[00:00:01]
HELP MEETING TO ORDER.UM, FOR THE RECORD, UH, VICE CHAIR THOMAS IS EXCUSED FROM THE MEETING THERE.
ANY OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT HERE YET? UH, WE DON'T HAVE ERICA, WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL.
SO WE'LL DO, UH, COMMISSIONER
UM, SO THEN WHY DON'T WE MOVE TO THE AGENDA ITEMS. SO, UM, AGENDA ITEM NUMBER ONE, READ THAT.
ITEM NUMBER ONE IS RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FOR THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MEETING OF WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6TH, 2024.
COULD I HAVE A MOTION TO HEAR THAT ITEM A SECOND? YES.
DO WE HAVE ANY CLARIFICATIONS? ANY, ANYONE WANT TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE MINUTES? UM, ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? NO.
SEEING THAT WE CAN TAKE THE VOTE.
SO WHY DON'T WE MOVE ON TO THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM, ITEM NUMBER TWO, RECOMMENDATIONS TO RECEIVE AND FILE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS REPORT.
UH, JUST AS A QUICK NOTE, TYPICALLY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REPORT WAS UP TO THE END, BUT JUST BECAUSE OF TIME CONSTRAINTS, WE JUST MOVED IT ON.
UM, WE'LL MOVE IT UP OUTTA NUMBER TWO.
JUST SURE THERE'S TIME FOR THIS REPORT AND, AND, UH, ANY FUTURE REPORTS.
SO I DO HAVE, UH, SEVERAL UPDATES HERE.
UH, BUT FIRST CHAIR, YOU WANTED TO START WITH INTRODUCTIONS.
IS THAT WHAT YOU'D LIKE TO START WITH? OR STAFF THAT SPEAK TO THE TEAM? SURE.
I WANTED TO INTRODUCE YOU TO OUR NEW WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, HONEY GUTIERREZ.
AND CAMERON, WHY DON'T YOU SHARE MORE ABOUT YOURSELF? WELCOME.
UH, SO I COME FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA.
I SPENT FIVE YEARS OVERSEEING THE WORKFORCE INNOVATION OPPORTUNITY ACT, UM, AND EVERYTHING THAT COMES WITH IT.
UH, AND THEN THE LAST FOUR YEARS I WAS OVERSEEING, UM, I WAS THE CHIEF DEPUTY DIRECTOR OVERSEEING ALL OF THE EMPLOYMENT TRAINING PROGRAM AND PROJECTS AND EFFORTS, INCLUDING ENGAGEMENTS WITH, UH, THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE AND GOBI.
SO, UH, I AM VERY EXCITED TO BE A PART OF THIS LONG BEACH TEAM.
WE HAVE A, FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN IN THE THREE WEEKS THAT I'VE BEEN HERE, THIS IS AN AMAZING TEAM WITH A LOT OF GREAT WORK AHEAD OF US.
UH, AND I'M JUST REALLY EXCITED TO BE A PART OF IT.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY, OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE AND, UH, LOOK FORWARD TO COLLABORATING AND WORKING WITH ALL OF YOU.
ALRIGHT, SO GOING BACK TO REPORTS FROM, UH, STAFF STAND HERE, UH, UPDATES, UH, YOU GUYS RECEIVED AN IMPACT FOR THE STATE OF THE CITY ON JANUARY 14TH, SO I HOPE YOU'RE ABLE TO ATTEND THAT.
UM, IT'S PRETTY GOOD UPDATES THAT YOU'VE HEARD.
I'M SURE SOME OF LIKE THE, THE BIG HIGHLIGHTS IN THE NEWS THERE COMING THE NEW YEAR, UM, I FEEL LIKE, UH, ARRESTS WOULD, UM, WOULD HATE IF I SAY IT, BUT, YOU KNOW, THE AMATOR IS KIND OF LIKE SOMETHING THAT IS A BIG DEAL TO THE WATERFRONT.
SO WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO WRITE UPDATES FOR THAT COMING UP.
UM, ALSO A LOT OF, UH, FUNDING COMING FOR ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES.
SO THAT WAS ALSO SOMETHING THAT OUR TEAM WAS VERY EXCITED TO SEE.
UM, I'M BIASED, RIGHT, BUT TWO OF THE, THE BIG UPDATES THERE, AT LEAST SOME OF THE ECONOMIC ELEMENT SIDE OF THINGS, A LOT OF, UM, UPDATES TOO AND, YOU KNOW, FOCUS ON, UH, ENTERTAINMENT AS WELL.
UH, SO THAT IS AN UPDATE THERE ON KIND OF JUST HAVING THROUGH THE CITY, UH, MORE KIND OF, UH, INTERNAL WORKINGS AND PROGRAMS. SO OUR BID RENEWALS ARE UNDERWAY.
WE'RE ALMOST COMPLETE WITH THOSE.
UH, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT START STAFF STARTED, I WANNA SAY BACK IN OCTOBER.
SO, UH, YESTERDAY WE WERE ABLE TO APPROVE, UH, TWO OF THE BID RENEWALS, UH, THE HEARINGS.
AND THEN I BELIEVE WE HAVE ONE MORE LEFT, WHICH JUST MAKES ME
[00:05:01]
KNOW ON THE 18TH.SO FEBRUARY 18TH, WE'LL BE DONE, UH, WITH THE RENEWAL PROCESS.
JUST A LITTLE BIT, BACKGROUND INFORMATION, THE RENEWAL PROCESS FOR BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT IS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS EVERY YEAR, UH, SO LIKE CLOCKWORK.
SO WE'RE WORKING AS STAFF TO KIND OF STREAMLINE THAT AND MAKE SURE, UM, THAT YOU, WE JUST WORK CLOSELY WITH OUR BID EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL THE DOCUMENTS ARE TURNED IN TIME SO THAT WE, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN GO FOR THE COUNCIL UNDER APPROVED, UH, YEARLY.
SPEAKING OF THAT, UH, GOING ALONG, UH, BID NEWS, WE HAVE A NEW, UH, BUSINESS RECRUITMENT, UM, VISITING, UH, BID MANAGER.
SO IF YOU HAVE ANY, ANY ISSUES WITH ANY OF OUR BID CORRIDORS, PLEASE EMAIL HIM.
UM, SO YOU CAN ALSO INCLUDE ME TOO.
UH, BUT WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE KYLE, KYLE, UH, JOINS US, UH, FROM CITY CLERK'S OFFICE.
SO HE IS, UH, YOU KNOW, HE CAN PROBABLY RUN THE MEETING.
I DUNNO IF HE NEEDS TO DO THAT THOUGH,
SO I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT PIECE.
UM, ALSO, UH, ON KIND OF, UH, YOU'LL SEE YOU GET AN IDEA THAT, UH, THE ECONOMIC LENDING TEAM HAS BEEN GROWING, I THINK, UH, FOR GOOD REASON.
UH, SO ANOTHER UPDATE FOR YOU GUYS IS THAT WE'VE RECENTLY BROUGHT ON OUR NEW CANNABIS EQUITY MANAGER, UH, JORDAN BAKER, WHO IS ALSO, UH, PRESIDENT TODAY.
WANNA MAKE SURE YOU GUYS KNEW WHO HE WAS AND, UM, THAT WE GOT FILLED THAT POSITION HERE AS A POSITION THAT WENT UNFILLED FOR SOME TIME.
SO THAT DOES COMPLETE OUR EQUITY PROGRAM.
UH, TEAM, UH, THEY'LL BE FOCUSING ON MOVING FORWARD ON KIND OF TWO BIG, TWO BIG AREAS.
ONE IS ENSURING, UH, WORKING WITH CANNABIS BUSINESS, UH, EQUITY LICENSE HOLDERS TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE ABLE TO RECEIVE THE FUNDING THAT IS PROVIDED TO US, UH, THROUGH THE BY STATE TO ENSURE THAT WE CAN ASSIST THOSE CANNABIS, UH, EQUITY, UH, BUSINESSES.
AND THEN THE OTHER PIECE IS GONNA BE WORKING WITH THE CANNABIS BUSINESSES TO ENSURE THAT THE EQUITY HIGHER, UH, PERCENTAGE REQUIREMENT IS MET.
SO THAT THOSE ARE, YOU KNOW, TWO OF THE BIG PRONGS THAT THAT PROGRAM, UH, IS WORKING ON THE JORDAN BE OVERSEE.
SO, JORDAN, YOU WANNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT KIND OF YOUR BACKGROUND? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
UM, SO STAND, UH, I COME FROM CANNABIS.
I'VE BEEN, UH, IN, IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY FOR OVER 15 YEARS.
UH, MORE RECENTLY I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH A GROUP CALLED COOKIES.
WE, UH, I SHOULD SAY, THEY, UH, WERE ABLE TO EXPAND INTO THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET, UH, GIVING ME AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY TO OPEN AND NEW MARKETS IN EMERGING MARKETS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY AND INTERNATIONALLY, UH, WORKING ON STAGE ONE, STAGE TWO APPLICATIONS, UH, PLETHORA OF SOPS AND, AND INTERPRETING, UH, REGULATIONS.
AND, UH, THAT'S, THAT'S GIVEN ME A LOT OF EXPERIENCE, UH, THROUGHOUT A LOT OF DIFFERENT GROUPS THROUGH IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY.
SO, REALLY EXCITED TO BE HERE.
UM, THIS IS, I THINK, A NATURAL PROGRESSION FOR ME, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTRIBUTING THAT EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE TO THE, THE TEAM, UM, AND BUILDING IT FROM WHAT'S ALREADY AN AMAZING PROGRAM.
YOU WANNA INTRODUCE YOURSELF VERY QUICKLY OR ADD ANYTHING? I THINK YOU, YOU COVERED IT.
CONTINUE ON WITH INTRODUCTIONS TO STAFF.
UH, MELANIE VASU IS HERE AS WELL.
SO SHE, A SPECIAL PRODUCTS OFFICER, UM, WHO IS WORKING TO SPEARHEAD OUR RAPID RESPONSE, NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THE RAPID RESPONSE FROM THE WORKFORCE PIECE.
UH, SO SHE'LL, UM, YOU KNOW, HAS, HAS BEEN FOCUSING, UH, ON, UM, RAPID RESPONSE.
WHAT THAT MEANS IS, YOU KNOW, WHEN A BUSINESS CHALLENGE THERE, A BREAK IN VANDALISM INVOLVED, YOU KNOW, SHE'S GONNA BE THERE TO, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST, YOU KNOW, SHOW UP AND SAY LIKE, HEY, WE'RE AWARE THIS HAPPENING, THE CHALLENGE GOING ON, LET'S, LET'S SEE WHAT KIND OF RESOURCES THE CITY HAS GOING ON.
SO SHE WORKS CLOSELY WITH OUR BEST CARE AND COURTNEY'S TEAM, AND THEN ALSO WORKFORCE, UH, PARTICULARLY WHEN THEY'RE LIKE, WARM LETTERS ARE INVOLVED AND THERE'S SOME LAY HAPPENING.
UH, YOU KNOW, MELANIE IS THERE TO HELP KIND OF TO COORDINATE, YOU KNOW, A
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO ADD OR ANYTHING? HEY GUYS, I KNOW MANY OF YOU, UH, WITH NO INSTRUCTOR OF COMMS, AND SO I'M SO EXCITED TO BE HERE.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS WHERE THIS IS ALL HAPPENING.
I WAS A 20 YEAR BROADCAST TV JOURNALIST, MAN.
SO GLAD I MADE THAT SHIFT RIGHT NOW.
AND, UH, YEAH, IT'S REALLY GOOD TO BE HERE WITH EVERYBODY.
AND AUSTIN, YOU CAUGHT ME THIS MORNING.
YES,
WE GOT CARTOONS IN THE BACKGROUND.
WAS THAT CARTOONS? YES, IT WAS.
WE'RE HAPPY TO HAVE THIS PART OF THE TEAM AND DO SOME GOOD WORK TOGETHER.
UH, OKAY, THE LAST UPDATE ON NEW HIRE.
I THINK WE FORWARDED THE, UM, THE PRESS RELEASE FOR THIS TO YOU GUYS, BUT, UH, WE HAVE A NEW BUREAU MANAGER
[00:10:01]
FOR THE RISE BUREAU.WITH THE RISE BUREAU IS THE REVENUE INNOVATION STRATEGY AND ENHANCEMENT.
UH, YOU GUYS MAY ALSO KNOW THEM AS ERIC ROMERO, WHO WAS PREVIOUSLY, UH, YOU KNOW, THIS.
NO, NO, NO RECOLLECTION WHATSOEVER.
YOU HAVE WORKED WITH HIM AS WELL.
YOU MAY NOT REMEMBER HIM, BUT YOU KNOW HIM WHEN YOU, UH, SO WE'RE HAPPY TO BRING HIM BACK, UH, YOU KNOW, TO THE TEAM AND WELCOME THAN NEW BUREAU AND JUST TO, YOU KNOW, THERE'LL BE MORE INFORMATION COMING ON THAT.
BUT THE OVERALL, YOU KNOW, APPROACH OF THAT BUREAU IS REALLY TO SEE HOW THE CITY CAN ACTIVATE THE WATERFRONT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, MAKING, YOU KNOW, A MOVE AWAY FROM ALL REVENUE.
SO, YOU KNOW, IN THAT THE CHALLENGE IS HOW CAN WE IDENTIFY ADDITIONAL REVENUE SOURCES, UH, AND, AND THE WATERFRONT.
THAT SEEMS TO BE ONE OF THOSE POTENTIAL AREAS THAT COULD, YOU KNOW, BE KEY IN HELPING US TO REPLENISH THE COFFERS THAT WERE ONCE, YOU KNOW, RELIED ON FOR OIL REVENUE.
AND I KNOW WE ALSO WERE JUST AS A GENERAL UPDATE, WE'RE SUPPOSED TO, UH, HAVE THE OFFICE OF EQUITY PRESENT ON THEIR EFFORTS FOR THE CITY, UH, TODAY.
BUT GIVEN THAT, UH, WE HAD TO RESCHEDULE THE MEETING FROM JANUARY TO FEBRUARY, I WILL DO THAT.
I'M EXPECTED THAT I WILL COME BACK IN MARCH.
UH, SO WE'LL MOVE THAT, UH, TO THAT.
AND THEN KIND OF MORE JUST HOUSEKEEPING PIECES, UH, HERE, UH, WE'RE WORKING ON KIND OF CREATING, UH, A COMMISSIONER, UM, ONBOARDING AND JUST RESOURCE, UH, BINDER FOR EVERYONE.
SO WE'RE WORKING ON THAT PIECE.
UH, MOST OF THAT IS PUT TOGETHER.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS IS, UH, YOU'LL BE GETTING AN EMAIL FROM PAULINA OR MYSELF, UH, BASICALLY, UH, ASKING FOR, TO SEE IF YOU GUYS ARE AVAILABLE TO MEET MAYBE 30 MINUTES BEFORE, UH, THE NEXT COMMISSION MEETING, UH, ON MARCH 5TH.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE WE WANT TO CAPTURE YOUR, YOUR PROFILE PICTURES, YOUR MUGS, YOUR BEAUTIFUL MUGS, AND WE'RE GONNA INCLUDE THOSE AS PART OF THE BINDER.
AND THEN ALSO, UM, WE'LL BE WORKING WITH, UH, CHELSEA, OUR NEW, UH, COMMUNICATIONS, UH, AFFAIRS OFFICER TO CREATE A, UH, WEBPAGE FOR, FOR THE CLINICIAN.
SO I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING'S LONG OVERDUE, YOU KNOW.
WE'LL, WE'LL, WE'LL FIND YOU WITH THE CAMERA, DON'T WORRY.
UH, SO YEAH, WELL, YOU GET AN EMAIL FROM US ABOUT, YOU KNOW, JUST TO SHOW UP A FEW MINUTES WHERE WE CAPTURE SOME, SOME PROFILE PICTURES.
AND THEN WE CAN HAVE THAT WITH YOUR BIO, YOUR BIOGRAPHY, UM, ONLINE.
UH, LET'S SEE, BUSINESS CARDS.
I KNOW THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS BEING ASKED.
SO, UH, HAPPY TO, TO HAVE THOSE OUT FOR YOU GUYS.
AND THEN LASTLY, UH, I CAN HELP WITH THIS AFTER THE MEETING, BUT, UH, YOU, I HAVE SOME TIME SHEETS NOW, NOW THAT THE MOST OF US, MOST OF US HAVE CAUGHT UP WITH PAYMENT.
UM, WE'LL, UH, BE DOING TIME SHEETS MOVING FORWARD.
AND WHAT THAT DOES IS FOR THE PEOPLE THAT ELECTED TO GET STIPENDS, THAT'S HOW IT'S RECORDED.
SO YOU'LL RECEIVE PAYMENT THAT WAY MOVING FORWARD.
SO WE HAVE, UH, FINISHED WITH BACKLOG FOR THE MOST PART.
