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THERE[00:10:51]
YOU GO.[CALL TO ORDER]
MEETING TO ORDER.[ ROLL CALL ]
COMMISSIONER DOYA.OKAY, WHY DON'T WE GO TO THE FIRST REGULAR AGENDA ITEM.
[1. 25-54526 Recommendation to approve the minutes for the Economic Development Commission meeting of Wednesday, February 5, 2025. Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]
ITEM NUMBER ONE IS RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FOR THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MEETING OF WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5TH, 2025.CAN I HAVE A MOTION? I MOTION? OKAY.
HOW ABOUT A SECOND? HAW A SECOND.
ANY COMMENTS OR DISCUSSION? OKAY.
SEEING NONE, ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? OKAY.
WANNA TAKE A A VOTE AND I'LL TAKE A VERBAL VOTE FOR THIS.
I JUST WANNA BACK UP ONE MINUTE.
UM, TO, ON THE ROLL CALL, WE HAVE ONE EXCUSED ABSENCE AND IT'S FOR COMMISSIONER DUINO.
UM, WE'RE GONNA MOVE THE AGENDA AROUND A LITTLE BIT HERE SO WE CAN HAVE OUR WORLD TRADE CENTER REPRESENTATIVE SPEAK WITH US.
IS, UM, WE'RE GONNA MOVE DOWN TO ITEM NUMBER THREE IF YOU WANNA READ THAT ITEM OUT.
[3. 25-54530 Recommendation to receive and file an update from World Trade Center and upcoming 2025 activities. Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]
RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE AN UPDATE FROM WORLD TRADE CENTER AND UPCOMING 2025 ACTIVITIES.SO DO I HAVE A MOTION? I MOVE.
UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE FOR OUR COMMISSION MEETING TO PRESENT THE INFORMATION IN THE WORLD TRADE CENTER.
SO PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF, TELL US MORE ABOUT YOURSELF, AND THEN ALSO SHARE MORE ABOUT THE WORLD TRADE CENTER.
I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF SERVING AS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER HERE IN LONG BEACH.
UH, AND IT IS MY PLEASURE TO BE IN FRONT OF THE COMMISSION TODAY TO EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE WORLD TRADE CENTER, WHERE WE WERE, WHERE WE ARE NOW, AND WHERE WE'RE HEADED.
UM, IT HAS BEEN, UH, UM, A, A JOY TO BE JUST PART OF THIS ORGANIZATION.
SO I'M REALLY HAPPY THAT WE'RE HERE, UH, SHARING THIS, UH, WITH YOU IN A MORE FORMAL SETTING.
ALTHOUGH WE'VE HAD, UH, ENCOUNTERS WITH SOME OF YOU BEFORE TO TALK ABOUT THIS.
UH, THE WORLD FOR CENTER LONG BEACH IS HOUSED UNDER THE UMBRELLA ORGANIZATION OF THE LONG BEACH ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP, WHICH YOU WE'LL HEAR NEXT FROM, UH, LEAH, UH, GOLD HA, THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE ORGANIZATION.
UH, I WILL, I HAVE A FAIRLY BRIEF PRESENTATION.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO STOP ME AND ASK THOSE QUESTIONS.
UM, AND WE, I WILL HAVE, UH, QUICK ITEM.
I, I HAVE A, A QUICK, IT'S NOT A SLIDE, BUT I HAVE A DISCUSSION ON TARIFF AS WELL, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED.
'CAUSE THAT'S OF COURSE, UH, FRONT AND CENTER FROM A LOT OF US.
UM, WHEN WE, UM, WHEN, SO MOST OF YOU, UH, ARE AWARE THAT THE WORLD TRADE CENTER, LA AND LONG BEACH EXISTED, IT WAS FIRST, UH, UH, THE LICENSE WAS PURCHASED BY THE WORLD TRADE CENTER, BY THE PORT OF LONG BEACH, UH, WITH THE WORLD TRADE CENTER ASSOCIATION BACK IN 1982.
AND THEN, UH, IN 2008, THE ORGANIZATION WENT DORMANT, UH, FOR, UH,
[00:15:01]
A FEW REASONS THAT, WELL, IT DOESN'T, UH, NECESSARILY, THIS IS NOT THE RIGHT PLACE FOR THAT.BUT THE IDEA IS THAT THE ORGANIZATION WENT DORMANT.
AND THEN BACK IN 2015, UH, MR. STEVEN CHUNG, WHO I THINK US MOST OF US HERE, OR ALL OF US HERE KNOW, UM, HE, UH, LEFT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE IN LA WHERE WE WERE WORKING TOGETHER TO LAUNCH THE WORD TWISTS IN LA.
AND THE WORD TWISTS IN A LONG BEACH LICENSE STAYED, UH, REMAINED DORMANT IN 2022.
THE PORT OF LONG BEACH THEN, UH, SIGNED AN MOU WITH A LONG BEACH ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP TO RELAUNCH OR TO BUILD A STRATEGIC PLAN TO RELAUNCH THE ORGANIZATION.
AND WE HAD A TASK FORCE OF, UM, I'D SAY ABOUT 20 TRADE EXPERTS, UH, PROVIDING INPUT AND INSIGHTS AS TO WHY AN A WORLD TRADE CENTER LONG BEACH SHOULD EXIST AND WHY, WHO, WHO IT SHOULD SERVE, AND HOW IT SHOULD OPERATE.
UM, THAT WAS A, A A A SESSION, A THREE MONTH SESSION THAT WE HAD.
AND THEN IN 2023, WE STARTED THE STRATEGIC PLAN TO RELAUNCH IT.
AND WE IDENTIFIED, UH, A CLEAR OPPORTUNITY.
AND THIS IS WHAT I'M GOING TO EXPLAIN HERE TODAY.
BUT, UM, THE IDEA IS WORLD TRADE CENTER LA STILL EXISTS AND IS RUN BY STEVEN CHUNG, WHO'S THE PRESIDENT, AND CEO OF LADC, THE LA COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
AND HE STILL SERVES AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER, LA THEY HAVE THE ENTIRE COUNTY AS A JURISDICTION.
WE ARE SERVING THE CITY OF LONG BEACH AND OUR CITY PARTNERS AND ASSETS SUCH AS THE PORT OF LONG BEACH, THE CITY, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, UH, THE AIRPORT, UH, AND SOME OF OUR, OUR KEY STAKEHOLDERS HERE AS WELL.
UM, WHEN WE WERE DISCUSSING THE OPPORTUNITY, WE ALL KNOW INTERNATIONAL TRADE, UH, THERE'S A LOT OF COMPETITION.
UH, THERE'S A FAIR AMOUNT OF VOLATILITY, AND WE'RE SEEING THIS NOW, ESPECIALLY WITH THE TIFF CONVERSATION.
UH, BUT IT'S ALSO FORGED ON VERY STRONG ALLIANCES.
AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT, WHICH IS A KEY COMPONENT OF OUR EFFORTS, UM, UH, STUDIES SHOWS, AND THERE'S SIGNIFICANT EVIDENCE TO SHOW THAT, UM, FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENTS CREATE JOBS, UH, PROMOTES HIGHER WAGES ON ESTIMATE THEIR, UH, FOR KNOWN ENTERPRISES PAY, UH, ABOUT 25% MORE IN WAGES THAN DOMESTIC COMPANIES.
THERE IS A TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER.
UM, THERE'S IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY, WHICH MAKES OUR COMPANIES MORE COMPETITIVE.
THERE IS ACCESS TO NEW SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE, UH, AND THERE'S INCREASED ACCESS TO CAPITAL.
AND OF COURSE, THIS PROMOTES ECONOMIC GROWTH.
SO AS WE'RE UNDERSTANDING THIS OPPORTUNITY, WE ALSO, UM, WANTED TO MAKE IT A LOT LOCAL.
SO WE HAVE THE PORT OF LONG BEACH HERE, OF COURSE, WE'RE VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE PORT.
UH, WE TRADE OVER $200 BILLION OF, UH, GOODS EVERY YEAR.
JUST LAST YEAR WE HAD 9.6, UH, MILLION TEUS, UH, 20, UH, EQUIVALENT FOOD CONTAINERS, 20 FOOT EQUIVALENT UNITS, CONTAINERS.
UM, AND THIS GENERATES NOT JUST A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF JOBS AND ECONOMIC OUTPUT, BUT IT'S A VERY ATTRACTIVE DESTINATIONS FOR COMPANIES AND INVESTORS WANTING TO DO BUSINESS WITH LONG BEACH, AND ESPECIALLY IN TRADE DEVELOPMENT, SUPPLY CHAIN INFRASTRUCTURE, INNOVATION, RENEWABLE ENERGY, AND A COUPLE OTHER SECTORS THAT WERE DISCUSSED A LITTLE BIT MORE.
UM, WE HAVE A STUDY CONDUCTED BY THE WORLD TRUST IN LA IN PARTNERSHIP WITH, UH, GOBI, THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA.
IT SHOWS THAT WE HAVE A HUNDRED, APPROXIMATELY 180 FOREIGN OWNED ENTERPRISES LOCATED RIGHT HERE IN LONG BEACH FROM 33 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES.
THAT MEANS, UM, THE NIKON ADVANCED, UH, UH, MANUFACTURING FACILITY, THE ROCKET LABS, THE GOODMAN GROUP, THE TOYOTA MOTORS, UH, FUEL CELL, UH, UH, PLANT, UH, IN THE PORT OF LONG BEACH.
THEY'RE VERY WELL, THEY'RE VERY APPRECIATED HERE, UH, IN LONG BEACH, TOP SOURCE COUNTRY IS JAPAN, UNITED KINGDOM, CANADA, UH, GERMANY, BELGIUM, AND FRANCE.
AND WE CAN GO INTO MORE DETAILS OF THAT.
AND I AM GOING TO ALSO SAY WE HAVE, WE ARE COMMISSIONING A FIRST IN THE HISTORY OF LONG BEACH, OF THE LONG BEACH FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT GUIDEBOOK, WHICH IS A PRODUCT THAT IS GOING TO BE READILY AVAILABLE FOR ANY INVESTOR IN A DELEGATION THAT COMES IN AND WANTS TO SEE HOW AND WHERE AND WHY THEY SHOULD DO BUSINESS WITH LONG BEACH.
SO THIS IS, THERE IS CONTENT HERE, UH, BUT THIS IS STILL A ROUGH DRAFT.
WE'RE PROBABLY GONNA LAUNCH IT IN THE NEXT, UH, COUPLE OF WEEKS.
UM, AND OF COURSE, THE KEY SECTORS THAT ARE SUPPORTED BY, UH, UH, THE FOR OWNED ENTERPRISES HERE LOCALLY, MOSTLY TRADE TRANSPORTATION, WAREHOUSING.
THERE ARE MANUFACTURING, THERE'S WASTE MANAGEMENT AND MINERALS AND METAL MANUFACTURING AS WELL.
WHEN WE WERE ASSESSING THE LANDSCAPE AND UNDERSTANDING WHY WE SHOULD HAVE THE WORLD TRADE CENTER HERE IN LONG BEACH, WE IDENTIFIED WE NEEDED TO BE AGILE, WE NEED TO BE EMPOWERING, AND WE NEEDED TO BE ENGAGED.
AND THAT OLYMPIC LOGO THERE IS THERE ON PURPOSE BECAUSE WE CREATED A STRATEGIC PLAN THAT WOULD TAKE US ALL THE WAY TO 2028, BECAUSE THAT'S A POINT IN TIME WHERE WE WANT TO SEE HOW LONG BEACH IS GONNA BE POSITIONED, NOT JUST ON OLYMPICS, BUT ON EVERYTHING ELSE RELATED TO THE KEY SECTORS THAT WE'RE SUPPORTING HERE WITH THE CITY.
UH, AND THAT AGAIN, BECAUSE OF OUR, UH, UMBRELLA ORGANIZATION, THE, THE LONG BEACH ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP,
[00:20:01]
WE'RE WORKING WITH A NUMBER, A NUMBER OF, UM, UH, STAKEHOLDERS HERE TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR KEY SECTORS ARE BEING, UH, PROMOTED PROPERLY IN TERMS OF ACCESS TO INFORMATION, ACCESS TO CONNECTIONS, AND ACCESS TO REAL BUSINESS.THE VALUE THAT WE SAW WAS REALLY TO BE PART OF, OR TO CREATE THE WORLD TRADE CENTER LONG BEACH, OR TO RELAUNCH THE WORLD TOUR CENTER.
LONG BEACH HAS A STANDALONE LICENSE NO LONGER ASSOCIATED WITH THE LA AND LONG BEACH LICENSE.
UM, BUT IT IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE WORLD TRADE CENTER ASSOCIATION HEADQUARTERED IN NEW YORK.
UH, WE ARE IMMEDIATELY CONNECTED TO 321 OTHER CENTERS, UH, CENTERS IN 91 COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD.
SO THE INFORMATION THAT IS NOW PRODUCED HERE IN LONG BEACH CAN TRAVEL THE WORLD QUITE FAST.
SO, OPPORTUNITIES FOR BUSINESS, FOR INVESTMENT FOR TRADE HERE IN LONG BEACH.
UH, WE'LL BE VISIBLE, UH, TO ALL THE, UH, WORK TRADE CENTER ASSOCIATION NETWORK.
THE KEY PRIORITIES FOR US, OR THE KEY OBJECTIVES WERE TO ATTRACT FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT, UM, TO EXPAND OUR EXPORTS AND TO PROMOTE THE LONG BEACH TRADE GATEWAY.
AND HOW WE DO THIS IS THROUGH EXTENSIVE COLLABORATION, EDUCATION, AND VISIBILITY.
AND BY EDUCATION, EXCUSE ME, I MEAN, WE WANT TO, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE EXPLAINING WHY THE SECTORS IN LONG BEACH ARE WHAT THEY ARE AND WHO IS ESSENTIALLY, UH, DRIVING THE AGENDA FORWARD FOR EACH SECTOR.
UM, BUT WE ALSO WANNA LEARN WHAT FOREIGN COMPANIES AND FOREIGN INVESTORS ARE INTERESTED IN BUYING OR INVESTING IN, UH, OR SOURCING FROM OUR ECONOMY SO THAT WE CAN THEN MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS AND THE VISIBILITY.
IT IS A MARKETING PLAY THAT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE COMMUNICATING THIS TO THE REST OF THE WORLD.
THE VISION FOR THE WORLD TRADE CENTER.
LONG BEACH IS NOT JUST ANY VISION, IT IS THE LONG BEACH VISION.
UH, WE'RE WORKING IN TANDEM HERE WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, SO THAT'S WHY I MENTIONED I'M VERY HAPPY TO BE IN FRONT OF THE COMMISSION.
