May 06, 2026 Economic Development Commission

UM, COULD YOU PLEASE READ OUT THE FIRST AGENDA ITEM?

[1. 26-54972 Recommendation to approve the minutes for the Economic Development Commission meeting of Wednesday, April 1, 2026. Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]

ITEM ONE.

RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FOR THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MEETING OF WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1ST, 2026.

COULD I HAVE A MOTION FOR THIS ITEM? OKAY.

MOVED BY COMMISSIONER SMITH AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER THOMAS, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? CORRECTIONS TO THE MINUTES? ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THE MINUTES? SEEING NONE.

UM, COULD WE TAKE A, A VOTE ON THAT VICE CHAIR? THOMAS? I CAN TAKE A VERBAL THANK YOU.

MOTION IS CARRIED.

OKAY, THANK YOU.

UM, SO COULD I HAVE A, COULD YOU PLEASE READ OUT AGENDA ITEM NUMBER TWO?

[2. 26-55018 Recommendation to receive and file an update on the Downtown Long Beach Design District. Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]

ITEM TWO.

RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE AN UPDATE ON THE DOWNTOWN LONG BEACH DESIGN DISTRICT.

JULIAN, DO YOU WANNA DO AN INTRO CHAIR? MIAMA? MAY WE HAVE A, UM, OH, I'M SORRY.

MOTION IN A SECOND.

CAN I HAVE A, A MOTION FOR THIS AGENDA ITEM? IT'S BEEN MOVED BY COMMISSIONER NORDIC, OR SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER SANDOVAL.

OKAY, THEN I WANNA WELCOME OUR LEADERS FROM THE DESIGN DISTRICT, AND THEY'RE GONNA SHARE MORE ABOUT THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING IN DOWNTOWN LONG BEACH, THE DESIGN DISTRICT, AND IT'S REALLY EXCITING.

SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

HELLO? HELLO.

HI, MY NAME IS SADE FINNERTY PINE.

I AM THE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND SPECIAL PROJECTS AT STUDIO ONE 11.

AND THIS IS MY COLLEAGUE.

HI, I AM TANYA ROCCO, UM, CHIEF INVESTMENT STRATEGY OFFICER AT INNER TREND AND CREATIVE CLASS COLLECTIVE.

I, WE'RE REALLY HAPPY TO BE HERE TODAY.

I SEE A FEW, UH, FAMILIAR FACES, BUT THERE'S MANY OF YOU THAT I DON'T KNOW.

SO I WANNA, UM, JUST THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE TO LISTEN TO US.

I ALSO WANNA THANK THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, UM, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT FOR SUPPORTING THIS INITIATIVE FROM THE BEGINNING.

AND, UM, SEEDING US WITH SOME FINANCIAL SUPPORT AS WELL THAT HELPED US DO A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT ARE, WE'RE GONNA SHARE WITH YOU TODAY.

AND I WANNA THANK VIVIAN FOR INVITING US, UH, TO JOIN.

UM, AND IT ALSO ALIGNS WITH MANY OTHER CREATIVE BUSINESSES THAT WE HAVE BEEN PARTNERING WITH THAT ARE TRYING TO DO THE SAME.

SO WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT A GROWING MOVEMENT THAT'S BEEN HAPPENING OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS IN THE DOWNTOWN.

UM, IT'S REALLY A GROUP OF LOCAL BUSINESSES AND STAKEHOLDERS THAT WORK TOGETHER ON OUR OWN INITIATIVE TO GET THINGS DONE, TO SUPPORT, UM, THE, THE REST OF THE COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT THE, THE BID, THE DTLB ALLIANCE AND THEIR WORK AS WELL, AND REALLY SEE OURSELVES AS PARTNERS WITH THEM, BUT FOCUSING VERY MUCH ON THE CREATIVE ECONOMY, UM, AND SEEING THAT AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY BRING ENERGY ENGAGEMENT AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY TO THE DOWNTOWN.

AND IT REALLY ALIGNS WITH STUDIO ONE ELEVEN'S MISSION OF MAKING CITIES MORE LIVABLE, MORE SUSTAINABLE, AND MORE ENGAGING.

[00:20:01]

SO THE DESIGN DISTRICT MEETS THE ARTS DISTRICT.

UM, SO WE HAVE OBVIOUSLY HAD AN ARTS DISTRICT IN THE DOWNTOWN FOR MANY YEARS.

UM, THERE WAS A LOT OF ENERGY HERE BEFORE COVID.

I CAME TO STUDIO ONE 11 DURING COVI AND KIND OF SAW AN OPPORTUNITY, UM, TO START ENGAGING OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE AREA AROUND OUR STUDIO.

UM, AND ALSO TO REALLY BRIDGE THE ENERGY THAT WE SAW POSSIBLE WITH WHAT THE ARTS DISTRICT HAD ALREADY DONE.

THE TWO UH, AREAS SOMETIMES SEEM A LITTLE BIT DISPARATE, AND WE SEE THESE TWO COMMUNITIES AS BEING, BEING VERY SYMBIOTIC.

AND SO WE HAVE A MISSION, AND I'M GONNA, UH, TALK TO YOU ABOUT THIS TO START, BUT WE'LL ALSO GO BACK AND GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE OF THE ORIGIN STORY ABOUT HOW THIS ALL HAPPENED.

SO OUR MISSION IS ABOUT DISCOVERING, CONNECTING AND GROWING A COMMUNITY OF CREATORS IN THE HEART OF THE DOWNTOWN.

UM, TO BUILD AN INCLUSIVE, SUSTAINABLE CREATOR DISTRICT THAT REFLECTS LONG BEACH'S DIVERSE COMMUNITY AND FOSTERS COLLABORATION, CREATIVITY, AND ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT THROUGH ACCESSIBLE, SAFE, AND ENGAGING SPACES.

WE AIM TO CREATE A VIBRANT PEDE, PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLY HUB WHERE WE ALL CAN THRIVE.

SO IF YOU LOOK OVER AT THE, THE IMAGE ON THE RIGHT, WE STARTED AN EXERCISE OF MAPPING ALL OF THE DIFFERENT CREATIVE INDUSTRIES.

UM, THIS IS A LITTLE BIT DATED, I'LL TELL YOU THERE'S MORE, UM, THAT WE CAN ALSO IN INCORPORATE INTO THIS.

BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE'S A REALLY HIGH CONCENTRATION IN THIS HEAT MAP.

UM, AND IT SORT OF IS A LOOSE, UH, LOOSELY DEFINED DISTRICT AS OPPOSED TO LIKE A VERY HARD LINED BLOCK.

YOU KNOW, ONE BLOCK CUTS OFF AND THE OTHER BEGINS.

IT'S VERY MUCH OF A, UM, ORGANIC THING, JUST LIKE THIS ORGANIZATION.

AND THEN OUR INAUGURAL TEAM IN TERMS OF PLANNING AND GOVERNANCE, REALLY ARE THE FOLKS HERE LISTED ON THE RIGHT.

SO A FEW YEARS AGO, UM, THE GROUP, UH, BEGAN, SO STUDIO ONE 11, VERY INSTRUMENTAL WITH SINEAD AND MICHAEL AND SHRUDY.

UM, AND THEN, UH, CAL STATE LONG BEACH, THE INSTITUTE OF INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP.

UH, WERE ALSO HEAVILY INVOLVED AS WELL AS THE IMMERSIVE DESIGN RESEARCH LAB IN HEATHER, BARKER'S DESIGN TEAM FROM THE INTERDISCIPLINARY HUMAN EXPERIENCE STANDPOINT.

UM, OUR ORGANIZATION, INNER TREND FROM A CREATIVE MARKETING STANDPOINT, AND THEN OUR NONPROFIT, UM, COMPANY THAT WE FORMED AND SUPPORTED, BUT IS INDEPENDENT, IS CREATIVE CLASS COLLECTIVE, UM, AS WELL AS THE LONG BEACH COMMUNITY DESIGN CENTER, UM, AND THE DOWNTOWN LONG BEACH ALLIANCE AND NEW PARTNERS ARE COMING IN.

UM, RIGHT NOW WE'RE ADDING A NEW LAYER OF DIFFERENT TIERS, BUT WHAT WE WANTED TO DO ORIGINALLY WAS CREATE THIS COLLECTIVE GROUP.

AND IT, AS YOU CAN SEE, IS A COMBINATION OF CIVIC, ACADEMIC AND CREATIVE PARTNERS.

AND WE ALL HAVE THE SHARED VISION OF SHAPING THE FUTURE OF DOWNTOWN TO REALLY BE A HUB FOR DESIGN, CULTURE, AND INNOVATION.

AND WE ALL HAVE THE SAME GOAL.

AND AS STATED IN THE MISSION STATEMENT THAT SAGES READ, WE WANNA GROW THE CREATIVE ECONOMY, STRENGTHEN CROSS SECTOR COLLABORATION, AND REALLY ATTRACT INVESTMENT AND VISIBILITY TO THE DISTRICT IN THE BROADER CITY.

UM, AND SO WE DO HAVE THESE DIFFERENT TIERS, AND IT'S A WORK IN PROGRESS.

WE'RE KIND OF RESTRUCTURING IT, UH, AT THE MOMENT, BUT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A CORE NUCLEUS STEERING COMMITTEE, WHICH IS, UM, A FEW FOLKS THAT REALLY SET THE STRATEGY AND DRIVES INITIATIVES, A BROADER HALO AFTER THAT, WHICH IS A, A COUNCIL THAT HELPS US FORMULATE PARTNERSHIPS AND EXECUTE SOME OF THE PROGRAMS. AND THEN ADVISORY COMMITTEE AT THE OUTER CORE, WHICH PROVIDES GUIDANCE AND INTRODUCTIONS TO INFLUENCE AND CONNECTIONS.

SO WE'RE GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE RESEARCH AND CASE STUDY DEVELOPMENT.

SO WE DIDN'T JUST DO THIS, UH, WITHOUT ANY, UM, KIND OF BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS.

UM, WE LOOKED AT OTHER CITIES WHO HAD ALSO DONE SOMETHING SIMILAR.