UH, WE'RE WORKING ON THE LAST COUPLE THAT ARE LEFT FOR ROB.
AND THEN, UH, LASTLY HERE, UM, JUST, JUST A GENERAL NOTE AND MORE INFORMATION WILL BE COMING, UH, ON THIS, UH, AS THE 2028 OLYMPICS, RIGHT? WHERE NOTICE IS COMING IN JUST A FEW SHORT YEARS, UH, THE CITY RECENTLY RELEASED THE 2028 LONG BEACH STRATEGIC ROADMAP FOR THE OLYMPICS.
UM, SO I, YOU KNOW, I DO, AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS IN FUTURE NEWS, YOU KNOW, IS JUST, UH, THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF WORK WITH THAT.
SO THINKING ABOUT HOW THE COMMISSION AND, YOU KNOW, AS A, AS A GROUP, AS A BODY, AND THEN THE COMMISSIONERS AS INDIVIDUALS CAN HELP, UH, YOU KNOW, ALONG WITH, UH, SOME OF THE NEEDS THAT WILL ARISE.
UH, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE WAYS WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO THAT IS OBVIOUSLY THROUGH THE BLUEPRINT, RIGHT? AND THOSE FOCUS AREAS THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED.
SO SEEING HOW THE FOCUS, UH, AREA CHAMPIONS, AND THEN WHAT MATCHES WITH THE ROADMAP AND THE OLYMPICS AND THE, THAT THE CITY THAT HAS IDENTIFIED, UH, THROUGH A CONSULTANT AND THEN MATCHING THAT AND SEE HOW, HOW WE CAN HELP.
SO, UM, I'LL SHARE THAT INFORMATION WITH YOU MOVING FORWARD.
I KNOW IT'S VERY PRELIMINARY, UM, AND WE HAVEN'T SHARED THE ROADMAP WITH YOU.
I THINK THEY RELEASED THAT A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO, OR LATE LAST WEEK.
SO, UM, I CAN, UH, MAKE SURE THAT'S SENT OUT TO YOU GUYS SO YOU HAVE IT AS REFERENCE.
AND ASIDE FROM THAT, THAT CONCLUDES MY UPDATES.
YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO RACE THROUGH THAT.
I LIKE, YOU KNOW, ONE, BUT, OKAY.
NOW HOW ABOUT, COMMISSIONER, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? I JUST HAVE A COMMENT.
UM, IT'S GREAT TO SEE ALL THE NEW FACES, UM, BECAUSE I REMEMBER THAT WE CAN HAVE A JOKE IN ALL THE DEPARTMENT BACK, LIKE IN 2016.
IT WAS VERY SMALL DEPARTMENT, SMALL BUT NOT DEPARTMENT.
UM, BUT IT'S GOOD TO SEE THAT, UM, BOTH THE, THE BUDGET AND THE TEAM HAS GROWN IN A WAY THAT IT'S A PRIORITY FOR THE CITY.
UM, THAT YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE RAPID RESPONSE TEAM, THAT YOU HAVE A COMMUNICATION PROFESSIONAL DEPARTMENT.
YOU HAVE SOMEONE FOCUSING ON THE ASSETS THAT THE CITY HAS TO GENERATE.
[00:15:01]
BO TO THE ENTIRE TEAM.IT'S REALLY GOOD TO SEE EVERYBODY THAT'S IN THE ROOMS SUPPORT THE DEPARTMENT.
I MEAN, EVEN HIRE WAS THERE, RIGHT? LIKE, IT WAS SMALL, BUT WIDE AND A LOT MORE VERY MIGHT ALWAYS BEEN MIGHTY
HEY, UH, AS A UNION PERSON, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANTED TO LIKE, IT'S, IT'S A LITTLE INSULTING TO, TO HEAR ABOUT FOLKS, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE WORD I WOULD SAY CROSSING A PICKET LINE.
ALL THE WORKERS THERE THAT WERE ADVOCATING FOR VOICE TO, FIGHTING FOR A CONTRACT TO FEEL LIKE THE RIGHTS ARE BEING VIOLATED.
WE'RE HERE BY SAYING, HEY, IF YOU WENT TO THE CITY, YOU KNOW, THE CITY, WHAT'S IT CALLED? THE STATE OF THE CITY.
STATE OF THE CITY, WE CROSS, YOU KNOW, THOSE WORKERS VOICES NEED TO BE UPLIFT THOSE WORKERS WORK FOR DIFFERENT WAGE.
THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE PEOPLE OF COLOR.
I JUST PUTTING THAT OUT PERSON, I WOULD NEVER CROSS THE PICK LINES.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS FROM THE COMMISSIONERS? I HAVE ONE.
UM, I WANT TO, UM, ECHO WHAT JULIAN HAS SAID ABOUT MANY OF THE THINGS THAT ARE MOVING FORWARD, BUT ALSO, UM, FOR OUR NEW COMMISSIONERS, YOU KNOW, WE ARE GONNA BE DOING SOME INTRODUCTIONS AND ALSO GETTING PEOPLE UP TO COURT ON WHAT IT IS, WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT TO BE ON THE COMMISSION.
I KNOW, NOTICED WITH SOME OF YOU ALREADY, UM, BUT I WANNA SAY TO ALL THE COMMISSIONERS, YOU'RE WELCOME TO COME TO THAT BECAUSE, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT WOULD BE GOOD TO BE ABLE TO GET SOME EITHER REVIEW OR SOME OF YOUR INPUT TO THE COMMISSIONERS.
THE OTHER ONE IS I WANNA WELCOME OUR, THE COMMISSIONERS KEVIN
AND MAYBE YOU CAN SHARE A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT YOURSELF WITH EVERYONE.
I'M A HOMEOWNER HERE IN LONG BEACH OVER IN THE LOS ALTO NEIGHBORHOOD.
UH, ABOUT A YEAR, UH, LIVING IN, UH, IN THAT HOME.
BUT I DID LIVE JUST ACROSS THE STREET HERE AT, UH, IMT GALLERY FOR FOUR YEARS PRIOR TO THAT.
MOVED IN DAYS BEFORE COVID HIT, WHICH WAS INTERESTING TIME.
UM, I FOUND LONG BEACH TO BE AN AMAZING HOME.
UH, SO GOOD THAT I, UH, ENDED UP MOVING MY COMPANY DOWN HERE.
SO I RUN AN AEROSPACE COMPANY.
USED TO BE BASED UP IN HAWTHORNE, WHERE WE WERE HOP SMALL BUSINESSES OF THE YEAR IN 2023.
UM, BUT THEN RELOCATED, UH, LAST APRIL TO LONG BEACH AIRPORT.
WHAT COMPANY IS THAT? THE COMPANY'S NAME IS AMP AIR.
UH, AMP AIR FOCUSES IN SUSTAINABLE AVIATION BUILDING PROPULSION TECHNOLOGY THAT BURN HALF AS MUCH FUEL.
SO THINK ABOUT ALL THE DIVISIVENESS THAT'S AROUND THE AIR FORCE, AIR FORCE AND AIRCRAFT UTILIZATION, COMMUNITY NOISE COMPLAINTS, POLLUTION COMPLAINTS, LEAD POLLUTION.
I HOPEFULLY CAN BRIDGE THE GAP IN MANY OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS, BUT ALSO AS A STAKEHOLDER, THE COMMUNITY, I FEEL PERSPECTIVE.
SO REALLY A PLEASURE TO BE HERE AND MEET YOU AS WELL.
UM, AND HIS COMPANY IS RIGHT THERE, UM, NEXT TO THE AIRPORT, ME AT BROOKE ROUNDS THERE.
SO I KNOW AT SOME POINT IN TIME GET A CHANCE TO GO THERE.
UM, BUT WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING ON THE COMMISSION.
UH, MY APOLOGIES FOR BEING MY BEST TRYING FIND
I GOT LOST THAT SOMEONE WAS TRYING TO TELL FULL MASK.
ERICA HAWKES, THE NEWEST COMMISSIONER, UM, RESIDENT OF LONG BEACH.
UH, JUST PURCHASED MY HOME ABOUT THREE, FOUR YEARS AGO, RIGHT ACROSS STREET FROM CAL STATE LONG BEACH.
AND I'M VERY EXCITED TO BE A MEMBER OF THIS COMMISSION.
UH, MY BACKGROUND IS PREDOMINANTLY IN GOVERNMENT, UH, CALIFORNIA STATE, SENATE LA COUNTY, AND AS A, UH, PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTEE.
AND I'M NOW DOING GOVERNMENT GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS FOR VERIZON.
PRIOR TO THAT, IT WAS, UH, DIRECTORS GUILD AND, UH, SO CAL GAS.
SO I HAVE AN INTERESTING BACKGROUND, BUT I ALSO SERVE AS A COMMISSIONER.
UM, FOR LA I WAS VICE CHAIR OF THE HOUSING AUTHORITY, CIVIL SERVICE, DISABILITY ACCESS.
I MUCH RUBBER TO BEAR HAD WANTED ME TO GO.
SO NOW THAT I'M IN LONG BEACH, SHINES FROM ONE OF LEAVES.
AND AGAIN, I'M A RECOVERING STAFFER.
AND, UH, AGAIN, ANY WAY I CAN HELP YOU, ASSIST YOU IN ANY WAY, UM, LET ME KNOW AND THANK YOU AHEAD OF TIME.
I ALWAYS SAY, YOU KNOW, TO BE A PUBLIC SERVANT, IT'S A VOCATION BECAUSE WHY ELSE WOULD YOU, IT'S LESS THAN MINIMUM WAGE, RIGHT? BECAUSE YOU'RE WORKING 24 7 AND THE CITY DOESN'T STOP.
AND AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR, FOR, UM, OUR, MY CURRENT, UM, REAVING OF THE STREETS.
UM, THANK YOU JUST SO MUCH FOR, JUST DID THE ENTIRE AREA JUST BOOMING.
I'M SO EXCITED TO BE A PART OF THIS COMMISSION.
UM, I MET VERIZON AND I FOCUSING ON DIGITAL EQUITY, GETTING READY FOR WORLD CUP, GETTING READY FOR THE OLYMPICS AND SUPER BOWL.
UM, AND ALSO ON THE AVIATION SIDE, MAKING SURE THAT, UM, LONG BEACH AIRPORT IS LIT SO YOU'RE ABLE TO SWIPE AND MOVE FORWARD.
UM, AND SO I THINK I CAN DO TO HELP OUT.
YOU CAN SEE SHE HAS A WELCOME VALVE IN HER BACKGROUND, AND SHE WAS SO PATIENT WITH THE ONBOARDING.
[00:20:01]
AND YOU HERE, HERE AM COMMENT.
WE AND CHAIR, I APOLOGIZE, BUT I FORGOT, I FORGOT ANOTHER ADDITION TO OUR TEAM, JULIO MIRANDA, WHO HAS BEEN WITH US FOR A YEAR, BUT I'VE NEVER ACTUALLY INTRODUCED HIM TO YOU ALL.
BUT, UH, JULIO, UH, WE WE'RE JUST GOING, TALKING ABOUT A FEW DAYS AGO.
JULIO OR, OR GLIO FOUND US BECAUSE, UH, HE IS OUR FIRST BUSINESS LIAISON.
SO JULIO BASICALLY IN SHORT, UH, YOU KNOW, WORKS WITH ALL THE BUSINESSES, UH, THROUGHOUT LONG BEACH IN THE MOST COMPLEX ISSUE.
SO PERMITTING, YOU KNOW, INSPECTIONS, UM, ALL KINDS OF, YOU KNOW, IN THOSE TWO AREAS, JUST YOU COULD GO IN THERE FOR, FOR DAYS.
BUT LICENSING, YOU KNOW, ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
UH, WE LOOK TO JULIO TO, YOU KNOW, HELP TROUBLESHOOT AND, AND UNCLOG THOSE DELAYS THAT HAVE HAPPENED, UH, INTERNALLY.
SO HE WORKS VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR PEER DEPARTMENTS LIKE HEALTH.
WE DEVELOPMENT, PLANNING, UH, TO MAKE SURE YOU KNOW, THAT BUSINESSES ARE ABLE TO OPEN THE DOORS REALLY, AND, AND, AND FIND A, YOU KNOW, A SOLUTION TO SOME OF THE CHALLENGES, UH, THAT WE HAVE.
NOW, I KNOW WE MAY NOT BE KNOWN AS THE MOST EXPEDIENT ORGANIZATION, SO, UH, YOU KNOW, WE TRY TO BE REALLY GOOD ADVOCATES, UH, FOR THE BUSINESSES INTERNALLY.
BUT WE KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS NOT THE BUSINESS WORLD AND THE LANGUAGE IS, IS DIFFERENT.
AND THE ES YOU KNOW, CAN BE CUMBERSOME.
SO, UM, REALLY WORKS REALLY HARD TO BE AN INTERNAL ADVOCATE, UH, FOR THEM HEAR.
SO WANTED TO ALSO JUST LET YOU KNOW THAT HE'S
ANY OTHER COMMENTS? TO RECEIVE A RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE A FILE? THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SAIN? UM, I MEAN A YES OR A NO.
WE DISCOURAGE ABSTAINING BECAUSE THEN IT MIGHT NOT.
OKAY, WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM.
MEET THAT I HAVE THE S RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE AN UPDATE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT 2024 HIGHLIGHTS AND UPCOMING 2025 ACTIVITIES.
DO YOU HAVE A SECOND MOTION? THANK YOU.
ALRIGHT, SO, UM, I PROMISED COURTNEY AND I ARE ATTACKING THIS PRESENTATION.
'CAUSE I THINK AT THIS POINT YOU'VE HEARD MY VOICE VOLUME OUT.
UH, SO ONE OF THE ITEMS THAT WE WANTED TO PRESENT YOU WITH, AND I THINK PROBABLY WAS JUST BECAUSE WE HAD COMMISSIONS, BUT ALSO JUST TO GIVE EVERYONE AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, YOU KNOW, WAS, UH, DEPARTMENT WAS DOING, UH, YOU KNOW, AS, AS A TEAM, ALL OF IT DURING 2024, AND THEN SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE COMING BETWEEN 25.
SO, JUST WANTED TO PROVIDE YOU WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, A GOOD AMOUNT OF INFORMATION ON THE PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES THAT WE'RE WORKING ON.
UM, WE'RE GENERAL INFORMATION, BUT ALSO SO YOU CAN KIND OF START THINKING ABOUT HOW WE CAN, YOU KNOW, ONE, ONE OF THE AREAS THAT I TRY THINKING A LOT ABOUT HOW WE CAN INVOLVE THE COMMISSIONERS, YOU KNOW, MOVING FORWARD AND MAKING SURE THAT YOU GUYS ARE, YOU KNOW, INVOLVED TO THE DEGREE THAT YOU WANT TO AND, AND ARE PARTICIPATING.
UH, SO, YOU KNOW, AS YOU SEE THROUGH THIS, YOU KNOW, WALK THROUGH PRESENTATION, JUST, UM, THINK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT AND, AND HOW YOU MAY WANT TO BE INVOLVED.
UM, SO HERE TO BEGIN WITH, UH, ALSO, UH, YOU KNOW, A, A GROWTH HERO DEPARTMENT, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, WE HAVE A NEW NEWPORT AFFAIRS OFFICER.
HER NAME IS CHELSEA, UH, MCALLEN.
AND SHE'S GONNA BE REALLY, HAS BEEN STREAMLINING OUR COMMUNICATION EFFORTS AND REALLY FOCUSING ON SOCIAL MEDIA, ON OUR PRESS RELEASES AND OUTREACH AND ORGANIZING US BEFORE, UH, YOU KNOW, PROGRAMMATIC STAFF.
WERE REALLY, UH, KIND OF LEADING THAT.
AND, UH, WAS REALLY HAPPY TO HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, A PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION PROFESSIONAL ASSIST US WITH THAT.
MAKING SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE ARE DOING OUTREACH, REALLY IS TARGETED AND, AND EFFECTIVE.
UH, WHEN IT COMES TO INITIATIVE AND THE PROGRAM STAFF, WE'RE DOING IT.
UH, SO THE FIRST, UH, BUREAU WE'RE GONNA GO OVER IS THE REAL ESTATE, UH, BUREAU.
SO WHAT ONE OF, UH, REALLY BIG, UH, ACCOMPLISHMENTS THAT THAT BUREAU DID THIS YEAR IS THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO OPEN THE LONG, THE NORTH LONG BEACH HIGHER EDUCATION CENTER.
UH, IT'S REALLY, YOU KNOW, IMPORTANT FOR US.
'CAUSE, UH, NORTH LONG BEACH HAS BEEN, UH, YOU KNOW, IN THAT AREA THAT'S BEEN A DISADVANTAGED AREA.