UH, WE'RE WORKING, UH, ALMOST DAILY, UH, WITH, UH, BO AND THE TEAM, UH, WITH JULIAN AND EVERYONE ELSE.
UM, WE ARE WORKING, OF COURSE, WITH, UH, MAYOR'S OFFICE, NOT ONLY WITH LUCIUS OR DEPUTY MAYOR LUCIUS, BUT NOW WITH ALSO, UM, THE PROTOCOL OFFICER.
BERLIN, UH, BERLIN, UH, UH, SHE WAS, UM, WE WERE COLLEAGUES, UH, IN PREVIOUS, PREVIOUS TIMES.
UM, OF COURSE, WE WORK WITH THE AIRPORT AND THE PORT AS WELL, AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE COLLABORATING WITH THE CITY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
BUT AGAIN, WE'RE WORKING WITH THE LONG BEACH ECONOMY PARTNERSHIP BECAUSE IT IS A 5 0 1 C3.
IT GIVES US THE ABILITY TO BE A NON-GOVERNMENT AGENCY THAT CAN ACTUALLY TOUCH THE COMPANIES, THAT CAN ACTUALLY DO MATCHMAKING, THAT CAN ACTUALLY GO FORWARD WITH A COUPLE OF INITIATIVES THAT THE GOVERNMENT COULDN'T OTHERWISE.
SOME OF THE KEY SECTORS OR PRIORITIES THAT WE HAVE FOR THAT VISION, I MENTIONED OF THEM BEFORE.
BUT, YOU KNOW, TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTICS, SUSTAINABLE ENERGY ATTACKING, INNOVATION, PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, HEALTH AND WELLNESS, CREATIVE ECONOMY AND EDUCATION SERVICES.
AS YOU SEE, THESE ARE ALL VERY MUCH IN LINE WITH THE MAYOR'S OBJECTIVES HERE FOR THE CITY AS WELL.
WHEN IT COMES TO, UM, OUR EFFORTS, WE'RE MOSTLY, UH, FOCUSED ON, ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS POLICY AND DIPLOMACY.
UH, THAT'S WHY THE TERRORIST CONVERSATION MEANS A LOT TO US AS WELL.
SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT.
WE'RE SUPPORTING SOME OF THE PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE HERE THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
BUT OF COURSE, SOME OF THE INITIATIVES FROM THE PORT OF LONG BEACH.
UM, A HUGE PUSH FOR FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT.
WE ARE COMPETING NOT JUST WITH CITIES AROUND US, UM, BUT CITIES ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, ALL OVER THE WORLD.
UM, I, I GET THE, UM, FOREIGN INVESTMENT BROCHURES AND PITCH DECKS FROM AUSTIN, DENVER, MIAMI, UH, BUT ALL THE WAY TO LONDON AND BRUSSELS.
AND EVERYONE IS PITCHING HOW THEY'RE NUMBER ONE IN SOMETHING AND HOW MUCH THEY'RE DOING IN TERMS OF ATTRACTING COMPANIES AND INVESTORS.
AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE COMMUNICATING THIS.
WE'RE INCENTIVIZING COMPANIES AND INVESTORS TO DO BUSINESS HERE.
TRADING GOODS MOVEMENT, OF COURSE, WE WANT OUR PORTS TO BE VERY EFFECTIVE, BUT ALSO VERY EFFICIENT, VERY SUSTAINABLE, AND A NOT, AND A, A MASSIVE ECONOMIC ENGINE TO OUR CITY.
UM, THAT INCLUDES ADVANCED TRANSPORTATION AND, AND ZERO EMISSIONS.
AND OF COURSE, THE ADVANCEMENT OF GLOBAL TRADE BECAUSE WE BENEFIT GREATLY FROM THAT SECTOR.
I MENTIONED THE COLLABORATION, AND THIS IS JUST TO ILLUSTRATE SOME OF THE TOUCH POINTS THAT WE HAVE, UM, LOCALLY, UM, COUNTY, STATE, FEDERAL, AND INTERNATIONALLY.
UM, WE HAVE, UH, WE MANAGED TO ACTUALLY, UH, CONNECT WITH, UH, 38 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES.
WE DO HAVE, LA COUNTY HAS THE LARGEST CONSULAR CORPS, OR SORRY, THE THIRD LARGEST CONSULAR CORPS IN THE, IN THE WORLD.
UM, AND WE BENEFIT GREATLY FROM THAT BECAUSE THE CONSULATES COME TO US BECAUSE THEY WANNA KNOW WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO BUSINESS HERE IN LONG BEACH AND HOW THEIR COMPANIES CAN SET UP SHOP AND INVEST HERE IN LONG BEACH.
THE, UH, VISIBILITY, AS I MENTIONED, WE CONNECTED WITH 38 COUNTRIES, UM, JUST IN, AND BY THE WAY, I FORGOT THIS, BUT, OR TO MENTION THIS, BUT THE WORLD TWIST IN LONG BEACH WAS OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED ON MAY 1ST
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LAST YEAR BY MAYOR REX RICHARDSON WHEN HE WENT ON STAGE DURING THE WORLD TRADE WEEK BREAKFAST TO SAY THE CITY IS DOUBLING DOWN ON ITS EFFORTS TO BE A MORE INTERNATIONALLY CONNECTED AND GLOBAL CITY.AND WE ARE LAUNCHING THE WORLD TRADE IN LONG BEACH.
SO BETWEEN MAY 1ST AND ESSENTIALLY DECEMBER, UM, 31ST, WE CONNECTED WITH 30, 38 COUNTRIES.
AND THAT NUMBER IS STILL GROWING.
WE ARE, UH, HOPEFULLY WE'LL REACH, UM, WE'LL DOUBLE THIS NUMBER IN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS.
I WANNA TALK ABOUT VISIBILITY, ABOUT VISIBILITY.
ALSO, SOMETHING I THINK IS WORTH MENTIONING IS WHENEVER WE, UM, ANNOUNCE SOMETHING, WE TRY TO USE A LITTLE BIT OF OUR PR POWER, UH, WITH VERY LIMITED RESOURCES.
BUT, UM, JUST THE NUMBER OF, UH, UH, VIEWS OR CLICKS THAT WE GOT FROM SOME OF THE POSTS AND SOME OF THE PUBLICATIONS THAT WE HAD.
THE LA TIMES PICKED UP A NUMBER OF ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM, UH, THE WORLD TRADE CENTER, LONG BEACH.
UH, AND THAT REPLICATES SIGNIFICANTLY.
SO WE HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, ALMOST 300 MILLION VIEWS OR, OR POTENTIAL AUDIENCE OF 300 MILLION PEOPLE THAT NOW KNOW MORE ABOUT THE WORK THAT IS BEING DONE WITH THE WORLD TRADES CENTER LONG BEACH.
AND IT'S NOT JUST THE WORK ABOUT THE WORLD TRADES CENTER LONG BEACH, BUT IT IS ABOUT THE LONG BEACH ECONOMY.
SOME OF THE MILESTONES FROM, UH, LAST YEAR I MENTIONED THE MAY WORLD TRADE WEEK BREAKFAST, BUT ALSO WE HAD A COUPLE OF, UH, EVENTS WITH THE US COMMERCIAL SERVICE HERE PROMOTING EXPORTING OPPORTUNITIES, ESPECIALLY IN THE AVIATION AND AEROSPACE SECTOR.
UM, FOR THE FIRST TIME, UH, IN ITS HISTORY, THE SELECT LA INVESTMENT SUMMIT, WHICH IS RUN BY THE WAR IN LA, CAME TO LONG BEACH LAST YEAR, UH, WHICH WAS TREMENDOUS.
AND I, I, I APPLAUD NOT JUST STEVEN AND, AND LEAH, BUT, UH, A LOT OF THE PARTNERS THAT, UH, MANAGED TO BRING THAT HERE, UM, BECAUSE IT IS THE NUMBER ONE FOREIGN INVESTMENT SUMMIT IN CALIFORNIA.
AND IT CAME RIGHT HERE TO LONG BEACH BECAUSE WITH A BIG PUSH FROM FROM LBEP AND THE WORLD TRADE CENTER.
UM, WE ALSO ATTENDED THE SELECT USA CONFERENCE OR INVESTMENT SUMMIT IN DC AND THAT WAS ME, THAT WAS LEO GOLD HAES AND BEAU MARTINEZ, BECAUSE WE WANTED TO GO THERE AND SHOWCASE LONG BEACH AND TELL 'EM THE STORY ABOUT LONG BEACH AND WHY COMPANIES AND INVESTORS SHOULD BE LOCATED HERE.
UH, WE HOSTED A COUPLE OF OTHER EVENTS.
I'M NOT GONNA GO THROUGH, OVER, UH, THROUGH ALL OF THEM.
UM, WE ARE GETTING, UH, A LOT OF TRACTION.
WE, UH, ARE LUCKY, UH, ENOUGH TO USE SOME OF OUR POLITICAL CAPITAL TO, UH, NEGOTIATE, UH, IN KIND, UH, SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES.
SO WE BECOME PARTNERS OF, OF EVENTS, AND WE GET, UH, TO INVITE A COUPLE OF OUR KEY PLAYERS TO BE PART OF THAT EVENT OR TO RECOMMEND SPONSORS TO DANGUE AND GO ON STAGE AND OF COURSE, PROMOTE MORE, UH, OF THE LONG BEACH ECONOMY.
AND, UM, I JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF, THIS IS JUST FOR, OOPS, ONE OF THE OUTCOME OR ONE OF THE, YEAH, ONE OF THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS FROM LAST YEAR IS WE CREATED, OR WE LAUNCHED THE LONG BEACH ARMY PARTNERSHIP AND WATERS IN LONG BEACH, UH, TRADE AND SUPPLY CHAIN ADVISORY COUNCIL.
AND THIS ADVISORY COUNCIL IS, IS A LOT MORE THAN A, THAN A THINK TANK.
IT IS ACTUALLY A PLATFORM WHERE WE EXCHANGE INFORMATION, WE FORGE CONNECTIONS, AND WE FOSTER BUSINESS.
UM, LAST YEAR WE ANNOUNCED WITH VINCE ACAPELLA.
HE'S A WELL-KNOWN, UH, FIGURE HERE, UM, AND TRADE AND SUPPLY CHAIN, UH, THROUGHOUT THE REGION.
AND WE, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE DAYS INTO THE NEW ADMINISTRATION, WE ALREADY HAD OUR FIRST TRADE AND SUPPLY CHAIN COUNCIL MEETING, UH, TO TALK ABOUT THE TRADE, UH, THE TARIFFS AND TRADE OUTLOOK.
UM, WE MANAGED TO BRING VIRTUALLY 'CAUSE WE, UH, COULDN'T BRING THEM FROM DC AND FROM AUSTIN, BUT WE BROUGHT JULIANNE PARKS, SHE'S THE VP OR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CUSTOMS FOR RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES.
AND WE HAD JONATHAN GOLD, HE'S THE VICE PRESIDENT OF CUSTOMS FOR THE NATIONAL RETAIL FEDERATION.
AND WE HAD VINCE AS THE MODERATOR AND WESTON LEBAR, WHO I THINK, UH, A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE KNOW HIM AS WELL, WHO IS THE CHAIR OF THE LBEP.
HE WAS ALSO THERE TO PROVIDE, OR HE PROVIDED REMARKS VIRTUALLY AS WELL.
BUT THIS IS JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF HOW THE WATER CENTER LONG BEACH IS SERVING THAT COMMUNITY TO SAY, KEEP STAY INFORMED WITH WHAT HAP WHAT'S HAPPENING IN LONG BEACH AND THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, UH, BUT GET CONNECTED AND MAKE WELL-INFORMED DECISIONS FOR YOUR BUSINESS.
THE NEXT SLIDE IS JUST, UH, A COMBINATION OF PICTURES.
THERE YOU GO OF A COUPLE OF EVENTS WHERE EITHER, EITHER, YOU KNOW, I WAS IN ATTENDANCE OR I WAS SPEAKING, OR SOME OF OUR PARTNERS WERE THERE.
UM, WE HAD, UH, QUITE A LOT OF THOSE.
UM, HAPPY TO LIST ALL OF THEM TO YOU LATER IF NEEDED.
BUT, UM, IT MEANT, IT MEANT THAT WE WERE GETTING THAT VISIBILITY AND WE WERE TELLING OUR STORY.
AND A LOT OF, A LOT OF THIS HAS TO DO WITH HOW WE ORGANIZE THE INFORMATION THAT IS COMING OUT OF LONG BEACH, HOW WE COMMUNICATE THAT TO THE REST OF THE WORLD AND HOW WE ENGAGE.
WE SERVE AS THAT PLATFORM FOR ENGAGEMENTS WITH COMPANIES AND INVESTORS AND DELEGATIONS AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TO GET CONNECTED TO OUR LONG BEACH ECONOMY.
UM, BUT THE FUTURE, WHICH IS, UM, WHAT WE EXPECT TO DO THIS YEAR.
AND, UM, WE DON'T HAVE THE 26, 27, 28 PLAN THERE, BUT SOME OF THE KEY ACTIVITIES THAT WE HAVE, I MENTIONED THE VERY FIRST
[00:30:01]
FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT GUIDEBOOK THAT WE ARE GOING TO, UM, PUBLISH, UM, IS STILL BEING WORKED OUT, BUT WE'RE PROBABLY GONNA, UM, WE'RE GONNA ANNOUNCE IT AND LAUNCH IT IN THE COMING WEEKS.WE DO HAVE A FEW REASONS FOR THAT.
UM, WE DO HAVE AN IMPACT REPORT ALSO FOR LAST YEAR.
UM, BUT WE DO HAVE NOT ONLY THIS, THE TRADED SUPPLY CHAIN ADVISORY COUNCIL IS GOING TO HAVE A COUPLE OF NEW EVENTS.
WE'RE GONNA PROMOTE THE FTZ 50, WHICH IS RUN BY THE PORT OF LONG BEACH.
WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT E-COMMERCE NEAR SHORING, UH, FOR A LOT MORE ON TARIFFS.
UH, AND WE'RE, WE HAVE A WHITE PAPER BEING COMMISSIONED ON TRANSPORTATION INNOVATION AS WELL.
WE DO HAVE A NEW ADVISORY COUNCIL THAT WE'RE GONNA LAUNCH, UH, IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS.
I WOULD SAY, UH, MAYBE TWO TO FOUR WEEKS, WHICH IS THE INVESTMENT ADVISORY COUNCIL.