UM, ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING TO ME IN THE UNITED STATES HAS BEEN DETROIT.

THEY REALLY CAME OUT OF A HUGE DEC ECONOMIC, UM, UM, DOWNFALL, I GUESS YOU COULD CALL IT.

AND THEY REINVENTED THEMSELVES THROUGH THEIR DESIGN ECONOMY AND THEIR DESIGN CULTURE.

AND, UM, THERE'S AN ORGANIZATION THERE CALLED DESIGN CORE DETROIT, AND THEY'RE FASCINATING.

I'D LOVE FOR ALL OF YOU TO TAKE A LOOK AT THEM.

BUT WE INVITED KIANA WEZEL, WHO'S A CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OUT, AND SHE DID A PRESENTATION ABOUT DETROIT AND WHAT THEY'VE BEEN DOING THERE OVER THE PAST 20 PLUS YEARS.

UM, AND IT JUST IS REALLY FASCINATING.

SO, UM, THEIR MISSION IS TO ESTABLISH DETROIT AS A VALUED AND RECOGNIZE CREATIVE CAPITAL, ENVISIONING A FUTURE WHERE EVERYONE CAN USE DESIGN TO EMBRACE A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS LIFE.

AND IT'S REALLY ABOUT DIVERSE EXPERIENCES, ACCESSIBILITY AND COLLABORATION.

UM, AND YOU CAN KIND OF SEE HER FROM THEIR TIMELINE.

THEY'VE

[00:25:01]

BEEN WORKING ON THIS SINCE 2006.

SO WE'RE TRYING TO DO A LOT IN A VERY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME.

AND SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT LIKE, IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO, TO DO THIS WORK, AND YOU HAVE TO BE PATIENT, BUT, UH, YOU KIND OF HAVE TO KEEP PUSHING AND KEEP THINGS MOVING TO KEEP IT, KEEP THE ENERGY ALIVE.

UM, AND AGAIN, THEY'RE REALLY ABOUT STRENGTHENING, ATTRACTING DESIGN BUSINESSES, INCREASING MARKET DEMAND FOR DESIGN, AND THEN TELLING DETROIT'S UNIQUE STORY, UH, BOTH LOCALLY AND GLOBALLY.

AND THEY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET THE DESIGNATION AS THE ONLY DESIGN CITY IN THE UNITED STATES, WHICH IS FASCINATING, UM, THAT WE ONLY HAVE ONE AND IT IS DETROIT.

AND, UM, THEY ALSO GET TO GO TO OTHER CITIES AROUND THE WORLD TELL THEIR STORY.

SO THERE'S A LOT OF POWER IN THIS, IN THIS STATUS.

UM, THE NEXT ONE WAS A HELMS BAKERY DISTRICT IN CULVER CITY, WHICH IS A LITTLE BIT MORE LOCAL, AND IT'S ANOTHER SOURCE OF INSPIRATION FOR OUR INAUGURAL GROUP.

SO WE TOOK A CLOSE LOOK AND WE INVITED, UM, ANGELA ANTHONY TO COME DOWN AND, AND SPEAK AS WELL.

AND WE LEARNED A LOT FROM HER STARTUP STORY.

SO SHE'S BEEN THERE 12 PLUS YEARS, UM, WITH A TENT POLE WITHIN THE CITY, WHICH IS THE HELMS DISTRICT.

MANY OF YOU HAVE PROBABLY VISITED OVER THE YEARS.

BUT, UM, THEY HAVE AN AMAZING HISTORY THAT GOES WAY BACK TO 1930S.

THEY WERE THE OFFICIAL BAKERY OF THE OLYMPICS IN 1932, AND THEY'VE ALSO WERE THE OFFICIAL BAKERY, I THINK, FOR THE APOLLO ASTRONAUTS.

SO IT'S KIND OF COMING FULL CIRCLE TO SEE SOME OF THESE TRENDS COME BACK.

UM, BUT NOW THEY'VE ALSO CREATED A CULTURAL HUB, UH, THAT WAS REVITALIZED IN THE LAST COUPLE OF DECADES.

SO IT'S AN EVOLUTION TO A FULL DESIGN DISTRICT, VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO CREATE HERE.

THEY HAVE A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT VALUES THE HISTORY, VALUES AND IDENTITY AND THE CULTURE OF THE AREA.

THEY WERE ABLE TO, IF YOU WANNA FLIP REALLY QUICK, UH, ADAPTIVE REUSE, UM, FOR THE FORMER FACTORY FLOORS, UM, THE OUTBUILDINGS TO HOME FURNISHINGS.

AND, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE THAT, UM, DESIGNER SHOWROOM AND DESIGN CENTER AS WELL AS A TON OF RETAIL STORES AND ARTS, LIKE ROOM AND BOARD VIRA.

AND NOW I THINK THEY'VE BROUGHT IN IKEA AND GOOP KITCHEN TO, I KNOW THE HELMS BAKERY PART HAS ACTUALLY GONE AWAY, BUT THEY HAVE A TON OF PROGRAMMING AS WELL.

UM, SHE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW THEY HAD THE BID BACK IN THE 1990S, AND THAT WAS, UM, INSTRUMENTAL IN HELPING THAT ACCELERATE WITH THE PLACEMAKING EFFORTS.

UM, SO THERE'S AS MENTIONED, ENGAGEMENT, PUBLIC ART, UH, LANDSCAPE DESIGN, EXHIBITIONS, UM, CREATIVE CLASS HAD ORGANIZED THE BUS.

I THINK SOME OF YOU WERE ON THAT WITH US, BUT WE TOOK A BUS UP THERE ON THE WEEKEND TO THEIR ANNUAL ART WALK AND ROLL, WHICH HAS 15,000 PEOPLE, AND IT WAS MASSIVE.

SO THEY DO IT ONE TIME A YEAR, AND WE GOT LOTS OF NOTES AND INSPIRATION POINTS.

YEAH, AND ALSO JUST TO SAY THAT THESE TWO CITIES WE RECOGNIZE, THEY'RE VERY SPECIFIC, THEIR DESIGN DISTRICTS ARE VERY SPECIFIC TO THESE CITIES, AND LONG BEACH IS A VERY SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENT.

WE'RE NOT TRYING TO, UH, RECREATE SOMETHING LIKE THIS IN OUR SPACE.

IT HAS TO REALLY KIND OF BE ORGANIC AND GROW FROM OUR, UH, COMMUNITY HERE, WHICH WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT.

UM, OH, SORRY, THERE WAS ONE MORE SLIDE.

OH, OKAY.

SO FURNITURE, RESTAURANTS, ARCHITECTS, DESIGNERS, ARTISTS.

SO THERE'S A CLUSTERING OF DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES AND TRADES.

AND THEN WE ALSO HAD SOME STUDENT RESEARCH CONTRIBUTE TO OUR ANALYSIS.

UM, SO WE HAD CAL STATE LONG BEACH STUDENTS WHO DID PROJECTS ABOUT, UM, DESIGN DISTRICTS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD AND HOW THEY CAN KIND OF BRING SOME OF THAT INFLUENCE INTO LONG BEACH, DOING THEIR OWN, UM, PRESENTATIONS AND ALSO SOME ACTIVATIONS IN THE DOWNTOWN.

AND ALSO LOOKING AT A, A PILOT PROGRAM CALLED A BLOCK BUILDER, WHICH COULD BE REALLY ABOUT LIKE EMPOWERING, UM, INDIVIDUALS FROM EACH BLOCK WHO ARE INTERESTED IN THE KIND OF DESIGN AND ART, UM, MOVEMENT THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON.

AND, AND GET THEM TO KIND OF HAVE SOME BUY-IN, UM, AND REALLY HELP SHAPE AND TRANSFORM SOME OF THESE AREAS, UM, INTO MORE POSITIVE EXPERIENCES.

SO I THINK WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE, THE IMPACT OF THIS, BUT, UM, AGAIN, THIS IS REALLY ABOUT, UM, OUR OBSERVATIONS AND HOW LONG BEACH COULD, UM, LEARN FROM THESE THINGS, UH, AS WE DEVELOP OUR OWN DISTRICT.

AND TO MAKE THIS QUINTESSENTIALLY LONG BEACH AND, UH, VERY RELEVANT TO OUR COMMUNITY.

WE DID START THIS COMMUNITY DE DESIGN DRIVEN PROCESS, UH, CALLED VISIONING.

SO IT WAS A FOUR D DESIGN PROCESS FACILITATED BY HEATHER BARKER, WHO IS THE CAL STATE LONG BEACH PROFESSOR OF DESIGN.

UM, AND SO IT WAS VERY HUMAN CENTERED WORKSHOP THAT TOOK PLACE OVER 2024 AND 25.

SO IT WAS FOUR STEPS.

SO THE DISCOVER STEP, UM, WAS WHERE WE BROUGHT IN GUEST SPEAKERS AND WE LEARNED

[00:30:01]

AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE FROM THE ASPIRATIONAL, UM, ELEMENTS EXTERNALLY TO HELP US SHAPE THE VISION.

SO THAT WAS THE, UH, DESIGN CORE DETROIT AND, UH, THE CULVER CITY HOMES BAKERY GUEST SPEAKERS.

THE SECOND PHASE WAS DEFINE, AND THAT'S WHERE WE CONVERGED AND REALLY FOCUSED OUR OBJECTIVES.

AND WHAT WE DID WAS A MAPPING EXERCISE WHERE WE INVITED A LOT OF THE COMMUNITY, LOCAL BUSINESSES, RESIDENTS, UH, TO CONVERGE IN JUST REALLY, YOU KNOW, WHAT SHOULD DESIGN DISTRICT BE.

AND IT WAS CROWDSOURCED.

WE ALLOWED PEOPLE TO DESIGN THEIR OWN CITY AND FOSTER CREATIVITY.

SO WE HAD THESE MAPS IN DIFFERENT GROUPS, AND WE EACH FACILITATED, UH, DIFFERENT GROUPINGS.

I THINK SOME OF THE, YOU WERE THERE, BUT WE HAD SPORTS, RESTAURANTS, EDUCATION, ARTS HISTORY, GOVERNMENT PLACEMAKING AND MORE CATEGORIES.