[00:25:01]
A CENTER FOCUS ON EDUCATION, YOU KNOW, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH UC, THE LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE, THE CITY OF LONG BEACH ART, OF COURSE, AND THEN LONG BEACH WORKFORCE INNOVATION NETWORK REALLY PROVIDES, YOU KNOW, AN AREA WHERE, UH, YOU KNOW, UM, EDUCATIONAL LEARNING CAN OCCUR AND, AND A AREA OF LONG BEACH WORK FOUR HAD NOT.SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY EXCITING, UH, AND, UM, WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE, THE CLASSES AND THE COURSES THAT LONG CITY COLLEGE WILL HOLD IN THERE.
IT ALSO HAS A CONFERENCE ROOM, UH, AND A, UH, COMPUTER LAB SO THAT STUDENTS, UH, CAN HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET, YOU KNOW, TO TRY TO HELP REDUCE THE DIGITAL THERE.
AND THE, UM, PLAN FOR THIS IS TO, UH, I BELIEVE THAT THE DEPARTMENT WILL BE ISSUING AN RFP FOR A NONPROFIT TO HELP ASSIST IN RUNNING THE, UH, THE CENTER.
SO I THINK THAT THAT'S GONNA BE SOMETHING THAT'S UPCOMING, UH, LATER ON THIS YEAR.
UH, ANOTHER, UH, REALLY, UH, GOOD ACCOMPLISHMENT IS THE FIRE STATION NINE.
SO THERE WAS A COMPLETION OF THE FORMER FIRE STATION, AND THEN IT WOULD BECOME A LOCALLY OWNED RESTAURANT.
I BELIEVE YOU CAN SAY THAT IT'S GONNA BE A BAKERY.
SO IT IS A REALLY COOL PROJECT WHERE YOU SEE, YOU KNOW, FIERCELY, UM, CITY ASSET TURNED INTO, UH, A SMALL BUSINESS, UH, YOU KNOW, FOR THE COMMUNITY AND THE GREAT, UH, WINE THAT IS LOCAL, UM, HERE IN THE CITY.
ANOTHER, UH, PROJECT THAT THE REAL ESTATE BUREAU FACILITATOR ON WAS A, UH, ASSISTANT PD WITH A TEMPORARY POLICE ACADEMY.
UH, SO THE REAL ESTATE BUREAU ESSENTIALLY HANDLES, UH, ANY, UH, ASSET DISPOSITION, UH, AND ACQUISITION FOR THE CITY.
SO, YOU KNOW, LAND TRANSACTIONS, UH, I CALL THAT BUREAU LIKE THE, THE CITY'S LANDLORD, SO TO SPEAK.
UH, SO THEY WORKED WITH PD AND AGREEMENT TO, UH, FIND A TEMPORARY, UH, POLICE ACADEMY AS WELL, WHILE THE, UM, PERMANENT WATCHES IS BEING BUILT.
SOME ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS HERE COMPLETED 20 PARCELS FOR A CITY, UH, ON THE LAB HOLDING, UH, UM, LLC, WHICH IS THE, THOSE ARE ALSO KIND OF KNOWN AS THE KNOWN AS THE ATLANTIC PROPERTIES OR THE LAB PROPERTIES, UH, IN THE PAST.
UH, SO THAT'S A REALLY BIG PROJECT.
UH, THE BUREAU'S WORKING ON RIGHT NOW IS WORKING TO PREPARE THOSE PROPERTIES, YOU KNOW, TO BE SOLD, UH, FOR ACTIVATION ON THAT CORRIDOR, OR, AND THEN THEY'RE ALSO WORKING, UH, TO PROVIDE A-T-I-D-A HOME OVER AT 29 61 REDONDO.
SO THAT'S GOT A LOT OF WORK TO DO STILL, BUT, UM, IT'S SOMETHING THAT THEY'RE WORKING ON, UM, TO ASSIST, AGAIN, TID WITH ITS, UH, WIRELESS DIVISION.
UH, AND THEN I BELIEVE IT ALSO MAY BE A COUPLE OF OTHER, UM, AREAS OF, UH, TID THERE.
I'M GONNA HAND IT OFF TO COURTNEY THERE SO YOU GUYS CAN HEAR FROM HER.
UH, AND THEN ONE, KNOW WHENEVER NEXT, OH, EXCUSE ME.
BEN, WHY DON'T WE DO THIS BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S ALMOST AN HOUR.
IS CAN WE GET QUESTIONS? SURE.
DURING OR COMMENTS? IS THAT OKAY? YEAH.
GOING BACK TO THE REAL ESTATE PIECE.
UM, AND WITH THE LB HOLDING, HOW MANY, UH, ARE ALL THE RDA PARCELS SOLD OFF OUTSIDE OF THESE THAT ARE BEING RETURNED BACK? THAT IS A GOOD QUESTION.
I DON'T THINK THEY'LL HAVE IT.
THEY STILL NEED TO GO THROUGH, UM, SURVEY.
I THINK SOME OF THESE STILL WOULD BE THE CORRECT SURPLUS.
UH, BUT I CAN DOUBLE CHECK IN WITH YOU ON THAT ONE.
UH, JUST WANTED TO MAKE A COMMENT.
UH, VERY, REALLY INTERESTED IN THE TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION STUFF.
I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I DO WEIGH IN AS A RESIDENT AND ANYTHING REGARDING VERIZON BUSINESS SO FAR? ALRIGHT.
UM, SO BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT HAS BEEN BUSY.
UH, LAST YEAR WE HOSTED OUR FIRST ALREADY HERE AT SITE SELECTION CONFERENCE.
UM, AND THAT WAS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE LONG TECHNO PARTNERSHIP.
UM, WE HOSTED FIVE SITE LECTURES, UM, AND TOURED THEM THROUGHOUT THE CITY, SHOWCASING SOME INDUSTRY CLUSTERS AND, UM, JUST AREAS FOR WHERE WE SEE ECONOMIC GROWTH.
UM, AND IT, IT WAS A GREAT SUCCESS FOR THE FIRST ONE.
WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO ROUND TWO IN APRIL THIS YEAR.
ALSO TYING IT IN WITH THE GRAND PRIX WEEKEND AGAIN.
UM, SO I'M SURE YOU GUYS WILL, WILL HAVE SOME PIECES OF THAT.
THERE WAS DIFFERENT PIECES YOU WERE INVOLVED IN LAST YEAR.
UM, BUT THAT'S LEAH, UM, WITH, LET ME CHECK ON THE PARTNERSHIP.
UM, AND THEN THERE'S SOME UPDATES ON THIS SLIDE, UH, FOR THE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS.
UM, WE'VE ALL BEEN BUSY HOSTING
[00:30:01]
EVENTS AND, UM, EXPANDING THEIR PROGRAMMING.SO, UM, FOURTH STREET, LOOKING UP FOR NEW EVENTS.
MONT SHORE RECORD BREAKING ATTENDANCE AT THEIR CHRISTMAS PARADE, BIXBY KNOWLES LAUNCHING NO BUSINESS PROGRAM, UM, CREATING BUSINESS PROFILES.
VISIT LONG BEACH WAS AWARDED, UH, FOR BEST INFLUENCER CAMPAIGN.
AND THEN AUSTIN, IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH YOUR OWN ACCOMPLISHMENTS,
UM, SO WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO MORE OF THAT IN THE YEAR TO COME.
UM, WE ALREADY INTRODUCED KYLE AS THE NEW BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT MANAGER.
UM, SO HE'LL BE THE MAIN CONTACT FOR ALL OF THOSE PROGRAMS. UM, JUST STARTED LAST NOVEMBER AND, UM, ALREADY KNOCKED ON ALL THE BIG RENEWALS.
UM, THIS CARE PROGRAM, WE ARE CONTINUING A LOT OF OUR EFFORTS ON OUTREACH AND SUPPORT FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES.
UM, ESPECIALLY NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING BUSINESSES, NEW STAFF, SPEAKING ENGLISH ARE SPEAKING SPANISH AND
UM, SO WE REALLY KICKED UP OUTREACH, UH, EFFORTS LAST YEAR, UM, VISITING OVER A THOUSAND LOCAL BUSINESSES.
AND WE'RE CONTINUING THIS YEAR.
WE DO HAVE A SLIGHTLY SMALLER STAFF SINCE WE ARE NO LONGER FUNDED THROUGH THE LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT, BUT WE ARE NOW STRUCTURALLY FUNDED FOR THREE, UM,
AND THEN A, UH, COORDINATOR POSITION FOR THAT PROGRAM.
SO THAT WAS A BIG ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR THAT WE HAVE THAT STRUCTURAL FUNDING.
UM, AND WE'LL BE CONTINUING TO PROVIDE IN-PERSON ASSISTANCE OUTREACH.
AND THEN ON HERE, WE VISITED 22 COMMUNITY EVENTS LAST YEAR, BUT I THINK WE'RE ALREADY APPROACHING THAT NUMBER FOR THIS YEAR.
UH, SO WE'RE DOING A LOT MORE COMMUNITY EVENTS AND REALLY TRYING TO GO WHERE BUSINESSES ARE TO REACH THEM WITH THE RESOURCES WE HAVE AVAILABLE.
UM, AND WE'RE SHARING NOT JUST CITY RESOURCES, BUT ALSO ANY, UM, MORE REGIONAL RESOURCES.
THE VERIZON DIGITAL INCLUSION RESOURCES ARE PART OF WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO GET IN THE COMMUNITY.
SO IF YOU'RE EVER AWARE OF ANY RESOURCES WE SHOULD BE HELPING TO SHARE, PLEASE LET US KNOW.
UM, I KNOW THAT YOUR DEPARTMENT IS ACTUALLY DEVELOPING ALL THESE NEW PROGRAMS AS YOU COLLECT DATA, BUT DO YOU HAVE DATA THAT CAN BE REPORTED ON, ESPECIALLY THE SERVICES THAT ARE PROVIDED FOR LIKE 1067 OR ANY PROGRAMS ON THE NUMBERS OF JOBS CREATED, LIKE INCREASING REVENUE? DO YOU ASK THEM SOME OF THAT, SOME OF THAT INFORMATION? UM, JOB CREATION AND RETENTION IS FOR MORE, UM, SPECIFIC PROGRAMS LIKE THE LOAN PROGRAM, LIKE THAT TYPE OF DATA.
UM, LAW ENFORCEMENT, WELL, THE LOAN PROGRAM, UM, THE, THIS CARE PROGRAM IS MORE LIGHT TOUCH.
WE DO A LOT OF REFERRALS AND, UM, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.
IF THEY NEED ASSISTANCE WITH UPLOADING DOCUMENTS FOR APPLICATION OR FILLING OUT A FORM, UM, OR CONNECTING TO THE RIGHT CITY CONTACT FOR PROGRAM OR RESOURCE THEY'RE TRYING TO ACCESS.
UM, WE DON'T HAVE SO MUCH OF THE DIRECT JOB CREATION IMPACT.
I THINK THAT WOULD REALLY CAN BE HARD TO TRACK DOWN.
UM, BUT WE ARE DOING MORE DATA COLLECTION NOW.
WE JUST IMPLEMENTED OUR CRM SYSTEM, SO WE HAVE A CRM SYSTEM.
WE HAVE BETTER DATA ON WHAT TYPES OF BUSINESSES WE'RE WORKING WITH, WHAT TYPES OF REQUESTS THEY'RE, THEY'RE ASKING FOR.
UM, AND YEAH, WHAT PARTS THE CITY WE'RE REACHING, WHO WE HAVEN'T REACHED YET, ALL THAT STUFF.
I THINK OVER THE LONG TERM, UM, IT'S GREAT FOR A CITY TO BE ABLE TO REPORT ON SOME OF THESE, YOU KNOW, IMPACT S ON THE ECONOMY.
AND WE DO WANNA DO THAT FOR, I MEAN, LIKE, LEVEL UP, FOR EXAMPLE, AS MORE CONCRETE IMPACT ON BUSINESSES, ON BUSINESS NAVIGATORS AS MORE DIRECT TOUCH AND IMPACT.
UM, YEAH, THAT'S, WE'LL TRY TO GET THAT FOR BUSINESS TOO.
SO THE, THE LIAISON BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE BID DOES THAT, IS THAT ONLY FOR DOWNTOWN OR ALL ON BEACH? THAT'S ALL BIDS.
SO, SO FOR ACTIVATION OF WRIGLEY THAT'S BEEN TRYING TO GET A BID FOR 10 YEARS, THAT'S, THERE'S A FEASIBILITY STUDY THAT WAS JUST COMPLETED FOR WRIGLEY.
YEAH, THERE IS A, JUST FOR YOUR, THERE IS A LONG, UH, VISIBILITY STUDY COMMUNITY IS ON FEBRUARY 20TH.
AND WE HAVE, UH, SO WE'RE JUST WAITING TO HAVE THE PRESS RELEASE CONFIRMED AND THEN ONCE THAT HAPPENS, UM, WE EMAIL YES, YOU GET OUR MAIL POTENTIALLY
SO I, I'M GONNA JUST THROW MY QUESTIONS OUT 'CAUSE I'VE ALWAYS BEEN TRAIN, TRAIN OF THOUGHT HERE.
UH, SO YOU KIND OF ANSWERED A QUESTION THAT I HAD REGARDING, UH, THE BIDS, BUT THE BIDS ARE ALL VERY
[00:35:01]
UNIQUE.UM, AND ONE QUESTION WAS WHAT RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE FOR POTENTIALLY BIDS TO FORM? UM, AND HOW THAT PROCESS, BECAUSE I KNOW CAL HEIGHTS WAS DANCING AROUND THAT IDEA.
WRIGLEY'S BEEN AN ONGOING PROJECT MM-HMM
UM, AND THEN ALSO HAVE OUR BIDS.
SOME ARE REALLY GOOD ABOUT BUSINESS ATTRACTION RETENTION OR MARKETING THE CITY OR FOR THE BID, WHILE OTHERS ARE MAYBE FOCUSED ON MAINTAINING AND COMMUNITY COLLABORATION AND, AND, YOU KNOW, MORE NEIGHBORHOOD FEEL.
UM, HOW ARE THE BIDS ALIGNING WITH YOUR BUSINESS ATTRACTION RETENTION EFFORTS.
UM, THAT JUST FURTHER ALIGNS KIND OF THE, THOSE INCENTIVES AND, AND ALLOWING MORE NEW BUSINESSES TO MOVE INTO THESE NEIGHBORHOODS, RIGHT? AS THEY IDENTIFY WHERE THEY LAND, RIGHT? WHERE CAN THEY, WHERE CAN THEY CALL HOME? SO THAT WAS ONE, IF THERE'S, UM, SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THAT.
IF, IF THERE IS, YOU KNOW, IF THEY ALIGN WITH THAT, IF THERE'S SOME ADDITIONAL, UM, PRO IS THERE A PROGRAM OR DO THEY KIND OF CHECK OFF A BOX BY SAYING LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE MARKETED TO, TO, YOU KNOW, SURROUNDING CITIES POTENTIALLY, OR THIS IS OUR KIND OF THE EFFORT THAT WE'RE, WE'RE DOING, OR HOW THEY COLLABORATE WITH YOU FURTHER ON THAT PIECE.
UM, THE OTHER QUESTION I HAD, SORRY, I HAD MY NAIL I LOST.
BACK TO, UH, THE SITE
UH, DOES EVERYONE KNOW WHAT THE LONG BEACH ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP DOES HERE? MAYBE NOT.
UH, SO MY QUESTION TO TO YOU IS COULD WE POTENTIALLY HAVE A PRESENTATION FROM THE, UH, TO TALK ABOUT THE LBEP AND WHAT THEY DO AND, AND TO TALK ABOUT THE SITE SELECTORS CONFERENCE AND HOW, HOW IMPORTANT THAT REALLY IS FOR THE CITY AND FOR THE FUTURE OF THE CITY GOING FORWARD.
UM, AND REALLY KIND OF, KIND OF THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE IMPORTANCE OF A EDO AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION FOR CITY.
UM, WE HAVE ONE, A LOT OF CITIES DON'T.
AND SO WE SHOULD REALLY CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THEM AND, AND PROMOTE THEM.
AND WE SHOULD ALL REALLY KNOW WHAT THEY DO IN AND OUT.
THAT'S, IT'S REALLY FANTASTIC WORK.
AND THEY'RE A GREAT PARTNER TO THE CITY, THOUGH THE CITY'S NONPROFIT, RIGHT? AND SO THE CITY CAN DO A LOT WITH LBBP.
SO IT'S A REALLY GOOD ADVANTAGE FOR US, UH, AS WE KIND OF ADVANCE THESE PROJECTS.
UH, AND THEN THE LAST QUESTION I HAD THAT ALIGNS WITH KIND OF THE BID ITEMS, UM, AND THE ATTRACT ATTENTION IS YOU HAD ASKED FOR, I THINK INFORMATION ABOUT, SORRY, I'LL JUST RESET.
UM, ARE, IS THERE INFORMATION, OH, BIZ CARE, THIS ALIGNS WITH BIZ CARE.