AND AGAIN, BEING A A 5 0 1 C3 BEING A NONPROFIT, A NON-GOVERNMENT, UH, AGENCY, UM, WE CAN CURATE, UH, A LIST OF INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE REGION, UH, BE THAT A REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT, BE THAT A LOGISTICS DEVELOPMENT, UH, BE THAT A NUMBER OF STARTUPS THAT BE, THAT ARE BEING ACCELERATED BY AN ORGANIZATION, UM, THAT WE CAN COMMUNICATE THAT TO THE REST OF THE WORLD AND CONTINUE TO ATTRACT COMPANIES AND INVESTORS TO DO BUSINESS HERE.
UM, AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE GONNA LAUNCH THE, THE FDI REPORT THEN TOO.
UH, WE ARE COLLECTING A COUPLE OF SUCCESS STORIES.
SOME OF THESE ARE, WERE ALREADY IN MOTION BEFORE WE EVEN LAUNCHED, UH, BUT WE ARE TRYING TO COLLECT THEM BECAUSE NOT ONLY WHAT THEY'VE DONE TO BE HERE, BUT HOW THEY'RE DOING WHILE THEY'RE HERE.
WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO TELL THAT STORY AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE DOING VERY WELL.
UH, WE DO HAVE A NUMBER OF OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE COMING OUT OF THE PORT OF LONG BEACH AND THE LONG BEACH AIRPORT, UH, IN TERMS OF, UH, TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT, UH, REAL ESTATE AND OTHER ADVANCEMENTS.
AND WE DO HAVE A NUMBER OF DELEGATIONS THAT ARE CALLING US, ASKING US HOW CAN WE GET CONNECTED TO LONG BEACH IF IT IS A SINGAPOREAN DELEGATION LOOKING TO DO BUSINESS WITH AEROSPACE, IF IT IS A DUTCH DELEGATION TALKING ABOUT MOBILITY, IF IT IS A UK DELEGATION TALKING ABOUT SPACE.
UM, THERE, WE HAVE A FEW OF THOSE, UM, IN THE PIPELINE, UH, AND A COUPLE OF OFFICIAL DELEGATIONS AS WELL, WHICH WILL COURSE WE WILL ENGAGE WITH THE PROTOCOL OFFICE WITH THAT.
UM, THIS IS MY EMAIL, UH, FAIRLY SIMPLE, PHILIPPE AT WATER CENTER OR WCL B.ORG.
I CAN TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT TRADE, UH, POLICY AND TARIFFS IF YOU'D LIKE.
WE CAN MOVE ON TO THE LBP PRESENTATION, UM, AND THEN OPEN UP FOR QUESTIONS LATER.
BUT, UM, ONE THING I WANNA MENTION IS, UM, SOME OF YOU THAT, MOST OF YOU, OR SOME OF YOU ALREADY KNOW ME, BUT I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR, UH, SINCE 20, SINCE 2002.
UH, AND I'VE BEEN, UH, INVOLVED WITH THE SAN PEDRO BAYPORT COMPLEX SINCE 2012.
UH, AND IS IT, IS, THIS IS NOT JUST A, THIS IS NOT FOR A FELIPE MOMENT.
THIS IS A WORLD TRADE CENTER LONG BEACH MOMENT WHERE WE SEE THAT THERE'S ENOUGH IN MOTION RIGHT NOW, UH, IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE CITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, THE PORT AND THE AIRPORT, UH, AND THE LONG BEACH ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP THAT WE CAN DO A LOT.
SO I APPRECIATE YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE.
UH, I HOPE YOU'RE AS ENCOURAGED AND AS EXCITED I, AS I AM, UH, TO CONTINUE TO PUSH THIS FORWARD.
AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS OR TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT TARA TERRACE IF YOU'D LIKE.
AND YES, WE ARE AS EXCITED AS YOU ARE GOOD ABOUT THE WORK YOU'RE DOING IN INTERNATIONAL.
SO, COMMISSIONERS, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? JUST HAVE ONE.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS, THANK YOU.
THANK YOU FOR THE, THE PRESENTATION OF, FOR ANY INFORMATIVE.
UM, IS THERE ANY DATA TO SUPPORT, AS I'M SURE THERE IS, UM, A GREAT JOB CREATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT RELATED TO FDIS? YES.
THERE ARE A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT REPORTS.
THE FINANCIAL TIMES FDI INTELLIGENCE HAS A FEW, BLOOMBERG HAS A FEW.
I'M HAPPY TO CURATE SELECTION AND SEND THAT TO YOU.
BUT THERE ARE HARD EVIDENCE ON, UM, UH, ACTUAL BUSINESSES, FOREIGN KNOWN ENTERPRISES, AND HOW MUCH THEY'RE PAYING IN WAGES, UH, BOTH HERE AND LONG BEACH GREATER, UH, LA AREA, AND THEN THE ENTIRE STATE OF CALIFORNIA.
I'M HAPPY WE DON'T HAVE THE GRANULAR DETAILS ON THAT, UM, BECAUSE IT IS DONE IN BRADSTREET KIND OF, UM, UH, DATASET.
UM, BUT WE DO HAVE, UH, ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO PROVE THAT, UH, ON AVERAGE FDI OR FOES PAY ABOUT 25% MORE IN WAGES THAN DOMESTIC COMPANIES.
YEAH, I'D LOVE TO SEE THE INFORMATION SOME SUNDAY.
I ABSOLUTELY, I'M SURE THE ENTIRE BOARD WOULD.
COMMISSIONER HKA, UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
IT WAS A REALLY GREAT PRESENTATION.
I AM INTRIGUED ABOUT THE TARIFFS.
UM, SO IF YOU CAN DISCUSS ABOUT THAT AS FAR AS IMPACT AND ALSO WORLD CUP.
UM, WANTED TO GET YOUR, YOUR VIEWS ON THAT SINCE THAT IS COMING UP BEFORE, UM, THE OLYMPICS.
AND I AM, UM, I WAS RAISED IN BRAZIL, SO WORLD CUP IS VERY DEAR TO MY HEART,
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE NUMBER ONE THING THAT I'M GONNA SAY
[00:35:01]
ABOUT TARIFFS RIGHT NOW IS THERE'S A GREAT DEAL OF UNCERTAINTY, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO US ECONOMIC POLICY ON FISCAL POLICY, ON REGULATORY POLICY, AND ON TRADE POLICY.UM, YOU KNOW, THE PRESIDENT MENTIONED, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE TERM TRADE WARS HAS BEEN THROWN AROUND A LOT, BUT THE, THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF MENTIONED THAT TERRORISTS ARE A WEAPON OR ARE WEAPONS THAT HE'S USING WIDELY, UM, FOR HIS NEGOTIATIONS.
IF IT IS ABOUT IMMIGRATION, IF IT IS ABOUT PHARMACEUTICALS OR, OR DRUGS AND, AND ALL OF THAT.
WE'RE, WE'RE SEEING ALL OF THAT.
AND JUST, UH, UH, TWO DAYS AGO, UH, YOU KNOW, 25% TAXES ON CANADA AND MEXICO, 10% MORE ON CHINA, UM, WITH, UH, AND THERE'S A, AN INTERESTING, I CAN SHARE THAT TOO, BUT BLOOMBERG HAS THE TIMELINE BETWEEN FEBRUARY AND DECEMBER THIS YEAR.
WHAT IS EXPECTED TO BE ROLLED OUT BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN TERMS OF TARIFFS.
UM, TO BE BRIEF, UH, YOU KNOW, BASED ON, AND I'M NOT AN ECONOMIST, BUT I'M USING A LOT OF THE RESOURCES FROM, I WAS AT UCLA FORECAST THIS MORNING.
WE HAD THE, UH, UH, A COUPLE OF FORECASTS, UH, BEFORE, BUT WE, UH, WE EXPECT TO SEE SOME, UH, INFLATIONARY PRESSURE OR SOME INFLATION TO HOLD THIS YEAR.
UM, A COUPLE OF KEY SECTORS, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE IS, UH, STEEL AND M ALUMINUM, UH, TARIFFS, UH, THAT ARE GONNA CREATE SOME INFLATION.
THERE IS, UH, FOOD BEING IMPORTED THAT WILL HAVE SOME TARIFFS.
WE HAVE, UM, CARS, CHIPS, UM, THERE'S A CONVERSATION ABOUT ALUMINUM, UH, SORRY, LUMBER, COPPER, UH, AND THESE ARE ALL COMPONENTS OF, UH, THE CONSTRUCTION AND AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY AS WELL.
UM, AND TO ADD TO THAT, THERE IS ALSO THE IMMIGRATION COMPONENT OF THAT CONVERSATION WHERE WE ARE SEEING SOME LABOR PRESSURES BECAUSE, UM, YOU KNOW, AGRICULTURE IS ESTIMATED TO HAVE 20% OF THE LABOR POOL BEING UNDOCUMENTED.
UM, THE SERVICE, UH, AND TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY, UH, HAS A GREAT DEAL OF UNDOCUMENTED, UH, UH, EMPLOYEES AS WELL.
UM, AND OF COURSE, CONSTRUCTION, NOT NECESSARILY THE, UM, THE LARGE, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENTS, BUT MORE ON THE RESIDENTIAL AND RENOVATION SIDE OF IT AND GARDENING.
UM, WE'RE SEEING SOME INFLATION, UH, COMING FROM THAT AS WELL.
THE, THE ESTIMATE IS THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE ABOUT SOMEWHERE AROUND 3% INFLATION HELD THIS YEAR BECAUSE OF THE COMBINATION OF TERRORISTS AND, UM, AND LABOR, UH, OR, OR, UM, IMMIGRATION LOSS.
THE CHALLENGE HERE IS REALLY TO DEFINE, UH, TO WHAT EXTENT, AND, YOU KNOW, HOW ELASTIC IS THE DEMAND ALSO, WHEN YOU'RE BUYING YOUR CAR, IF YOU'RE BUYING IT ELECTRIC OR YOU'RE BUYING, UH, INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE, HOW WILLINGLY ARE YOU TO ACTUALLY BUY ONE OR THE OTHER BECAUSE OF THE INCREASING PRICE? UM, THE CHALLENGE HERE FOR US LOCALLY IS THAT PANIC CAN UE AND WE HAD A LOT OF FRONT LOADING FROM SHIPPERS AND COMPANIES AND IMPORTERS THAT WANTED TO SEE THEIR GOODS LAND IN THE US BEFORE THOSE TARIFFS WERE PUT IN PLACE.
UM, WE HAVE CONSUMERS ACTUALLY BUYING A LOT MORE BECAUSE THEY THINK THAT THEY'LL BE IMPACTED, ALTHOUGH WE, WE PROJECT A COUPLE OF MONTHS BEFORE THEY ACTUALLY FEEL THAT IN THEIR POCKETS.
WE, THAT'S WHY WE'RE GONNA HAVE CONTINUE TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS ON THE SPECIFICS AS TO HOW THIS WILL IMPACT, UH, NOT JUST THE, THE, THE POCKETS OF PEOPLE THAT, UM, WANNA BUY THOSE PRODUCTS, BUT WHAT'S HAPPENING WHERE WITH OUR SUPPLY CHAIN WILL WE NEED MORE FREE TRADE ZONE OPERATIONS HERE SO THAT WE CAN HAVE A BUFFER TO, UM, YOU KNOW, WORK WITH, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO, TO TARIFFS, ARE WE GOING TO START CLEARING, UH, UH, PRODUCTS IN THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN? ARE, IS TRANSSHIPMENT BEING, UH, UH, OBSERVED AND JUST THE AUTO INDUSTRY? UM, I LEARNED THIS THIS MORNING, BUT, UM, A CAR THAT IS MADE IN MEXICO HAS 38% OF THEIR COMPONENTS, OR ITS COMPONENTS MADE IN THE US.
SO 38% OF A A CAR MADE IN MEXICO IS MADE IN THE US AND THE A CAR, AN AUTO PARTS OR AN ENGINE IS ESTIMATED TO CROSS THE BORDER, THE SOUTHERN BORDER ABOUT EIGHT TIMES.
HOW MANY TIMES IS THAT PRODUCT GONNA BE, UH, TAX? AND ARE THERE EXEMPTIONS TO THAT PROCESS? AND ALL OF THIS IS JUST A DISCUSSION THAT IS JUST TOO BIG TO, TO EVEN, UH, PUT A PIN ON AN ITEM AND SAY, OH, THIS IS HOW MUCH IT'S GONNA IMPACT.
I'VE SEEN PEOPLE SAYING, OH, THIS IS GONNA COST US ABOUT $200 A, A MONTH ON AVERAGE FOR THE AVERAGE AMERICAN, BUT IT'S REALLY HARD TO PUT A PIN ON ON THAT ONE.
UM, THE, YEAH, I THINK THAT'S, UH, NO, THE, MY LAST COMMENT THAT I, I WANTED TO SH UH, UH, SHARE, UM, IS WITH INFLATION COMES THE, WHAT WE'RE ALSO OBSERVING IS THE FEDERAL, UH, TAX RATE AND THE INTEREST RATE, UH, SORRY, NOT TAX INTEREST RATE.
AND, UH, ALL THE ECONOMISTS ARE SAYING IT'S, IT'S TOO UNCERTAIN AT THIS POINT TO PREDICT IF, UM, BECAUSE THERE IS GOING TO BE INFLATION.
[00:40:01]
THE FED RAISES THE INTEREST RATES, UH, TO TRY TO TAME, UH, INFLATION, UM, THIS MIGHT MAKE, UH, EVEN WORSE, UH, UH, UH, A WORSE IMPACT.UM, BECAUSE OUR ECONOMY IS GOING TO BE A LITTLE WEAKER BECAUSE OUR SUPPLIES ARE GONNA BE RESTRICTED, OUR LABOR POOL IS GONNA BE RESTRICTED, OUR INDUSTRIAL CAPACITY IS GONNA BE A LITTLE RESTRICTED AS WELL.
SO IF YOU INCREASE YOUR RATES OR YOUR INTEREST RATES, UH, YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE AN INCENTIVE TO BUILD THE CAPACITY TO THEN OFFSET THAT, UM, OFFSHORE, UH, SOURCING THAT YOU WERE, UH, DOING BEFORE.
SORRY IF THAT'S A LONG ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION.
I'M A BIG FAN OF THIS WORK AND WHAT YOU'RE DOING, UH, WITH LVP.
UM, I JUST HAD, UM, TWO, I THINK SIMPLE QUESTIONS IS, UH, HOW, HOW, UM, HOW COMMON IS IT FOR A WORLD TRADE CENTER TO BE KIND OF NESTLED WITHIN, UH, WITHIN AN EDO AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION? AND HOW DOES THAT POSITION US WITHIN THE REGION? BECAUSE YOU MENTIONED COLLABORATIONS AND THERE'S A LOT OF ORGANIZATIONS THERE, AND LONG BEACH HAS ALWAYS BEEN ITS OWN ISLAND, AND IT'S NEVER REALLY BEEN, YOU KNOW, KIND OF TAPPED INTO OTHER, UH, UM, UM, I WOULD SAY INITIATIVES WITHIN THE REGION.