AND WE HAD, UM, JUST A PLETHORA OF ACTIVITIES AND IDEAS EMERGE FROM THAT.

IT ALSO GENERATED A WORD CLOUD THAT HELPED US.

UM, WE USED TO HELP DRAFT THE MISSION STATEMENT FOR OUR WHOLE DISTRICT.

THE THIRD PHASE IS PROTOTYPING.

AND THIS WAS WHERE WE WERE ARMED WITH THE INSIGHTS AND IDEAS FROM PHASE TWO.

AND THEN WE TOOK TIME TO CREATE WITH BLOCKS AND LEGOS, AND WE REALLY BROUGHT CREATORS, MAKERS, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS TOGETHER TO TEST AND BUILD THIS WHOLE IDEA OF TACTICAL URBANISM.

UM, AND WE COLLABORATED, UH, TO BUILD THIS PROTOTYPE THAT COULD JUST REALLY REFLECT THE CREATIVE ENERGY OF THE DISTRICT.

AND THEN THAT CULMINATED INTO ACTUALLY ACTION AND TACTILE, UH, DEVELOPMENT AND ACTIVITY.

SO THIS IS THE ACTUALIZATION OF IT CALLED DELIVER THAT FOURTH PHASE BROUGHT IT TO LIFE.

SO WE HAD A PARKING DAY POPUP THAT WAS UNVEILED DURING ART WALK THAT QUARTER WHERE WE HAD CREATIVE INNOVATION ACTIVATION.

SO FOR EXAMPLE, I THINK OUR COMPANY PARTICIPATED.

WE HAD A MUSIC MAKER THAT WAS MADE OUT OF PVC PIPE, AND WE HAD KIDS COME BY AND PLAY MUSIC ON THE STREET.

IT WAS REALLY FUN.

UH, WE HAD AN ARCHITECT CREATE A BAR WHERE YOU COULD KIND OF WALK UP AND GET ARCHITECT ADVICE FOR FREE.

WE HAD A LIVING ROOM LOUNGE WITH LIKE READING AND, UM, COMMUNITY CHATS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO IT WAS A REALLY GREAT TESTING GROUND FOR WHAT COULD BE POSSIBLE.

YEAH, YEAH.

AND THEN JUST THE IMPACT OF THE TWO, YOU KNOW, WE HAD, WHAT, WHAT DO YOU MAKE IN LONG BEACH? AND IT TAKES A VILLAGE, AND I THINK EVERYONE THAT PARTICIPATED, WE GOT A LOT OF GREAT TESTIMONIALS THAT EMERGED SAYING IT REALLY, THEY FELT THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, THEY FELT PARTICIPATORY AND FEEL LIKE THEY'RE HAVING AN IMPACT ON SHAPING THE FUTURE FOR THE DESIGN DISTRICT AND THE CITY DOWNTOWN.

AND SO I GUESS THE NEXT STAGE IS DEVELOPMENT OF PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS. AND HONESTLY, ALL OF THESE THINGS KIND OF HAPPENED LIKE SIMULTANEOUSLY.

IT WASN'T LIKE ONE THING AFTER THE OTHER, AFTER THE OTHER.

WHILE WE WERE DOING THESE WORKSHOPS, WE WERE ALSO CONTINUING TO KIND OF PROGRAM, BECAUSE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE PROGRAMMING WAS REALLY WHAT SPURRED US ON IN THE BEGINNING AND MADE US REALIZE THAT THERE WAS A REAL HUNGER FOR MORE OF THIS HAPPENING IN THE DOWNTOWN.

SO ONE OF THESE, UH, BIG EVENTS THAT WE HAD A FEW YEARS AGO WAS CALLED UNEXPECTED CONNECTIONS.

AND AGAIN, I SEE SOME PEOPLE ON THE PANEL WHO ARE ATTENDED THAT WITH US AND SPONSORED IT.

SO THIS WAS AN EVENT SERIES THAT WE HAVE AS PART OF OUR NONPROFIT THAT BRINGS TOGETHER INVENTIVE PEOPLE THINKING ACROSS INDUSTRIES AND BRINGING POSITIVE CHANGE.

AND THE THEME OF THAT ALL DAY EVENT HELD AT THE CONVENTION CENTER WAS CATALYZING THE CREATIVE ECONOMY.

AND IT'S SO RELEVANT TO THE DESIGN DISTRICT BECAUSE WHAT WE REALLY WANTED TO DO WAS GROUND THE WHOLE CONVERSATION IN ECONOMISTS AND THE ECONOMY.

UM, SO IT'S NOT NECESSARILY, UM, YOU KNOW, GIVING AND FUNDING ART FOR ART'S SAKE, BUT IT'S ALSO ABOUT THE CONVERSATION BROADLY ABOUT HOW THE CREATIVE ECONOMY CAN DRIVE THE ENERGY AND THE GROWTH OF A CITY.

SO WE, UH, WORKED WITH LONG BEACH ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP TO PUT THIS ON.

WE HAD SOME GUEST SPEAKER PANELS LIKE SHINOLA DETROIT, WHO REALLY WERE INSTRUMENTAL AS A BRAND TO RENOVATE AND REINVIGORATE THAT CITY OF DETROIT.

WE HAD TIM CHAN OF ROLLING STONE MODERATE.

WE HAD MEOW WOLF COME IN.

THERE'VE BEEN EXPERIENTIAL ARTISTS THAT ARE FULLY FUNDED AND, AND THEY'RE GONNA BE OPENING UP IN LA.

WE DID TRY TO PERSUADE THEM TO COME ALONG BEACH.

UM, WE ALSO HAD AN URBAN DESIGN PANEL THAT STUDIO 11 HELPED FACILITATE AND CURATE.

WE HAD A VENTURE TALK WITH SUNSTONE.

UH, WE HAD FIELD TRIPS TO URBAN FARMS AFTERWARDS.

AND, UM, THESE ARE THE TYPES OF EVENTS THAT WE WOULD OFTEN HOLD.

WE ACTUALLY HOLD HELD ONE BACK IN 2013 CALLED LONG BEACH WORK IN PROGRESS LONG AGO AS WELL.

UM, BUT THE WHOLE IDEA OF UNEXPECTED CONNECTIONS, WE'RE GOING TO BE ITERATING THIS INTO A PODCAST FORMAT AND ONGOING CREATIVE EVENTS AS WELL, SUPPER CLUBS AND THINGS.

BUT WE LIKE TO GET TOGETHER TWO PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES.

SO IT COULD BE A SHOE DESIGNER AND A RENOWNED CHEF, OR IT COULD BE A TATTOO ARTIST AND, UM, YOU KNOW, A ARTIST.

AND JUST GETTING PEOPLE TOGETHER FROM DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES AND SEEING WHAT COMMONALITIES, UH, EMERGE FROM THAT.

I THINK THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE'RE ABOUT IN THE DOWNTOWN, YOU KNOW, IN, IN THIS CREATIVE ECONOMY, WE'RE, WE'RE BRINGING TOGETHER PEOPLE FROM LOTS

[00:35:01]

OF DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES THAT ARE ALL, UM, WITHIN THE UMBRELLA OF ART AND DESIGN.

SO THE LA DESIGN FESTIVAL WAS ANOTHER GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO, UM, BE A PART OF THE LARGER REGIONAL CONVERSATION OF LOS ANGELES AND SHOWCASE WHAT'S UNIQUE ABOUT OUR DESIGN COMMUNITY DOWN HERE.

SO WE WERE INVITED, UH, ACTUALLY THREE YEARS AGO TO PARTICIPATE IN LA DESIGN FESTIVAL.

IT WAS SO SUCCESSFUL THAT WE CONTINUED TO, UM, TO PARTICIPATE AND ACTUALLY HAVE GROWN IT NOW INTO, UM, MANY, MANY MORE SITES.

UM, AND ACTUALLY THE LA DESIGN FESTIVAL WAS A LITTLE BIT OF THE IMPETUS FOR THE NAME THE LA DESIGN, I MEAN THE ART DESIGN, WAIT, DTLB DESIGN DISTRICT.

JUST BECAUSE WE, WE REALIZED WE WANTED TO FIND A REASON TO BRING PEOPLE DOWNTOWN AND HAVE THEM, UM, A LITTLE BIT SOMETHING THAT WAS A LITTLE COMPELLING AND SOMETHING A LITTLE PROVOCATIVE.

SO WE CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF THE, UM, DOWNTOWN LONG BEACH DESIGN DISTRICT, AND WE'VE SORT OF STUCK WITH IT EVER SINCE.

UM, BUT THIS INCLUDED SPEAKER SERIES, UM, EXHIBITIONS, PERFORMANCES, LECTURES, UM, FILM SCREENINGS, ET CETERA.

IT'S A BROUGHT THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE TO THE DOWNTOWN.

AND THEN QUARTERLY ART AND DESIGN WALKS ARE REALLY ALSO A REAL BACKBONE.

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE, UH, IS RUN BY THE DTLB ALLIANCE, AND WE'VE BEEN A PARTNER WITH THEM NOW FOR THE PAST, UH, PROBABLY TWO TO THREE YEARS ON IT.

AND IT'S, INITIALLY IT WAS BRINGING THE ART WALK BACK, UM, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, UM, AUSTIN, UH, AND JAMES WERE VERY, UH, INVOLVED WITH.

AND, AND THE COOL THING WAS AS WE GOT MORE INVOLVED AND THE DESIGN DISTRICT STARTED TO EXPAND, UM, AUSTIN HAD THE IDEA TO REBRAND IT AS THE ART AND DESIGN WALK, WHICH I THINK HAS BEEN REALLY GREAT BECAUSE IT KIND OF MERGED THE, THE EAST VILLAGE ARTS DISTRICT AND THE DESIGN DISTRICT AND OUR CREATIVE CORE IN THE DOWNTOWN.

SO THIS IS ALSO, UM, MULTIDISCIPLINARY, BUT REALLY KIND OF A CELEBRATION OF OUR CREATIVE CULTURE IN THE DOWNTOWN.

