUSION AS THIS, UH, THREE-LEGGED STOOL WHERE WE KNOW WE NEED THE DIGITAL SKILLS, WE KNOW WE NEED CONNECTIVITY, AND WE KNOW WE NEED DEVICES IN ORDER FOR SOMEBODY TO, UH, KIND OF BE DIGITALLY CONNECTED AND FOR US TO ACHIEVE DIGITAL EQUITY.

OKAY, SO AS A PART OF THIS, UH, WE CONVENED THE LONG BEACH DIGITAL EQUITY STAKEHOLDER COMMITTEE, UM, WHICH, UH, I BELIEVE COMMISSIONER DE ARMES WAS AT IN SEPTEMBER AND EARLIER THIS MONTH.

UM, SO THIS COMMITTEE IS COMPRISED OF COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS, EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, DIGITAL INCLUSION, NONPROFITS, INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS, ELECTED OFFICIALS, AND THEIR STAFF AS WELL AS CITY DEPARTMENTS.

UH, AND HERE IS A NICE PHOTO OF US, UH, FROM THAT SEPTEMBER MEETING.

UM, SO THIS IS A REALLY DIVERSE GROUP AND THE WAY THAT WE THINK ABOUT THIS GROUP IS THROUGH THE LENS OF COLLECTIVE IMPACT.

SO THE CITY SEES ITSELF AS A CONVENER THAT BRINGS TOGETHER THESE ORGANIZATIONS SO THAT TOGETHER WE ARE MORE THAN THE SUM OF OUR PARTS.

AND COLLECTIVE IMPACT MEANS THAT WE ALL HAVE A COMMON AGENDA, RIGHT? AND WE REALLY SEE THAT AS THE DIGITAL INCLUSION ROADMAP, UH, THAT WE ALL HAVE SHARED MEASUREMENTS SO THAT WE'RE ALL TRACKING OUR DATA IN THE SAME WAY, UM, THAT WE ARE WORKING ON MUTUALLY REINFORCING ACTIVITIES SO THAT IF SOMEBODY'S OFFERING A DIGITAL LITERACY COURSE, FOR EXAMPLE,

[00:20:01]

AND THEN WE ALSO THINK ABOUT CONTINUOUS COMMUNICATION.

SO ESSENTIALLY JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE CONSTANTLY IN CONTACT WITH ALL OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS, THAT THEY FEEL THAT THERE'S REALLY AN OPEN LINE OF COMMUNICATION FOR ALL OF US.

AND THEN THAT STRONG BACKBONE.

SO THAT AGAIN, IS THE CITY THAT IS OUR OFFICE OF DIGITAL EQUITY AND INCLUSION.

WE ARE CONVENING THIS GROUP.

WE ARE, UH, SENDING OUT FOLLOW UP ITEMS. WE ARE TAKING OWNERSHIP OF, UH, SENDING THE AGENDA.

WE ARE TAKING OWNERSHIP OF IMPLEMENTING OUR DIGITAL INCLUSION ROADMAP.

UM, SO I REALLY WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THESE PAST DIGITAL EQUITY PROGRAMS THAT WE ARE ABLE TO DO.

SO UNDER THE LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT, WHICH WAS OUR COVID RECOVERY ACT FUNDING, WE DID HAVE SEVERAL AMAZING PROGRAMS, MOST OF WHICH HAVE SINCE CLOSED, UH, BECAUSE, UH, OUR FUNDING HAS, UM, ENDED.

BUT, UH, WE WERE ABLE TO DO INCREDIBLE WORK, UH, THROUGH THESE PROGRAMS, AND WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS WORK AGAIN IN THE FUTURE.

UM, SO THE FIRST PROGRAM IS OUR DIGITAL INCLUSION COMMUNITY OUTREACH ACTIVITIES.

SO THESE WERE EIGHT COMMUNITY PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS THAT IMPLEMENTED EQUITY CENTERED INCLUSIVE AND CULTURALLY RELEVANT COMMUNITY OUTREACH.

THE SECOND ONE IS OUR DIGITAL INCLUSION RESOURCES HOTLINE.

SO THIS WAS A TEAM OF DIGITAL INCLUSION NAVIGATORS THAT WERE ABLE TO TAKE CALLS FROM THE PUBLIC WHO HAD ANY, ANY QUESTIONS AT ALL RELATED TO DIGITAL INCLUSION, WHETHER IT WAS MY INTERNET ISN'T WORKING RIGHT NOW, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO AFFORD INTERNET, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET A COMPUTER, THOSE TYPES OF QUESTIONS.

SO WE ARE STILL RUNNING THIS PROGRAM, BUT IT NOW USES A CALLBACK MODEL.

SO IF A COMMUNITY MEMBER CALLS US, UM, IT WILL GO TO VOICEMAIL AND THEN ONE OF OUR MEMBERS WILL JUST REACH OUT TO THEM, UH, I BELIEVE IT'S WITHIN 24 HOURS.

AND THEN WE HAVE OUR DIGITAL INCLUSION CONFIDENCE PROGRAM.

SO THIS WAS A DIGITAL SKILLS PROGRAM THAT PROVIDED ONE-ON-ONE COMMUNITY LITERACY SUPPORT SERVICES, UH, VIA A COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATION.

AND THEN, UH, FINALLY WE HAD OUR FREE INTERNET SER, UH, SERVICES AND COMPUTING DEVICES PROGRAM WHERE WE ACTUALLY DID GIVE OUT FREE, UH, BROADBAND HOTSPOTS AND CHROMEBOOK DEVICES TO COD LONG BEACH RESIDENTS, BUSINESSES AND NONPROFITS.