AND SO HOW HAS THAT KIND OF COMING TO LIGHT AND HOW HAS THAT STRENGTHENING LONG BEACH AND, AND THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING HERE, UH, WITH OTHER, UH, COLLABORATORS? EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT QUESTION, COMMISSIONER.
UM, I'VE MET WITH ABOUT 80 DIFFERENT, UH, EITHER, EITHER VIRTUAL OR OR IN PERSON, 80 DIFFERENT WORLD TRADE CENTERS.
MOST OF THEM, UH, ARE THE, THE MAJORITY OF THEM, UH, OVER 50% ARE UNDER THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION, UH, OF A CITY OR A REGION, UM, OF, A BIG CHUNK OF THEM ARE ACTUALLY OWNED BY THE PORT, UH, SIMILAR TO PORTINI, WHO OWNS WORLDWAY CENTER, OXNARD, UH, BUT FOR INSTANCE, UM, THE CITY OF BAKERSFIELD IS NOW PLANNING ON HAVING, UH, WORLDWAY CENTER BAKERSFIELD, AND THAT'S GOING TO BE RUN UNDER THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE.
UM, SO REGIONALLY HERE, UM, THE WORLD TWIST CENTER OF SAN DIEGO IS UNDER THE SAN DIEGO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
SO IT'S FAIR, FAIRLY COMMON, BUT WE HAVE VERY DIFFERENT, UM, PLAYS ON THE WORLD TWIST CENTER.
UH, IN GENERAL, WE HAVE, UH, SOME ORGANIZATIONS ARE PURE REAL ESTATE PLAY WHERE THEY BUY THE LICENSE, THEY BUILD A BUILDING, THEY CALL IT THE WORLD TRADE CENTER, AND THEY ASK ALL THE COMPANIES THAT ARE TRADE RELATED COMPANIES TO BE HOUSED IN THAT BUILDING, AND THEN THEY GET A COMMISSION OUT OF ALL THAT, UH, RENT.
UM, BUT IT, TO, TO YOUR QUESTION, IT'S, IT'S VERY COMMON.
WE STAND WITH A, WITH A VERY SPECIFIC ADVANTAGE, WHICH IS OUR JURISDICTION IS THE CITY OF LONG BEACH.
IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT IF A COMPANY IS LOOKING FOR A LARGE MANUFACTURING PLANT OR A WAREHOUSE, AND WE DON'T HAVE THE FACILITY AVAILABLE HERE, IF WE MAKE A RECOMMENDATION FOR THEM TO BE PLACED SOMEWHERE AROUND LONG BEACH, WE WON'T BENEFIT FROM IT.
IT'S ALL, ANOTHER COMMON TERM IS THE SPILLOVER EFFECT OF FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT, WHERE A COMPANY MIGHT, THE WAREHOUSE MIGHT BE LOOKED, UM, LOCATED IN WILMINGTON OR COMMERCE OR INDUSTRY, BUT THE GOODS ARE GONNA FLY.
THEY'RE GONNA COME THROUGH THE PORT OF LONG BEACH OR THE PORT OF LA.
THE WORKERS ARE GOING TO BE EMPLOYEES, THEY'RE RESIDENTS OF LONG BEACH.
SO IT IS A REGIONAL EFFORT, AND THAT'S WHY I THINK IT WORKS REALLY WELL FOR US AS WELL, TO BE CLOSE TO THE WORKFORCE IN LA BECAUSE LOOK, THEY HAVE TO CATER TO, FROM AANDRA TO WHITTIER, FROM BURBANK TO, UM, I EVEN KNOW WE HAVE, THEY HAVE 87 OTHER CITIES TO COUNT TO, TO, TO, UH, WORK WITH.
UM, AND FOR US, WE MAKE THEIR JOBS A LOT EASIER, AND THEY'RE STARTING TO SEND US A LOT OF LEADS.
SO WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A COALITION RIGHT NOW WITH THE WORLD IN LA AND THE WORLD IN LONG BEACH, WHERE, UH, WE COLLABORATE AND WE EXCHANGE NOTES ON A COUPLE OF LEADS THAT COME TO THE REGION ASKING FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO DO BUSINESS OR INVEST IN THE CITY.
I HAVE JUST ONE FINAL QUESTION THEN IS, IS, UM, THANK YOU FOR SHARING THE INFORMATION, BUT ALSO ABOUT YOUR FDI, IT WAS A, A GUIDEBOOK OR A WORKBOOK.
IS THAT GONNA BE AVAILABLE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC? UM, WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT, YEAH.
MAYBE BE ABLE TO, UH, SHARE, UH, RESOURCES OR, UH, REFER PEOPLE TO YOU.
AND ALSO CAN YOU SHARE MORE ABOUT HOW YOU WORK WITH BUSINESS ATTRACTION WITH THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, UM, AND HOW DOES THAT, UM, ESPECIALLY ON THE SIDE OF THE FDI, I KNOW ONE OF OUR OTHER COMMISSIONERS,
WE HAVE THE OLYMPICS COMING UP, SO HOW IS THAT ALL GONNA WORK TOGETHER? YES.
WELL, THANK YOU FOR THE REMINDER, COMMISSIONER.
I APOLOGIZE, I FORGOT TO MENTION THE WORLD CUP.
LET ME ADDRESS FIRST, UH, UH, CHAIR'S, UH, QUESTION.
WE WORK REALLY WELL WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT HERE BECAUSE THEY GET ASKED, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE CITY DOING? BUT WHAT THE CITY'S DOING, THERE ARE A COUPLE OF, UH, THEIR, THEIR POLICIES, UH, THEY'RE, THEY'RE WORKING ON OR WITH, BUT THE BUSINESS SECTOR IS ALSO VERY CLOSE TO US WHERE WE CAN
[00:45:01]
MAKE THE REFERRALS FOR A TRADE LAWYER OR AN ACCOUNTER OR A REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER OR A BROKER.AND THOSE DIRECT CONTACTS ARE SOMETHING, SOMETHING THAT, UM, A 5 0 1 C OR NONPROFIT IS WELL EQUIPPED TO DO, RATHER THAN A CITY.
AND I, I HELD THE POSITION OF DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND INVESTMENT FOR THE CITY OF LA, UM, 2013 TO 2018, AND I WAS PROHIBITED FROM DOING THE HANDHOLDING THAT IS NECESSARY TO ACTUALLY ASSIST THOSE COMPANIES.
SO WE WORK REALLY WELL HAND IN HAND BECAUSE THEY CAN THEN, UH, DEFER TO US TO HELP THEM, UH, ASSIST THEM WITH THE, THE MATCHMAKING, BUT WE DEFER TO THEM, OR WE, THEY HELP US SIGNIFICANTLY BECAUSE THEY PROVIDE US WITH A ROADMAP AS TO WHERE THE CITY WANTS TO TAKE THE ECONOMY, UM, AND TO THE WORLD CUP.
UH, QUESTION, UH, COMMISSIONER, I, I APOLOGIZE FOR, UH, FORGETTING THAT, BUT WE WE'RE SEEING AN INFLUX OF, UH, WORLD CUP, UH, UH, SORRY, SPORTS FEDERATIONS, UH, NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES, AND, UH, A FEW OTHER ATHLETIC UH, ORGANIZATIONS.
THEY'RE COMING AND THEY'RE VISITING LONG BEACH.
UM, THEY ARE STAYING HERE IN A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT HOTELS.
I HAVE FRIENDS IN THIS, UH, ARENA, UM, AND THEY'RE ASKING US, WHAT IS LONG BEACH DOING TO CATER TO THEM? AND QUITE FRANKLY, RIGHT NOW, WE'RE STILL WORKING OUR WAY WITH MEET LONG BEACH WITH THE CITY, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, UM, TO TRY TO IDENTIFY WHAT THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE.
LET ME SAY, SEND VERY CLEAR HERE THAT THERE IS A VERY, UM, ROBUST CONTRACT, A VENUE CITIES AGREEMENT THAT THE CITY IS BOUND BY THAT I DON'T WANT ANY TO DO WITH THAT, BECAUSE THAT'S A VERY, UH, DETAILED AGREEMENT WHERE EVERYTHING RELATED TO THE OLYMPICS HAS TO GO TO THE CITY.
BUT THERE ARE PRIVATE SECTOR INITIATIVES HAPPENING RIGHT NOW WHERE THEY'RE COMING TO US OR THEY'RE GOING TO, THEY LOOK, THE DUTCH ALREADY SEALED A DEAL, UM, WITH, UH, A CITY IN ORANGE COUNTY TO HOST A NUMBER OF ATHLETIC EVENTS, OR NOT ATHLETIC EVENTS, BUT TO HOST THEIR PRE-TRAIN, PRE PRE-GAME TRAINING FACILITY AND THEIR HIGH PERFORMANCE ATHLETE CENTER.
AND THEY WENT ALL THE WAY TO MISSION VIEJO FOR THAT, UM, WHERE THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN, THEY COULD HAVE BEEN HERE.
SO WE'RE WORKING WITH THE CITY, WE'RE WORKING WITH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE.
I THINK THE, THE, THE NEW POSITION OF THE PROTOCOL OFFICER IS GONNA HELP US A LOT NOW, UH, UNDER THE CITY MANAGER, WHERE WE CAN HAVE, UH, A MORE DIRECT DISCUSSION TO CATER TO THOSE, UH, SPORTS FEDERATIONS AND NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES THAT ARE, THEY'RE COMING, I HAVE MORE DATES.
THEY'RE COMING IN MAY, THEY'RE COMING IN JUNE AGAIN.
UM, AND I'M HOPE, I'M HOPEFUL THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY ATTRACT THEM TO BE LOCATED HERE, BECAUSE LONG BEACH, AS WE ALL KNOW, IS THE, THE CITY THAT IS GOING TO HOST BESIDES LA, THE CITY THAT IS GONNA HOST THE MOST, UH, UH, SPORTING EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE FIFA AND OLYMPICS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, FELIPE, FOR YOUR TIME TODAY, AND WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOUR FDI GUIDEBOOK.
AND, UM, IS THERE ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT? OKAY, SEEING NONE, NO OTHER QUESTIONS FOR YOU, FELIPE.
TAKE A, A VOTE ON THIS MOTION.
WHY DON'T WE MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER TWO.
COULD YOU READ OUT ITEM NUMBER TWO? ITEM NUMBER
[2. 25-54527 Recommendation to receive and file an update on Long Beach Economic Partnership (LBEP) and upcoming 2025 activities. Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]
TWO IS RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE AN UPDATE ON LONG BEACH ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP AND UPCOMING 2025 ACTIVITIES.I HAVE A MOTION FROM ROB SMITH AND A SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER SANDOVAL.
UH, GOOD AFTERNOON COMMISSIONERS.
AND AS FELIPE MENTIONED, THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY THIS AFTERNOON.
I, MYSELF WAS A COMMISSIONER, UH, MANY YEARS AGO UNDER OUR FORMER MAYOR GARCIA, AND SO I UNDERSTAND THE WORK THAT YOU DO AND THE IMPORTANCE OF IT.
UM, AND I WANNA THANK FELIPE KIZNER FOR HIS PRESENTATION.
AS YOU CAN TELL, WE HAVE, UH, THE RIGHT PERSON IN PLACE TO LEAD A WORLD TRADE CENTER.
FELIPE AND, UH, STEVEN CHUNG, THE PRESIDENT, CEO OF L-A-E-D-C, AND I HAVE WORKED TOGETHER FOR PROBABLY CLOSE TO 15 YEARS NOW.
UM, IN MY PRIOR WORK, I, UH, WAS A REGIONAL DIRECTOR, AS IT WAS KNOWN AT THE TIME HERE IN LONG BEACH, SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESS, EXPANDING THEIR FOOTPRINT INTO GLOBAL MARKETS, AND THEN, UH, BECAME THE STATE DIRECTOR OF THAT ENDEAVOR, UM, SHORTLY THEREAFTER.
UM, AND THEN, UH, I FOUND MYSELF HERE IN THIS ROLE AS THE CEO OF LBEP.
SO I CAME ON BOARD TO LBEP IN, UH, 2022.
EXCUSE ME, I'M NOT TALENTED ENOUGH.
I CAME ON BOARD IN MID 2022 IN LBEP, BUT I WANNA GIVE EVERYONE WHO MAY NOT BE AWARE, A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND, AND I'LL GO QUICKLY
[00:50:01]
IN TERMS OF WHERE THIS ORGANIZATION STARTED AND WHY.UM, MOST OF YOU, I'M SURE ARE VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE BLUEPRINT FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
SO IN ITS FIRST ITERATION, THERE WAS A CALL OUT TO ESTABLISH AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION ON BEHALF OF THE CITY.
AND SO THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED.
AND THEN IT REALLY LAUNCHED IN, UH, 2020, WHICH WE ALL KNOW THEN WAS ONE OF OUR FAVORITE BLIPS IN HISTORY.
THE PANDEMIC TOOK PLACE, AND SO MUCH OF THE WORK EARLY ON OF LBEP WAS FOCUSED ON, UH, SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESS IN PARTICULAR.
SO A LOT OF DISTRIBUTION OF MICRO LOANS AND GRANTS ON BEHALF OF THE CITY AND OTHER PARTNERS, UH, ROLLING UP SLEEVES, UH, BOOTS ON THE GROUND, UH, AND APPROPRIATELY.
SO THERE WAS A CONVENING OF TRULY VERY COMMITTED PARTNERS OF ONLY A FEW OF WHICH, UH, THE LOGOS ARE REPRESENTED HERE, WHO CAME TOGETHER IN THIS EARLY WORK OF THE, UH, ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP AND LAID OUT A VISION.
AND BECAUSE IT WAS THE PANDEMIC AND BECAUSE THERE WAS SO MUCH, UH, CHAOS, IF YOU WILL, TAKING PLACE, THEY INITIATED, UH, SEVERAL DIFFERENT COMMITTEES UNDER WHICH THIS WORK TAKE TOOK PLACE.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IT, IT, IT KIND OF ENCOMPASSED EVERYTHING AS WE ALL HEARD DURING THAT TIME PERIOD, WHETHER IT WAS BROADBAND ACCESS OR, UH, YOU KNOW, HOUSING AFFORDABILITY.
A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT LBEP AT THE TIME WERE TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION.