AND HOPEFULLY MOST OF YOU HAVE HEARD OF LONG BEACH WALLS AND ART RENZA.

THIS IS OUR 11TH YEAR.

WE'VE HAD ABOUT 160 MURALS, UH, PAINTED AROUND THE CITY.

SO BRINGING ARTISTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD, BUT ALSO LOCAL ARTISTS, UH, TO DONATE THEIR TIME FOR A WEEK TO BEAUTIFY THE CITY.

SO THIS IS AN INITIATIVE WHERE WE FILL PUBLIC SPACES WITH ART AND CULTURE WHILE CULTIVATING COMMUNITY PRIDE.

AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE ARE REALLY PROUD OF.

IT'S A WEEK LONG PROGRAMMING.

UH, WE HAVE A LOT OF CITY SUPPORT.

THE LEADERSHIP FROM DAY ONE, THE, THE ADMINISTRATION HAS ALWAYS BEEN VERY, VERY SUPPORTIVE IN TERMS OF SEEING THE VISION AND HOW THIS CAN HELP, UH, GROW THE CITY.

SO, UH, WE HAVE EXCITING THINGS HAPPENING THIS YEAR.

UH, LAST YEAR WE DID THE MOST ICONIC, PROBABLY THE LARGEST MURAL ON THE MARRIOTT WITH BRIAN PETERSON.

WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE THIS YEAR, PROBABLY, UM, AT THE HYATT.

AND WE'RE DOING THE TERRACE ROOFTOP THEATER.

UM, AND ANOTHER ONE, UH, FACING THE QUEEN MARY.

SO SOME ICONIC SPACES TO COME.

THERE'S A PHOTO OF ROS, UH, LINCOLN PARK SKATE PARK.

SO, UH, LOTS TO COME ON THIS.

WE'RE EXCITED.

UM, WE ALSO HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME UP WITH A LITTLE BIT OF BRANDING.

SO WE HAD A PLAYFUL IDEA THAT EMERGED FROM ONE OF OUR CREATIVE AND RESIDENCES WAS THIS IDEA OF, UH, DOWNTOWN LONG BEACH IN THE DESIGN DISTRICT, UH, 10 DEGREES COOLER.

SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A PLAY ON WORDS, 10 DEGREES COOLER TEMPERATURE, 10 DEGREES COOLER, JUST COOL FACTOR.

AND WE REALLY DECIDED TO KIND OF EMBRACE IT AND GO WITH IT.

WE ENDED UP HAVING A COMPETITION, UM, AS ACTUALLY BOTH LOCAL AND GLOBAL, UM, TO KIND OF ARTICULATE WHAT THIS, UH, VISUALLY, WHAT THIS, WHAT THIS MEANS.

UM, AND WE HAD ABOUT 300 DIFFERENT ARTISTS COME UP WITH ALL THESE GREAT GRAPHICS.

AND WE SELECTED, UM, ABOUT 30.

AND WE'VE BEEN DOING EXHIBITIONS WITH THESE IMAGES THROUGHOUT THE CITY.

WE ACTUALLY WORKED WITH A LOCAL BREWER TO COME UP WITH A 10 DEGREES COOLER BEER.

UM, WE DID A EXHIBITION DOWN HERE AT CITY HALL.

WE DID SOMETHING AT THE AIRPORT.

UM, WE ARE ACTUALLY NOW WORKING ON A 10 DEGREES COOLER HYDRATION STATION FOR, UM, SOME OLYMPIC POP-UP EVENTS.

SO WE JUST KIND OF KEEP EXPANDING THE IDEA EVEN FURTHER AND COMING UP WITH MORE COLLABORATORS ALONG THE WAY.

UM, AND ACTUALLY THIS SLIDE SHOULD HAVE COME FIRST.

UH, THIS IS THE US INTERNATIONAL POSTER BIENNIAL, WHICH WE'VE BROUGHT TO DOWNTOWN LONG BEACH, UH, FOR TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS.

AND THIS IS A GROWING MOVEMENT AS WELL THAT REALLY LOOKS FORWARD TO, UM, ENHANCING IT EVEN FURTHER LEADING UP TO THE OLYMPICS.

SO JUST TO SAY THAT THE OLYMPICS IS REALLY LIKE KIND OF OUR, UH, GUIDING, GUIDING LIGHT RIGHT NOW.

WE SEE THAT ALL OF THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET THE DOWNTOWN ENGAGED LEADING UP TO THE OLYMPICS.

AND EVERYTHING IS REALLY A TESTING GROUND, UM, FOR OLYMPIC ACTIVATIONS.

AND SO REALLY THE, YOU KNOW, THE IMPACT

[00:40:01]

OF THIS HAS BEEN, YOU KNOW, GREAT ATTENDANCE, ATTENDANCE, UM, WONDERFUL PARTNERSHIPS AND JUST KIND OF GROWING THE FOOTPRINT OF OUR MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT THE DOWNTOWN, GETTING MORE AND MORE, UM, LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED.

WE'VE ALSO DEVELOPED SOME MARKETING MATERIALS.

I'LL QUICKLY GO THROUGH.

WE HAVE A WEBSITE THAT INCLUDES, UM, A DIRECTORY.

OUR PROGRAMS, UM, WE HAVE AN ONLINE STORE.

WE DO, UM, A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER, UM, JUST TO GET THE INFORMATION OUT.

WE HAVE SOME MONTHLY EVENTS THAT ALSO BRING TOGETHER LOCAL CREATIVES, AND THAT'S RUN BY LOCALS.

IT'S ALL A VOLUNTEER BASED CALLED DESIGN A DESK.

UM, AND REALLY THIS IMPACT HAS JUST BEEN REINFORCING US AS A CONNECTED, DISCOVERABLE CREATIVE ECOSYSTEM.

SO IF PEOPLE WANNA KNOW, OH, WHAT CAN I SEE WHEN I, WHEN I COME TO THE DESIGN DISTRICT, THEY JUST GO TO THE WEBSITE AND IT'S, UH, WE TRY TO MAKE IT AS CLEAR AS POSSIBLE.

AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT THIS COMMITTEE PROBABLY IS INTERESTED IN SOME OF THE KPIS.

UM, OUR STEERING COMMITTEE IS DRIVEN BY OUR MISSION, BUT ALSO WE'RE SELF-DEFINING SOME GOALS FOR OURSELVES OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.

UM, AND SO THESE ARE ON OUR WEBSITE, BUT IT'S A COMBINATION OF ENGAGEMENT WITH THE COMMUNITY GROWTH IN TERMS OF FOLLOWERS.

WE REALLY WANNA EN ENCOMPASS THE BROADER COMMUNITY AND DESIGN PROFESSIONALS TO BE PART OF THIS, TO HELP US GROW OUR PROGRAMMING.

SO WE HAVE A TON OF COLLABORATIONS.

I KNOW THESE NUMBERS ARE REALLY LOW.

THEY'RE PROBABLY DOUBLE BY NOW, , BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH PROGRAMMING THAT WE'RE JUST CONSTANTLY, UM, OUTPUTTING.

SO EVENTS, ATTENDEES, LIKE EVERY SINGLE ART WALK.

UM, AND THEN IN TERMS OF GROWTH, UH, WE DO CITE THE 161%.

THIS WAS LA DESIGN FEST WEEKEND.

IT WAS A COMBINATION OF FOUR DAYS IT THE PREVIOUS YEAR.

SO THAT'S A PRETTY HEALTHY, UH, OPTIMISTIC NUMBER.

AND THEN WE DO LOOK AT YEAR OVER YEAR GROWTH ON A GIVEN WEEKEND WHEN WE HAVE ART WALK.

UM, THOSE ARE SOME OF THE OTHER, UH, DATA THAT WE ARE ABLE TO OBTAIN FROM THE DOWNTOWN LONG BEACH ALLIANCE, UM, THAT WE CITE REGULARLY.

SO, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT WEEKEND WHEN WE HAD THE 161 GROWTH, IT WAS 290,000 VISITORS THAT WERE CITED FOR THAT FOUR DAYS.

AND THEN WE HAVE A HOST OF TESTIMONIALS ON THE QUALITATIVE SIDE THAT WE TRY TO EXTRACT EVERY TIME AND TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, ARE PEOPLE COMING INTO THESE LOCAL BUSINESSES AND PATRONIZING.

SO, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, WOMEN GOOD, WHICH IS A, YOU KNOW, THEY JUST CITE THAT THEY HAVE SO MANY LOCALS JUST WALK IN TO CHECK OUT THE SPACE.

THEY FEEL INSPIRED AND OPTIMISTIC.

KIMLEY HORN IS A NEW ARCHITECTURE FIRM THAT HAS GROWN FROM A SMALL TEAM OF WORKING, UM, 12 PEOPLE, A FEW DESKS TO NOW OVER 85 EMPLOYEES AND, AND BRAND NEW SPACE.

RIGHT? UM, ON THE NEXT PAGE, THE IRDL FROM CAL STATE LONG BEACH, THEY HAVE THAT SPACE THAT TOOK OVER A GOLD'S GYM DOWNTOWN, AND THEY HAVE A TON OF PEOPLE COME THROUGH, FACULTY RESIDENTS.

IT'S A COLLABORATIVE SPACE WHERE THE STUDENTS AND BUSINESSES CAN DRIVE CREATIVE ENGAGEMENT TOGETHER FOR THE STRONGER UNIVERSITY CITY RELATIONSHIP.

AND THEN CULTURE CART HAS A, A VERY SYMBIOTIC ROLE WITH US WHERE THEY WANNA CREATE AN EXPERIENCE AND BOOST THE LOCAL CREATIVE ECONOMY, UH, DEVELOPERS AS WELL.

EVERYONE IS SEEING JUST THIS THRIVING, INCLUSIVE VISION COMING TO LIFE.