DO THEY COLLECT INFORMATION ABOUT BUSINESSES THAT ARE LEAVING THE CITY? IS THERE A STUDY OR REPORT ON SOME DATA THAT, THAT MAYBE THEY'VE CAPTURED OR MAYBE THE BIDS HAVE CAPTURED, UM, THAT COMMUNICATES CITY, YOU KNOW, BUSINESSES ARE LEAVING BECAUSE OTHER CITIES HAVE BETTER INCENTIVES THAN US OR MAYBE PAY LESS, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR X, Y AND Z REASONS.
UM, YEAH, SO THAT'S A, I'LL START WITH THE LAST QUESTION FIRST.
UM, WE DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE DATA SET, BUT WHAT WE COULD LOOK AT IS, UM, RECENTLY CLOSED BUSINESSES, UH, THROUGH BUSINESS LICENSE DATA.
UM, AND WE CAN SEE THAT ALL, ALL OF THAT IS IN OUR NEW CRM TOO.
SO WE'LL HAVE BETTER ACCESS TO THAT AS A TEAM.
UM, SO WE, WE CAN LOOK INTO MORE, GATHER MORE INFORMATION ON THAT.
AND THE, THE OTHER LAYER TO THAT IS, UM, MAYBE SOME, AN ASSESSMENT OF WHAT OTHER CITIES OR, UH, COMPETITIVE CITIES ARE DOING TO ATTRACT BUSINESSES AND HOW THAT CAN IMPACT, OR A MINIMUM JUST LEARN SOME STRATEGIES THAT, THAT THE CITY CAN RE REFINE OR, OR, OR ADOPT POTENTIALLY.
UM, GOING BACK TO YOUR QUESTION PREVIOUS ABOUT, UH, BIDS AND BUSINESS ATTRACTION, UM, THERE IS THE, THE PROJECT FOR NEIGHBORHOOD MARKETPLACE PROFILES THAT CHELSEA IS WORKING ON THAT IS MEANT TO SHOWCASE ALL THE DIFFERENT BID AREAS, PLUS SOME ADDITIONAL CORRIDORS THAT WE WANNA HIGHLIGHT THAT ARE, WE GET LESS ATTENTION OR UNDER INVESTED, UM, WHERE THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES WE WANT TO SHOWCASE.
SO THAT IS A VERY CLEAR TIE IN THOSE MATERIALS ARE MEANT TO BE BUSINESS ATTRACTION MATERIALS TO, UM, ATTRACT BUSINESSES, REAL ESTATE INVESTORS, AND IT'S MEANT TO PROVIDE THE INFORMATION THEY MIGHT NEED TO MAKE A DECISION ON WHETHER OR NOT TO INVEST IN ONE OF THESE AREAS.
AND SO WE'LL HAVE A CITYWIDE BROCHURE AND THEN, UM, IT'S 20 TO 25 PROFILES OF THE DIFFERENT AREAS.
AND DOWNTOWN'S GETTING, WE'VE GOT LIKE EIGHT DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS WITHIN DOWNTOWN THAT ARE EACH GONNA BE SHOWCASED.
UM, SO ALL OF THE BIDS ARE GONNA BE PART OF THAT PROCESS, UH, AND HELP DEVELOP THOSE MATERIALS, BUT THEY'RE MEANT TO ALL BE COHESIVE AND BRANDED TOGETHER.
AND THEN THE LAST PIECE TO YOUR QUESTION, THREE PART QUESTION, UM, WAS THE, YOU KNOW, HOW DOES THE BID FORM KIND OF WHAT THAT GENERALLY LOOKS LIKE? UM, SO BASICALLY WHAT THE CITY LOOKS FOR IS A VERY, YOU KNOW, ENGAGED GROUP OF BUSINESS OWNERS OR, OR PROPERTY OWNERS THAT ARE WILLING TO DO, YOU KNOW, THE ON THE GROUND ADVOCACY AND THE WORK THAT IS REQUIRED AMONG THEIR BUS KNOW, THEIR BUSINESS COMMUNITY, THEIR BUSINESS CORRIDOR.
UH, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, FOR THE FIRST TIME WE HAVE A FULL-TIME BID MANAGER, SO YOU STILL WANT
[00:40:01]
THAT BUY-IN, YOU KNOW, THE BUYIN HAS TO COME FROM THAT BUSINESS CORRIDOR.UH, ONCE WE, WE SEE THAT, A GREAT STEP TO KIND OF DEMONSTRATE THAT IS, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY A HISTORY OF, OF ACTIVATION TO SOME DEGREE.
BUT, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, HAVING A BUSINESS ASSOCIATION IS ALWAYS A GREAT FIRST STEP, FOR EXAMPLE.
UM, THAT'S KIND SOMETHING THAT YOU SAW IN THE
UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, DIALOGUE WITH THE CITY AND STAFF TO SEE WHAT THE LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT IS WILLING TO DO.
UH, THE FIRST KINDA STEP THAT THE CITY, UH, YOU KNOW, HAS TRADITIONALLY DONE AT LEAST IS THAT THE CITY PROVIDES FUNDING FOR THE VISIBILITY STUDY.
UH, SO THAT'S ABOUT ANYWHERE FROM 40 TO $50,000.
SO, YOU KNOW, IT IS AN INVESTMENT ALREADY ON BEHALF OF THE CITY.
AND ALSO TIME, IT CAN TAKE ME FROM 12 TO 18 MONTHS TO CREATE A BID.
UH, BUT THAT IS, YOU KNOW, TYPICALLY KIND OF HOW WE'VE SEEN, UH, THAT GOING.
AND YOU WILL SEE, UM, BASICALLY A FEW MORE OTHER BID VISIBILITY STUDIES BEGIN THIS YEAR, UH, IN, IN ABOUT TWO TO THREE AREAS, UH, OF THE CITY WHERE THERE'S SOME, SOME INTEREST THAT TO GET EXPRESSED BY BY BUSINESSES.
SO THAT'S PRETTY EXCITING BECAUSE GOOD FORMATIONS DON'T HAPPEN, UH, EVERY DAY.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALREADY INTERESTED IN TIME RIGHT NOW.
WITH THAT, FIRST OF ALL, WE WILL DO A, A FOLLOW UP WITH WHAT WE CHECK UP OUR PARTNERSHIP LEAD CAUSE FOR THE NEXT COMMISSION MEETING TO PRESENT.
AND THEN WE HAVE COMMISSIONER
ARE YOU OKAY? I HAD A QUICK QUESTION.
UM, WITH ALL OF THE, UM, INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE NOW IMPACTED BY THE VIRUS, ARE WE SEEING A LARGER NUMBER OF FOLKS COMING TO LONG BEACH, CONSIDERING A LOT OF 'EM ARE ALSO SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS? AND IF SO, UH, ARE WE TRACKING THAT? AND IS THERE LIKE A WELCOME MECHANISM OF, YOU KNOW, NOW THAT THEY'RE REPLACING THEIR ENTIRE LIFESTYLES TO NOW IN LONG BEACH, YOU KNOW, ENCAPSULATING WITH SERVICES, BUT ALSO HOW TO GET YOUR BUSINESS ON THE FRONT, THE LONG BEACH? UM, WE HAVEN'T HAD DIRECT CONTACT WITH BUSINESS OWNERS IN THAT SITUATION THAT ARE MAYBE LOOKING TO RELOCATE.
UM, WE'RE WORKING RIGHT NOW ON, UH, SPREADING THE WORD ABOUT COUNTY RESOURCES, UH, FOR IMPACTED WORKERS AND, UM, IMPACTED BUSINESS OWNERS.
AND I'M NOT REALLY SURE WHAT THAT'S GONNA LOOK LIKE FOR PEOPLE IN LONG BEACH, SINCE, YOU KNOW, THE FIRES WERE ELSEWHERE, BUT WE'RE GONNA BE IN DISTRICT, SPREAD THE WORD.
AND THEN, UM, THE TEAM WAS ACTUALLY JUST TRAINED TODAY ON HOW TO SUPPORT PEOPLE APPLYING FOR THOSE RESOURCES.
UM, IT'S $2,000 IN GRANT FUNDING THAT'S AVAILABLE THROUGH THE COUNTY, UM, AND THEN SPREADING OTHER, OTHER RECOVERY RESOURCES AS MUCH AS WE CAN.
YOU WANNA KEEP GOING? OKAY, WE READY? YEAH.
THE NEXT SLIDE IS ALL ABOUT JULIO'S WORK AS BUSINESS LIAISON.
HE'S BEEN BUSY, UM, WORKING WITH 175 BUSINESS RELATED INQUIRIES.
SO WHENEVER SOMEONE COMES TO BIZ CARE AND THEY HAVE A MORE COMPLEX ISSUE WITH PERMITTING, LICENSING, UM, TRYING TO GET THROUGH, YOU KNOW, OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS THAT GETS REFERRED TO HIM AND HE'S BEEN HANDLING A LOT OF DIFFERENT CASES.
UM, AND THEN, UH, ALSO SHOWING UP AT EVENTS, UM, AND SUPPORTING SOME OF OUR PROGRAMS, INCLUDING THE VIP GRANTS FOR BUSINESSES IMPACTED BY VANDALISM.
UM, UH, HE'S ALSO LEADING THE LONG BEACH LEGACY BUSINESS PROGRAM.
WE JUST TOOK THAT OVER FROM LONG BEACH HERITAGE BACK IN OCTOBER.
UH, SO THAT'S NEW TO THE CITY, BUT WE'RE INHERITING, IS IT 40 BUSINESSES? JULIA, 41, 41 BUSINESS, 41 BUSINESSES THAT WE INHERITED FROM LONG BEACH HERITAGE.
AND THEN THERE'S 30 SOMETHING PENDING IN APPLICATION REVIEW.
SO WE'LL ALSO BE RECOGNIZING SOME BUSINESSES IN OUR COMMUNITY SOON, UM, WHICH WILL BE GREAT TO SEE.
THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE YOU PUT HERE.
SO, UM, INCLUSIVE BUSINESS NAVIGATORS, UH, THIS HAS BEEN A, A GREAT PROGRAM LAUNCHED UNDER THE LONG BEACH RECOVERY APPS.
UM, WE HIT THE END OF OUR RECOVERY ACT FUNDING AT THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR, BUT WE STILL HAVE A, UH, STATE GRANT THAT'S SUPPORTING IMMIGRANT ENTREPRENEURS THROUGH OUR LOCAL PARTNERS.
AND THAT'S REALLY WONDERFUL BECAUSE THEY'RE, THEY'RE TRUSTING THE COMMUNITY.
THEY'RE CONNECTED TO OUR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES MORE DIRECTLY THAN CITIES, UM, ESPECIALLY WHEN A LOT OF THOSE COMMUNITIES MIGHT NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE COMING TO A GOVERNMENT ENTITY FOR SUPPORT.
SO WE'RE STILL ABLE TO PROVIDE SOME ENTREPRENEURSHIP RESOURCES.
UM, AND THEN LAST YEAR WE LAUNCHED THE MICRO GRANT PROGRAM THROUGH THESE PARTNERS.
UM, AND THAT WAS WITH SOME REMAINING LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT FUNDING.
SO THAT'S NOT FUNDED FOR THIS YEAR, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, I'D LOVE TO DO IT AGAIN.
UH, THERE'S STILL A NEED FOR MICRO BUSINESSES, ESPECIALLY TO HAVE THAT LITTLE BIT OF STARTUP CAPITAL.
[00:45:02]
SO WE WERE ABLE LAST YEAR TO GIVE OUT EIGHT $82,500 IN AWARDS FOR 28 LOCAL EITHER STARTUPS OR JUST MICRO ENTREPRENEURS.UM, AND, UH, LET'S SEE, UM, THROUGH INCLUSIVE BUSINESS NAVIGATORS, WE PROVIDED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WORKSHOPS, UM, COACHING ADVISING TO OVER 400 BUSINESSES.
UM, VIP WE'VE BEEN CONTINUING THOSE GRANTS.
UM, IN 2024, WE GAVE OUT 233 GRANTS TOTALING $350,000.
UM, AND I DON'T KNOW, FOR OUR NEW, NEW COMMISSIONERS, THAT PROGRAM IS A $1,500 GRANT SUPPORTING BUSINESSES IMPACTED BY VANDALISM.
SO BROKEN WINDOW OR A BREAK IN, UM, AND PROPERTY DAMAGE.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET THAT MONEY BACK? BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I WAS THINK AT MY LOCAL BARBER, I SEEN HIS WINDOWS GET BROKEN UP.
I TOLD HIM ABOUT THIS SCRAP PROGRAM.
HE STILL HASN'T, YOU KNOW, HE'S LIKE, THIS MONEY STILL HAS INCOME, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW FOR BUSINESS OWNERS, YOU CAN ONLY IMAGINE FINDING MONEY.
AND, AND WHAT'S THE LIMIT ON THAT? IF, IF, IF I APPLY FOR IT TODAY, WHAT, WHAT'S MY TURNAROUND IF IT HAPPENS NEXT WEEK? UM, SO THERE, THERE IS NOT CURRENTLY A LIMIT WE CAN APPLY FOR INCIDENT.
WE'RE LOOKING AT PUTTING A CAP ON THAT BECAUSE, UM, WHERE WE HAVE LIMITED FUNDING, WE HAVE MORE OF A DELAY RIGHT NOW BECAUSE WE'RE IN BETWEEN FUNDING.
WE GOT $100,000 IN ONE TIME FUNDING STARTING OCTOBER ONE.
WE ALREADY DISPERSED ALL OF THAT AT THE END OF DECEMBER, BEGINNING JANUARY.
SO WE ARE GETTING ADDITIONAL FUNDING ALLOCATED, UH, OR WAS IT ALREADY ALLOCATED THIS WEEK? WE'RE GETTING ALLOCATED BY COUNCIL NEXT TUESDAY.
BUT THERE IS A LARGER DELAY RIGHT NOW IN THOSE DISBURSEMENTS BECAUSE OF THAT, THE GAP BETWEEN THE FUNDING SOURCES.
BUT NORMALLY IT'S A MUCH QUICKER TURNAROUND.
UM, WE DID A LOT OF WORK WITH OUR VENDOR TO REDUCE THE TIME, AND I THINK IT WAS AROUND SIX WEEKS, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, JU HAVE SIX TO SEVEN WEEKS TO GET THE FUNDING OUT THE DOOR.
SO YOU'RE SAYING PEOPLE HAVE BEEN PAID OUT OR THEY'RE STILL WAITING TO GET PAID OUT? UM, THERE, CURRENTLY, THERE ARE FOLKS THAT ARE WAITING BECAUSE WE'RE IN BETWEEN FUNDING, BUT NORMALLY FROM, FROM APPLICATIONS TO FUNDING SHOULD BE SIX TO SEVEN WEEKS IF THEY GET ALL THEIR DOCUMENTS.
WELL, I COULD, IT'S BEEN LONGER THAN THAT EVERY TWO WEEKS HAIRCUT.
I JUST WANNA ADVOCATE BECAUSE SEE THEM, YOU KNOW, STRUGGLING.
THAT PUTTING UP THAT TYPE OF MONEY IN THAT, THAT'S, THAT COULD BE KILLER FOR SMALL.
AND LIKE I SAID, RIGHT NOW IT'S LONGER.
LIKE THIS IS THE MOMENT WHEN THERE'S A
AND ONCE THE, YOU KNOW, ONCE THE MONEY IS, IS, UH, IS, IS ALLOCATED, THEN IT SHOULD BE, YOU KNOW, THREE TO, I WOULD SAY THREE TO FIVE, FOUR WEEKS IS, IS WHAT YOU SEE NOW.
SO IT'S, IT'S A LOT FASTER THAN BEFORE.
UH, OBVIOUSLY WE HEAR POSITIVE FEEDBACK ON THAT.
AND WE ALSO WORK REALLY HARD TO JUST DO A SIMPLE APPLICATION.
SO THE MINIMUM AMOUNT OF INFORMATION YOU NEEDED, JUST A QUICK TWO PAGE APPLICATION, UH, YOU KNOW, AND ASK YOU TO SUBMIT THE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS LIKE A POLICE REPORT, PICTURES, INVOICE, ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
UH, SO WE'RE TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE IT AS EASY AS POSSIBLE.
WE'RE STILL MEETING ON OUR END, YOU KNOW, KIND OF LIKE THE, THE, THE, THE REQUIRED INFORMATION THAT, THAT THE CITY HAS.
WHO CAN FOLLOW UP WITH, IS THERE PERSON THERE? OKAY, COOL.
COMMISSIONER SMITH, AND THEN COMMISSIONER.
SO BEING BOOTS ON THE GROUND AND ALSO COULD ATTEST TO THIS, HOW MANY PHONE CALLS I GET WHEN SOMETHING HAPPENS.