SO THROUGH ALL OF THAT WORK, WE WERE ABLE TO GIVE OUT $2.7 MILLION IN FEDERAL DIGITAL EQUITY ACT GRANT GRANT FUNDING.

UH, IN COLLABORATION WITH 11 COMMUNITY PARTNERS, WE ADMINISTERED MORE THAN 2,400 FREE HOTSPOTS IN 2,900, UH, COMPUTING DEVICES.

WE RECEIVED OVER 2,600 INQUIRIES THROUGH THE DIGITAL INCLUSION RESOURCES HOTLINE.

UH, AS I MENTIONED, WE CONTRACTED WITH 11 COMMUNITY PARTNERS, UM, TO IMPLEMENT MORE THAN 500 COMMUNITY OUTREACH ACTIVITIES.

AND WE EDUCATED MORE THAN 34,000 COMMUNITY MEMBERS ON DIGITAL INCLUSION RESOURCES AND SERVICES.

SO THAT WAS, THAT WAS THE PROGRAMMING THAT WE HAD DURING COVID.

AND SO NOW TRYING TO MOVE PAST THE COVID RECOVERY FUNDING, AND I HOPE YOU, EXCUSE ME, WHEN I SAY A POST PANDEMIC WORLD, I, I KNOW THAT WE ARE NOT OUT OF THE PANDEMIC, BUT WE ARE CERTAINLY OUT OF THE COVID-19 RECOVERY FUNDING.

AND SO WE NEED TO, UH, KIND OF FIND DIFFERENT WAYS TO THINK ABOUT OUR WORK.

AND SO WE'RE DOING THAT VIA THE DIGITAL INCLUSION IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.

SO THIS IMPLEMENTATION PLAN CONTAINS FIVE STRATEGIES.

UM, THE FIRST ONE IS COALITION BUILDING AND STRENGTHENING CROSS SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS.

THE SECOND ONE IS PREPARING FOR AND LEVERAGING FUNDING AND GRANT OPPORTUNITIES.

THE THIRD ONE IS SUSTAINING AND LAUNCHING DIGITAL INCLUSION PROGRAMS THAT MEET LONG BEACH'S NEEDS.

THE FOURTH ONE IS DIGITAL INCLUSION, ADVOCACY AND COMMUNICATIONS.

AND THE FIFTH ONE IS STRENGTHENING THE OFFICE OF DIGITAL EQUITY AND INCLUSION AND OUR ADMINISTRATIVE CAPACITY.

SO I WON'T DIVE INTO EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE KEY ACTIVITIES, BUT OUR STRATEGY HERE IS COALITION BUILDING AND STRENGTHENING CROSS-SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS.

THAT IS REALLY SO IMPORTANT TO THIS WORK.

IT IS MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE TALKING WITH OUR COUNTY PARTNERS, WITH OUR STATE PARTNERS, WITH OUR FEDERAL PARTNERS, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE WORKING TOGETHER, WE'RE LEVERAGING ANY GRANT FUNDING THAT'S AVAILABLE AND THAT WE ARE CROSS-PROMOTING CURRENT RESOURCES THAT MAY EXIST.

FIRST.

STRATEGY TWO, AS I MENTIONED, WE ARE PREPARING FOR AND LEVERAGING FUNDING AND GRANT OPPORTUNITIES.

UM, SO THROUGH THE BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW, WE HAVE THE DIGITAL EQUITY ACT AND WE HAVE BROADBAND EQUITY, ACCESSIBILITY AND DEPLOYMENT.

SO BEAD.

UM, SO THESE ARE TWO KIND OF REALLY MONUMENTAL EFFORTS BY OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO CLOSE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE.

UM, AND, UH, WE ARE REALLY CLOSELY MONITORING

[00:25:01]

SO STRATEGY THREE, UH, WE ARE ALSO SUSTAINING AND LAUNCHING DIGITAL INCLUSION PROGRAMS THAT MEET LONG BEACH'S NEEDS.

SO, UH, WHEN, IF AND WHEN WE ARE ABLE TO, UH, GET THAT GRANT FUNDING, WE ARE LOOKING AT EXPANDING OUR COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND DIGITAL SKILLS TRAINING.

UM, WE ARE LOOKING AT CONTINUING, UM, TO GIVE OUT FREE COMPUTING DEVICES AND, UH, HOTSPOTS.

AND THEN WE ARE ALSO REALLY THINKING ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY, AS I MENTIONED.

SO LOOKING AT, UH, PARTNERING WITH OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS TO EXPLORE, DEVELOP, AND IMPLEMENT OTHER TYPES OF PROGRAMS. SO THIS COULD BE LIKE PUBLIC WIFI AT PARKS, WHICH WE ARE ACTIVELY WORKING ON MORE DIGITAL SKILLS TRAININGS AT CITY FACILITIES, AND, UH, EXPANDING OUR LIBRARY'S TECH TO GO PROGRAM.

SORRY, I NEED TO GET THIS CONTROL UNDER CONTROL .

UM, SO OUR IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY NUMBER FOUR IS DIGITAL INCLUSION, ADVOCACY AND COMMUNICATIONS.

SO BECAUSE THIS DIGITAL INCLUSION IS AN EMERGING FIELD, THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY FOR ADVOCACY, UM, AND A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY FOR EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT.

SO WE ARE ENGAGING ELECTED OFFICIALS FROM THE CALIFORNIA STATE LEGISLATURE AND ADVOCATING FOR EQUITY CENTER DIGITAL INCLUSION POLICIES AND LOCAL CONTROL.

WE ARE ADVOCATING FOR AN EXTENSION OF THE AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY PROGRAM OR A SUCCESSOR LOW COST INTERNET SERVICE PROGRAM.