AND SO, SOME OF OUR KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS, UM, SINCE WE STARTED A COUPLE YEARS, IT'S BEEN THREE YEARS NOW, UM, DELIVERING MAJOR CITYWIDE CULTURAL PROGRAMMING AND RECORD ATTENDANCE, BUILDING AN ECOSYSTEM OF CREATIVE AND EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL PARTNERS ACTIVATING DOWNTOWN WITH BOLD, CREATIVE BRANDING AND NEW CULTURAL SPACES, ATTRACTING HIGH, UH, VALUE CREATIVE FIRMS, STARTUPS, AND SPONSORS TO THE DOWNTOWN.

AND, UH, PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT EDUCATION AND SIGNATURE COLLABORATIONS.

WE, WE'VE REALLY EXPANDED THIS WITH CAL STATE LONG BEACH, HAS ALWAYS WANTED TO HAVE A PRESENCE IN DOWNTOWN.

AND INSTEAD OF DOING SOMETHING VERY LIKE TOP DOWN, LIKE TRYING TO PURCHASE A BUILDING AND, UM, YOU KNOW, OR PURCHASING LAND TO BUILD SOMETHING, UH, HEATHER BARKER FROM THE IMMERSIVE DESIGN RESEARCH LAB TOOK OVER AN EMPTY SPACE IN, IN AN, A DEVELOPMENT THAT, THAT WAS, FRANKLY, DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO PUT IN THERE.

AND SHE'S REALLY CREATED THIS DYNAMIC SPACE FOR EXPERIMENTATION AND FOR STUDENTS TO CUT, LEARN, AND GROW.

UM, SO WE REALLY SEE A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY WHERE PEOPLE MAY NOT SEE OPPORTUNITY.

I THINK THAT'S ONE OF OUR, UM, OUR SWEET SPOTS ACTUALLY.

UM, AND WE'VE ALSO STARTED TO ACTIVATE SOME LOCAL, UH, I PROMISE WE'RE ALMOST DONE, , YOU CAN START ASKING US QUESTIONS A MINUTE.

BUT, UM, WE'VE ALSO BEEN, UH, ACTIVATING SOME EMPTY, EMPTY STOREFRONTS IN THE DOWNTOWN.

ONE OF THEM WAS THE ACRES OF BOOKS.

THAT WAS THE FIRST STOREFRONT THAT WE STARTED, UH, TAKING OVER AND DOING EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS IN.

AND NOW IT'S ACTUALLY GOING TO BE A, UM, A BAKERY AND A CREATIVE OFFICE.

UM, SO THAT'S A REALLY

[00:45:02]

HUGE SUCCESS STORY FOR US.

UM, AGAIN, THE IMMERSIVE DESIGN RESEARCH LAB, THE OLD MAID ON PINE, UM, JUST, YOU KNOW, WE, WE LOOK FORWARD TO EXPANDING THAT, UM, OVER TIME, BUT IT'S REALLY BEEN ABOUT PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATIONS WITH THOSE BUILDING OWNERS, AND THEN KIND OF CONNECTING THEM WITH ARTISTS AND CREATIVES WHO ARE TRYING TO TEST NEW IDEAS AND JUST NEED A LITTLE BIT OF, UM, A LITTLE BIT OF EXTRA SPACE AND A LITTLE BIT OF LIKE, OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY SEE IF THESE THINGS CAN BE SUSTAINABLE OVER TIME.

UM, SOME OF OUR INITIATIVES THIS YEAR, UM, HAVE BEEN INCLUDED, UM, BRINGING THE SPACE BEACH FUTURE FEST TO DOWNTOWN, WHICH HAPPENED AT THE, UH, ALTER SOCIETY AND ALSO THE OLD MAID SPACE WHERE THEY DID AN AMAZING POP-UP EXHIBITION.

UM, I THINK IT'S BEEN PRETTY WELL, UH, UH, IT'S BEEN LEAKED THAT, UM, GUSTO BREAD IS GONNA BE COMING TO DOWNTOWN AND, UM, IN, IN ANOTHER FORM.

SO THAT'S GONNA BE HAPPENING AT THE ACRES OF BOOKS, AS I MENTIONED, UM, OTHER CREATIVE, UH, INITIATIVES SUCH AS, UM, SOME OLYMPIC PI PILOT PROJECTS, UM, A COUPLE OF NEW PODCASTS, SOME IDEAS AROUND, UM, DISCOVERING, UH, WAY FINDING AND HOW WE CAN KIND OF DISCOVER THE CREATIVE CORE.

UM, AND ALSO WE'RE EXPLORING MEMBERSHIP AND NEW BUSINESS MODELS.

SO HERE'S A FEW MORE SLIDES OF SOME OF THE THINGS WE'VE DONE THIS YEAR.

SO WE'LL STOP TALKING FOR A WHILE , AND ALLOW YOU TO ASK US ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING.

YOUR DIRECT CONTINUING ATTENDANCE? DO YOU MEAN SELF SUSTAIN THAT THEY'RE PAYING, OR IT DEPENDS.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, SHANAE AND TANYA, THANKS FOR BEING HERE AND ALSO SHARING SO MUCH OF THE REALLY EXCITING NEWS ABOUT THE DESIGN DISTRICT.

UM, SO COMMISSIONERS, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, COMMISSIONER NORDIC, OR? GREAT.

THANK YOU FOR THE, UH, THE PRESENTATION HERE ON, UH, ONE OF THE, THE FINAL SLIDE, I THINK IS THE STOREFRONT ACTIVATION PILOT SLIDE.

YOU MENTIONED LIKE, AN ULTIMATE GOAL WAS TO PROVIDE A SPACE IN AN ENVIRONMENT TO TEST IDEAS AND ULTIMATELY FIGURE OUT WHICH ONES ARE SUSTAINABLE, SUSTAINABLE, BEING AN ENDURING IN A SELF-SUSTAINING MANNER.

WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FROM TAKING WHAT ARE GREAT? UH, I'LL, I'LL CALL IT, UH, FIRST OF A KIND EVENTS OR ACTIVATIONS AND ACTUALLY TRANSITIONING THOSE INTO THINGS THAT CAN LIVE UPON, LIVE ON THEIR OWN IN A SELF-SUSTAINING MANNER, UH, WITHOUT, UH, WHERE, WHERE THEN THE RESOURCES FOR THAT FIRST OF A KIND CAN MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ITEM.

WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES THERE AND, UM, AND WHAT'S YET TO, UH, GET TO BE ACHIEVED? UM, WELL, IT'S BEEN A VERY ORGANIC PROCESS, AND I, I'LL SAY THAT, LIKE, IT REALLY JUST STARTED WITH US GETTING AN INVITATION FROM A BUSINESS OWNER TO SAY LIKE, HEY, YOU'RE WELCOME TO USE THIS SPACE.

DO YOU WANNA DO SOMETHING IN IT? AND, UM, I THINK SOME OF THE CHALLENGES INITIALLY WERE LIKE, OKAY, INSURANCE, UM, UM, UH, SECURITY, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.

UM, IT REALLY WAS ABOUT A, A BIT OF A TRUST, I THINK, ON ALL SIDES.

UM, THERE WERE SOME CASES WHERE, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'D LIKE TO BE CONSIDER OURSELVES TO BE MORE AS LIKE MATCHMAKERS.

SO WE MAKE A CONNECTION BETWEEN A CREATIVE WHO HAS A GREAT IDEA AND A BUSINESS OWNER, WE PUT THEM TOGETHER, AND THEN THEY GENERALLY COME UP WITH A CONTRACT, UM, THEY PROVIDE INSURANCE, ET CETERA.

I THINK IN THE BEGINNING, WE DIDN'T REALLY KNOW WHAT WE WERE DOING.

WE WERE JUST, UM, MORE EXCITED ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY.

BUT NOW, AS THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN GOING NOW FOR A COUPLE YEARS, UM, I THINK IT'S, WE'VE GOTTEN A BETTER SYSTEM IN PLACE.

WE DON'T REALLY WANNA CONNECT OURSELVES TOO MUCH TO THE LIABILITY OF IT.

WE ALLOW THAT TO BE A, UH, ARRANGEMENT BETWEEN THE CREATIVE OR THE ENTREPRENEUR, THE ARTIST, UH, AND THE BUSINESS OWNER.

SO WE'VE DONE, UM, EXHIBITIONS WITH LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE, UH, STUDENTS.

WE'VE ALSO HAD, UM, SMALL BUSINESSES GO INTO THESE SPACES.

UM, AND AGAIN, WE'VE ALSO SHOWN THE OWNERS THEMSELVES THAT THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO REINVEST BACK IN, INTO THEIR OWN BUILDING, WHICH IS THE CASE FOR ACRES OF BOOKS.

UM, I MEAN, CHALLENGES THAT MIGHT EXIST MORE BETWEEN THE BUSINESS OWNER AND THE CREATIVE OR THE PERSON WHO'S TAKING OVER THE SPACE.

UM, FOR US, SOMETIMES MAYBE IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE I, THERE'S TIMES WHERE I MAYBE SHOULD HAVE DONE A LITTLE BIT MORE RESEARCH ON THE INDIVIDUAL OR THE OPPORTUNITY.

UM, BUT AGAIN, WE'VE BEEN LEARNING OVER TIME, AND I THINK WE'VE REFINED IT TO THE POINT WHERE IT'S ACTUALLY FAIRLY SUCCESSFUL.

WE HAVE SIX DIFFERENT SPACES THAT HAVE BEEN ACTIVATED.

AND, AND THOSE SIX SPACES, UM, ARE THEY, DO YOU FEEL LIKE THEY'VE ACHIEVED THAT GOAL OF ACTING ACTIVATED IN A SUSTAINABLE WAY THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO SELF, SELF SUSTAIN GOING FORWARD WITHOUT YOUR,

[00:50:01]

EACH ONE HAS A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENT ARRANGEMENT.

LIKE, FOR INSTANCE, THE IMMERSIVE DESIGN RESEARCH LAB.

ABSOLUTELY.

IT'S COMPLETELY SUSTAINING, AND I DON'T EVEN GET INVOLVED IN IT AT ALL.

UM, SOLO ARTS, WHICH IS NOW AT THE OLD MAID SPACE ON PINE, SHE'S COMPLETELY SELF-SUSTAINING.