I HEAR STORIES OF, HEY, I, I GOT BROKEN IN TWO MONTHS AGO, I GOTTA WAIT NINE MONTHS BEFORE GONNA SUBMIT ANOTHER CLAIM.
NO, BUT THAT'S, BUT THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE BEING TOLD.
SO THERE HAVE BEEN, UM, SOME ISSUES WITH COMMUNICATIONS FROM OUR VENDOR NOT MATCHING THE CITY LINE AS THEY TURN OVER AND STAFF.
SO IF, IF THAT'S WHAT BUSINESSES ARE HEARING, WE JUST NEED TO CHECK IN WITH OUR VENDOR AGAIN, MAKE SURE THEY'RE, THEY'RE SAYING THE SAME MESSAGE THAT WE YEAH.
BECAUSE THE FRUSTRATION, LIKE I SAY, I'M, I'M IN IT.
AND NOW THEY SAY I GOTTA WAIT NINE MONTHS.
THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT IS COMING ACROSS.
I'M NOT SURE WE, WE'LL TALK LATER ABOUT THAT.
UM, YEAH, WE'LL, WE'LL MAKE SURE WE CALL LIKE, NOT NOT BEING EGOTISTICAL, BUT DURING THE PANDEMIC I SPONSORED 13 BUSINESSES TO REPLACE YOUR GLASS FREE OF CHARGE.
SO LIKE EVERYONE COMES TO ME AND SAY, HEY ROBERT, WHAT DO WE DO? YEAH.
AND I CALL AUSTIN, I CALL, UH, JAMES'S RESPONSE CALL LIO, YOU CALL ME.
AND THEN FIRST OFF, I, I WILL GIVE IT UP TO THE CASE.
I MEAN, DOWNTOWN I CONSIDERABLE BREAK-INS MULTIPLE TIMES.
[00:50:01]
SOME FOLKS WAITING SIX MONTHS TO SOME FOLKS NOW WAITING FOUR TO SIX WEEKS TO GET IT.UM, I THINK, AND MAYBE THIS IS JUST A BROADER CONVERSATION FOR NOT NECESSARILY FOR THIS CONDITION.
YOU GOT $350,000 AND YOU ONLY GOT 233 OUT.
DOWNTOWN ALONE HAS 600 BUSINESSES.
THERE'S NO WAY THIS PROGRAM IS GOING TO, AT THIS POINT, IT'S NOT SUSTAINABLE, THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE THAT HAPPENS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CITY.
AND THERE SHOULD BE A CONVERSATION AROUND LIKE, WHY IS IT HAPPENING? WHAT'S THE BACK END? WHAT ARE WE DOING THERE? UM, BUT ONE THING THAT WE COULD BRING UP IN COVA THAT MAYBE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT TEAM TO CONSIDER IS RATHER THAN OUTRIGHT SPONSORING OR DOING THE GRANT, IS THERE A WAY OF CONNECTING WITH, UM, SOME OF THE LOCAL GLASS REPAIR FOLKS LIKE BROADWAY GLASS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT AND SAY, HEY, CAN WE JUST CONTRACT YOUR NAME AND THEN BE ABLE TO JUST DO THAT, GET IT OUT QUICKLY? UH, BECAUSE IT HAPPENS SO FREQUENTLY AT THIS POINT.
AND I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T KNOW HOW, HONESTLY, I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG I WOULD BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO ASK FOR MONEY TO GET THOSE REPAIRED.
AND IS IT A LITTLE BIT MORE EFFECTIVE, JUST HAVE THE LAST REPAIR PERSON SAY, HEY, I'LL DO IT THIS KIND OF ALREADY FOR, BECAUSE I'M GONNA HIT A HUNDRED JOBS IN WHATEVER PERIOD OF TIME.
UM, WE ARE ALSO LOOKING AT AN ADDITIONAL PROGRAM ALONGSIDE THIS THAT WOULD SUPPORT SECURITY IMPROVEMENTS.
SO HELPING TO ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE PREVENTATIVE MEASURES IN ADDITION TO THE RECOVERY, BUT NOT APPRECIATE THE SUGGESTION.
UH, WHEN I WAS AT THE SENATOR'S OFFICE, UH, THIS IS, UH, THROUGH JUST POST DURING COVID.
COVID, YOU KNOW, LASTED FOREVER.
UM, BUT WE HEARD THAT ALL ACROSS THE DISTRICT, ACROSS DIFFERENT CITIES, UH, SMASHING GRABS, UH, VANDALISM CRIME DOWNTOWN WAS GETTING HIT.
AND SO WE WERE ACTIVELY LOOKING FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO BRING, DRAW DOWN FUNDING TO SUPPORT SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
AND I REMEMBER A CALL WITH AUSTIN AT ONE POINT SAID, HOW DO WE SUPPORT THE DOWNTOWN? UH, WE SPOKE WITH PD, WE SPOKE WITH EVERYONE, AND EVEN AUSTIN WAS LIKE, WELL, MAYBE THE DOBA CAN PUT IN $50,000 IF WE CAN MATCH THAT.
AND SO EVERYONE'S KIND OF PUTTING HEADSS TOGETHER.
AND THEN THE CITY FINALLY KIND OF EXPANDED ON THEIR VISUAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM TO INCLUDE, I THINK, UM, CRIME AND VANDALISM IS WHEN IT WAS JUST BEFORE LIKE SIGNAGE, I THINK AT ONE POINT, LIKE BEAUTIFICATION AT SOME POINT.
SO IT WAS REALLY INTERESTING AND, AND KUDOS TO THE CITY TO KIND OF EXPAND IN THAT NATURE AND THEN FIND A PATH FORWARD TO SUPPORT THE, THE LONG BEACH CITY AS A WHOLE OPPOSED TO LIKE A DOWNTOWN, YOU KNOW, BUSINESS CORRIDOR.
BUT, UM, AUSTIN MENTIONED SAID SOMETHING REALLY INTERESTING THAT LIKE, THIS IS MAYBE NOT SUSTAINABLE POTENTIALLY IF THIS IS JUST AN ONGOING THING WHEN, UM, CERTAIN CORRIDORS, UM, HAVE CERTAIN HOMELESS ISSUES OR, UM, CERTAIN CORRIDORS JUST DON'T HAVE, UM, CLEAN AND SAFE, YOU KNOW, UH, AS, AS A, AS A PRI AS A PRIORITY, OR MAYBE THE LIGHTING ISN'T GREAT, BUT $350,000 TO BE INVESTED IN ONE BUSINESS CORRIDOR AT EVERY, AT DIFFERENT TIMES TO BEAUTIFY, TO IMPROVE, TO FOCUS ON CLEAN AND SAFETY COULD MAYBE MITIGATE SOME OF THOSE ISSUES.
AND I THINK, UH, KIND OF REALLOCATION OF THOSE FUNDS TO GO IN AND, AND DO A, A FACELIFT IN A WHOLE BUSINESS CORRIDOR SO THAT IT'S NOT JUST LIKE THIS LOTTERY RIGHT.
AND MAYBE IT'S LIKE A WHOLE BUSINESS CORRIDOR LIKE DOWNTOWN, YOU KNOW, OR SOMEWHERE IN NORTH LONG BEACH THAT COULD REALLY USE, UM, THIS, THIS EFFORT IN COLLABORATION WITH, UH, PRIVATE AGENCIES.
RIGHT? AND NOW WE'RE LOOKING AT MAYBE A DEVELOPMENT PROJECT.
SO INITIAL, UH, INVESTOR THAT CAN BRING IN OTHER INVESTMENT INTO THAT, INTO THAT LOCATION THAT COULD POTENTIALLY RESULT IN, IN A BROADER IMPACT AND MORE SUSTAINABLE IMPACT IS, IS A THANK YOU COMMISSIONER.
I MEAN, IT IS A GOOD IDEA ON THE LIGHTING AND THE SECURITY.
I MEAN, THAT MAYBE SHOULD BE SOMETHING TOO, THAT THERE'S SOME KIND OF ALLOCATION OR, YOU KNOW, AN ASSESSMENT SAYING THERE'S A WHOLE AREA AND THERE'S NO, I MEAN, I KNOW THAT FROM THE PAST I'VE TALKED TO SOME PEOPLE SAID, YOU KNOW, THEIR BLOOD VESSEL LIGHT OUT AND IT'S BEEN OUT AND NOW MY CAR WAS ALL OPEN.
SO SOME KIND OF, YOU KNOW, TIE IN SECURITY THAT HELPS PREVENT IT.
DID THAT COMMENT, UH, LIKE CITY OF LAKEWOOD HAS A SIMILAR PROGRAM, BUT IT GOES TOWARDS LIKE SECURITY CAMERAS.
IT'S LIKE MORE SECURITY DRIVEN PROCESS.
'CAUSE THEY HAVE DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE IDENTIFIED THE, THE PRI OR YOU KNOW, WHAT THEIR BUSINESS COMMUNITY NEEDS, RIGHT? IT IS LIKE, WELL, WE JUST NEED MORE SECURITY MEASURES IN PLACE.
BUT, UM, I, I WOULD, YOU KNOW, KIND OF, IT WOULD BE AN INTERESTING, UH, UM, KIND OF LIKE A, A BRAINSTORMING SESSION ABOUT HOW, HOW THESE FUNDS CAN BE, HOW CAN THEY STRETCH OUT IN DIFFERENT WAYS TO BETTER IMPROVE, UH, OR WE'RE, WE'RE ALWAYS GONNA HAVE PRIVATE VANDALISM, RIGHT.
STORE FUNDS ARE GONNA GET BROKEN AND, AND WE'RE LONG BEACH, WE'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT, UH, SO, BUT THEY HAVE THEIR ISSUES TOO, RIGHT? SO EVERY, EVERY CITY ACROSS EVERY,
[00:55:01]
EVERY, EVERY, EVERY COUNTY.UM, BUT ANYWAYS, SO I THINK WE CAN MAYBE, UM, HAVE A CONVERSATION AROUND CAN THESE FUNDS BE USED IN DIFFERENT WAYS THAT COULD, UM, THE CONTRACTING, MAYBE LIKE YOU SAID WITH THE LAST COMPANY, DO SECURITY.
BUT THE THING WITH GLASS COMPANIES IS EVERY PIECE BESIDES THE FRONT DOOR IS CUSTOM GLASS, SO THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE UP READY.
WHICH BROUGHT UP AN ISSUE ABOUT INSURANCE TOO.
AND THAT'S WHY WE WERE GETTING A LOT OF HURDLES WITH INSURANCE COMPANIES DIDN'T COVER THAT.
AND THIS IS WHY
ANYTHING ON THE OUTSIDE IS THE, UH, PROPERTY PROPERTY OWNER.
SO ALL GLASS ISSUES RELY ON THE SMALL BUSINESS.
SO JUST WHEN I WILL DO SOME FOLLOW UP, UM, THE VIP PROGRAMS FOR FRONT, UM, ALSO, I JUST WANNA KNOW, YOU KNOW, I HAD MY BUSINESS WORKING INTO CLASS AND I CAN TELL YOU THE DLDA WAS RIGHT THERE.
UM, NOT ONLY WAS THAT TEAM THERE, BUT THEY ALSO, UM, AND THAT'S WHY I THINK WE'RE MISSING TOO, IS, IS THAT, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THE FUNDS COME FROM THE CITY.
BUT THE TEAM THAT THE DLD SENT OUT AND THE SUPPORT AND THE HELP THAT THEY PROVIDED WAS REALLY EXTRAORDINARY.
AND, AND I CAN ATTEST THAT I CALL AUSTIN, HEY, I NEED HELP BOARDING UP, HE WAS THERE.
HEY BUDDY, THIS, THIS BUSINESS GOT BROKEN INTO.
I'M MESSING MY TEAM OUT WHENEVER I CALL, I KNOW I CAN TRUST AUSTIN OR JAMES TO PICK UP THAT PHONE AND SAY
WELL, AND MR, JUST A QUESTION IS, UH, DO SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS GENERALLY KNOW THAT THESE PROGRAMS EXIST AND NOT, HOW, HOW DO THEY FIND OUT ABOUT IT? THEY DO BECAUSE THAT MOMENT WHEN SOMEBODY BREAKS IN, THEY'RE FULL OF EMOTION.
THEY DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT TO DO NEXT.
HOW DO THEY KNOW TO CALL US? SO, SO SOMETIMES THEY DON'T, 'CAUSE PD WILL BE SENT OUT AND THEY'LL SAY, HEY, UH, WE CAN BOARD YOU UP.
AND THEN, THEN HE'LL GET A PHONE CALL.
OR IF I KNOW THE BUSINESS PERSONALLY, I'LL GET THE PHONE CALL.
HEY, WHAT DO I DO? HEY, REACH OUT TO DLBA COUPLE AND SAYS THEY DON'T DO THIS, BUT AS A FAVOR.
AND YOU HAVE, TO ME, AUSTIN ACTUALLY COULD FLOW IN AND MAYBE PROACTIVELY REACH OUT TO THAT BUSINESS OWNER, SHOW THAT CITY CARES.
I I THINK THE POLICE ARE KNOWLEDGEABLE ON SAYING, HEY, REACH OUT TO THIS SCRAP PROVIDED BY AS LONG AS IT'S A-T-L-B-A BUSINESS.
SO I CAN, I CAN SPEAK TO THIS.
'CAUSE UM, WE, WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK THROUGH HERE GOING INTO OUTREACHING TO ALL THE BUSINESS CORRIDORS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
AND THAT 1200 BUSINESSES THAT WE VISITED JUST LAST YEAR WAS OUTREACH WITH ALL OF THE RESOURCES WE HAD AVAILABLE.
AND VIP IS NORMALLY ON TOP OF THE STACK.
THIS IS SOMETHING WE WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW, IS THERE FOR YOU IF YOU'VE EXPERIENCED VANDALISM, ANY OF YOUR NEIGHBORS HAVE, UM, WE, WE PUT THAT FRONT AND CENTER.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF OUTREACH THAT GOES IN.
HOPEFULLY WE CATCH 'EM BEFORE SOMETHING HAPPENS SO THEY KNOW TO REACH OUT TO US.
UM, AS SOON AS WE HEAR ABOUT AN INCIDENT TOO, WE GO OUT AND VISIT.
AND THAT'S, YOU JOINED WITH IES ON, ON DECK FOR THIS TOO.
BICARE IS GOING OUT, UM, AND WE ARE SHOWING UP WITH THE RESOURCES, UM, OFFERING ASSISTANCE WITH THIS PROGRAM OR ANYTHING ELSE WE'RE ABLE TO OFFER THEM.
UM, AND THEN BICARE IS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TOO.
SO IF THEY NEED ANY HELP GETTING THE DOCUMENTS TOGETHER, GETTING 'EM UPLOADED, WE CAN DO THAT.
WE'LL GO TO THAT IN PERSON, SIT DOWN WITH THE LAPTOP AND MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
UM, SO THAT'S WHAT BICARE IS MEANT TO DO, UM, IS TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT THEY HAVE THAT AWARENESS AND THEY GET ASSISTANCE.
SO PLEASE, IF YOU EVER HEAR A BUSINESS THAT WAS IMPACTED, LET US KNOW.
UM, AND THIS CARE HAS THEIR EMAIL THAT THEY'RE MONITORING EVERY MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, EIGHT TO FIVE.
WE'LL SEND SOMEONE OUT AS SOON AS WE CAN.
UM, AND DO YOU GUYS KNOW THE, THIS CARE EMAIL DO FOUR BID THAT NORMALLY TALK ABOUT NUMBER FOUR, THE ID AND THAT THE PHONE NUMBER IS FOR BIZ CARE.
SO, UH, YOU KNOW, 5 6 2 5 7 OH IS ALL THE CITY NUMBERS.
AND BI AND THAT BINDER WE'RE WORKING ON IS GONNA HAVE ALL THAT INFORMATION.
I JUST WANNA SAY THAT THE PROGRAM IS GREAT, YOU KNOW, NOT, I DIDN'T IMPLY THAT WE NEED TO TAKE AWAY THIS FUNDING GREAT PROGRAM AND IN TERMS IT'S SERVING A PURPOSE.
EMERGENCY RESPONSE IS, IS A, IS A THING THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN.
UM, AND POST COVID COVID AND POST COVID, IT WAS LIKE A CRITICAL THING TO OFFER, RIGHT? AND BECAUSE OF HOMELESS AND, AND THE ISSUES AROUND, UM, WHAT HAPPENING IN OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY.
UM, SO I JUST WANNA END WITH THAT NOTES.
UM, BUT AS WE KIND OF LOOK TO THE FUTURE, UM, I JUST WANNA
[01:00:01]
SEE SOME OTHER OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE CAN EXPAND WITHIN THIS.WE READY TO GO ON FROM VIP? SO, LEVEL UP, UM, THIS WAS A REALLY GREAT PROGRAM LAST YEAR.
WE WERE ABLE TO SUPPORT 25 BUSINESSES WITH, UH, WELL, WE ACTUALLY ADMITTED 35 BUSINESSES TO THE PROGRAM.