AND I'LL JUST PAUSE HERE AND SAY THAT THE AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY PROGRAM, UH, WHICH OFFICIALLY CLOSED IN MAY OF THIS YEAR WAS, UH, A REALLY SIGNIFICANT DISCOUNT PROGRAM FOR LOW INCOME ELIGIBLE COMMUNITY MEMBERS.

AND ALMOST 60% OF LONG BEACH'S, UH, COMMUNITY, UH, OF LONG BEACH'S HOUSEHOLDS WERE ON THE AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY PROGRAM.

AND SO WHEN THAT FUNDING WENT AWAY, IT MADE IT SO THAT THESE FAMILIES WERE LIKELY NOT ABLE TO AFFORD ACCESS TO THE INTERNET ANYMORE.

UM, SO THAT, THAT ONE IS REALLY HUGE.

WE ARE REALLY ADVOCATING FOR THAT EXTENSION.

UM, WE ALSO PARTICIPATE IN THE NATIONAL DIGITAL INCLUSION ALLIANCE, UH, DIGITAL EQUITIES LEADER LEADERSHIP, UH, NETWORK, MONTHLY MEETINGS AND LOTS OF OTHER DIGITAL INC.

INCLUSION COALITIONS.

AND FINALLY, WE ADVOCATE FOR POLICIES THAT PREVENT DIGITAL DISCRIMINATION.

SO NUMBER FIVE IS STRENGTHENING THE OFFICE OF DIGITAL EQUITY AND INCLUSION'S ADMINISTRATIVE CAPACITY.

SO WE ARE ONBOARDING A DIGITAL INCLUSION PARTNER TO DEVELOP A STRATEGY TO IDENTIFY AND PURSUE GRANT FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES, UM, WHICH I'VE ALREADY MENTIONED.

AND WE ARE ONBOARDING A GENERAL INCLUSION PARTNER TO DEVELOP A STRATEGY FOR PROVIDING INTERNET CONNECTIVITY TO MULTI-FAMILY DWELLING UNITS.

SO ESSENTIALLY WE ARE LOOKING FOR A PARTNER, UM, TO HELP US UNDERSTAND HOW WE COULD PROVIDE INTERNET TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING THROUGHOUT THE CITY AS AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS BUILT.

OKAY.

SO THAT WAS OUR, THAT WAS EVERYTHING THAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO.

THAT WAS OUR WHOLE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.

AND THEN NOW I'M GOING TO, UH, KIND OF CLOSE OUT WITH OUR CURRENT EFFORTS.

SO AS I MENTIONED, WE ARE, UH, WORKING TO APPLY TO THE DIGITAL EQUITY ACT, UM, AND WE ARE DOING THAT THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE LA WITH LA COUNTY.

SO LA COUNTY HAS LAUNCHED SOMETHING THAT THEY'RE CALLING THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL BROADBAND COORDINATING COMMITTEE.

SO THAT'S LA COUNTY, IT'S THE CITY OF LONG BEACH.

IT'S OTHER LA CITIES, IT'S OTHER COUNCILS OF GOVERNMENTS, AND IT'S ALSO, UH, REGIONAL DIGITAL INCLUSION ORGANIZATIONS.

UM, SO THIS COMMITTEE OVERALL, UH, EXISTS TO SECURE AND IMPLEMENT FEDERAL AND STATE GRANT PROGRAMS, UM, AND ALSO TO ADDRESS THE DIGITAL DIVIDE IN ALL OF LA COUNTY.

SO WE ARE VERY ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS IN THAT.

UH, AND AS I MENTIONED ALREADY, THE DIGITAL EQUITY ACT COMPETITIVE GRANT, IT WAS THIS HUGE GRANT OPPORTUNITY AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL.

WE DID APPLY THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP, UH, WITH THE COUNTY.

SO THAT WAS DUE ON SEPTEMBER 23RD, UH, 2024, WHICH WAS JUST TWO DAYS AGO.

SO THAT, DON'T WORRY, WE DID SUBMIT THAT GRANT APPLICATION, IF SUCCESSFUL, THE GRANT WILL FUND THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES, WHICH ARE AI LITERACY AND SKILLS TRAINING, DIGITAL LITERACY AND SKILLS TRAINING, MORE LAPTOP AND HOTSPOT DISTRIBUTIONS, UM, AND A VARIETY OF OUTREACH, ENROLLMENT AND ADOPTION ACTIVITIES.

UH, THE CALIFORNIA EMERGING TECHNOLOGY FUND.

SO THIS IS A GRANT THAT WE HAVE APPLIED FOR AND RECEIVED, UH, PENDING COUNSEL APPROVAL ON OCTOBER 1ST.

UH, WE WILL PARTICIPATE IN THREE LEARNING COMMUNITY MEETINGS WITH THE CALIFORNIA EMERGING TECHNOLOGY FUND.

AND WE ARE ESSENTIALLY ABLE TO SPEND DOWN THIS GRANT FUNDING ON ANY DIGITAL INCLUSION RELATED ACTIVITIES THAT CLOSE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE.

AND FINALLY, UM, WE ARE

[00:30:01]

SO THE THEME THIS YEAR IS STRONGER TOGETHER, MOBILIZING TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY.

AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS JUST KIND OF EVERYTHING THAT I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IN THIS, UM, PRESENTATION, WHICH IS THAT WE ARE EXITING THIS REALLY BIG STAGE IN DIGITAL INCLUSION WHERE WE HAD A LOT OF FEDERAL COVID RECOVERY FUNDS.