UM, AN EXAMPLE OF THIS, WHICH I APOLOGIZE THAT I DIDN'T HAVE MORE COPIES, SO IT IS MENTIONED IN THE ANNUAL REPORT THAT YOU HAVE, BUT, UH, THE SANTA FE CORRIDOR PROJECT WAS ONE OF THOSE PROJECTS THAT WAS INITIATED DURING THE PANDEMIC.
AND, UH, VICE, UH, MAYOR, UH, ORANGA WAS ACTUALLY ONE OF THOSE WHO INITIATED THIS WITH A, A MAJOR GIFT FROM PROLOGIS AT THE TIME.
AND SO THOSE FUNDS WENT INTO WHAT WAS, UH, A BLIGHTED BUSINESS CORRIDOR, I THINK IS, IS A FAIR STATEMENT, AND WENT IN AND, UH, VERY MUCH, UH, AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THESE TYPES OF PHOTOS, A LOT OF VOLUNTEERS, A LOT OF EFFORT WENT INTO, UH, THAT INITIATIVE.
AND IT WAS EVERYTHING FROM MARKETING, JOB TRAINING, UH, FACADE IMPROVEMENTS, ET CETERA.
SO THE POINT BEING THAT AS I CAME INTO LBEP IN MID 2022 AND HAD THE OPPORTUNITY AS A CONSULTANT TO SORT OF SIT BACK AND ASSESS WHAT THE WORK OF THE EDO HAD BEEN DOING AT THAT TIME, IT WAS VERY MUCH HANDS-ON.
AND AS WE MOVED INTO 2023, I FELT THAT IT WAS APPROPRIATE COMING IN AS THE PRESIDENT AND CEO TO TAKE US TO A NEW ELEVATION, IF YOU WILL.
SO I WANTED TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT LBEP HAD BEEN LOOKING AT AS AN INITIATIVE THAT MADE THE MOST SENSE FOR US TO LEVERAGE AND EXPAND OUR BRAND, IF YOU WILL.
ONE OF THOSE THINGS, WHICH HAS REALLY BEEN QUITE FASCINATING, IS THE DISCUSSION AROUND, UH, FLYING TAXIS OR ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY AND LBEP, UH, THROUGH A CONVERSATION WITH BOEING AND UNDER BOEING, THE PARENT COMPANY'S WHISK ARROW.
AND SO YOU SEE THE AIRCRAFT THERE IN THIS IMAGE, THERE WAS A DISCUSSION AROUND, UM, FACILITATING A CONVENING OF THESE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS IN THE ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY SECTOR AND HOSTING A DISCUSSION ON THE FEASIBILITY OF HAVING THAT FORM OF TRANSPORTATION ESTABLISHED IN LA COUNTY.
WITH LONG BEACH BEING ONE OF THOSE NODES, IT PROVED TO BE A VERY VALUABLE, UH, ENDEAVOR FOR LBEP.
THROUGH THOSE CONVERSATIONS, NOT ONLY WERE WE ABLE TO COMMISSION AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS REPORT, UH, THAT LOOKED AT THE POSITIVE, UH, BENEFITS FROM AN ECONOMIC STANDPOINT OF ADVANCING A A M IN LONG BEACH, BUT IT ALSO ALLOWED MYSELF IN THIS NEW ROLE WITH LBEP TO BE PRIVY TO CONVERSATIONS THAT INCLUDED STATE AND FEDERAL PARTNERS, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY THIS IS THE TYPE OF DISCUSSION THAT INCLUDES FEDERAL LEADERSHIP OUT OF FAA AMONG OTHERS.
UM, AND I THINK IT'S NO SURPRISE IN THIS ROOM TO KNOW THAT MANY OF THESE ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY COMPANIES WE'RE TRULY EXCITED TO BE COLLABORATING WITH LONG BEACH, BECAUSE BY COMPARISON WITH OUR FRIENDS IN LA, UH, THINGS ARE EVER MORE CHALLENGING IN, UH, THE CITY OF LA.
AND SO LONG BEACH WAS INCREDIBLY WELCOMING.
AND WHILE THIS DISCUSSION IS ONGOING THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, AND THERE'S SOME STATES THAT ARE A LITTLE FARTHER DOWN THE ROAD, IF YOU WILL, IN TERMS OF THE, UH, THIS COMING TO, UH, UH, LIFE, UH, LONG BEACH IS STILL VERY MUCH IN THE RUNNING FOR CONSIDERATION IN LA COUNTY AS POTENTIALLY ONE OF THESE NODES.
AND SO, UH, LONG BEACH AIRPORT, OBVIOUSLY ANOTHER BIG PARTNER THERE, BUT IT'S AN EXAMPLE OF THE TYPE OF WORK THAT LBEP WAS ABLE TO FACILITATE
[00:55:01]
THAT HELPED TO BRING A LARGER AUDIENCE TO LONG BEACH AND AWARENESS OF NOT ONLY LBEP, BUT THE CITY ITSELF.AND THEN, AS FELIPE MENTIONED, UM, ANOTHER BIG, UH, MILESTONE FOR US, THIS ACTUALLY TOOK PLACE AT THE END OF 2022 AS OUR LEAD INTO 2023, WAS THE SIGNING OF THIS MOU WITH OUR VERY OWN MARIO CORDERO AND OUR IMMEDIATE PASSPORT CHAIR, RYAN ALTOON.
AND THIS WAS IMPORTANT FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS, BUT AS FELIPE, UH, LAID OUT FOR ALL OF US, THE OVERLAP BETWEEN HAVING AN ENTITY LIKE A WORLD TRADE CENTER WITH A FOCUS ON FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT ALONGSIDE THE ROLE OF AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION, ALSO KEENLY FOCUSED ON BUSINESS ATTRACTION AND INVESTMENT, MEANS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO PARLAY RESOURCES IN WAYS THAT ARE VERY MEANINGFUL, UH, ON BEHALF OF THE CITY.
AND EQUALLY SO, AS FELIPE MENTIONED, ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO BRING, UH, A LOT OF EYES TO WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE.
UM, JUST LAST YEAR, AN INCREDIBLE NUMBER OF EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES HAVING, UH, THE WORLD TRADE WEEK BREAKFAST ALMOST A HUNDRED YEARS NOW OF THAT EVENT TAKING PLACE NEVER OUTSIDE OF DOWNTOWN LA EXCEPT FOR LAST YEAR WHEN IT CAME TO LONG BEACH.
UH, SAME WITH SELECT LA, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY YEARS THAT'S BEEN AROUND NINE, NINE YEARS.
UM, ALWAYS IN LA UH, LONG BEACH THOUGH WAS SELECTED LAST YEAR.
SO, UH, AS I SAID, FELIPE AND I WORK VERY WELL TOGETHER.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, CAPITALIZING ON ONE ANOTHER'S NETWORKS THROUGH THESE ENTITIES THAT WE'RE EACH RUNNING HAS BEEN TO THE ADVANTAGE OF THE WORK THAT WE DO.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THE OTHER THING THAT WE LOOKED AT IN TERMS OF WHAT WE WANTED TO FOCUS AND LEVERAGE IN, UH, 2023, MY FIRST YEAR IN THIS ROLE AS THE PRESIDENT WAS OF COURSE, THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE LONG BEACH ACCELERATOR AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE LAUNCH BEACH COALITION.
AND SO AS MAYOR RICHARDSON CAME INTO OFFICE, A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR LBEP TO ALIGN WITH THE NEW LEADERSHIP AND THE NEW VISION.
UM, AND THEN HAVING, OF COURSE, SUNSTONE AS A PARTNER WHERE, UH, OUR VERY OWN JOHN KEISLER MOVED FROM THE CITY OF LONG BEACH OVER TO SUNSTONE AND BRINGING WITH HIM SOME REALLY UNIQUE INSIGHTS IN TERMS OF WHAT, UH, IS TAKING PLACE IN LONG BEACH AND WHAT THOSE LARGER AMBITIONS ARE.
LBEP HAS BEEN ABLE TO SUPPORT THE COALITION.
UM, I THINK WE WILL CONTINUE TO GROW OUR ROLE IN THAT REGARD.
THIS IMAGE ACTUALLY COMES FROM JUST AN EXAMPLE OF, UH, SOME, UH, GRANT FUNDS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO, UH, RECEIVE AND REDISTRIBUTED THAT THROUGH AN INTERNSHIP PROGRAM, A VIRTUAL INTERNSHIP THAT TOOK PLACE BETWEEN THE STARTUP FOUNDERS AND, UH, MANY OF OUR LOCAL STUDENTS.
UM, SO THOSE WERE OUR THREE BIG PILLARS, IF YOU WILL, FOR 2023.
AND THAT WAS COMING OUT OF A STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION AT THE END OF 2022, AS I MENTIONED WHEN I FIRST CAME INTO THIS ROLE.
UM, THIS DOESN'T INCLUDE, OBVIOUSLY THINGS LIKE THE ECONOMIC FORUM, WHICH WE CONTINUE TO HOST EVERY YEAR, BUT, UM, I WANNA MOVE INTO 2024 AND, UH, ACTUALLY BEFORE I DO THAT, SO SHOWCASING THIS, AS I MENTIONED, THIS IS OUR ANNUAL IMPACT REPORT FOR 2024.
UM, THOSE ARE THE, UH, ONLY REPORTS THAT THE ORGANIZATION HAS PRODUCED TO DATE.
UM, AND AS FELIPE SAID WITH HIS FDI REPORT FORTHCOMING, WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT, UH, BEING ABLE TO SHOWCASE THE PROGRESS WE'VE MADE.
SO, AS I MENTIONED, UM, WE, YOU KNOW, CREATED A PILLAR STRATEGY IN 2023.
WE WERE ABLE TO EXPAND ON THAT AS WE MOVED INTO THE NEW YEAR, AND THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING TO COVER VERY QUICKLY IN TERMS OF WHAT WE WERE LOOKING AT FOR 2024, UM, REPEATING HERE, THE PRIORITY INDUSTRY SECTORS THAT MAYOR RICHARDSON CALLED OUT, WE OBVIOUSLY ARE ALIGNED WITH THOSE AMBITIONS.
AND THE, THE OPPORTUNITY FOR LBEP OR THE ROLE THAT WE PLAY IN THAT REGARD, UM, AS THE EDO FOR THE CITY IS TWOFOLD.
ONE, TO BECOME A REPOSITORY FOR DATA AND RESEARCH SPECIFIC TO THESE VARIOUS INDUSTRY SECTORS.
AND SO WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO CAPITALIZE ON THE RELATIONSHIP WITH CAL STATE LONG BEACH AND THEIR OFFICE OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH AND ESTABLISH A PARTNERSHIP THERE THAT ALLOWS US TO COMMISSION A VARIETY OF STUDIES.
AND IN 2024, WE DID EXACTLY THAT AROUND THE VARIOUS INDUSTRY SECTORS.
AND THE SECOND PIECE THAT I THINK IS IMPORTANT, UM, AROUND THESE INDUSTRY SECTORS IS THE CONVENING OF INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP TO PROVIDE SPECIFIC INSIGHTS, EVEN INCLUDING THINGS AROUND TARIFF IMPACTS, UM, AND, AND OTHER THINGS WHERE INDUSTRY IS ABLE TO CALL OUT.
THESE ARE THE CHALLENGES, HERE'S WHAT WE'RE UP AGAINST, UH, THESE ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE MADE AVAILABLE.
AND LBEP CAN FACILITATE THOSE DISCUSSIONS,
[01:00:01]
BRINGING IN PARTNERS, UH, CARRYING THAT MESSAGE FORWARD TO OUR, UH, LEADERS AT THE CITY, ET CETERA.UM, AND AS FELIPE MENTIONED, WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SUPPLY CHAIN COUNCIL AND THE INVESTMENT COUNCIL EQUALLY, SO LBEP HAS BEEN TASKED WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF COUNCILS UNDER EACH OF THESE, UH, DIFFERENT INDUSTRY SECTORS.
AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO, UM, EXPANDING ON THAT, UH, MANDATE AS WE MOVE INTO THE NEW YEAR.
AND, UH, AGAIN, JUST LOOKING AT WHAT THAT MEANS IN TERMS OF THE ROLE OF LBEP AND HOW WE CAN ADD VALUE TO ECONOMIC GROWTH STRATEGIES BROADLY.
UM, IN MY PRIOR WORK, UH, YOU KNOW, FOR THE STATE IN TERMS OF BUSINESS READINESS FOR, UH, IMPORT EXPORT ACTIVITIES, IT WAS A LOT OF WORKFORCE, UH, WORKFORCE READINESS AND COLLABORATIONS WITH THE COLLEGE SYSTEM.
SIMILARLY, HERE WE HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY IN TERMS OF CONNECTING, UH, EDUCATORS, FACULTY TRAINING ORGANIZATIONS, ET CETERA, WITH THE DEMANDS OF INDUSTRY.
AND AGAIN, JUST, UH, MORE DETAILS ON THOSE INDUSTRY SECTORS.
SO WE SHIFTED SLIGHTLY THE CATEGORIES FOR OUR PILLARS IN ORDER TO, UH, YOU KNOW, ENCAPSULATE LARGER AMBITIONS, BUSINESS GROWTH, AND RES UH, RETENTION IS A MAJOR ONE.
PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT, AND THERE ARE TWO KEY ASPECTS OF THAT.
ONE IS THE ACTUAL TRANSACTIONAL EFFORTS THAT ACTUALLY, UM, OBVIOUSLY TAKES A LOT OF TIME TO CURATE THOSE RELATIONSHIPS, BUT IT ALSO IS MARKETING.
AND SO, UH, THESE REPORTS HELP US TO DEPLOY INFORMATION OUT IN WAYS THAT ARE MEANINGFUL.
AS FELIPE MENTIONED, UH, WE'VE COLLABORATED IN TERMS OF EXPANDING OUR, OUR MEDIA FOOTPRINT, IF YOU WILL, UH, AS HE ALSO MENTIONED ON A RELATIVELY SMALL BUDGET, BUT NONETHELESS, UM, AND SO SHARING, UH, SOME OF THIS DATA, THIS COMES FROM THOSE VERY INDUSTRY REPORTS THAT WE COMMISSIONED FROM CAL STATE, AS I MENTIONED, OBVIOUSLY, UH, CAPTURING ECONOMIC INSIGHTS.
UH, THIS IS A VERY, UH, COMPLICATED, UH, DISCUSSION.
IF YOU WERE ABLE TO JOIN US LAST YEAR, YOU KNOW, THAT WE HAD A REALLY EXCEPTIONAL CONVERSATION.
WE WELCOMED, UH, COACH LATANYA SHEFFIELD OLYMPIAN, WHO TALKED ABOUT THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF HOSTING THE OLYMPICS AND, UH, PREPARING AS WE MOVE FORWARD TO THAT.