25 WERE SORT OF IN THE FUNDING AS LONG AS THEY COMPLETED ALL OF THE PIECES OF THE PROGRAM.
AND WE HAD 10 ALTERNATES IN CASE ANY DROPPED OUT, WHICH A COUPLE DID.
UM, WE AT THE END WERE ABLE TO GIVE OUT, UM, THE GRANTS TO 29 BUSINESSES.
WE FOUND A LITTLE EXTRA FUNDING FOR THE FOUR EXTRA THAT COMPLETED EVERYTHING TO RECEIVE $4,000 GRANTS EACH.
UM, BUT 25 RECEIVED $10,000 IN FUNDING.
AND ALL OF THESE BUSINESSES WENT THROUGH A SERIES OF WORKSHOPS FOR, UM, MARKETING, BUSINESS PLANNING, FINANCE, AND I'M FORGETTING THE LAST WORKSHOP, UM, OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
BUT WE ALSO INTRODUCED 'EM TO A LOT OF CITY RESOURCES.
AT THE VERY FIRST WORKSHOP WAS JUST GET TO KNOW ALL OF THE PEOPLE IN THE CITY THAT ARE HERE TO SUPPORT YOU.
SO THAT INCLUDES OUR CBD, OUR CHAMBER, UM, AND THEN A LOT OF OUR DIFFERENT RESOURCE PROVIDERS.
UM, SO WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO DOING THIS AGAIN, BUT WE'RE GONNA BE SUPPORTING 20 GRANTS, UH, 20 $10,000 GRANTS THIS YEAR, UM, LOCATED AT EIGHT 30 BUSINESSES TO THE WORKSHOPS.
UM, AND THAT APPLICATION SHOULD BE OPENING, I THOUGHT I WAS HOPING IT WOULD OPEN TODAY.
WE'RE WAITING ON THE PRESS RELEASE TO GO OUT SO IMMEDIATELY.
UM, AND
UM, IT'S A COMPETITIVE APPLICATION.
SO WE WANT 'EM TO REALLY THINK THROUGH THEIR, THEIR RESPONSES AND WE'LL BE PUTTING TOGETHER A, UH, REVIEW COMMITTEE, UH, PANEL TO SET, MAKE THOSE DECISIONS, WHO GETS ACCEPTED.
ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT PROGRAM? UM, LEGACY BUSINESS, I ALREADY, UH, SPOKE TO A LITTLE BIT.
UM, JULIO IS OVERSEEING THAT PROGRAM GOING THROUGH THE REVIEW OF OUR MORE RECENT APPLICATIONS.
WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD, RECOGNIZING SMALL BUSINESSES.
SO, COURTNEY, THE ONLY NOTE I PUT ON THIS IS JUST IF YOU DO HAVE DENT BEFORE YOU RECOGNIZE THE VISIBLE LEGACY BUSINESSES, IT'D BE GREAT IF HAVE DEVELOP ABOUT THAT.
UM, AND ACTUALLY THAT REMINDS ME OF ANOTHER EVENT COMING UP NEXT WEEK.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE A MIXER FOR A GREEN BUSINESS PROGRAM.
SO, UM, MAKE SURE OUR INFORMATION SENT OUT TO ALL OF YOU IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND AND MEET SOME OF OUR GREEN BUSINESSES.
UM, WE TOOK OVER THE GREEN BUSINESS PROGRAM LAST YEAR.
I'M NOT SURE IF THERE'S A SLIDE FOR THAT ONE, SO.
UM, BUT THE GREEN BUSINESS PROGRAM IS NEAR TO MY HEART BECAUSE I LAUNCHED IT UNDER THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY, AND THEN I HAVE TO TAKE IT BACK OVER NOW IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
UM, AND IT IS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR BUSINESSES TO, UH, IMPROVE THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND RECOGNITION FOR THOSE ACHIEVEMENTS.
UM, WE CONNECT THEM WITH ANY REBATES OR RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO HELP THEM ACHIEVE THOSE GOALS.
AND, AND, UH, WE HAVE SOME GREAT PARTNERS IN OUR UTILITIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES TEAMS, UM, THAT HELP US PROVIDE SOME OF THAT DIRECT ASSISTANCE.
UM, AND THEN NEXT REVOLVING LOAN FUND.
UM, SO IN 2024, WE, UH, WERE DISPERSING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT FUNDING AND NINE LOANS ARE DISPERSED, HOLDING $661,000.
UM, AND 22 JOBS CREATED OR RETAINED THROUGH THAT PROGRAM.
SO THAT WAS A REALLY GREAT EFFORT FOR THE TEAM TO GET ALL THAT FUNDING OUT THE DOOR TO LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES.
AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO, UM, THE EDA GRANT THAT IS STILL IN PROCESS.
IT IS IN PROCESS TO ACCEPT ANOTHER $750,000 INTO A LOAN PROGRAM, UH, THAT WE'LL BE LOOKING FOR DIS OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS.
MR. SMITH, DID YOU HAVE A COMMENT? NO.
UM, CANNABIS EQUITY IN 2024, UM, PROVIDED 156 1 0 1 CONSULTING SERVICES, HELD 38 WEBINARS AND Q AND A SESSIONS, UM, AND DISPERSED OVER A MILLION DOLLARS IN GRANT FUNDING TO OUR CANNABIS EQUITY BUSINESSES.
AND NOW WE HAVE OUR NEW CANNABIS EQUITY PROGRAM MANAGER.
SO WE'LL MOVE TO NEWER AND BETTER THINGS THIS YEAR.
OUR GUARANTEED INCOME PILOT CONCLUDED OUR FIRST COHORT LAST YEAR.
SO THE, THE FIRST COHORT STARTED ON AS A LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT PROGRAM, AND WE WERE DISPERSING $500 PER MONTH TO 250 FAMILIES BEGINNING MAY, 2023 THROUGH APRIL, 2024.
WE WERE ABLE TO LAUNCH A SECOND COHORT LAST YEAR, UM, STARTING IN MARCH, AND THEY'LL BE RECEIVING THEIR FINAL PAYMENT THIS MONTH.
AND, UM, THEN OUR, OUR RESEARCH STUDY
[01:05:01]
WILL BE CONTINUING TO CONDUCT SURVEYS AND INTERVIEWS, UM, THIS YEAR AND THEN ANALYZING THAT DATA TO GIVE US COMPREHENSIVE REPORT ON THE IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAM ACROSS BOTH COHORTS.SO WE'LL BE LOOKING FORWARD TO RECEIVING THAT DATA TOWARDS THE END OF THE YEAR.
WHERE DOES THAT FUNDING COME FROM? UH, FOR, FOR THIS PROGRAM? FOR THIS PROGRAM? SO THE FIRST COHORT WAS FUNDED THROUGH THE LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT, AND THEN THE SECOND COHORT WAS $1.2 MILLION IN HOMELESS EMERGENCY FUNDING THAT WAS ALLOCATED FOR, UM, HOMELESS PREVENTION.
SO WE USED THIS AS A WAY TO, UM, PROVIDE SOME EXTRA FUNDING FOR LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLDS AND PREVENT HOMELESSNESS BEFORE IT HAPPENED.
UM, WE WERE ABLE TO, UH, GET THAT FUNDING BECAUSE WE HAD REALLY STRONG DATA FROM OUR FIRST COHORT AND THE BASELINE SURVEY THAT SHOWED SIGNIFICANT, UM, HOUSING INSECURITY IN THE, THE POPULATION THEY'RE SERVING.
SO WE BASICALLY EXPANDED TO VERY SIMILAR, UH, POPULATION FOR THE SECOND COHORT.
AND, UM, GOT TWO THIRD MARKET AND, AND THAT FUNDING WILL BE THROUGH THE END OF 2025? NO, THEY'RE, IT'S, IT'S ENDING THIS MONTH.
UM, THIS IS, THIS IS THE LAST MONTH OF 500 PAYMENTS TO BEING DISPERSED TO THE SECOND COHORT.
AND THEN WE'LL JUST BE, UM, WAITING ON THE RESEARCH RESULTS TO COME THROUGH CBA QUESTION.
FOR, UM, DO YOU WORK AT ALL WITH HABITAT
SO I'M ON THE BOARD AND THAT, IT JUST ABSOLUTELY ME HOW THEY SAY THEY DON'T GET ENOUGH APPLICATIONS.
UM, AND THEY'RE BUILDING LIKE CRAZY.
SO THEIR ISSUE IS THEY CAN WORK WITH ANY CITIES, THEY'D BE HAPPY TO START THAT PARTNERSHIP.
I BELIEVE THERE WAS, UM, THE DEVELOPMENT IN LONG BEACH MM-HMM
BUT IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THEY'RE MORE THAN HAPPY TO COME IN AND OFFER THAT ASSISTANCE IN ADDITION TO, UM, REHABILITATION FOR VETERAN HOMES OR, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT THEY CAN OFFER.
AND I WONDER, OUR HEALTH DEPARTMENT PROBABLY ALREADY WORKS WITH THEM WITH LIKE, THE HOMELESS SERVICES PROGRAMS, BUT IF NOT, WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S CONNECTION MADE.
AND THEN WRAPPING UP CLIMATE, YOU HAVE NOT JOINED US YET, SO IF YOU WANT TO ADD ANYTHING, FEEL FREE TO DO SO.
UM, SO OBVIOUSLY THIS IS A PREVIOUSLY KNOWN AS SPECIFIC GATEWAY.
UM, WORKFORCE INNOVATION NETWORK IS NOW LONG BEACH, UH, WORKFORCE INNOVATION NETWORK.
SO HERE ARE JUST KIND OF SOME OF THE, THE HIGH LEVEL, UH, NUMBERS THAT THEY WERE ENROLLED TO, TO ASSIST THE COMMUNITY.
SO ENROLLED IN PRIVATE EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING FOR, UH, 200 1500 CUSTOMERS ISSUED, UH, $1.6 MILLION IN TRAINING PAYMENTS TO ASSIST 498 ADULTS AND YOUTH CUSTOMERS.
UH, ENTERTAINING SKILLS PROVIDING, YOU KNOW, ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR SUPPORTED SERVICES AND INCENTIVES FOR ADULTS, UH, IN CUS AND ADULT AND YOUTH TO ASSIST IN OVERCOMING, UM, YOU KNOW, OBSTACLES RELATED TO TRAINING AND, AND JOB SEARCHES THERE.
UH, LAUNCHING, UH, FUTURE LB UH, WHICH IF YOU HAVEN'T GOT A CHANCE TO DO, ACTUALLY WE MIGHT GET HAVE A MEETING THERE, UH, JUST SO YOU GUYS CAN, UH, CAN, UH, VISIT THE VISIT, UM,
YEAH, IT'S A, IT'S A GREAT, UM, REALLY SPACE FOR YOUTH TO REALLY, SOMETIMES THEY CAN JUST GO THERE TO HANG OUT, YOU KNOW, TO BE A SAFE SPACE, BUT ALSO TO LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, BUILDING UP THEIR SKILLS, UM, THERE FOR, FOR THE WORKFORCE.
UM, THAT KIND OPERATION PROJECT.
UH,
UM, THIS IS A REALLY GREAT PROGRAM.
THEY RECEIVED A GRANT FROM, UM, IRVINE FOUNDATION, AND IT'S, UH, PARTNER IN PARTNERSHIP WITH WORKFORCE BUREAU AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT HAS BEEN WORKING AS WELL ON THIS.
JULIO ESPECIALLY HAS BEEN SUPPORTING, PROVIDING SOME HIS BUSINESS LIAISON SERVICES TO THE ENTREPRENEURS, BUT IT'S MEANT TO SUPPORT UNDOCUMENTED ENTREPRENEURS, UM, IN STARTING THEIR BUSINESSES.
SO WHAT IS PROVIDING SOME REALLY GREAT, UM, WORKSHOP SERIES FOR THEM TO GO THROUGH, UM, SUPPORTING THEM IN GETTING LICENSED.
THEY ACTUALLY A TOUR OF THE PERMIT CENTER, UM, I THINK IS REALLY GREAT TO HELP MAKE THEM FEEL WELCOME AT CITY HALL.
UM, AND THEN AFTERWARDS THEY'RE LOOKING AT HOW DO THEY CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THEM? HOW CAN WE AS THE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT BUREAU CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THEM ON THEIR JOURNEY.
THEY GET THEMSELVES LAUNCHED AS LOCAL BUSINESSES.
UM, SO THEY WERE, UH, FUNDED FOR ANOTHER TWO YEARS, SO WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT.
MOVING ON TO SPACE SPEECH CAPS, THIS IS A REALLY COOL PROGRAM THAT WAS LAUNCHED AUGUST 20, 24.
BASICALLY THESE, UH, THESE GROUP OF 34,
[01:10:01]
UH, WERE ABLE TO MEET, YOU KNOW, ENGINEERS IN, IN THE SPACE, UH, LIKE THE SPACE, UM, INDUSTRY, ALSO AEROSPACE AS WELL, AEROSPACEUH, SO I GOT WE COOL, UM, TOURS, UH, AND THEN, I DON'T REMEMBER THE EXACT NAME, BUT, UM, EARLY, UH, LATE LAST YEAR, UH, ONE OF THE FEDERAL, UH, COMMISSIONS, I THINK IT'S, UH, KIND OF LIKE, UH, THAT PROVIDES A GOVERNMENT WITH RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW TO KNOW JUST SPACE USE AND ACTIVATION.
UH, THEY WERE HOSTED HERE AT THE CITY FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, AND TWO OF THE, UH, THE YOUTH FROM THE SPACE CAMP WERE ABLE TO GO AND, AND TALK ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE.
UH, SO THEY WERE, YOU KNOW, JUST HEARING FROM THEM WAS VERY, UH, FUN AND INTERESTING AND, UH, THEY HAD THEIR FAVORITES, BUT, UH, THEY WERE VERY EXCITED.
AND, YOU KNOW, JUST AGAIN, UM, IT'S ABOUT EXPOSURE, YOU KNOW, AND LETTING YOUTH AND REALLY ADULTS ALSO, YOU KNOW, WHAT INDUSTRIES EXIST, UH, IN OUR CITY.
AND THAT THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY, UH, TO MOVE AROUND TO INDUSTRIES THAT, YOU KNOW, AT THE END OF THE DAY PROVIDE A GOOD QUALITY OF LIFE BECAUSE IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S ABOUT AT END OF THE DAY, RIGHT? YEAH, WE KNOW THE COOL THINGS IN OUR SPACE OR, YOU KNOW, IN OTHER AREAS OF TECHNOLOGY, BUT WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE FOR EVERYBODY'S LIFE AT END THE DAY? SO I THINK THEY'RE ABLE TO SEE, YOU KNOW, JOBS AND WHAT SKILL SETS THEY NEEDED TO HELP 'EM, YOU KNOW, COLOR IN WHAT THAT TYPE OF LIFE THAT THEY WANT BUILD FOR THEMSELVES.
UH, THIS IS A PUBLIC CORPS FELLOW.
I WON'T CALL HIM OUT, UH, BUT HE'S MARKED OVER THERE.
UH, BEEN HELPING US OUT A LOT TO DO SOME REALLY GOOD RESEARCH AND, YOU KNOW, REALLY SOME, EVEN SOME PROGRAM ACTIVATION AND IMPLEMENTATION.
SO, UM, THIS, UH, COURSE FELLOWSHIP, UM, PROVIDES, UH, FELLOWS, UH, ALSO YOUTH, UH, EXPERIENCE IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT, UH, REALLY ACROSS MANY OF OUR DEPARTMENTS, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION, CAREER DEVELOPMENT, HEALTH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
SO, YOU KNOW, HERE IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, JUST TO SPEAK TO OURSELVES, UM, WE HAVE A COUPLE OF 'EM THAT ARE WORKING WITH CHELSEA ON COMMUNICATIONS.
AND THEN, UH, WE ALSO HAVE MARK WHO ASSIST US AND, YOU KNOW, RESEARCHING LIKE LEGISLATION THAT IMPACTS OUR BUSINESSES, UH, PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION DESIGN AS WELL WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR TEAM.
UH, AND YOU KNOW, I THINK, UM, WON'T SPEAK ON BEHALF OF MARK, BUT HE SEEMS TO BE HAVING A REALLY GOOD TIME HERE.
SO AGAIN, THE IDEA IS JUST TO INSPIRE, YOU KNOW, THE NEXT GENERATION OF ADMINISTRATORS AND PUBLIC SERVANTS, KIND OF WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT IN THE VERY BEGINNING.
YOU KNOW, UH, WE MAYBE MAKING, UH, LESS THAN MINIMUM WAGE AT TIME.