AND SO NOW WE REALLY NEED TO THINK ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER, LEVERAGING PARTNERSHIPS IN ORDER TO LOOK AT SUSTAINABLE PROGRAMS. SO, UH, WE WILL LAUNCH A SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN, UM, THAT FOLLOWS THIS THEME.

WE WILL HAVE DAILY POSTS CONSISTING OF DIGITAL INCLUSION, TERMS, RESOURCES, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS, LIKE I SAID, TO CONTINUE EDUCATING PEOPLE ABOUT THIS WORK.

UM, AND WE WILL USE THE HASHTAG, UH, DIW 2024.

UM, WE ARE ALSO PARTICIPATING IN A COMMUNITY VIDEO, UH, WHICH IS LIKE THIS NATIONAL DIGITAL INCLUSION ALLIANCES WORK.

AND WE'LL ALSO BE, UH, LIGHTING UP LONG BEACH CITY HALL IN BLUE, UM, JUST TO SAY THAT WE ARE CELEBRATING DIGITAL INCLUSION WEEK.

AND THAT IS, UH, MY BEST ATTEMPT AT GIVING YOU ALL A REALLY COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW OF DIGITAL EQUITY AND INCLUSION, OUR WORK THUS FAR, UH, WHERE WE'RE GOING AND KIND OF WHERE WE'RE AT CURRENTLY.

SO IF YOU ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR THEM.

FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR HIGHLIGHTING AND SYNTHESIZING ALL OF THE WORK THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR YEARS.

.

UM, IT'S KIND OF INTERESTING BECAUSE THIS MORNING WE ARE, UM, I, UM, I MEAN NOT TO NAME DROP, BUT I'M PART OF THE OBAMA FOUNDATION LEADERS COHORT RIGHT NOW.

AND THIS MORNING WE WERE ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT, UM, THE DIFFERENT LEADERS IN THE, WE WERE BROKEN OUT INTO SMALL GROUPS AND HOW WE CREATE COMMUNITY IMPACT AND DIGITAL INCLUSION WAS LIKE AT THE TOP, LIKE PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT HOW THEY ADVOCATE FOR MUCH, TO YOUR POINT EARLIER, UM, GETTING LOW COST AND AFFORDABLE INTERNET SERVICE.

I PAY $95 A MONTH JUST FOR BASIC INTERNETS NOT EVEN CABLE.

AND SO WE WERE TALKING ABOUT LIKE WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT WE COULD EITHER GET THAT SORT OF CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY AND THEN WHAT ARE THE, UM, GOVERNMENT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPACT? AND THEN WHY IT'S IMPORTANT.

SO HOW ARE THE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE BENEFIT RECEIVING, UM, SERVICES AND ACCESS TO DIGITAL INCLUSION AND DEVICES AND INTERNET CONNECTIVITY, WHY THAT'S IMPORTANT AND HOW THAT ACTUALLY GALVANIZES THEM TOWARDS BETTER FUTURES.

SO IT WAS JUST INTERESTING BECAUSE I WAS JUST THIS MORNING AND I WAS REFERENCING SOME OF OUR EARLIER WORK, BUT NOW I CAN GO BACK AND KIND OF SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THE CITY OF LONG BEACH IS DOING.

UM, AND SO THE POINT I WANTED TO MAKE IS LIKE TOP OF MIND, YOU KNOW, THIS KIND OF WORK IS SUPER VITAL AND I'M GLAD THAT THE CITY OF LONG BEACH IS CONTINUING TO INVEST IN THIS BECAUSE THIS WILL MAKE, UH, UH, IMPACT FOR GENERATIONS TO COME OF HOW PEOPLE ARE GETTING EDUCATED, BEING, YOU KNOW, UH, GOOD, UH, UH, ENGAGED CITIZENS.

SO THANK YOU FOR CONTINUING TO DO THIS WORK.

ESTEFANIA, THANK YOU FOR THE OVERVIEW.

THIS WAS REALLY INSIGHTFUL.

UM, I WAS CURIOUS FOR THE DIGITAL INCLUSION IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, IS IT TIME BOUND? IS IT UP TO A CERTAIN TIME PERIOD? YEAH, SO THAT IS OUR WORK PLAN ESSENTIALLY FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS.

WE ARE HOPING TO UPDATE THAT REALLY REGULARLY.

UM, YEAH, SO A LOT, I GUESS TO EXPAND ON THAT A LITTLE BIT, A LOT OF WHAT IS GOING ON NOW IS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PROVIDING GUIDANCE ON HOW THE DIGITAL EQUITY ACT WILL BE ROLLED OUT.

IT'S A LOT OF US TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON AT THE STATE LEVEL AND HOW THE STATE IS GOING TO ROLL OUT THEIR OWN DIGITAL EQUITY ACT FUNDING.

SO WE PUT TOGETHER THIS IMPLEMENTATION PLAN IN A WAY THAT REALLY ALIGNED WITH THE STATE'S DIGITAL EQUITY PLAN.

UH, TRYING TO JUST MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE AS ALIGNED AND AS ON TOP OF IT IN PREPARATION FOR IT AS WE COULD BE.

UM, WE KNOW THAT THINGS WILL BE SHIFTING AS WE FIND OUT MORE.

AND SO THAT'S REALLY THE INTENT IS THAT WE GET TWO YEARS TO WORK ON THIS AND IMPLEMENT IT AND THEN HOPEFULLY COME BACK WITH A DIFFERENT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AS OUR WORK SHIFTS.

NO, THAT MAKES SENSE.

AND IT'S GOOD THAT YOU GUYS ARE CONSTANTLY REEVALUATING IT.