UM, THERE IS ALSO THAT, LIKE I SAID, ACRES OF BOOKS.

NOW THE OWNER HAS KIND OF TAKEN BACK THE SPACE AND IS DOING HIS OWN FANTASTIC PROJECT IN IT.

UM, AND THEN SOME OF THEM HAVE BEEN LIKE MORE POPUPS IN SOME OF THE MOSAIC SPACES THAT ARE A LITTLE BIT, UH, MORE SHORT TERM MM-HMM .

UM, I'M ALSO ALWAYS TRYING TO MATCH, MAKE AND, AND FIND, UH, FOR INSTANCE, I JUST CONNECTED, UH, A BUSINESS, UM, WITH A, A LANDLORD IN THE DOWNTOWN WHO THEY WANNA TEST DOWNTOWN LONG BEACH.

THEY WANNA SEE IF IT'S THE RIGHT MARKET FOR THEM.

AND THEN ULTIMATELY THEY WANNA, UM, RENT THE SPACE LIKE, UH, FOR A LONG-TERM LEASE.

BUT THEY'RE GOING TO DO SORT OF AN ARRANGEMENT WHERE THEY, THEY START LIKE AS A PILOT FOR SIX MONTHS, AND THEN THEY, FROM THERE WOULD DECIDE IF THEY WERE GOING TO STAY PERMANENTLY IN THE SPACE.

HOPE THAT ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION.

APPRECIATE GOOD INFORMATION.

VICE CHAIR THOMAS, THANKS FOR THE UPDATE ON THE REPORT.

UM, UM, HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT MERGING CULTURAL, HISTORIC RESOURCES AS PART OF THE DESIGN DISTRICT WITH ALL OF OUR HISTORIC BUILDINGS DOWNTOWN, AND SOME OF THEM HAVE EMPTY STOREFRONTS AND THE HOAS OR THE OWNERS COULD CERTAINLY HELP USE SOME HELP AND FUNDING NECESSARY REPAIRS TO THE BUILDINGS.

PLUS WHEN YOU MERGE ARCHITECTURE, INTERIOR DESIGN, UM, AND CULTURE, THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION HAS A LENGTHY INFORMATION ABOUT THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ASPECT OF, UM, HISTORIC RESOURCES, UM, INCLUDING CULTURAL.

SO I JUST MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO LOOK AT THAT.

LONG BEACH HERITAGE DOES, EXCUSE ME, THREE TOURS DOWNTOWN LONG BEACH, UM, OCEAN BOULEVARD, EAST VILLAGE, AND DOWNTOWN PROPER.

UM, THEY'RE ALWAYS VERY POPULAR.

UM, AND, UH, IT'D BE, MAYBE IT'S SOMETHING YOU COULD TEAM UP WITH THAT, THEM AS A NONPROFIT.

I'LL SAY US.

'CAUSE I'M PRESIDENT AND MINISTER OF THE ORGANIZATION, SO, UM, SO YOU MIGHT WANNA CHECK OUT.

THAT'S A GREAT TIP.

UM, ALSO, UM, HAVE WE CONSIDERED A THOUGHT ABOUT THE DE DESIGN DISTRICT BECOMING A NONPROFIT? SO GOING AFTER GRANTS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP START UP AND FUND THE NEW GROUPS.

WE, WE HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT THAT.

YOU WANNA ABOUT THAT.

UM, IT'S A PHASED APPROACH WHERE I THINK WE'RE GOING TO REMAIN A COALITION FOR THE NEAR TERM AND BE FISCALLY SPONSORED BY ANOTHER NONPROFIT.

UM, IF THERE ARE GRANTS THAT WE WANT TO PURSUE.

BUT I THINK IN THE LONGER HORIZON, AND I DON'T THINK TOO FAR, MAYBE THREE TO FIVE YEARS, WE WOULD CONSIDER BECOMING ITS OWN INDEPENDENT NONPROFIT.

ONE OF THE, I BELIEVE IT WAS ALONG COLORADO, NORTH OF ANAHEIM, UH, MANY YEARS AGO, MANY ARCHITECTS CAME TOGETHER, RENTED THE BUILDINGS ENGINEERS, AND THEY CONSIDERED THEMSELVES A DESIGN DISTRICT.

UH, THERE'S A COUPLE LEFT NOW, UM, IN THEN EAST VILLAGE, OF COURSE MM-HMM .

BACK IN THE REDEVELOPMENT DAYS, WE DID A LOT WITH GETTING EAST VILLAGE UP AND RUNNING, PURCHASING THE BROADWAY BLOCK, SUPPOSED TO HAVE THE SALES CONNECTING DOWNTOWN IN EAST VILLAGE.

THAT NEVER HAPPENED WITH THE MASSIVE ARCHITECTURE FOOTPRINT OF THOSE BUILDINGS.

AND THEN OF COURSE, ACRES OF BOOKS FOR TWO 40 LONG BEACH BOULEVARD IS SUPPOSED TO BE INTEGRATED INTO THAT AS WELL.

SO, UM, FINALLY ON ARCHITECTURE, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT MAYBE WE COULD HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT THE STYLE OF ARCHITECTURE AS IT RELATES TO BEING CON CONTEMPORARY, YET NOT ABUSIVE OF THE NEXT DOOR HISTORIC BUILDING.

THAT'S A VERY SUBJECTIVE CALL BETWEEN THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT AND, AND PLANNING COMMISSION AND THE, AND THE, UH, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT AND THE CULTURAL HERITAGE COMMISSION.

BUT IT'D BE NICE TO HAVE SOME GUIDELINES ABOUT HOW YOU, UM, INTERPRET HISTORIC BUILDINGS, ESPECIALLY WITH MASSING AND DENSITY AND SHADOWS AND THOSE KIND OF THINGS, SO THAT THE EXISTING BUILDINGS THAT ARE HISTORIC UNTO THEMSELVES ARE NOT IMPACTED.

SO, THANK YOU.

GOOD FOR THE REPORT.

COMMISSIONER MATOYER.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING.

UH, THANK YOU BOTH FOR BEING HERE TODAY AND, AND FOR THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS DO WITH THE DOWNTOWN DESIGN DISTRICT.

YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN INCREDIBLE PARTNERS AS WE THINK ABOUT RE-ENERGIZING AND BRINGING BACK MOMENTUM IN DOWNTOWN.

UM, I HAD A QUESTION, AND IT KIND OF BUILDS OFF WHAT, UH, COMMISSIONER IRV, VICE CHAIR THOMAS HAD MENTIONED FOR REGARDING, UM,

[00:55:01]

SO, OUT OF CURIOSITY, DO YOU SEE A PATHWAY FOR THE DESIGN DISTRICT TO REALLY KIND OF, AS WE THINK ABOUT SPILL, UH, RECRUITING EMPLOYERS INTO THE DOWNTOWN, FOR IT TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE OF AN ADVOCACY, UM, VEHICLE ON WHAT IS HELPFUL TO ATTRACT THESE TYPES OF EMPLOYERS INTO THE AREA? OR WHAT ZONING CHANGES MIGHT BE NECESSARY TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR SOME OF THE CREATIVES THAT YOU WORK WITH TO BE IN THESE SPACES? I KNOW THERE'S ALWAYS A CHALLENGE IN TRYING TO FILL SPACES IN A SHORT TERM BECAUSE THERE ARE REQUIREMENTS.

AND SO IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE DESIGN DISTRICT TO PLAY THAT ADVOCACY HUB OR PARTNER WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS AS WELL? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.

I, I THINK ABSOLUTELY.

I THINK WE HAVEN'T REALLY BEEN FOCUSING ON THAT, UH, AT THIS TIME, BUT I THINK WE HAVE, UM, OBVIOUSLY WE ARE AN ARCHITECTURE FIRM, STUDIO ONE 11, AND WE'VE WORKED A LOT WITH THE CITY, UH, OVER THE YEARS.

UM, WE HAVEN'T ACTUALLY THOUGHT ABOUT THAT COMPONENT OF THE DESIGN DISTRICT AND ALSO EVEN LIKE SPEAKING ABOUT GUIDELINES.

UM, BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS DEFINITELY WORTH EXPLORING.

I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANNA SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THAT, TANYA.

NO.

I MEAN, WE WERE THINKING OF DIFFERENT MODELS IN THE FUTURE, LIKE MEMBERSHIP MODELS AND THINGS AND OFFERING SERVICES, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT MAYBE WE SHOULD BRING TO THE STEERING COMMITTEE COUNCIL TO DISCUSS A LITTLE BIT MORE NEXT LEVEL.

AND NOW WE'VE ALSO, UM, BROUGHT ON BOARD, UH, RODRIGO RETE FROM OBVIOUSLY THE ALLIANCE WHO'S GONNA BE JOINING PART OF OUR COUNCIL AND OUR STEERING COMMITTEE.

SO WE'D LOVE TO EXPAND THE CONVERSATION.

WE'VE BEEN LIKE A SMALL COUNCIL THAT JUST GOT THIS OFF, ITS OFF ITS FEET, BUT NOW WE WANNA START BRINGING MORE PEOPLE IN SO WE CAN BRING IN MORE VOICES AND OPPORTUNITIES.

UM, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT, THAT WE'D LOVE TO TALK TO YOU MORE ABOUT THAT.

I THINK ONE OF OUR BIGGEST STRENGTHS IS BEING LIKE A COMMUNITY MATCHMAKER.

UM, AND ALSO OUR PARTNERSHIPS, WE'RE ALL ABOUT COLLABORATING WITH MULTIPLE STAKEHOLDERS IN, IN, IN THE DOWNTOWN.

UM, WE RECENTLY WROTE, WROTE A GRANT WITH, UM, WE HAD ABOUT FOUR DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS, PEOPLE'S ARCHITECTURE OFFICE, THE LONG BEACH, UH, UH, COMMUNITY, SORRY, THE LONG BEACH UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, THE LONG BEACH PUBLIC LIBRARY, UM, AND STUDIO ONE 11.

AND WE DID A REALLY COOL PROPOSAL.

SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I THINK BECAUSE WE'RE NOT A NONPROFIT, WE ARE AN ORGANIZATION AND A COLLECTIVE, WE CAN DO THINGS IN THAT WAY AND A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A UNIQUE, UM, APPROACH.

UM, AND WE'RE NOT REALLY, UM, IT'S MORE OF LIKE A SHARED AND A COLLECTIVE APPROACH.

SO, BUT THERE'S MUCH MORE, UM, OPPORTUNITY THAT CAN EXIST IN THE FUTURE AND THAT CAN GROW FROM THIS.

SO WE REALLY APPRECIATE THOSE COMMENTS OR ANY OTHER THOUGHTS.

WE'D LOVE TO HEAR MORE FROM YOU ON THAT.

COMMISSIONER SANDOVAL, UH, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AND FOR ALL OF THE TIME AND, AND WORK, UH, AND CAPITAL THAT'S GONE INTO JUST GETTING TO THIS POINT IN, IN THIS, IN, IN THESE EFFORTS.

UM, THIS IS A BIG INVESTMENT FROM PRIVATE COMPANIES INTO THE COMMUNITY, INTO THE CITY.

SO KUDOS TO YOU.

THIS IS GONNA, I THINK IT'LL HAVE A LOT OF ROI, UH, SHORT TERM AND LONG TERM.

SO THANK YOU FOR, FOR TAKING THIS, THIS INITIATIVE, UH, AND FOR MAKING THAT INVESTMENT.

UM, I, I'LL KIND OF ASK AUSTIN'S QUESTION IN A DIFFERENT WAY.

UH, OH, I'LL, I'M GONNA PIGGY PIGGYBACK OFF YOUR QUESTION AND ASK IT IN A DIFFERENT WAY.

UM, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE A COALITION GROUP, UM, BUT HOW CAN WE HELP YOU, RIGHT? IS, IS GONNA BE KIND OF MY QUESTION AND WHAT, YOU KNOW, YOUR ANCHOR TENANTS, YOUR ANCHOR, UH, COMPANIES THAT ARE, THAT ARE, THAT ARE SPENDING THE TIME TO DO THIS AND THEN BRINGING EVERYONE ALONG.

WHAT KIND OF, UM, WHAT KIND OF COMPANIES DO YOU THINK, UM, WE CAN HELP RECRUIT THE CITY, CAN HELP RECRUIT THAT CAN SUPPORT THESE INITIATIVES THAT MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN, IN, IN, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT WANNA BE A PART OF THIS THAT WOULD BE COMPLIMENTARY TO THIS WORK AND TO WHAT THAT LONG-TERM GROWTH COULD LOOK LIKE? WHAT KIND OF TENANTS WOULD THEY LOOK LIKE? WHAT KIND OF COMPANIES, UM, THAT ARE ALSO GONNA BRING JOBS? UM, YOU KNOW, THE IDEA IS ALSO FOR, FOR THE COMMUNITY TO GROW FROM THE GROUND UP FOR ENTREPRENEURS TO BUILD THEIR OWN BUSINESSES.

BUT YOU ALSO NEED BUSINESSES FROM THE OUTSIDE TOO.

SO, UM, JUST I'M CURIOUS BECAUSE WE, WE DO HAVE SPACE, UH, FOR, FOR DESIGN COMPANIES OR, UM, CREATIVE COMPANIES THAT COME IN.

WE, YOU'RE NOT MANUFACTURING, SO YOU DON'T, YOU KNOW, WE WE'RE NOT FACED WITH THAT CHALLENGE, BUT, UM, YEAH, I'M JUST CURIOUS TO KNOW WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.

IS IT A NIKE, YOU KNOW, IS IT A, UM, I, I DUNNO, RIGHT? SO THIS IS KIND OF NEW TO ME, SO I'M CURIOUS TO, TO KNOW WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.

UM, ALSO, UM, INNER TREND, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE INVESTED IN, IN THE CREATIVE ECONOMY, UM, NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE.

SO HOW CAN WE FURTHER ENHANCE THAT AND, AND INVEST IN, IN CREATIVE COMPANIES, UH,

[01:00:01]

AND THAT CREATIVE ECONOMY A BIT MORE, UM, WHETHER IT BE THROUGH, THROUGH, YOU KNOW, VENTURE CAPITAL OR THROUGH, UM, THROUGH OTHER, OTHER INVESTMENT SOURCES.

BUT I'M JUST CURIOUS TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT HOW WE CAN CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THESE EFFORTS.

DO YOU WANNA TAKE THAT OR DO YOU WANT ME, I THINK THERE'S, UH, PLENTY OF, UM, THE COMMUNITY THAT WE WANT TO RECRUIT.

AND IT'S, I MEAN, BROAD.

LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, THE SPACE BEACH INDUSTRY, WHICH IS NOT NECESSARILY CENTERED IN DOWNTOWN.

WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN TRYING TO OUTREACH TO THAT INDUSTRY BECAUSE WE LEARNED THAT MANY OF THEM DO HAVE, UM, DESIGN CENTERED, UH, LEADERSHIP.

AND A LOT OF THE EMPLOYEES THERE, UM, ARE MOTIVATED BY THE CREATIVE SPACE AND DESIGN AND INSPIRED BY IT.

SO FROM A LIFESTYLE STANDPOINT AND ALSO JUST INSPIRATION STANDPOINT, WE DO WANNA CONNECT WITH INDUSTRIES THAT ARE NOT NECESSARILY LOCATED IN DOWNTOWN, BUT REALLY THIS IS FOR THE WHOLE CITY OF LONG BEACH.

LIKE, WE'RE STARTING WITH THE NUCLEUS HERE IN DOWNTOWN, BUT WE REALLY WANT IT TO PERMEATE OUT AS WELL FOR THE ENTIRE CITY.

SO THOSE ARE JUST EXAMPLES.

UM, FOR THE CREATIVE ECONOMY AND THE INDUSTRIES THAT WE TALK ABOUT, IT'S, I THINK WE, THE, OUR CREATING THIS DISTRICT AND ALL THE PROGRAMMING WILL HOPEFULLY SNOWBALL AND HAVE A LOT OF MOMENTUM TO RECRUIT.

UM, THOSE, SO IT'S REALLY JUST NETWORKING AND COMBINING WITH SOME OF THE EFFORTS, EVEN ON THE SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT FRONT, THE VENTURE SPACE THAT YOU'RE A PART OF THE LBA AND ALL OF THE DIFFERENT RESOURCES WITHIN THE CITY TO SUPPORT, UM, ENTREPRENEURS AT THAT LEVEL TO JUST REALIZE A VISION AND GIVE THEM THE INCUBATION THAT THEY NEED, UM, WILL HELP ALL OF THIS, I THINK, CREATE A LARGER MOMENTUM.

YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK THE, OUR OFFICE STUDIO ONE 11, WE SEE OURSELVES AS AN URBAN LAB.

WE HAVE ABOUT 15 DIFFERENT COMPANIES THAT ARE SHARING SPACE WITH US.

AND THAT RANGES ANYWHERE FROM ARCHITECTS AND DESIGNERS TO INDUSTRIAL DESIGNERS, TO A DU HOME COMPANIES, TO GRAPHIC DESIGNERS.

UM, WE ALSO HAVE A NUMBER OF NONPROFITS.

SO WE KIND OF IMAGINE THAT SORT OF A SMALLER SCALE OF LIKE WHAT CAN HAPPEN, UH, MORE OUTSIDE.

AND AS YOU COULD SEE FROM THAT HEAT MAP, IT DOES EXIST.

I THINK MORE OF IT.

UM, WE HAVE NEW BALANCE ACROSS THE WAY FROM US.

UM, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT BUSINESSES.

WE HAD DESIGNERY AT ONE POINT, WHICH WAS A LARGE DESIGN FIRM THAT WAS IN THE DOWNTOWN.

I THINK THEY'VE CHANGED THEIR MODEL OVER THE YEARS.

BUT, YOU KNOW, WE ALSO WANT DOWNTOWN TO BE A SHOWCASE FOR THE FORD EVS, LET'S SAY, THAT APPARENTLY JUST UNVEILED THEIR NEW DESIGNS ACCORDING TO THE MAYOR.

BUT WE WANNA BE A SHOWCASE SPACE FOR THOSE THINGS, RIGHT? THAT DON'T ALWAYS HAPPEN IN THE DOWNTOWN.

WE ALSO THINK MAYBE SOME OF THESE COMPANIES COULD HAVE OUTPOSTS AND OFFICES IN THE DOWNTOWN FOR THE CREATIVES.

'CAUSE CREATIVE PEOPLE WANNA BE AROUND OTHER CREATIVE PEOPLE.

AND WHEN YOU MIX CREATIVE PEOPLE TOGETHER, AMAZING THINGS HAPPEN.

AND SO WE'VE SEEN THAT.

WE UNDERSTAND THAT.

WE KNOW THAT.

AND I THINK, UM, BEING SOMEWHERE MAYBE IN AN OFFICE PARK IN LIKE A MORE SUBURBAN NEIGHBORHOOD MAY NOT BE AS INSPIRING FOR SOME OF THE DESIGNERS WHO ARE WITH SOME OF THESE NEW COMPANIES THAT ARE COMING TO THE CITY.

UM, SO I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE REALLY CURIOUS ABOUT.

ALSO, SOME INDUSTRIES THAT DON'T ALREADY HAVE AS MUCH OF A FOOTHOLD ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN HAS A VERY, OR ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN HAS A BIG FOOTHOLD IN LONG BEACH, BUT THERE'S PLENTY OF ROOM FOR INDUSTRIES LIKE FASHION, UM, INDUSTRIAL DESIGN, UM, AND OTHERS.

AND HOW DO WE FIND SPACE, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE'S SPACE FOR THAT AS WELL.

I THINK THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT ROBERT KLEIN HAS SAID IN HIS, UM, UH, HIS PRESENTATION ON THE CREATIVE ECONOMY MM-HMM .

WHICH WE CAN SHARE.

UM, THERE ARE CERTAIN INDUSTRIES THAT EXCEL IN THE, IN THE AREA, BUT THERE'S PLENTY OF ROOM FOR THOSE OTHERS THAT DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE A FOOTHOLD AT THE MOMENT.