SO, UH, WE'RE LOOKING TO, YOU KNOW, INSPIRE AND EXPOSE, AGAIN, YOUTH INTO THE PUBLIC SECTOR AND TO KNOW THAT JURA SAY, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT AS BORING AS IT SEEMS, AND IT'S VERY EXCITING PLACE TO WORK AND TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
UM, KIND OF STARTING TO WRAP UP HERE, UH, LAUNCH OF THE FIRE CORPS.
AGAIN, THIS IS THE IDEA BEHIND THESE, THESE PROGRAMS ARE JUST TO EXPOSE YOU TO VARIOUS INDUSTRIES AND PROFESSIONS THAT EXIST IN THE CITY.
UM, SO THIS IS ALSO SOMETHING THAT IS DESIGNED FOR THAT MATTER.
SO FIRE COURSE INTERNSHIP, YOU KNOW, OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY, DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE THROUGH THE, UH, LONG BEACH FIRE DEPARTMENT AND URBAN DESIGN INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS, UH, AS WELL, WORKING WITH OUR, UH, PARTNERS HERE, LIKE
SO AGAIN, HOSTING, UH, FOR THE QUEEN MARY, UH, RECORD SETTING ATTENDANCE IN 2024.
UM, LOT OF COMMUNITY THREE DAYS FOR COUNCIL DISTRICTS, AND WE'LL, WE'LL, UH, MAKE SURE WE SEND THAT INFORMATION OUT.
CASE IS INTERESTING, ATTENDING TO THOSE.
UM, AND, UH, THIS YEAR, UH, THEY'RE LOOKING TO DEMO THE VILLAGE.
SO, UH, THAT'S GONNA BE, YOU KNOW, UH, THAT'S WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE, UH, FOR THE AMPHITHEATER.
AND JUST TO KIND OF REBOUND ASPECTS OF THERE, UH, PERTAINING TO LONG BEACH CONVENTION ENTERTAINMENT CENTER AND ARENA, WE'RE IMPLEMENTING A MAJOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT 7 MILLION, UH, PARTICULARLY FOR SEATING, UH, SOUND AND THEN STAGE IMPROVEMENTS, UH, THE ARENA.
AND THEN WE ALL WILL PREPARE TWO $5 MILLION AND HVACS AS WELL.
SO, YOU KNOW, KEEPING THAT, UH, THE CONVENTION CENTER COMPETITIVE WITH OTHER CONVENTION CENTERS, UM, HERE IN THE AREA.
SO THEN I'LL WRAP UP BY, I WON'T READ, I'LL THROW ALL THESE, BUT JUST HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THESE, UM, THE UPCOMING PROJECTS FOR 2025.
YOU'LL SEE THAT AGAIN, THE BID'S GOT, UH, ANOTHER $250,000 IN ONE TIME FUNDS FOR, UH, THIS COMING YEAR.
SO WE'RE WORKING CLOSELY WITH THEM TO GET THAT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
UH, THE WEST LONG BEACH BID VISIBILITY STUDY IS HAPPENING AS WELL IN THE NEXT COUPLE MONTHS.
THE P TALKED ABOUT
WE'LL HAVE, UH, WE'LL WORK WITH LEAH FROM LP TO BRING THAT INFORMATION AND INVITATION TO YOU GUYS, UH, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
UH, THE STOREFRONT VINYL PROGRAM IS SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY COOL.
[01:15:01]
TO, UM, DO VINYL WRAPPINGS FOR, UM, STOREFRONTS THAT, YOU KNOW, ARE EMPTY RIGHT NOW IN VACANT, UH, TO KIND OF HELP WITH COMMUNICATION AND, AND IMPROVE THE CORRIDOR DOOR, UH, CORRIDOR KIND OF LOOK AND BILL, AND HOPEFULLY ENTICE BUSINESSES, UH, TO COME TO THAT CORRIDOR DOOR.UH, COURTNEY MENTIONED THE $750,000 INVOLVING ONE FUND, LOAN FUND, AND THEN
YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE FINDING A LOT IS JUST SETTING THE GROUNDWORK ON A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, CAPTURING DATA, FOLLOWING UP, YOU KNOW, UH, CAPTURING OUR CASE WORK AND MAKING SURE THAT IT FOLLOWS THROUGH FROM THE BEGINNING, THAT WE BECOME NOTIFIED TO THE END.
THERE'S HOPEFULLY A RESOLUTION SO WE CAN HAVE THAT DATA THAT HELPS US, YOU KNOW, ADVOCATE FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR, UH, THE PROGRAMS AND THE BUSINESSES AT END DAY, UH, HERE IN THE CITY.
THAT BEING SAID, THANK YOU FOR, UH, A VERY LONG PRESENTATION.
I KNOW, BUT YOU GUYS HAVE QUESTIONS, SO I I IMAGINE THAT IT WOULD AT LEAST SOMEWHAT INFORMATIVE.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS FROM THE COMMISSION? COMMISSIONER MC? YEAH, JUST, UH, LASTLY ON THE, THE, THE ARENA INVESTMENT.
SO I KNOW DURING THE CITY OF THE CITY, THE MAYOR HAD SHOWCASED LIKE A COMPLETE REDESIGN OF THE ARENA.
I THINK THAT'S NOT WHAT THIS 7 MILLION IS GOING TOWARDS, RIGHT? LIKE THAT? YEAH, YOU'RE RIGHT.
I THINK THIS IS JUST FOR WHAT, BASICALLY WHAT I WOULD SAY, LIKE A FUNDAMENTAL PIECES, LIKE THE INFRASTRUCTURE PIECES.
IS THAT LIKE REDESIGN THAT HE SHOWCASED? WAS THAT, IS THAT IN THE WORKS OR IS THAT JUST LIKE, THIS WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE? I THINK IT'S IN THE MORE IN THE WORKS NOW.
SO A JUST A POINT OF CONTEXT THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO ME, AND MAYBE THIS IS ALL WOULD BE AVAILABLE TO SOMEONE, UM, I'M HAPPY TO LEARN ABOUT IT.
SO ALL THE INVESTMENTS THAT WE'RE MAKING, IT'D BE INTERESTING TO UNDERSTAND THAT KIND OF THE RELATIVE CONTRIBUTION TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE CITY THAT PREVIOUS INVESTMENTS HAVE CREATED.
SO WE SAY, LOOK, WE UNIFY A CORRIDOR HIGH RETURN ON INVESTMENT BECAUSE OF THIS, OR, YOU KNOW, WE, WE INVEST INTO NEW SEATS IN THE STADIUM BECAUSE THIS CREATES, LIKE THIS, THIS GENERATES THAT BIG OF A OUTCOME.
WE'VE GOT VERY DIFFERENT ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE ON THE NUMBERS, $1,500 TO 'EM VERSUS 25 MILLION OVER HERE.
AND JUST BEING NEW HERE, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL CONTEXT TO UNDERSTAND JUST WHAT ARE THE REPERCUSSIONS, WHAT ARE THE SCALES, LIKE, THE NUMBER OF, OF BUSINESSES THAT, THAT, UM, GET IMPACTED.
AND, AND THIS IS ALL JUST TOWARDS MEASURING OUR OUTCOMES.
SO WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE WITH THE QUEEN MARY, UH, 20, FOR 24 WE PUT 1.5 MILLION, AND NOW WE'RE REQUESTING 4 MILLION.
WHAT IS THAT GOING TO, WHAT REPAIRS? UM, I, FROM MY UNDERSTANDING, I PROVIDE THIS INFORMATION TO EVERYBODY, BUT IT'S STILL MORE ABOUT FUNDAMENTAL, JUST STRUCTURAL ISSUES.
UH, IT IS WHAT IT IS, WHAT IT IS.
SO, YOU KNOW, UM, THINK A LOT ABOUT JUST LIKE THE PER PRESERVATION PIECE OF IT.
UH, NOT REALLY ADDING ON, BUT JUST PRESERVING, KEEPING THE SHIP, YOU KNOW, UP TO PARK.
THERE'S STILL, I THINK THERE, AND ALSO I CAN SEND THE PREVIOUS REPORTS, YOU KNOW, TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF DELAYED REPAIRS THAT, UM, HAVE NOT OCCURRED JUST TO PREVIOUS, UM, AGREEMENTS.
SO THE CITY IS WORKING WITH THE PORT, UH, AS WELL TO PROVIDE THAT INFUSION.
AND THEN HOW DO WE MAKE UP THOSE COSTS? UH, IT CAN'T JUST BE PARKING.
HOW, HOW ARE WE GENERATING OUR, SO I KNOW ONE OF THE THINGS RIGHT NOW THEY'RE WORKING ON IS RIGHT NOW ALL THE HOTEL ROOMS ARE NOT AVAILABLE.
SO THEY'RE WORKING ON BRINGING THOSE UP TO PAR AND THAT'S GONNA PROVIDE ADDITIONAL REVENUE.
UM, THERE WAS A REALLY COOL PIECE EARLIER THIS YEAR.
UM, I CAN'T REMEMBER THE, UH, THE MEDIA EXACTLY THE WHAT, UH, NEWSPAPER IT WAS, BUT, UH, THEY TALKED ABOUT THE QUEEN MARY FOR THE FIRST TIME HAS ACTUALLY RUNNING IN THE BLACK, WHICH WAS SOMETHING THAT WE HAD NOT SEEN IN A VERY, VERY LONG TIME.
SO IT'S TRENDING THE RIGHT DIRECTION, UH, I THINK IS WHAT, IT'S ONE OF WHAT I WANT SAY.
AND, YOU KNOW, DUTY TO INVEST IN THE QUEEN MARY AS AN, AS AN ASSET.
UH, THE COUNCIL HAS, YOU KNOW, DECIDED TO DO THAT.
AND I THINK IT'S, YOU KNOW, PAYING OFF.
THERE'S STILL A LOT OF WORK TO DO, OBVIOUSLY.
UM, BUT I THINK AT LEAST ON THE HOTEL, YOU KNOW, BRINGING UP ONLINE IS GONNA BE SOMETHING THAT IS GONNA INCREASE ITS REVENUE AS WELL AS, YOU KNOW, INCREASING JUST THE, UH, LIKE THE FESTIVAL IS AN EVENT, UH, IS SOMETHING THAT EXTENDS TO ME.
THAT'S KIND OF ONGOING BECAUSE IT'S AN OLD STRUCTURE NEEDS TO BE RETROFIT AND EVERY 10 YEARS YOU'RE HAVE TO FUND IT, YOU KNOW, EVEN MORE SO TO EXPAND.
YOUR FELLOW PROGRAM, IS IT EXCLUSIVE TO CSU, LONG BEACH AND
[01:20:01]
DOMINGUEZ HILLS AND LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE? OR COULD YOU PARTNER WITH USC POTENTIALLY? I DON'T BELIEVE IT'S EXCLUSIVE.WE'LL HAVE TO GET BACK ON THAT DETAIL.
UM, IT MAY JUST BE THAT THOSE ARE THE AGREEMENTS THAT THE CITY HAD HAS WITH THEM.
I KNOW THEY'RE THE FIRST TIME AROUND, UH, SO I DON'T KNOW THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE EXCLUSIVE, BUT I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED IF THEY CURRENTLY PAID WORK JUST BECAUSE IT WAS YEAH.
AND, UH, THOSE ARE THE LOCAL ONES.
SO YOU'RE INTERESTED IN KNOWING, WELL, YEAH, WE PARTNERED WITH USC FOR AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGE WITH USC PRICE.
AND THE CITY HAS ACTUALLY PARTICIPATED IN THAT CHALLENGE.
BUT IT COULD BE A REALLY GOOD PIPELINE TO GET SOME, SOME GREAT TALENT FRESH OUT OF COLLEGE.
AND THEN THE OTHER QUESTION WAS FOR THE, THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS FOR THE CIVIC CENTER, UM, THE CONVENTION CENTER IS, SO ARE THESE CITY INVESTMENTS TO, TO UPDATE, YOU KNOW, TO DO THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS? OR IS THIS IN COLLABORATION WITH THE OPERATORS BEING DONE? UM, THESE ARE CITY INVESTMENTS.
IS THERE, UH, I MEAN, UM, JUST, I'M JUST KIND OF CURIOUS, ARE THERE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE CITY TO COLLABORATE WITH THE PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE OPERATORS BEING, UM, THAT THEY COULD BE, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE POTENTIAL CAPITAL TO, TO FUND THIS PROJECT AS WELL? YOU KNOW, THEY'RE THE, THE, THE LIST LESSEE OR, OR THE STAKEHOLDER OF THIS, RIGHT? MM-HMM
SO IS THERE, ARE THERE OPPORTUNITIES TO NEGOTIATE THAT SO THE CITY CAN SAVE SOME MONEY AND MAYBE ALLOCATE SOME OF THOSE FUNDS ELSEWHERE? I DO NOT KNOW THAT ANSWER, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO, SO TO LBP IS WE CAN, IF YOU GUYS WANT TO DO LIKE, A DEEP DIVE INTO
THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN, WE COULD ALSO GET VICE CHAIR THOMAS INVOLVED 'CAUSE HE'S REALLY WORKED.
THAT'S PRESERVATION ON THE RESERVATION, SO IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT'S OF INTEREST.
WE CAN FIND A WAY TO PUT THAT ON YOUR AGENDA.
OH, IF YOU CAN ALSO THROW IN THAT ERIC ROMERO GUY IN THAT
IT'S A GREAT WAY TO SHOW MAYBE POSSIBLE ANOTHER MEETING THERE.
WE CAN SHOW TANGIBLE, YOU KNOW, YOUR TAX DOLLARS WORK, RIGHT.
AND SHOWING HOW IT TOGETHER IN THE PHASES.
THIS ONE TO, UM, TAG ON WHAT COMMISSIONER HAS SAID ABOUT THE FIRES IMPACTING BUSINESSES AND, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE WE DOING AS LONG BEACH IS, UM, I, I AM GONNA BE MEETING WITH THE REPRESENTATIVE FROM SUPERVISOR S OFFICE ALREADY, UM, BECAUSE THEY ARE, THEY HAVE A PROBLEM FOR THE COUNTY WHERE THEY'RE LOOKING AT HOW CAN SOME OF THE BUSINESSES HOUSE SOME OF THE BUSINESSES THAT HAVE BEEN DISPLACED, UM, IN OUR VARIOUS BUSINESSES WITHIN THE COUNTY.
SO I'LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HOW WON'T BE JUST PARTICIPATING.
UM, BUT I'D LIKE TO BRING THAT BACK AS AN ADVISORY.
JUST ANOTHER ADVISORY PIECE WE HAVE.
YEAH, WE HAVE SHARED THAT, UH, PROGRAM OUT.
SO I, I'M NOT SURE IF WE'RE LOGO ABOUT ON THE WEBSITE OR NOT, BUT WE HAVE, UM, HELPED SHARE THAT OUT TO THE LOCAL BUSINESS COMMUNITY FOR THEM TO SIGN ON AS IF THEY HAVE SPACE THEY TO SHARE.
I, YOU KNOW, I WAS THINKING ALSO THAT THERE MIGHT BE A WAY FOR US TO JUST, UH, DO SOME MORE PLANNING AROUND THAT BECAUSE THERE ARE BUSINESSES THAT HAVE BEEN SO IMPACTED AND WE DO HAVE SPACE IN OUR COMMUNITY TO HELP SOME OF THE BUSINESSES.
SO HOW CAN WE MAYBE ORGANIZE THAT, BUT THANK YOU COMMISSIONER NOLAN, UM, FOR THAT POTENTIAL REPORT OUT, UM, ON THE CONVENTION CENTER IN THE ARENA.
CAN WE JUST GET A SNAPSHOT OF LIKE WHAT THE ARENA'S MAINLY USED FOR? OH, LIKE WHAT IT'S BOOKED FOR? YEAH, BECAUSE LIKE HISTORICALLY WE USED HAVE A HOCKEY TEAM IN THERE.
I JUST THOUGHT IN CONCERTS, THE WAY I VIEW, I FEEL LIKE WE ALL KNOW THE TERRA THEATER AND THE QUEEN AREAS.
OKAY, SO LIKE A COMBO CONVENTION CENTER? YEAH.
LIKE I, I KIND OF ASSUME IT'S AN EXTENSION CONVENTIONS, LIKE I KNOW COMPLEXCON STUFF IN THAT ARENA OR LIKE OTHER CHARITY EVENTS.
BUT IS IT SOMETHING THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO ACTIVATE AS PART OF LIKE THE BROADER ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT GOTCHA.
AREA OR YEAH, JUST LIKE THE SPARKS PLAY AND THE PYRAMID PLAY DOWN.
WELL WE JUST HAD MY DAUGHTER'S CHEER COMPETITION WAS THERE IN THE ACTUAL ARENA.
SO ALL, ALL, ALL THAT WAS ACTIVATED FOR THAT.
NO, I'M ASSUMING THAT 7 MILLION IS FOR THAT ARENA ITSELF AND NOT THE BROADER CONVENTION CENTER.
'CAUSE I, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THAT, WHAT IT COVERS.