I WAS ALSO CURIOUS, YOU MENTIONED LIKE GRANT FUNDING AT VARIOUS POINTS.

I WAS CURIOUS FOR THE PLAN, LIKE WHAT PERCENT OF IT IS GRANT FUNDED VERSUS CITY FUNDED VERSUS COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS? THAT IS AN EXCELLENT QUESTION.

SO, UH,

[00:35:01]

AND THEN, UM, PARTS OF THE EXPECTATION OF US HAVING THIS OFFICE IS THAT WE WILL BRING IN GRANT FUNDS TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS WORK.

UH, AS I MENTIONED, RIGHT NOW OUR ONLY, UH, PROGRAM IS THE DIGITAL INCLUSION RESOURCES HOTLINE, ALONG WITH OTHER CITYWIDE DIGITAL INCLUSION EFFORTS.

UM, THAT'S A LONG WAY OF SAYING THAT A LOT OF THIS WORK IS GRANT FUNDED.

AND WHEN THOSE COVID RECOVERY GRANT FUNDING, UH, WHEN THAT COVID RECOVERY ACT FUNDING WENT AWAY, WE DID CLOSE DOWN THESE PROGRAMS. SO WE ARE LOOKING FOR FUNDING TO OPEN UP THE PROGRAMS, BUT OUR OFFICE IS STRUCTURALLY FUNDED AND THEN CITYWIDE, THERE ARE A TON OF DIGITAL INCLUSION RESOURCES THAT ARE OFFERED BY OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS, AND WE ARE KIND OF WORKING TO LEVERAGE ALL OF THOSE, UH, RESOURCES AND JUST TRY TO MAP IT OUT SO THAT WE CAN SAY TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS, YOU KNOW, LIKE YMCA OFFERS THIS INCREDIBLE CLASS EVERY THURSDAY.

GOT IT.

WELL, HOPEFULLY, FINGERS CROSSED YOU GUYS GET MORE FUNDING IN OCTOBER.

THANKS.

HI.

UM, FIRST WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK TO YOU AND YOUR TEAM.

UH, I WAS CURIOUS JUST ON THE DATA, UM, WHAT THE METHODOLOGY WAS FOR COLLECTING IT, GIVEN THAT, YOU KNOW, MOST OF THESE INDIVIDUALS DON'T HAVE COMPUTER ACCESS OR INTERNET ACCESS, AND I, I KNOW THAT THAT'S KIND OF BEEN A CHALLENGE OF OURS AS WE WERE HOSTING DIFFERENT EVENTS AND HOW TO GET THE WORD OUT.

YEAH.

SO, UH, SO I SHOWED YOU TWO DIFFERENT KINDS OF DATA IN THIS PRESENTATION.

THE FIRST ONE WERE THE BAR GRAPHS FROM THE US CENSUS BUREAU.

SO WE ARE JUST RELYING ON THE US CENSUS BUREAU'S DATA FOR THAT INFORMATION.

THEY DO ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT HOUSEHOLD INTERNET ACCESS AND THEN HOUSEHOLD, UH, COMPUTING DEVICES.

SO THAT IS JUST INFORMATION STRAIGHT FROM THE CENSUS BUREAU.

UM, THERE ARE LOTS OF DIFFERENT WAYS WHERE THE CENSUS BUREAU'S DATA IS IMPERFECT.

MM-HMM, .

SO THAT IS IMPERFECT DATA.

UM, AND I'M SO GLAD YOU ASKED THIS QUESTION BECAUSE THE NUMBERS LOOK REALLY GOOD.

LIKE I THINK AT, AT ONE POINT I SHOWED YOU THAT IT WAS JUST 1% OF LATINO COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT DON'T HAVE, UM, COMPUTER ACCESS, BUT WE, WE KNOW THE GAP IS LARGER THAN THAT BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT OF DISTRUST AROUND THE CENSUS BUREAU.

THERE'S A LOT OF WAYS IN WHICH THESE COMMUNITIES ARE HARD TO REACH AND THAT MAKES THEM ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE TO THE DIGITAL DIVIDE.

SO THAT'S THAT KIND OF SECTION OF THE DATA.

THE OTHER SECTION OF THE DATA IS THE ONES THAT I SHOWED YOU ABOUT OUR RECOVERY PROGRAMS. UM, SO THAT DATA WE COLLECTED OURSELVES VIA SURVEYS AND VIA, UM, THESE REALLY, UH, POWERFUL, UH, INTERVIEWS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE WITH OUR PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS.

GOT IT.

THANK YOU FOR THAT.

AND THEN, UM, SINCE WE'RE SAYING POST PANDEMIC, UM, ARE WE GOING TO DO ANY PLANS TO UPDATE THE DATA SO THAT IT ALIGNS WITH, WITH THE, UM, STRATEGIC PLAN GOING FORWARD? SO WE'RE GONNA BE CONTINUOUSLY LOOKING AT THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY, WHICH IS ADMINISTERED BY THE US CENSUS BUREAU.

UM, SO YES, WE WILL BE LOOKING AT THAT REGULARLY.

UM, BUT WE'RE ALSO LOOKING INTO DIFFERENT WAYS WHERE WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO SOME COMMUNITY ASSESSMENTS, UM, WHERE WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT, FOR EXAMPLE, SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME IS UNDERSTANDING THE DIGITAL SKILL LEVEL OF OUR COMMUNITIES.

AND WE DON'T HAVE A GOOD WAY OF ASSESSING THAT AND WE DON'T, AND THAT'S NOT INFORMATION THAT THE CENSUS BUREAU COLLECTS.

SO WE ARE EXPLORING DIFFERENT WAYS TO COLLECT DATA ABOUT THAT AND TO HAVE KIND OF DIGITAL SKILLS ASSESSMENTS.