BUT EQUALLY SO, UH, OUR ROBERT KLEINHANS FROM CAL STATE'S OFFICE OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH ALSO, UM, SHARED, UH, INFORMATION AND DATA AROUND THE IMPACT OF TRADE.
AND, UH, THIS OF COURSE WAS PRIOR TO THE NEW ADMINISTRATION AND THE TARIFF DISCUSSION, BUT ALL OF THIS, UM, INFORMATION IS PART OF THIS INVENTORY, IF YOU WILL, OF RESEARCH AND INFORMATION THAT AS THE EDO WE WANNA BE ABLE TO MAKE AVAILABLE TO OUR PARTNERS, UH, TO COMPANIES THAT ARE INTERESTED IN LOCATING HERE, ET CETERA.
AND THEN, UH, OUR OTHER PILLAR, PROMOTION AND ATTRACTION.
UM, AND I THINK THE BEST EXAMPLE OF THAT, THIS IS A SMALLER, AS I SAID, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A RELATIVELY SMALL BUDGET AND WE'VE ONLY BEEN REALLY LOOKING AT OUR MEDIA PRESENCE OVER THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF.
BUT NONETHELESS, WE HAVE BEEN OUT THERE, UM, TELLING THAT STORY.
BUT I THINK MORE IMPORTANTLY, UH, THE SITE SELECTION CONFERENCE THAT WE HOSTED LAST YEAR, WHICH WAS THE INAUGURAL CONFERENCE, AND THAT WAS AT THE RECOMMENDATION OF BEAU MARTINEZ, WHO HAD, UH, PARTICIPATED IN THESE BEFORE IN HIS PRIOR WORK, REALLY PUSHED LBEP TO BECOME THE HOST OF THAT.
AND IT WAS AN AMAZING EVENT, BOTH FROM A LEARNING EXPERIENCE, BUT ALSO FROM THE REALLY MEANINGFUL INTEL THAT TOOK PLACE.
AND FOR THOSE OF YOU UNFAMILIAR SITE SELECTORS ARE CONSULTANTS.
UH, THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 150 HERE IN THE US BUT THEY ARE LOCATED ALL AROUND THE WORLD AND THEY WORK EXCLUSIVELY WITH C-SUITE DECISION MAKERS WHO ARE LOOKING FOR INFORMATION RELATIVE TO MAKING A DECISION ON A MANUFACTURING LOCATION OR A HEADQUARTERS SATELLITE OFFICE, WHAT HAVE YOU.
IT'S CERTAINLY NO SURPRISE THAT CALIFORNIA HAS ITS OWN CHALLENGES WHEN IT COMES TO BUSINESS ATTRACTION.
UH, THE SITE SELECTORS AT THE END OF THEIR DAY THAT THEY SPEND WITH US TOURING ALL AROUND LONG BEACH AND MEETING WITH INDUSTRY, INCLUDING FOLKS LIKE AMP AIR THE FOLLOWING DAY, THEY GIVE THEIR DEBRIEF AND THEY ARE BRUTALLY HONEST IN TERMS OF THEIR ASSESSMENT OF THE GOOD AND BAD OF LONG BEACH.
UM, AND THE CHALLENGES FOR CALIFORNIA, WHICH THEY PROVIDED, UM, FOR US LAST YEAR, AND WAS AN INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR WHERE WE CAN, UH, STRENGTHEN OUR MESSAGING.
IN FACT, THAT WAS PROBABLY THE PRIMARY THING THAT THEY SAID.
WE DIDN'T KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT LONG BEACH AND WHY DON'T WE KNOW MORE ABOUT LONG BEACH? SO WE WILL BE HOSTING THIS EVENT AGAIN, UM, APRIL 9TH LEADING UP TO THE GRAND PRIX.
WE ALSO PLAN AFTER THE SITE SELECTORS CONFERENCE, AND THIS IS IN CONVERSATION WITH AN ORGANIZATION CALLED DCI, THEY DO MARKETING EXCLUSIVELY WITH SITE
[01:05:01]
SELECTORS.UM, THEY'RE GOING TO ASSIST US IN A PERCEPTION SURVEY ACROSS THOSE 150 SELECTORS TO GAIN, UH, INSIGHTS IN TERMS OF THEIR CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF THE CITY OF LONG BEACH AS, UM, A POTENTIAL LOCATION FOR SITE SELECTION.
AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO DO A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF OTHER CITIES WHO ARE SIMILARLY POSITIONED LIKE LONG BEACH WITH THE INTENTION OF SHARING AT THAT INTEL LATER THIS YEAR.
SO THAT REALLY WAS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF PROMOTION AND MARKETING FROM, UH, A RELATIVELY NASCENT ORGANIZATION LIKE LBEP.
AND THEN OUR, UH, FINAL PILLAR THAT WE ESTABLISHED FOR 2024, WE CALLED BROADLY TECHNOLOGY AND FUTURE FOCUS.
SO EVERYTHING FROM FLYING DRONE TAXIS TO THE LONG BEACH ACCELERATOR COULD FIT INTO THAT.
UM, IT'S NO SECRET THAT CAPITALIZING ON SPACE SPEECH HAS BEEN AN INCREDIBLE INCENTIVE.
UM, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, SHOWCASING AVIATION HISTORY HERE IN LONG BEACH AND WHY WE ARE SO WELL SUITED TO BRING THESE COMPANIES HERE HAS BEEN AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION FOR BOTH THE WORLD TRADE CENTER AND LBEP.
AND THEN, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, LOOKING AT WHAT IT MEANS TO ESTABLISH, UH, YOU KNOW, A TECH CORRIDOR HERE IN LONG BEACH, AND WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO BE RECOGNIZED AS A TECH STARTUP COMMUNITY HERE IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH.
THERE'S A LOT OF PARTNERS, MANY OF YOU IN THIS ROOM AROUND THIS CONVERSATION, AND LBEP IS HONORED TO BE, UH, PART OF THAT CONVERSATION AND WE WANT TO SEE THAT, UM, GAIN EVER MORE FOCUS AS WE MOVE INTO THIS NEW YEAR.
FELIPE, UH, YOU KNOW, TOUCHED ON, UH, IN DEPTH AND DID A GREAT JOB ON WORLD TRADE CENTER.
I'M JUST GONNA, YOU KNOW, SHOW THE SLIDES THAT I HAVE HERE JUST BECAUSE IT WAS AN IMPORTANT MOMENT FOR LBEP.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN INTERESTING IN CONVERSATION WITH L-A-E-D-C, AND AS I SAID, WITH STEVEN BEING A COLLEAGUE, THERE ARE FIVE, UH, EDS IN LA COUNTY UNDER L-A-E-D-C, IF YOU WILL, LBEP BEING ONE OF THEM.
WE ARE THE ONLY ONE THAT CURRENTLY HAS A WORLD TRADE CENTER, AND, UM, WE ARE THE ONLY ONE THAT IS IN REGULAR COMMUNICATION WITH L-A-E-D-C, A LOT OF THESE OTHER EDS.
UM, AND THEY'RE ALL DOING TREMENDOUS WORK, BUT THEY ARE OFTENTIMES PRIMARILY FOCUSED ON BUSINESS SERVICES AS YOU CAN SEE, WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO ELEVATE SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING.
AND IN THAT REGARD, IT'S BEEN QUITE INTERESTING BECAUSE WHEN LA COUNTY AND STEVEN'S OFFICE IS LOOKING TO SHOWCASE WHERE LA SHINES, THAT SPOTLIGHT IS OFTEN TURNED ON LONG BEACH.
AND SO, UH, WE ARE VERY PROUD OF THAT RELATIONSHIP.
AND THEN I'LL JUST CLOSE THIS OUT WITH A FEW COMMENTS IN TERMS OF, UH, WHAT WE HAVE UP AHEAD, YOU KNOW, WE LOOK TO GIVE OUR BOARD MEMBERS ACCESS.
THERE'S A LOT OF BIG EVENTS COMING TO LA COUNTY AND SPECIFICALLY TO LONG BEACH IN THE COMING MONTHS AND YEARS.
AND SO OUR BOARD MEMBERS HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO WEIGH IN ON, UH, WHAT LBEP WILL DO IN TERMS OF OUR INITIATIVES AND HOW WE LEVERAGE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES.
UM, OPPORTUNITIES TO TAKE PART IN THE ACTIVITIES AND INITIATIVES THAT WE'RE INVOLVED IN.
UM, AS FELIPE MENTIONED, JUST IN JANUARY, RIGHT AWAY, WE KICKED OFF WITH A DISCUSSION, UM, AT OUR BOARD MEETING AROUND TRADE AND TARIFF POTENTIAL IMPACTS.
IT'S A FASCINATING DISCUSSION.
UH, BUT THOSE TYPES OF CONVERSATIONS HAVE BEEN INCREDIBLY MEANINGFUL.
JANUARY OF LAST YEAR, WE HOSTED, UH, D MYERS FROM GOVERNOR NEWSOM'S OFFICE.
UH, HER CONVERSATION WAS LARGELY AROUND ADVANCE AIR MOBILITY AND CLEAN ENERGY TRANSPORTATION.
SO THESE TYPES OF DISCUSSIONS AND ACTIVITIES ARE SOMETHING THAT WE SEE AS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR BOARD MEMBERS.
UM, I'LL ADD IN THERE THAT FACILITATING THINGS LIKE CONVERSATIONS AROUND ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY WHERE WE CAN COMMISSION REPORTS, ET CETERA, UM, ALSO BECOMES A MEANINGFUL TOOL IN TERMS OF THE OPPORTUNITY.
AND THEN LAST IMPACT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE OF COURSE, UH, KNOW THAT IN 2023, LONG BEACH WON THE MOST BUSINESS FRIENDLY FROM LA EDCS EDDY AWARD.
AND THEN JUST LAST YEAR IN FULL TRANSPARENCY, IT WAS FOR ALL FIVE EDS, BUT STILL, UH, WE ALSO WERE AWARDED A STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENT PARTNER OF THE YEAR AWARD.
UM, AND ALWAYS VERY PROUD TO SHOWCASE LONG BEACH IN THE WORK THAT WE DO.
AND SO WITH THAT, UM, I'LL CLOSE OUT AND LEAVE IT FOR QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, LEAH, FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
UM, A LOT OF COMPREHENSIVE INFORMATION, SO I KNOW THE COMMISSIONERS WILL HAVE QUESTIONS FOR YOU.
SO DO I SEE ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY, COMMISSIONER
THANKS FOR THE REALLY INTERESTING PRESENTATION.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WOULD THINK WOULD BE REALLY BENEFICIAL HERE IS TO UNDERSTAND IT IN CONTEXT, RIGHT? THAT'S SUCH A COMPLEX SYSTEM.
THERE'S SO MANY MOVING PARTS, SO MANY INITIATIVES, AND I KNOW WE'RE
[01:10:01]
JUST A FEW YEARS INTO THE MOMENTUM BUILDING HERE.BE REALLY INTERESTING TO UNDERSTAND THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE ORGANIZATION ON WITHIN THE SYSTEM.
WHAT ARE THE KEY, THE, THE KEY LEVER POINTS THAT ARE MOST IMPACTFUL OR THAT WOULD, THAT WE HAVE BOTH CONTROL OVER AND THAT DRIVE THE OUTCOMES THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR? AND HOW CAN WE TRACK OVER TIME OUR PERFORMANCE ON THOSE KEY AREAS? AND MAYBE THERE ARE ALREADY ONES THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT, BUT UM, AGAIN, JUST BUILDING UP CONTEXT HERE.
THAT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL TO SIMPLIFY WHAT OTHERWISE IS AN UNIMAGINABLY COMPLEX THING.
NO, I, I APPRECIATE THAT COMMENT.
AND IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS BEEN, UH, A CHALLENGE AND AN OPPORTUNITY, IF I MAY, UM, AND COMING INTO THE ORGANIZATION IS REALLY PINNING DOWN WHAT OUR PRIMARY MANDATE IS AND THEN HOW WE IDENTIFY METRICS AND TRACK THAT OUTCOME.
UM, AND IN PARTICULAR WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ATTRACTING BUSINESS, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE LEAD TIME, UH, WHO ULTIMATELY CLOSES THAT DEAL, TO WHAT DEGREE DID, UH, EACH OF THE PARTNERS PLAY A ROLE, ET CETERA.
SO IT'S A DISCUSSION THAT, UH, DISCUSSION THAT'S VERY TIMELY AND SOMETHING THAT WE ARE LOOKING TO, UM, YOU KNOW, LOCK DOWN WITH MORE SPECIFIC INFORMATION BY THE END OF THE YEAR.
BUT I APPRECIATE THAT BECAUSE SOMETHING'S TOP OF MIND FOR SURE.
COMMISSIONER NOVIN, I HAD A SIMILAR QUESTION, BUT SPECIFICALLY AROUND THE, THE SITE SELECTOR CONFERENCE.
SO I LOVE THAT WE HAVE THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT QUALITATIVE FEEDBACK ABOUT WHAT WE CAN DO BETTER AND THAT REALLY CANDID COMMENT.
YOU MENTIONED THAT THEY, THEY GIVE IT US AFTER THE FACT, BUT ARE WE DOING QUANTITATIVE OR OF LIKE TRACKING TO THE EXTENT OF THIS COMPANY MADE THIS DECISION BECAUSE OF THIS CONFERENCE? AND I KNOW IT'S JUST BEEN A YEAR, BUT SURE.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF THE TYPE OF, UH, INFORMATION THAT WE'D LIKE TO GATHER.
WE DO HAVE ANECDOTALLY, BECAUSE WE DO HAVE THESE ONGOING CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR BOARD MEMBERS WHO REPRESENT VARIOUS BUSINESSES AND INDUSTRY.
UM, BUT IN TERMS OF CAPTURING THAT THROUGH THE SPECIFIC SITE SELECTORS CONFERENCE OR IN TERMS OF A PROTOCOL THAT WE, UH, HAVE AT THE MOMENT, WE DON'T HAVE THAT SPECIFIC INFORMATION AS OF YET.
I THINK AS YOU GATHER ANY DATA WHERE WE COULD BE A PARTNER TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE CAN IMPROVE IT AND YEAH.
PULL IN OBVIOUSLY THE, THE PEOPLE FROM THE DEPARTMENT, BUT PEOPLE LIKE THE CITY AUDITORS GROUP YEP.
WHERE WE CAN THINK ABOUT HOW WE CAN START IMPROVING ON THOSE DATA POINTS AS WELL.
YEAH, I THINK WE'D BE HAPPY TO BE A PARTNER OF THAT.