UM, BUT I THINK NOW WITH THE
DO I HAVE AN QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM THE ION? SORRY.
[01:25:01]
REGARDING, UM, US CONFERENCE OF MAYORS IS COMING.PLACE IT TO HIGHLIGHT AS WELL AS LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES SECURITIES, IF THERE'S PLANNING IN THE PROCESS SO THAT WE CAN SHOWCASE OUR, OUR CITY GIVEN OUR MAYOR HAS BROUGHT IT TO LONG REGION FOR THE FIRST TIME.
AND THE CONVENTION CENTER DOES HAVE PROGRAMS TO HIGHLIGHT LOCAL BUSINESSES, LIKE THEY CAN OFFER DEALS AND THEY, UM, CAN HAVE SOME ADVERTISING GOING ON WITH THE DIFFERENT EVENTS.
BUT UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALWAYS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT AND BRINGING IN, WE'LL HAVE THE MAYOR COME AND TALK TO US
AND ALSO JUST, YOU KNOW, LIKE IN PREPARATION FOR THE OLYMPICS AND THE BIG EVENTS ARE COMING UP, WE'RE REALLY THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW CAN WE PULL IN SMALL BUSINESSES, EVEN IF THEY'RE IN NORTH LONG BEACH, EVEN IF THEY'RE IN CAMBODIA TOWN, HOW CAN WE BRING THEM TO THE WATERFRONT SO THAT THEY HAVE THAT EXPOSURE WITH THE EVENTS AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, TAKE PART OF THE BENEFIT ECONOMIC, UH, ACTIVITY THAT COMES WITH THAT.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, WORKING ON AND UH, I'M HAPPY TO SAY IS PART OF THE ROADMAP FOR THE OLYMPIC FACILITY.
SO JUST ANOTHER COMMENT ON THAT IS, IS, YOU KNOW, COMMISSIONER MC, CLAIRE, MYSELF, WE ARE BOTH ON THE LONG CITY OLYMPIC PLANNING COMMITTEE, UM, AS WELL AS OUR PAST COMMISSIONERS, COMMISSIONER, CO, AND COMMISSIONER SWORD.
SO, UM, WE WILL BE LOOKING AT THE HEALTH ECONOMIC IMPACTS, NOT GO THROUGH MAKING SURE SMALL BUSINESSES AND OUR BUSINESS ARE GROUP.
UM, I WANNA, UM, THANK COURTNEY AND JULIAN.
AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE INFORMATION.
UM, BUT BEFORE WE MOVE ON, ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS? DO YOU HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS? MS. SEEING NONE, IS THERE ANYONE WHO WANTS TO TALK ABOUT THEIR PARTICIPATION IN THE ONE PROGRAM?
UM, I'M CURRENTLY STILL A SENIOR AT CAL STATE LONG BEACH, MUCH SO, UM, YEAH, I'M REALLY HAPPY TO BE HERE AND REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY, SO THANKS FOR HAVING ME HERE.
WHAT WAS YOUR GREATEST LEARNING EXPERIENCE IN THE PROGRAM? UM, I THINK SOMETHING THAT I LEARNED A LOT WAS LIKE THROUGH THE COUNCIL MEETINGS I'VE BEEN GOING AND ATTENDING, I THINK THAT I LEARNED A LOT MORE ABOUT CURRENT EVENTS GOING ON IN THE CITY.
I THINK ALSO OUTREACHING WITH THIS CARE WAS ALSO REALLY HELPFUL.
IT GAVE ME A LOT OF INSIGHT INTO LIKE, A LOT OF THE STRUGGLES THAT SMALL BUSINESSES ARE EXPERIENCING AND LIKE, LIKE ENGAGING WITH THEM LIKE FIRSTHAND RATHER THAN JUST SEEING LIKE A NUMBER ON A SCREEN OR ANYTHING.
LIKE SEEING LIKE HOW THESE ARE REAL PEOPLE AND REAL ES AND REAL LIFE BEING AFFECTED.
SO IT'S REALLY COOL SEEING HOW WE'RE ABLE TO MAKE AN IMPACT.
WHAT WAS YOUR, LIKE CAPSTONE, YOUR FINAL PROJECT? WHAT ARE YOUR FOCUS ON? UM, SO I'M CURRENTLY STILL IN THE FELLOWSHIP, BUT MY CAPSTONE PROJECT IS, UM, TOWARDS THE END OF THE FELLOWSHIP.
AND WHAT IS YOUR DRIVE? WHAT IS THAT? I'M SORRY, WHAT WHAT IS YOUR DRIVE? WHAT'S YOUR FOCUS ON THAT? UM, I'M NOT TOO SURE YET.
UM, WE HAVEN'T REALLY GOTTEN THE EXACT ASSIGNMENT FOR THAT CAPSTONE PROJECT YET.
UM, BUT MORE DETAILS TO COME, I GUESS
WE ACTUALLY HAVE THREE MORE FELLOWS WITH, UM, JUST THE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT BUREAU, SO WE MIGHT NEED TO BRING 'EM ALL IN TO SHARE OUT.
THAT'D BE GREAT TO HEAR FROM SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY THE PROGRAMS TO HEAR SOME OF THAT LIST
UM, SO HERE NO OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT.
CAN WE TAKE A VOTE FOR RECEIVING FILE? COMMISSIONER HO.
OKAY, WELL WE MOVE ON TO THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM.
I HAVE THE FORWARDS RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE FILE, ALL OF RESPONSES PROVIDED BY TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION STAFF THAT RELATES
[01:30:01]
TO THEIR OCTOBER 2ND, 2024 DIGITAL AND ECONOMIC INCLUSION PRESENTATION UPDATE.SO, UH, THIS IS A QUICK ITEM HERE.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION? AND THERE SECOND PLEASE.
SO, UH, UH, FOR COMMISSIONER HONOR AND COMMISSIONER
SO PART OF THE BLUEPRINT IS THE DIGITAL, UH, INCLUSION, UH, DELIVERABLE.
AND SHE'S IN TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION, UH, DEPARTMENT.
BUT WE WORK WITH HER CLOSELY TO, YOU KNOW, TO ADDRESS THE DIGITAL DIVIDE HERE IN THE CITY, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO ENTREPRENEURS AND SMALL BUSINESSES.
SO SHE PRESENTED BACK IN OCTOBER ON THE EFFORTS CENTER ONGOING THERE.
UH, I ALSO, I CAN SEND OVER THAT MEETING, UH, FOR YOU GUYS.
SO THESE QUESTIONS ARE RELATED TO THE QUESTIONS THAT THE COMMISSIONER MADE AT THE TIME, AND THEY DID, UM, STAFF HAD TO GO BACK AND, AND KIND OF DO SOME RESEARCH.
SO THIS IS THE RESPONSIBLE, THOSE QUESTIONS.
UH, AND CHAIR THERE, UH, STEPHANIE LET ME KNOW THAT SHE'S HAPPY TO COME BACK.
YOU KNOW, THE COMMISSION THINKS IT'S NEEDED OR JUST FOR ADDITIONAL COORDINATION.
UH, SHE'S OPEN TO THAT AND TO WORK WITH YOU GUYS, BUT SHE WANTED AT LEAST WANTED TO, TO GIVE YOU GUYS THESE RESPONSES, UM, FOR YOU.
GO DO ANY QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION ON THESE FOLLOW UP ITEMS THAT'S ACTUALLY HAVE ATTENDED, UM, STEPHANIE'S WORKSHOPS.
WAS A REALLY GREAT, UM, PRESENTATION AND I'M ON THAT, UH, ON HER EMAIL CHAIN, SO.
I'LL CALL HER THE MASTER FACILITATOR.
ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS? JOHN? SAME.
MOVE ON TO THE LAST AGENDA ITEM.
I HAVE A BOARD'S RECOMMENDATION TO APPOINT COMMISSIONER SANDOVAL AND COMMISSIONER WENCH TO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REVOLVING WEALTH.
ANY DISCUSSION ON THAT? JUST, UH, I CAN JUST, SO FOR TRANSPARENCY, HOW WE LANDED AT THE, YOU KNOW, COMMISSIONERS.
SO, UH, LAST YEAR WE REACHED OUT BECAUSE WE HAD TWO VACANCIES FROM, UH, YOU KNOW, COMMISSIONER, UM, COMMISSIONER COHEN, OR EVEN, UH, THEY TURNED OUT OF THE COMMISSION.
UH, SO THAT CREATED TWO VACANCIES, UH, IN THE REVOLVING LOAN FUND SUBCOMMITTEE.
UH, WE SENT OUT AN EMAIL TO THE COMMISSIONERS.
UH, AND THEN THERE WERE A COMBINATION OF, UH, VOLUNTEERING AND VOLUNTOLD.
UH, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, TWO GREAT COMMISSIONERS STEPPED UP.
UH, AND I HAVE TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, BOTH OF THESE COMMISSIONERS, UH, HERE, YOU KNOW, GRACEFULLY ACCEPTED, UM, YOU KNOW, TO SERVE AS IN THE RLF SUBCOMMITTEE AND, AND WE BELIEVE HAVE A VERY STRONG BACKGROUND, UH, TO, YOU KNOW, TO MAKE THAT DETERMINATION ON, ON PROVIDING LOANS TO SMALL BUSINESSES.
SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO WORK ON, UH, WITH BOTH OF THEM IN THIS CAPACITY.
AND THANK YOU AHEAD FOR YOUR TIME.
YOU'LL JOINT COMMISSION AND THE TOY AS WELL.
SO WHO HAS DONE GOOD WORK? ANY OTHER UPDATES, COMMENTS? MAYBE COMMISSIONER TOYER, YOU COULD SHARE A LITTLE BIT MORE JUST ABOUT THE REVOLVING
UM, SO THE REVOLVING MODE FUND, UH, AND COURTNEY KIND TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IT EARLIER, UH, IN THE PRESENTATION, UM, PROVIDES THAT FEDERAL DOLLARS
UH, CARLA AND THE TEAM GO OUT THERE TO SPEAK TO THE SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS, AGAIN, UNDERSTAND WHO AND WHAT THEY ARE, WHO THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY DO, UM, AND WHERE THE C MAY BE ABLE TO ASSIST THEM.
THE LOANS CAN BE AWARE DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE PANDEMIC, WE'RE DOING LOANS AS FALL AS LIKE $5,000 MICRO LOANS.
UM, THE LOANS WHOING WERE FIVE TO THINK UP TO A HUNDRED THOUSAND.
UM, AND THE LOANS CAN BE STACKED BETWEEN THE, THE, THE LOANS THE CITY PROVIDES AS WELL AS, UH, LOANS FROM GROW AMERICA AS WELL AS TO GIVE 'EM A LARGER, UH, STACK.
UM, BUT THE COMMITTEE ITSELF, WE REVIEW THESE WITH STAFF, UM, AND WE APPROVE, APPROVE THEM.
MOST OF THE TIME THESE MAY BE FOLKS WHO COULD HAVE ACCESS CAPITAL THROUGH A TRADITIONAL MEANS.
AND SO THIS IS REALLY AN OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE SOMEBODY, UM, A BOOST UP, UM, AND TO, TO HELP THEIR BUSINESS GROW.
[01:35:02]
WHAT'S THAT? CONSIDERING YOU'RE TECHNICALLY AN INDIVIDUAL WHO CANNOT QUALIFY, YOU'RE USUALLY, UM, CREDIT LENDING AS FAR AS INTEREST RATES BEING SO HIGH.SO WHAT DOES THE INTEREST RATES OR AS FAR AS PAYING BACK THE LOANS OR WHAT DID THAT PLAN LOOK LIKE? SO FINALLY THAT THE STOP, BUT SO THE INTEREST, THE INTEREST RATE IS BASED ON THE WALL STREET JOURNAL PRIME, WHICH IS CURRENTLY 7.5%.
WE'VE BEEN CURRENTLY DOING 75% OF PRIME.
SO THE LAST FEW VOTES THAT WE'VE DONE AT ABOUT 5%, 5.65.
SO, AND THEN IT RANGES FROM THE BUSINESSES THAT WE MEET WITH AND APPROVE THEIR LOANS AS TO THE TERMS OF THEIR LOANS BASED ON THE AMOUNT THAT THEY'RE REQUESTING AND THE USE OF OF FUNDS.
GREAT, THANK YOU HONOR, REGARDING THE, UM, FEDERAL FUNDING, IS THAT SBA OR IS THAT CBG? YES.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION, ACTUALLY YES.
THE LAST NINE THAT WE DID WERE C TWO FUNDING.
SO CONSIDERING POTENTIAL, UM, INSTABILITY, UM, THAT IS CURRENT ADMINISTRATION AS FAR AS WHICH AGENCIES ARE GONNA EXIST, FUNDING AND BUDGETS THIS CURRENT AS FAR AS HOW DO YOU PREPARE CASE THERE? SO WE, UM, JUST AS, UH, AUSTIN JUST SO ELOQUENTLY, UM, OUR FUND FUNDS ARE REVOLVING LOAN FUNDS.
SO WE HAVE INCOME BASED ON, UH, LOANS THAT WE'VE HAD, WE'VE LOAN OUT AND THE MONEY COMING BACK.
SO WE JUST RECENTLY DE FEDERALIZED BACK IN AUGUST OF 2023.
SO WE ARE ABLE TO USE THE MONEY WITH WHATEVER WAY WE'D LIKE TO GO BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY.
SO WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON NOW.
WE HAVE MONEY AVAILABLE TO, TO LOAN AMOUNT TO BUSINESSES.
THE, THE GRANT THAT THEY JUST APPLIED FOR IS THE SECOND GRANT.
THE ORIGINAL GRANT THAT'S GONNA BE FEDERALIZED AND IT'S BEEN REVOLVING THIS FROM 2001 WITH LIKE ADDITIONAL FUNDING.
BUT WE DID MEET WITH THE EDA REP LAST WEEK THURSDAY AND WE APPLIED IN 2024 OR 23.
BUT BECAUSE OF WAY THE FUNDING IS, IT WAS LIKE THEY WEREN'T GONNA COVER IT TO THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR, WHICH WAS AT THE END, WHICH WAS SEPTEMBER.
WE WERE, WE WERE TO GET APPROVED BY DECEMBER.
WE GOT CONDITIONAL IMPROVEMENT IN FEBRUARY OF LAST YEAR AND IT HAS TAKEN QUITE SOME TIME AND SO WE'RE ON HOLD, BUT WE HAVE ALREADY BEEN CONDITIONALLY APPROVED.
THEY'RE JUST TRYING TO LIKE FIGURE IT OUT.
APPROVED FOR THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION? YES, FOR THE PREVIOUS YEAH.
APPLICATION THAT WE SUBMITTED, BUT SO THE APPLICATION INCLUDES LIKE A MATCH FROM THE CITY AND WE'VE ALREADY RECEIVED APPROVAL TO DRAW DOWN ON OUR MATCH FUNDS TO CONTINUE LENDING.
SO I, I THINK I'M 90% THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN.
IT'S JUST HOW LONG NOW? WE'VE ALREADY BEEN MAKING NOW I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER, BUT HE WAS CONFIDENT THAT IT'S STILL GOING THROUGH.
IT'S JUST THERE ON A HOLDING PATTERN.
SAY DRAW DOWN AS FAST, YOU HAVE TO DRAW DOWN WITHIN UH, THREE YEARS.
BUT USUALLY YEAH, THEY'RE ON YOU TO GET IT DONE AS QUICKLY AS YOU CAN BECAUSE THEN IT'S OUT AND THEN YOU'RE REVOLVING AND YES.
AND WE'RE LUCKY THAT WE HAVE THE CPG FUNDS AND THE PREVIOUS FUNDS SO THAT'S ALL KIND OF MIXING IN AND WE'RE HAVING A GOOD AMOUNT TO ACTIVITY LIKE.
AND JUST SO YOU KNOW, UM, ANDREA MARTINEZ, SHE IS WITH THE GIRL AMERICA'S WORKING WITH THE CITY, SHE NOT CITY EMPLOYEE AND THEN CARLA KIM IS WITH THE CITY OF LONG BEACH.
SO IF THEY JUST GAVE A VERY EXTENSIVE PRESENTATION TO THE COMMISSION AND WE CAN GET YOU THAT DECK AS WELL AS IF YOU WANT TO MEET WITH THEM, YOU KNOW, WE CAN SET UP THIS QUESTION.
I
AND THEN THE OTHER WAS TALKING ABOUT THE SECOND THAT OTHER AMERICA FUND FUND IS S SEVEN EIGHT.
ANY OTHER COMMISSIONER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENTS? TAKE A ROLL VOTE.
EXCUSE ME, I CAN VOTE TO PUT MYSELF IN.
COMMISSIONER SMITH? YES, I COMMISSIONER? YES.
OKAY, DO WE NEED A VOTE TO ADJOURN? NO.
[01:40:01]
THE MEETING IS ADJOURNED.