GOT IT.

THANK YOU.

AND LAST QUESTION, UM, FOR THE DIGITAL INCLUSION WEEK.

SO, UM, I THINK THAT'S A GREAT IDEA, SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN, BUT AGAIN, FOR THE PEOPLE THAT AREN'T ON SOCIAL MEDIA, UM, WHAT'S THE PLAN TO GET THE MESSAGE OUT THERE? YEAH, SO, UH, WE ARE, WE ARE ESSENTIALLY DOING DIGITAL INCLUSION WEEK TO BRING AWARENESS TO OTHER COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS OR OTHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS.

SO I THINK THE INTENT IS THAT THOSE FOLKS ARE KIND OF MORE DIGITALLY CONNECTED.

UM, I WOULD ALSO SAY THAT EVEN FOLKS WHO DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET LIKELY HAVE ACCESS TO SOCIAL MEDIA VIA THEIR, UH, PHONES.

SO THAT OFTEN IS A BETTER WAY OF REACHING PEOPLE THAN WE MIGHT THINK.

UM, BUT, UH, OTHER THAN THAT, WE ARE LIGHTING UP OUR CITY HALL FACILITIES AND WE CONTINUE TO HAVE OUR, UH, ACTUAL DIGITAL INCLUSION PROGRAMS. SO FOR EXAMPLE, OUR LIBRARY TECH TO GO PROGRAM, UM, AND OUR, THE DIFFERENT, UH, COURSES THAT OUR COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS OFFER.

[00:40:01]

AND WHEREVER WE CAN HELP, LET US KNOW.

THANKS.

YEAH, THAT'S INTERESTING THAT WHEN YOU CONSIDER, DOES SOMEONE HAVE ACCESS TO INTERNET, YOU'RE NOT INCLUDING LIKE PHONES IN THAT BUCKET.

'CAUSE I WAS ASSUMING THESE WERE PEOPLE THAT DIDN'T HAVE IT ON THEIR PHONES EITHER.

'CAUSE THERE SHOULD BE A WAY TO MAYBE CALCULATE HOW MANY PHONES ARE IN LONG BEACH THAT HAVE INTERNET OR DON'T HAVE INTERNET.

DO GOVERNMENT PHONES HAVE, I'M JUST CURIOUS, DO GOVERNMENT PHONES HAVE INTERNET ON THEM OR IS IT, DO THEY, SORRY, SAY IT AGAIN.

YOU KNOW HOW THERE'S A LOT OF FREE GOVERNMENT PHONES THAT THEY'RE GIVING OUT? DOES THAT, IS THAT CONNECTED? DO YOU KNOW? CURIOUS? I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT.

UM, BUT I, WE DO HAVE US CENSUS DATA ON HOW MANY PEOPLE ACCESS THE INTERNET THROUGH JUST THEIR PHONES.

UM, AND THE NUMBER IS ACTUALLY QUITE LOW, AGAIN, WITH THE CAVEAT ABOUT THE US CENSUS BUREAU AND THAT DATA COLLECTION.

UM, SO IF SOMEBODY IS ACCESSING THE INTERNET, SO FOR EXAMPLE, IF A STUDENT IS DOING THEIR HOMEWORK EXCLUSIVELY VIA THEIR SMARTPHONE, WE KNOW THAT THAT'S NOT AN ADEQUATE, UH, DEVICE FOR THEM.

SO THAT ACTUALLY WE REMOVED FROM THE DATA THAT YOU SEE THAT WE, I SHOWED YOU PREVIOUSLY.

SO WE DON'T BELIEVE THAT SOMEBODY WHO IS ACCESSING THE INTERNET EX EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH THEIR SMARTPHONE IS DIGITALLY CONNECTED.

WE DON'T, WE DON'T CONSIDER THAT TO HAVE BEEN ENOUGH.

UM, BUT I WILL TAKE BACK THE QUESTION ABOUT THE, UM, GOVERNMENT PHONES BECAUSE I DUNNO THE ANSWER TO THAT.

YEAH, THAT'S INTERESTING.

I'M NOT SURE I WOULD COUNT IT THAT WAY BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF ADULTS IN THE COMMUNITY THAT THEIR WORK IS AT WORK AND THEY, WHEN THEY'RE OFF WORK, THEY DON'T NECESSARILY NEED A COMPUTER AND THEIR, THEIR PHONE IS KIND OF THEIR MAIN THING THEY'RE USING.

I WOULD IMAGINE IT MIGHT BE WORTH LOOKING AT.

UM, THANK YOU EVERYBODY FOR THAT.

I MEAN, YOU KNOW, IT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT TOPIC WITH THE DISCUSSION LIKE IT IS, UH, UP HERE.

SO, UM, BEING AT THE MEETING, UM, I WANT TO GIVE A HIGH FIVE TO STEPHANIA AND THE, AND THE TEAM FOR PUTTING THE, UM, THE STAKEHOLDER COMMITTEE MEETING TOGETHER THE WAY THEY DID.

UH, SOMETHING THAT CAME UP, UH, A COUPLE WAYS HERE WAS, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE CURRENT FUNDING, WHAT'S CURRENTLY GOING ON? AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE SPENT SIGNIFICANT TIME ON IN THE SESSION WAS LEARNING WHAT THE OTHER AGENCIES AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS HAVE TO OFFER AND WHAT THEY'RE ALREADY DOING IN THE CITY SEPARATE FROM THE FUNDING THAT WE'VE ASKED ABOUT AND SEPARATE FROM, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S ALREADY HAPPENING.