OH, COMMISSIONER THOMAS, I'M GONNA LET EVERYONE ELSE HAVE A CONVERSATION.
UM, I'M PARTICULARLY INTERESTED ABOUT THE DEBRIEF FROM LAST YEAR.
WHERE DID WE, WHERE CAN WE FIND AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THAT INFORMATION? SO WE DID HAVE THAT RECORDED, AND WE ARE PUTTING ALL OF THAT INTO OUR INVENTORY OF REPORTS, SO I CAN SHARE THAT WITH THE COMMISSION WHEN IT'S AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD ON THE WEBSITE.
UM, WE WANNA DO SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT THIS YEAR BECAUSE WE WANNA BE ABLE TO SHOWCASE THAT, SHOWCASE THAT INFORMATION IN A MORE MEANINGFUL WAY.
SO I WILL SAY THAT THE SITE SELECTORS, UM, THERE'S A GUILD AND THAT'S WHERE MOST PEOPLE RECRUIT SITE SELECTORS FROM.
AND THE GUILD CHARGES ADDITIONAL FUNDS TO PUT TOGETHER A DETAILED REPORT FROM THE SELECTORS.
AND IT WAS OUT OF BUDGET FOR US LAST YEAR.
UM, BUT WE THIS YEAR ARE DOING TWO THINGS.
ONE, WE'RE PUTTING TOGETHER A GUIDEBOOK IN ADVANCE OF THE SITE SELECTORS CONFERENCE, WHICH WE HADN'T DONE PREVIOUSLY, SO THAT WE CAN SHOWCASE EVERYTHING FROM PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES TO INFORMATION AROUND OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS AND REALLY CURATE THE ATTENDEES.
SO THOSE CONVERSATIONS TAKING PLACE THROUGHOUT THE CONFERENCE ARE REALLY VERY MUCH TIED TO, UH, THOSE MOST INVESTED IN SITE SELECTION.
SO COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT, UH, VCS, ET CETERA.
AND THEN, UM, POST CONFERENCE, AS I MENTIONED, NOT ONLY THE COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS AND THE PERCEPTION SURVEY, BUT THEN PUTTING THAT TOGETHER WITH THE FEEDBACK FROM THOSE SITE SELECTORS SO WE HAVE A MORE COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW OF THE EFFORT, THE OUTCOME, AND THEN WHAT WE DO WITH THAT NEXT.
YEAH, I, THE REASON I'M ASKING THE QUESTION IS A FORMER, UM, CITY OFFICIAL DOING SITE SELECT DEALING WITH SITE SELECTORS, UM, WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW THE INFORMATION IS SO CRITICAL BECAUSE IT DIRECTLY IMPACTS THE CITY BUDGET.
IF PLAN CHECK TURNAROUND TIME IS A PROBLEM OR VIEWED OR OTHERWISE, THEN THE IMPACT TO THE BUDGET IS ADD MORE PLAN CHECKERS, RIGHT? OR MORE CONTRACT SERVICES.
SO THERE'S A DIRECT CORRELATION BETWEEN THE COMMENTS SITE SELECTORS WOULD MAKE AND PUBLIC POLICY SLASH BUDGETING.
SO I WOULD REALLY ENCOURAGE, UM, OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT IT TO MAYBE LOOK AT SOURCES TO UNDERWRITE THE GUILD'S ABILITY TO PRODUCE THAT REPORT.
IN ADDITION TO WHATEVER INFORMATION,
[01:15:01]
UH, YOU CAN DO AS A TEAM YEAH.IT'S VERY, VERY CRITICAL TO GET THIS INFORMATION OUT TO THE DECISION MAKERS, PUBLIC POLICY PEOPLE FOR BUDGETING.
I'M REALLY GLAD TO HEAR YOU SAY THAT.
AND, UM, WE DIDN'T HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PRODUCE A REPORT AND SHARE THAT OUT, BUT WE PLAN TO THIS YEAR AND WE'LL TAKE THAT FEEDBACK AS WELL.
UM, SO LEAH, I HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS FOR YOU.
I WANT, UM, I KNOW HOW MUCH WORK THAT YOUR ORGANIZATION AS WELL AS YOU HAVE PUT INTO, UM, NOT ONLY ESTABLISHING LBEP, BUT ALSO TAKING IT THROUGH TODAY.
AND I THINK MANY OF YOU SAW MANY OF THE INITIATIVES THAT HAVE BEEN PUT TOGE PUT FORTH.
UM, SO, UH, WHEN YOU, THE LBEP CAME OUT OF THE BLUEPRINT, THE FIRST BLUEPRINT, AND YOU WERE ON THE COMMISSION YEAH.
YOU SERVED ON THE COMMISSION, IS, CAN YOU SHARE MORE WITH US ABOUT HOW YOU ARE ALIGNED WITH THE GROW LONG BEACH BLUEPRINT FOR 2.0? UM, AND ALSO I DO WANNA ASK ANOTHER FOLLOW QUESTION ABOUT METRICS.
UM, IN TERMS OF GROW LONG BEACH 2.0, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD ONGOING CONVERSATIONS AND WE MEET REGULARLY WITH, UH, B'S TEAM, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, AS WELL AS THE MAYOR'S OFFICE DIRECTLY.
UM, THE ONE THING THAT I WOULD SAY THAT LBEP HAS BEEN TASKED WITH SPECIFIC TO THAT, IS WHAT THE MAYOR IS REFERRING TO AS HIS STRATEGIC GROWTH COUNCIL.
AND THAT'S REALLY LEVERAGING THIS NOTION OF THE BOARD MEMBERS WHO ARE PARTICIPATING IN THESE INDUSTRY COUNCILS TO PROVIDE THAT FEEDBACK.
UM, LAST YEAR WE RECEIVED THE RAW DATA FROM CAL STATE IN TERMS OF THOSE INDUSTRY PROFILES THAT HAD BEEN COMMISSIONED FOR THE FIVE PRIORITY INDUSTRY SECTORS.
AND WE HAVE BEEN ASKED TO NOW TAKE THAT RAW DATA, INCLUDE THE FEEDBACK FROM THESE INDUSTRY LEADERS, AND PUT TOGETHER A MORE COMPREHENSIVE REPORT THAT CAN BE UTILIZED AND IN SOME WAYS SIMILAR TO THESE SITE SELECTOR DEBRIEFS, WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES FROM THE INDUSTRY INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE? WHAT DO THEY SEE COMING UP AHEAD AND HOW DOES THE CITY PREPARE FOR THAT? I'D SAY THAT'S PROBABLY THE PRIMARY, UH, WAY WE'RE MOST ALIGNED WITH THE 2.0.
AND I NOTICED THAT WHEN YOU DID THE FIRST BLUEPRINT, BECAUSE YOU WERE ON THE COMMISSION AT THAT TIME, YOU KNOW, MANY OF THE KEY ISSUE AREAS ARE THE SAME, AND SO THEY'RE VERY MUCH IN ALIGNMENT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, WE AS A COMMISSION WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE TO WORK WITH YOU ON THAT ALONG WITH THE CITY BECAUSE, UM, YOU KNOW, IT IS A BLUEPRINT FOR THE NEXT 10 YEARS.
AND THE, THE PIECE I WANTED TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT TOO IS THAT THERE CAME MANY QUESTIONS THERE, BUT YOU KNOW, THE CITY, AT LEAST FROM OUR RESOURCES, DOESN'T PRESENT ANYTHING IN, IN DASHBOARDS ACROSS THE CITY, UNMET KEY METRICS MM-HMM
AND, UM, SO, YOU KNOW, THAT MAY BE SOMETHING AS COMMISSIONER THOMAS AND OTHERS ECHOED, UM, THAT WE COULD WORK ON WITH YOU BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S GREAT TO HAVE A BLUEPRINT IN PLACE.
BUT IF WE WERE ALL FOCUSED ON SOME OF THE KEY METRICS, LIKE THE JOB CREATION, LIKE THE NUMBER OF BUSINESSES, TRACK, I MEAN, WE COULD GO ON AND ON WITH THOSE.
BUT THEY'RE A SET OF KEY METRICS.
UM, THAT MAY BE SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, THE CITY AS WELL AS LBEP, 'CAUSE YOU'RE AT THE STRATEGIC LEVEL YEAH.
I THINK THAT WOULD BE FANTASTIC.
I THINK IT WOULD BE INCREDIBLY USEFUL FOR LBEP.
YOU KNOW, MUCH OF THE BOARD IS COMING FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR PERSPECTIVE.
SO TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE INTEL FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR CAN MELD WITH THE AMBITIONS OF, UH, YOU KNOW, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, OFFICE AND THE CITY, AND, UH, A DASHBOARD IS SOMETHING, UH, ALONG THE LINES WITH, YOU KNOW, CAPITALIZING ON HOW WE TRACK OUR METRICS IS SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD REALLY LIKE TO DO.
SO HAVING THAT FEEDBACK FROM THIS COMMISSION WOULD BE INVALUABLE.
SEE, YOU KNOW, OTHER QUESTIONS AND CONGRATULATIONS.
YOU KNOW, THAT AWARD FROM L-E-E-D-C, THE BUSINESS FRIENDLY, MOST BUSINESS FRIENDLY, I KNOW LONG, THE CITY OF LONG BEACH HAS BEEN UP FOR THAT MANY YEARS.
AND CONGRATULATIONS BECAUSE I KNOW THAT WE RECEIVE THAT AWARD FOR THE CITY THROUGH A LOT OF COLLABORATION THAT YOUR ORGANIZATION DOES.
WELL, THANK YOU AND THANK YOU AGAIN EVERYONE FOR YOUR TIME THIS AFTERNOON.
ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT OR QUESTIONS FOR LEO GTA? THE CEO OF LBEP? OKAY.
SEEING NONE, UM, CAN TAKE A VOTE.
OKAY, WHY DON'T WE MOVE ON TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FOUR.
[4. 25-54529 Recommendation to receive and file Executive Director’s Report. Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]
IS RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE YOU AND FILE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S APART.COULD I HAVE A MOTION? SO, MOVE.
MOVED BY COMMISSIONER SANDOVAL AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER NORDIC.
UH, I DO HAVE A FEW UPDATES FOR YOU.
SO LET ME GET STARTED WITH THOSE.
[01:20:01]
UH, HOUSE CLEANING.YOU SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED AN EMAIL NOTIFICATION ABOUT COMPLETION OF FORM 700.
UH, SO IF YOU HAVEN'T, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, UM, EVERYONE HAS TO COMPLETE.
UH, AND IT IS DUE, UH, FOR SUBMISSION ON APRIL 1ST.
UH, SO WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A, A MONTH OR SO LEFT.
UH, IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS WITH THAT, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
AND ALSO KNOW THAT THE CITY OF CLERK'S OFFICE IS AVAILABLE TO ASSIST YOU IN THAT FORM COMPLETION.
UH, SO AGAIN, I'M SURE I'LL REMIND YOU AS WELL AS A MONTH PROGRESSES.
UM, BUT IF YOU CAN'T GET TO THAT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, I KNOW IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT, UM, IT DOESN'T TAKE THAT LONG.
UM, AND IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS KIND OF CAN SLIP BY SOMETIMES IF WE DON'T, UH, PAY ATTENTION TO THAT.
SO, PLEASE, UM, LEMME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, UH, WITH THE FORM, OR IF YOU NEED HELP, I'LL HAVE BE HAPPY TO CONNECT YOU TO THIS, TO THE CLERK'S OFFICE.
UM, FOR THOSE, UH, NEXT, MOVING ON TO BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT UPDATES.
UM, SO, UH, WE DID, UH, ON FEBRUARY 20TH, WE HAD A REALLY BID VISIBILITY MEETING.
UH, THIS IS A VERY EXCITING TIME, UH, FOR THE CITY OF LONG BEACH RIGHT NOW IN THE, THE BID VERSE I CALL IT, BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF INTEREST IN THE CREATION, UH, OR EXPANSION OF BIDS.
UM, SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS, THAT IS AC ACTUALLY HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.
THE FIRST ONE BEING THE, THE WRIGLEY BID VISIBILITY, UH, STUDY MEETING THAT HAPPENED ON FEBRUARY 20TH.
UM, THAT ONE WAS A COMBINATION OF MONTHS OF OUTREACH IN THE PACIFIC CORRIDOR AND, AND, UH, WILLOW CORRIDOR, UH, OUTREACHING WITH BUSINESS OWNERS TO UNDERSTAND KIND OF, UH, YOU KNOW, WELL, FIRST IS REALLY A PRELIMINARY EDUCATION ABOUT WHAT IS A BID, YOU KNOW, A BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS WITH THAT? WHAT ARE THE TRADE-OFFS? UH, AND JUST FOR AS A QUICK RECAP, WHAT A BID IS IS BASICALLY, UM, WHEN A GROUP OF BUSINESSES TYPICALLY ALONG A CORRIDOR, GATHER TOGETHER TO PULL THEIR RESOURCES THROUGH WHAT'S CALLED AN ASSESSMENT THAT IS JUST PULLING, UH, WHAT YOU COULD DESCRIBE AS A, A SELF TAX ALMOST.
AND THAT GETS PULLED TOGETHER, AND THEN IT GETS STEERED TOWARDS THINGS THAT THEY'VE IDENTIFIED AS PRIORITIES FOR THE CORRIDOR.
SO THINK ABOUT, UH, SAFE AND SECURE MEASURES, CLEANLINESS, THINK OF ADDITIONAL SECURITY GUARDS, LIGHTING INITIATIVES, UH, LIGHTING SAFETY INITIATIVES.
UM, ALSO CAN BE LOOKED AT BEAUTIFICATION.
SO LANDSCAPING, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, ACTIVATION, THAT'S ALWAYS A POPULAR ONE TO INCREASE PEDESTRIAN FOOT TRAFFIC BEAUTIFICATION PROJECTS.
SO IT DEPENDS ON, UH, WHAT THE COURT IS LOOKING FOR.
SO THIS STUDY, UH, IS, WAS, UM, THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY WAS TO IDENTIFY, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE ASSESSMENT LEVEL COULD BE, WE'RE INTERESTED, UH, UH, IN, IN CONTRIBUTING TO, AND THEN WHAT THE PRIORITIES, UM, OF THOSE BUSINESS OWNERS, UH, WOULD BE.
AS WELL AS WHAT IS THE POTENTIAL JURISDICTIONAL OUTLINE OF THAT BID, UH, IN THAT CORRIDOR.
SO, VERY EXCITING TIMES ON JUST THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT, UM, SIDE OF TOWN RIGHT NOW, IT'S REALLY EXCITING.
UH, SO WE HAD THAT, WE HAD ABOUT 50, 40 TO 50 PARTICIPANTS SHOWED UP.