AND SO THAT WAS ONE OF, I THINK THE MOST VALUABLE THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN THERE WAS THAT DISCUSSION OF A LOT OF US WHO ARE LIKE INVOLVED IN DIFFERENT NONPROFITS AND DIFFERENT AGENCIES AND CITY ORGANIZATIONS WHO ARE ABLE TO JUST SHARE WITH EACH OTHER AND, AND IN TURN, UH, WITH THE TEAM HERE, UH, SO THAT THEY CAN CREATE A CATALOG OF WHAT'S ALREADY OUT THERE SO THAT WHEN FUNDING COMES THROUGH AND WHAT WE ASK FOR AND THINGS LIKE THAT CAN BE INFORMED BY THE GAPS.

SO THAT'S A REAL HIGH FIVE FOR LIKE, HOW THAT WENT THROUGH.

I WANT TO POINT THAT OUT 'CAUSE, UH, IT'S A TON OF INFORMATION YOU JUST COVERED AND UM, THAT WAS A HIGHLIGHT FOR LIKE, WHAT ARE WE DOING NOW? THAT'S EXACTLY IT, IT'S COMMUNITY AND SEEING WHAT WE'RE ALREADY DOING AND WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE IS ALREADY PITCHING IN IN THE MEANTIME.

SO, YEAH.

UM, I HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION ACTUALLY, UM, LISTENING TO EVERYBODY TALK.

UM, YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU ARE YOU AND TWO OTHERS, UH, COMPRISE THE DIGITAL EQUITY OFFICE WHO, UM, THEN APPROVES THE BUDGET OR LIKE WHEN YOU SAY, OKAY, THIS IS WHAT, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE THE ROADMAP LOOKS LIKE, WHICH WE ALL COLLECTIVELY WORKED ON, BUT THEN WHO GETS LIKE FINAL SAY TO SAY LIKE, OKAY, YES, THAT'S THE PLAN FOR THE CITY AND HERE'S THE FUNDING THAT WE'RE ALLOCATING, AND THEN WHERE CAN, WHERE, WHERE IS THAT GRANT FUNDING SORT OF REPORTED OR WHERE IT'S LIKE, OKAY, THE $21,000 WE GOT? UM, AND NOT TO BE AN OVERSEER, BUT JUST KIND OF CURIOUS, LIKE WHEN YOU GET THAT $21,000, WHO IS, WHO'S LIKE KIND OF DECIDING WHERE THAT'S ALLOCATED AND WHERE IS THAT IF, IF AT ALL REPORTED? SURE.

THAT'S AN EXCELLENT QUESTION.

UM, SO WHEN WE APPLY TO A GRANT, UH, WE ARE KIND OF USING THE DATA THAT WE HAVE AND ALSO, UH, OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH COMMUNITY TO DETERMINE WHERE THE FUNDING SHOULD GO AND HOW WE WANT TO DESIGN, YOU KNOW, A DIGITAL LITERACY, UH, PROGRAM, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, IF WE ARE SUCCESSFUL

[00:45:01]

I HOPE THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S, OH, SORRY.

UM, YES.

UM, AND SO THE GRANT FUNDING GOES INTO A DEPARTMENTAL BUDGET WITH THE CITY FUNDS AS WELL, OR IS IT SEPARATE? I BELIEVE IT IS SEPARATE.

UH, BUT I MIGHT DEFER THAT, UM, UH, TO, UH, LEAH LATER ON.

YEAH.

YEAH.

I'M JUST CUR I'M JUST LITERALLY CURIOUS, JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW THINGS ARE FUNDED AND HOW THEY'RE APPROVED AS A GO LIKE, YES, WE'RE GONNA DO THIS.

UM, COOL, THANK YOU.

I THINK JUST TO ADD SOMETHING ELSE IS THAT WE ARE ALWAYS RESPONSIBLE FOR GRANT REPORTING THROUGH WHATEVER AGENCY ENDED UP, UH, AWARDING US A SPECIFIC GRANT.

SO WHETHER THAT'S STATE OR FEDERAL, I WANNA SAY YOU'VE DONE A GREAT JOB AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.

AND I HAVE A QUESTION, AND IT RELATES TO IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY THREE, SUSTAIN AND LAUNCH DIGITAL INCLUSION PROGRAMS THAT MEET LONG BEACH'S NEEDS.

I KNOW, UM, ON THE THIRD BULLET, IT, IT TALKED ABOUT EXPANDING THE LIBRARY TECH TO GO PROGRAM PROGRAM.

CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THAT? OF COURSE.

SO THE LIBRARY CURRENTLY HAS A PROGRAM WHERE THEY OFFER, UH, COMPUTERS, I BELIEVE THEY'RE CHROMEBOOKS AND HOTSPOTS, UM, FOR LENDING.

SO JUST THE WAY THAT YOU WOULD CHECK OUT A BOOK, YOU CAN CHECK OUT A CHROMEBOOK OR A HOTSPOT, UM, THERE IS A WAIT FOR THESE DEVICES OFTEN, SO THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH DEVICES.

SO WE ARE LOOKING AT, UH, GRANT FUNDING OR PARTNERSHIPS THAT CAN HELP US GET MORE OF THOSE DEVICES.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU FOR THAT DETAILED PRESENTATION.

I JUST HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS THAT I WOULD LIKE TO ASK AND SOME OF IT YOU HAVE ALREADY COVERED.

UM, HOW WOULD YOU GO ABOUT REACHING A COMMUNITY AT LARGE FOR INTERNET ? UM, JUST TO CLARIFY, LIKE HOW WOULD I, HOW WOULD WE REACH OUT TO EVERYBODY OR HOW WOULD WE GET EVERYBODY CONNECTED? YES.

HOW WOULD YOU GET EVERYONE CONNECTED WITHIN IN THE COMMUNITY? YEAH, SO OUR KEY ISSUE IS AFFORDABILITY IN LONG BEACH.

I THINK CHAIR BRUNSON REFERENCED HER OWN INTERNET BILL.

UM, THAT THAT'S REALLY THE, THE TOP BARRIER.

SO OTHER MORE RURAL COMMUNITIES FACE ISSUES OF JUST, UH, ACCESS.

LIKE THERE IT COULD BE THAT THEY, UH, LIVE IN A HOME THAT SIMPLY DOES NOT HAVE INTERNET ACCESS IN LONG BEACH.

THAT IS LARGELY NOT THE CASE.

MOST RESIDENTS, UM, CAN GET ACCESS.

IT'S JUST THAT FOLKS CAN'T AFFORD IT.

UH, SO RIGHT NOW WE ARE LOOKING AT THE AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY PROGRAM, AS I MENTIONED, WHICH, UH, 60% OF OUR COMMUNITY, UH, USED TO BE A PART OF.

AND THAT, UM, PROVIDED THEM A $30 CREDIT ON THEIR INTERNET BILL, WHICH WAS REALLY LIFE CHANGING FOR A LOT OF FAMILIES.

UM, SINCE THAT MONEY HAS GONE AWAY, WE ARE AGAIN ADVOCATING FOR THE RETURN OF THAT FUNDING AND ALSO LOOKING AT OTHER WAYS WHERE, UH, PARTNERING WITH INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS, THEY CAN PROVIDE LOW COST, UM, ALTERNATIVES, UM, AND THEN LOOKING AT OTHER FEDERAL PROGRAMS THAT MIGHT BE ABLE TO SUBSIDIZE THE COST OF INTERNET.

OKAY.

IF I MAY ADD, UH, JUST ANOTHER NOTE, WE ALSO ARE EMBARKING ON EFFORTS TO, UH, ENHANCE OR INCREASE OUR COVERAGE, OUR WIFI COVERAGE IN PUBLIC SPACES.

SO AS PART OF OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING, FOR EXAMPLE, WE ARE LOOKING AT INCREASED WIFI AT OUR PARKS.

UM, THERE ARE NUMEROUS PARKS WITHIN THE, WITHIN THE CITY, A LOT OF THEM ALREADY HAVE WIFI, MAYBE IT'S NOT THE GREATEST WIFI.

UM, SO WE'RE LOOKING TO EITHER ENHANCE EXISTING WIFI OR ADD IN WIFI WHERE IT DOESN'T EXIST CURRENTLY.

SO THAT'S, THAT'S JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF HOW WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO BRIDGE THE DIVIDE.

OKAY.

THANK YOU.

ARE THE GRANT FUNDING IN THE PROCESS TO REACH YOUR, UH, REACH YOUR GOAL FOR 20 FOR THE REMAINING OF 2024 AND 25? SO ARE WE, ARE WE ON TRACK TO REACH OUR GOALS FOR 2024 AND 2025? YES.

UM, EXCELLENT QUESTION.

SO AS I MENTIONED, WE DID, UH, SUBMIT A GRANT APPLICATION ON SEPTEMBER 23RD FOR THE DIGITAL EQUITY ACT.

UH, WE ACTUALLY HAVE QUITE A FEW, UH, GRANT SUBMISSIONS

[00:50:01]

SO THE, THE SHORT ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION IS, I DON'T KNOW, BECAUSE WE ARE STILL WAITING ON A COUPLE OF REALLY, REALLY KEY, UH, GRANT AWARD ANNOUNCEMENTS.

UM, BUT WE WILL BE KEEPING A LOOKOUT ON THAT.

AND AS I SAID, ALL OF THOSE GRANT AWARD NOTIFICATIONS GO TO COUNCIL.

OKAY.

WITH YOUR, UM, WITH, WITH THE PARTNERSHIP AND THE STAKEHOLDER, ARE GRANTS ALREADY IN PROCESS FOR THIS PARTICULAR FISCAL YEAR TO FUND THE PROGRAMS? SO FOR THIS PARTICULAR FISCAL YEAR, ACTUALLY, WE JUST STARTED A NEW FISCAL YEAR.

SO WE ARE LOOKING AT, AS I MENTIONED, THE CALIFORNIA EMERGING TECHNOLOGY FUND, UM, THAT GRANT, UH, HELP SUPPORT ANY AND ALL DIGITAL INCLUSION ACTIVITIES.

AND THAT ONE HAS BEEN AWARDED AND WILL GO TO COUNCIL ON OCTOBER 1ST.

OKAY.

YOU ANSWERED MY QUESTION AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND THANK YOU FOR ANSWERING ALL OF OUR QUESTIONS WITH SUCH GRACE .

THANK YOU COMMISSIONERS.

DO WE HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEM NUMBER FOUR? SEEING NONE, MEMBERS PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTES.

COMMISSIONER PATTERSON, IS THAT A YES OR A NO? TO RECEIVE VOTE? IT HAS TO BE.

YEAH, THAT'S FINE.

PERFECT.

THANK YOU.

MOTION CARRIES.

ITEM NUMBER FIVE, RECOMMENDATION TO CONSIDER THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ADDITIONAL AD HOC COMMITTEES AND OR DISSOLUTION OF EXISTING AD HOC COMMITTEES COMMISSION AS, AS YOU EMBARK ON THIS CONVERSATION, PLEASE NOTE THAT WE DO HAVE TWO SUBCOMMITTEES THAT STILL REQUIRE MEMBERSHIP.