UH, I THINK ABOUT 12 TO 15 OF THOSE WERE, UM, BUSINESS OWNERS, YOU KNOW, SO OBVIOUSLY THIS IS GONNA BE A CONTINUOUS PROCESS OF, OF EDUCATING THE BUSINESS OWNERS OF WHAT THAT ACTUALLY MEANS.
SITTING DOWN IN GROUPS ONE-ON-ONE.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT STAFF AND OUR PARTNERS, UH, YOU KNOW, LIKE THE BUSINESS, THE WRIGLEY BUSINESS ASSOCIATION, UH, AND THE CONSULTANTS ARE, ARE GONNA BE DOING IN THE COMING MONTHS AS WE PREPARE TO, UH, LOOK AT WHAT PHASE TWO OF THAT IS GOING TO BE.
SO I'LL KEEP YOU UPDATED ON THAT PIECE.
UH, ANOTHER, UM, UPDATES ON THE BID, UM, NEWS FRONT IS THAT WE HAVE A COUPLE OF REQUESTS FOR PROPOSALS OR SOLICITATIONS, UH, LOOKING FOR CONSULTANTS THAT CAN HELP US DO A COUPLE MORE BID VISIBILITY REPORTS.
SO THESE ARE GOING TO BE, UH, IN THE SANTA FE BUSINESS CORRIDOR IN WEST LONG BEACH, AND THEN ALSO IN THE WEST SIDE LONG BEACH INDUSTRIAL AREA.
SO I WOULD DESCRIBE THAT AS GENERALLY BEING, UM, THE SOUTH OF THE SANTA FE, UH, RETAIL BUSINESS CORRIDOR.
AND IT'LL BE MOSTLY, UH, IN INDUSTRIAL, UH, BUSINESSES THERE.
UH, SO WE'RE HOPING TO RELEASE THAT REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL, BUT IN THE MONTH OR EARLY IN APRIL AS WELL.
AND THEN WE'LL BE MOVING FORWARD WITH THE SAME SIMILAR PROCESS THAT WE DID WITH WRIGLEY BID VISIBILITY REPORT.
UH, ANOTHER PROGRAMMATIC UPDATE IS, UH, YOU MAY BE AWARE THAT, UH, THROUGH THE, UH, LBRA FUNDS, UH, WHICH IS THE RECOVERY FUNDING THAT THE, THE CITY RECEIVED, UH, FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, UH, WE ARE WRAPPING UP OUR GUARANTEED INCOME PILOT PROGRAM.
SO THE COHORT OF FAMILIES, UH, HOUSEHOLD RECEIVED THEIR LAST, UM, PAYMENT LAST MONTH.
SO WHAT YOU'LL SEE NOW, AND I'M, I'LL SHARE THESE WHEN THESE ARE PRODUCED, UH, AS YOU'RE GONNA SEE A COUPLE OF MORE, UM, PRELIMINARY REPORTS.
AND THEN AT THE END OF THE YEAR, WE'LL SEE THE FINAL REPORT ON KIND OF WHAT ARE, YOU KNOW, WHAT, UM, ARE SOME LESSONS LEARNED FROM THAT PILOT PROGRAM THAT THE CITY, UM, YOU KNOW, UM, KIND OF ENDEAVORED TO DO THE LAST, THE LAST YEAR AND CHANGE.
ANOTHER UPDATE WE HAVE HERE, UM, IS THE NEW PROTOCOL OFFICER.
UH, FELIPE MENTIONED THIS EARLIER, SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS ONE.
THIS IS GONNA BE REALLY IMPORTANT, YOU KNOW, AS WE DO START TO KIND OF LOOK TO GROW INTERNATIONAL FOOTPRINT, UH, AND, AND, AND HAVE THOSE ENGAGEMENTS.
SO THE NEW PROTOCOL OFFICER IS GONNA BE COMING OUTTA THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE, AND THEIR, THEIR PURPOSE WILL BE TO SUPPORT THESE CITY'S INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS, THE SISTER CITY INITIATIVES, DIGNITARY
[01:25:01]
VISITS, INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENTS, FOREIGN RELATIONS IN PREPARATION FOR THE 2028 OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES, AND THE INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS TO RAISE LONG BEACH'S PROFILE AS A GLOBAL CITY, UH, AND ADVANCED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES.SO, UM, OUR DIRECTOR, BEAU MARTINEZ, AND DEPUTY DIRECTOR JOHNNY MET, UM, MET WITH HER YESTERDAY.
SO WE'RE MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, SHE'S MEETING THE, THE RIGHT PEOPLE HERE INTERNALLY IN THE CITY, AND THEN ALSO EXTERNALLY AS WELL, SO WE CAN PREPARE FOR THE 2028 OLYMPICS, WHICH IN GOVERNMENT TALK, I KEEP TELLING PEOPLE, THAT'S TOMORROW, BUT REALLY THAT MEANS IT'S YESTERDAY.
UM, MOVING ON TO SOME, UH, ADDITIONAL UPDATES.
THE VISUAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM, VIP IS THE PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES BUSINESSES THAT WERE IMPACTED BY VANDALISM, SO BROKEN WINDOWS GRAFFITI.
UM, VERY EXCITED TO AND PROUD TO SAY THAT, UH, CITY COUNCIL APPROVED ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THAT PROGRAM.
SO, UM, WE, I KNOW WE HAVE A FEW, UH, APPLICATIONS IN THE QUEUE, SO, UH, OUR CONSULTANT AND STAFF WILL BEGIN TO REVIEW THOSE AND, AND PREFER FOR DISBURSEMENT.
UM, YOU KNOW, KNOW, UH, OUR DIRECTOR ALWAYS SAYS IT'S ONE OF THOSE POPULAR PROGRAMS THAT WE WISH DIDN'T HAVE TO EXIST, BUT WE'RE FORTUNATE, YOU KNOW, THAT COUNCIL AND AND AND MAYOR HAVE PRIORITIZED FUNDING FOR IT SO WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT OUR BUSINESS CORRIDORS ARE ATTRACTIVE.
AND, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, UM, PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC IS, IS GOOD AND, AND PEOPLE, AND OUR RESIDENTS AND OUR TOURISTS CONTINUE TO VISIT.
UH, YOU KNOW, OUR POPULAR CORRIDOR AREAS.
WRAPPING UP HERE, UM, NOT TO SAY THIS IS THE BEST, THE SAFE, THE BEST FOR LEFT BECAUSE ALL, THEY'RE ALL PRETTY GOOD.
UH, BUT IF I THINK I SENT THIS, UM, THIS PRESS RELEASE OUT TO, UM, BUT WE HAVE, HAVE, UH, RIGHT NOW WE KINDA HAVE THE LEVEL UP SMALL BUSINESS BOOT BOOTCAMP CAMP PROGRAM, UH, IS OPEN FOR, UH, FOR APPLICATION SUBMITTAL.
SO YOU MIGHT RECALL FROM LAST YEAR, THIS IS THE FIRST, THIS IS OUR SECOND, UH, ITERATION OF THE PROGRAM.
SO THE LONG BEACH LEVEL BOOTCAMP PROGRAM BASICALLY TAKES A COHORT OF SMALL BUSINESSES THAT ARE ANYWHERE FROM THREE TO FIVE YEARS OLD, SO A LITTLE BIT PAST THE STARTUP PHASE AND TAKES 'EM THROUGH A SERIES OF WORKSHOPS, LOOKING AT OR CREATING THEIR, UH, BUSINESS PLANS, LOOKING AT THEIR FINANCIALS, UM, LOOKING AT THEIR PROFITABILITY, THEIR MARGINS, THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND ALSO MAKING SURE THERE'S A GOOD MARKETING AND BRANDING OPPORTUNITY.
SO THESE ARE DONE THROUGH WORKSHOPS OVER A PERIOD OF 10 WEEKS.
AND THEN AT THE END, AFTER, UH, SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION, THEY RECEIVE A $10,000 GRANT.
AND THAT CAN BE THEN USED TO APP TO BE APPLIED TOWARDS THOSE AREAS.
THOSE GAPS ARE IDENTIFIED DURING THE 10, THE 10 WEEK, UM, BOOTCAMP.
SO WE'RE EXCITED TO SAY THAT THAT IS, UH, BACK ONLINE AND, AND, AND WAS RENEWED AGAIN.
UH, IF YOU HAVE ANY BUSINESSES, PLEASE, UM, SHARE THAT INFORMATION WITH THEM.
AND THE DEADLINE FOR THAT IS MARCH 20TH AT 5:00 PM SO IT IS A COMPETITIVE, UM, PROGRAM, BUT IT'S ALSO A REALLY GOOD PROGRAM.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK IS, IS A BIG, UM, BENEFIT THAT ISN'T REALLY SPELLED OUT IN THE, YOU KNOW, THE KIND OF THE, THE TANGIBLES IS SOMETHING, IS AN INTANGIBLE ONE, WHICH IS REALLY THAT, THAT AS A COHORT, YOU GROW TO, AS YOU'RE HANGING OUT WITH, WITH YOUR, YOU KNOW, FELLOW ENTREPRENEURS AND BUSINESS OWNERS REALLY GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER.
AND OFTENTIMES, YOU KNOW, UNSURPRISINGLY, THE, UM, ENTREPRENEURS SITTING NEXT TO, TO YOU MAY OR MAY HAVE HAD THAT SIMILAR CHALLENGE AND HAS ALREADY SOLVED IT OR, OR COME UP WITH A SOLUTION FOR IT.
AND WHAT I REALIZED IS JUST THAT SHARING OF INFORMATION ACROSS BUSINESS OWNERS, THAT WAS ALSO, I WOULD SAY, A KEY BENEFIT IN A PROGRAM LIKE THIS, ASIDE FROM OBVIOUSLY THE GRANT AND THEN THE, THE, THE, UH, THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE THAT THEY RECEIVE.
SO WITH THAT, I'M HAPPY TO, UH, FIELD ANY QUESTIONS.
UH, BUT THAT CONCLUDES MY UPDATES.
ANY QUESTIONS FOR JULIAN? COMMISSIONER MATOYER, THANK YOU.
AND, AND THANK YOU FOR THE, THE REPORT.
UM, JUST GOING BACK TO THE, UH, VIP PROGRAM.
UM, DO YOU HAVE NUMBERS ON, UM, THE ALLOCATION BY EITHER ZIP CODE OR WHERE THE HIGHEST OCCURRENCES ARE HAPPENING THROUGHOUT THE CITY? YEAH, WE HAVE, UH, WE CAN HAVE THAT DATA BY ZIP CODE.
YOU CAN BOMBARD HIM WITH QUESTIONS.
IT'S NOT REALLY A QUESTION FOR YOU.
I JUST WANTED TO, UM, ECHO WHAT JULIAN HAS SHARED ABOUT THE LEVEL UP PROGRAM.
THEY HAD THEIR FIRST COHORT, THEY GOT ANOTHER COHORT FUNDED, WHICH IS REALLY GREAT BECAUSE, UM, BETWEEN THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND BETWEEN THE PEER-TO-PEER LEARNING, UM, AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, MANY TIMES BUSINESS OWNERS GO THROUGH A PROGRAM, BUT THEY DON'T GET A GRANT AT THE END.
SO THAT GRANT OF 10,000 IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR THE BUSINESS OWNERS.
SO IF YOU KNOW ANYBODY IN YOUR DISTRICT OR ANY SMALL BUSINESS OWNER THAT YOU THINK SHOULD APPLY AND FORWARD THAT EMAIL OVER TO THEM, IT'S A PRETTY, UM, QUICK APPLICATION PROCESS.
UM, AND THE OTHER THING I THINK IS REAL PLUS IS THAT THE CITY DID WORK TOWARDS MAKING SURE
[01:30:01]
THAT ALL APPLICATIONS WERE REVIEWED, BUT ALSO THERE WAS CONSIDERATION TO MAKE SURE THAT THE, THE DISTRICTS WERE REPRESENTED.SO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE IN YOUR DISTRICT THAT IT SHOULD APPLY, PLEASE HAVE 'EM APPLY.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? OKAY.
JULIAN, IS THERE, COMMISSIONER, WATCH, IS THERE ANY QUALIFICATIONS FOR THIS TO GO THROUGH THE PROGRAM? I MEAN, IT COULD BE STARTUPS, IT COULD BE EXISTING BUSINESSES.
SO, UM, IN THE LINK THAT I SENT YOU GUYS, THERE IS, UH, IN, ON THE WEB PAGE THERE'S AN ELIGIBILITY, BUT GENERALLY SPEAKING, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE TO BE SITUATED HERE IN LONG BEACH, HAVE A STOREFRONT OR, UM, UH, AN OFFICE SPACE OF SOME TYPE.
UH, WE ALSO, WE OPENED IT UP THIS YEAR, LAST YEAR.
IT WAS MOSTLY JUST CENTERED ON STOREFRONTS, BUT NOW WE'RE TAKING, UM, YOU KNOW, WE HEARD THAT FEEDBACK THAT IT WOULD ALSO BE GOOD TO HAVE A, A LARGER SCOPE, UH, LARGER, UM, CAST A WIDER NET OF ENTREPRENEURS AND BUSINESS OWNERS.
SO WE'VE, UM, ADJUSTED THAT, UM, AS WELL.
UM, AND OBVIOUSLY BEING IN GOOD STANDING.
SO I HAVE A BUSINESS LICENSE WITH THE CITY, YOU KNOW, AND ALL THOSE PIECES.
UM, BUT THERE'S, THERE IS A, UH, DELINEATED ON, ON THE WEBSITE FOR EVERYTHING, UH, THAT IS, UH, YOU KNOW, FOR THE ELIGIBILITY LIST.
UM, IF ANY, IF YOU HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND HIM, UM, AND, UH, WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, CONTINUING OUR WORK WITH YOU.
ARE THERE ANY, IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NON AGENDA ITEMS BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD? OH, OH, SORRY, SORRY.
WE'LL NEED TO TAKE THE, TAKE A VOTE ON THIS LAST, YES.
AND I DON'T SEE ANY, ANYONE IN THE AUDIENCE TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEM NUMBER FOUR.
NOW IS THERE, ARE THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS ON
[PUBLIC COMMENT Opportunity to address the Economic Development Commission on non-agenda items. Each speaker is limited to three minutes to make their comments unless extended by the Chair.]
NON-AG AGENDA ITEMS? OKAY, SEEING NONE.[ANNOUNCEMENTS]
ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM ANY OF OUR COMMISSIONERS? ANYTHING YOU WANT TO ANNOUNCE?[ADJOURNMENT]
IS ADJOURNED.EVERYONE HAVE A GREAT EVENING.