SO HAPPY TO SHARE THAT DECK AS WELL WITH YOU.

COMMISSIONER HAWKE, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

IT'S A WONDERFUL PRESENTATION.

MY QUESTION IS, I MIGHT LIVE ON THE EAST SIDE RIGHT NEXT TO THE UNIVERSITY, AND YOU DON'T HAVE ALL THIS COOL STUFF AS YOU HAVE.

YOU EV YOU HAVE IN BIXBY, UM, BIXBY KNOWLES FIRST FRIDAYS OR EVERYTHING GOING TO DOWNTOWN.

IT'D BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THIS EXPAND AMONGST THE UNIVERSITY.

I MEAN, WE'RE IN THE SAME NEIGHBORHOOD YET IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE A COLLEGE TOWN, ALTHOUGH IT SHOULD.

MM-HMM .

UM, WE CURRENTLY JUST, YOU KNOW, HAVE TO SHARE SPACE.

WE SHARE STREETS, WE SHARE PARKING, BUT ULTIMATELY WE DON'T HAVE THAT COHESIVE NEIGHBORHOOD FEEL.

IT'S STILL THAT DISCONNECT.

SO I WOULD LOVE TO SEE IT SPILL OUT INTO THE EAST SIDE AND FIND OPPORTUNITIES.

SO IT'S GREAT TO HAVE THEM COME TO DOWNTOWN, BUT IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HAVE THEM IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.

SO, AND WHERE, WHERE THEY'RE AT SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO EVOLVE AS A COMMUNITY VERSUS JUST CONTINUOUSLY SEEING ALL THE COOL STUFF BEING SENT TO ALL THE OTHER AREAS OF, OF THE CITY FOR MY OWN BIASES.

BUT I THINK IT'D BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO ONE, INVITE US

[01:05:01]

BOTH AND HAVE THAT COLLECTIVE OPPORTUNITY TO, TO BE TOGETHER.

YEAH, THANK YOU.

I THINK WE REALLY SEE THE DOWNTOWN AS LIKE THE CREATIVE HEART OF THE CITY.

AND IF THE CREATIVE HEART OF THE CITY IS STRONG, THEN I THINK THE REST OF THE BODY IS STRONG TOO.

UM, BUT WE ALSO FEEL GREAT DISCONNECT TO THE UNIVERSITY.

YOU KNOW, WE FEEL LIKE THERE IS, WE WANTED TO HAVE A PRESENCE IN THE DOWNTOWN.

THERE'S BEEN MANY EFFORTS TO HAVE A PRESENCE IN THE DOWNTOWN, SO WE THINK NOW IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY.

UM, THERE'S A NEW PRESIDENT, THERE'S SOME, I THINK HE WAS, UH, INVOLVED IN A LOT OF THE, UH, BROADER URBAN EFFORTS, UM, IN HIS PREVIOUS, UH, ASSIGNMENT.

AND SO WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOME OF THAT COME OUR WAY.

BUT I AGREE, I THINK THE UNIVERSITY COULD DO A BETTER JOB ALL AROUND AT CONNECTING WITH THE REST OF THE CITY.

LIKEWISE, UH, LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE.

UM, THEY ARE AT ALSO A CAMPUS THAT, UH, IS A LITTLE BIT MORE EXPANSIVE THROUGHOUT THE CITY THAN THAN LONG BEACH STATE.

BUT WE'RE ALSO TRYING TO BRING A, A PRESENCE OF THEIRS DOWNTOWN TOO.

UM, BUT LIKE I SAID, LONG, THE DOWNTOWN FEELS LIKE THE, IT COULD BE A PLATFORM OR A SHOWCASE SPACE, AND THEN IT COULD ALSO BE A SPACE WHERE A LOT OF THESE CREATIVE BUSINESSES HAVE THEIR HOME BASES.

UM, YOUR, YOUR COMMENT ABOUT FORD, UH, KICKED UP SOME IDEAS ABOUT HOW TO LEVERAGE THIS REALLY AMAZING DIVERSITY OF INNOVATION.

UH, SO I RUN A COMPANY THAT'S OVER AT THE AIRPORT, AND I'M LOOKING AT THIS PICTURE OF, UH, 10 DEGREES COOLER.

AND IT LOOKS LIKE ONE OF THOSE PHOTOS IS RIGHT THERE AT THE BAGGAGE CLAIM.

I ALSO, UH, LAST WEEK RECEIVED POSTERS FROM THE AIRPORT BECAUSE I WAS FAWNING OVER HOW EXCITING THEY WERE TO SEE AND HOW MUCH I WOULD LOVE TO PUT 'EM UP IN MY OWN COMPANY ON OUR HALLWAYS, WHICH WERE A LITTLE BIT DULL UNTIL RECENTLY .

UM, AND THINKING ABOUT THIS AS A BROADER STORY, THAT IF COMPANIES COULD BRING IDEAS, COLLABORATE WITH CREATIVES IN A SPACE, CREATE WONDERFUL VISUALS OF THE FUTURE OF SPACE TRAVEL AS ENVISIONED BY THOSE WHO ARE BUILDING IT IN LONG BEACH OR THE FUTURE OF AVIATION, AND THEN THAT BECOMES ART, NOT JUST FOR THAT COMPANY, BUT A A SHARED IDENTITY ABOUT ALL OF THE THINGS HAPPENING WITHIN THE CITY, BRINGING TOGETHER THESE BROAD STAKEHOLDERS WHEREVER THEY HAPPEN TO BE.

UM, AND THEN POTENTIALLY AS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT BUSINESS MODELS OR REVENUE MODELS, I WOULD PROBABLY SIGN UP FOR A SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT WHERE I COULD GET LONG BEACH HISTORY AND FUTURE VISION IN A WELL DESIGNED, CREATIVE WAY, CYCLING THROUGH MY COMPANY WALLS ON A MONTHLY OR QUARTERLY BASIS, GETTING NEW ART THAT BRINGS ENERGY, THAT BRINGS TO MY ORGANIZATION, THAT BRINGS CONTEXT FOR WHERE WE ARE AND THE COMMUNITY WE'RE A PART OF.

AND IT BRINGS PRIDE FOR WHO WE ARE AS LONG BEACH BEYOND THE INDIVIDUALS.

AND, AND I, I, SO THANK YOU FOR THE COMMENTS.

UM, I'M NOW SPINNING ON IDEAS THAT I, I HOPE SOME OF THEM MIGHT LAND.

OH, YEAH.

OH, LET'S GET TOGETHER.

'CAUSE I THINK THE WAY WE, THE WAY I TEND TO OPERATE IS LIKE, YOU KNOW, I LOVE ONE-ON-ONE CONVERSATIONS.

IT'S A, THIS IS LIKE, THIS IS VERY DIFFERENT THAN LIKE THE, THE DAY TO DAY.

I USUALLY AM LIKE WALKING AROUND AND TALKING TO PEOPLE AT THE STREET LEVEL.

SO I, I DO REALLY WOULD LOVE TO CONNECT WITH YOU AND TALK ABOUT HOW THAT CAN HAPPEN.

I THINK EVERY ORGANIZATION SHOULD HAVE CREATIVE RESIDENCIES, ARTISTS AND RESIDENCIES.

STUDIO ONE 11, WE HAVE FOUR RIGHT NOW.

UH, WE HAVE AN APOTHECARY IN RESIDENCE.

WE HAVE A, UM, WE HAVE AN INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER IN RESIDENCE.

WE HAVE, UM, THE ARTS COUNCIL FOR LONG BEACH IN RESIDENCE.

AND I THINK THAT JUST BRINGING THAT CREATIVITY INTO ANY BUSINESS JUST CHANGES THE NATURE.

I KNOW THAT, UM, YOU GUYS ALSO HAVE, YEAH, WE HAVE OUR BASEMENT SPACE.

WE HAVE LAUNCH BEACH WHERE WE, UH, DONATE SPACE TO ENTREPRENEURS.

SO WE HAVE AN AI COMPANY, WE HAVE A LIVESTREAM COMMERCE COMPANY, AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE ON OUR STOREFRONT, WHICH IS RETAIL LEVEL, UM, A COMPANY THAT DOES, UH, WORKSHOPS AND IT'S KIND OF A JAPANESE BASED COMPANY THAT, UH, DOES RETAIL FOR MODERN CENTURIES OLD ARTISANSHIP.

SO IT'S, IT'S PRETTY COOL.

WOULD LOVE TO TALK TO YOU MORE ABOUT THE POSTER IDEA.

COMMISSIONER PEREZ.

BECAUSE I WORK FOR SD FOUR SUPERVISOR, HAN, I'D BE HAPPY TO BACK YOU GUYS UP ON THIS.

BOTH OF YOU INSPIRED ME AS WELL.

AND I'M LOOKING AT YOUR STOREFRONT ACTIVATION PILOT.

I WORK FOR THE COUNTY OF LA AND I WAS JUST THINKING, I JUST GOT THIS GREAT EMAIL FROM OUR DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE HEARD OF OUR COMMERCIAL ACQUISITION FUND.

WE ACTUALLY HAVE DOLLARS PUT ASIDE TO HELP ACTIVATE STOREFRONTS ENTIRE LOOKING ANYWAYS, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET MY CARD SO YOU CAN APPLY.

IT JUST WENT LIVE, BUT I'LL JUST READ THIS IN THE INTEREST OF TIME.

IT SAYS PHASE ONE JUST OPENED UP TO PRE-QUALIFYING APPLICANTS TO REQUIRE, YOU KNOW, ELIGIBILITY FORMS, PROPOSAL PROJECTS, NOT LIMITED DESCRIPTION PROPOSALS, EVERYTHING THAT YOU GUYS DO, MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT PLANS, PROJECT TEAMING, PARTNERSHIP ARRANGEMENTS, AND IT GETS BETTER.

IT'S OPEN TO SMALL BUSINESSES, NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, AND MISSION ALIGNED DEVELOPERS.

AND

[01:10:01]

SO WITH THAT, YEAH, I'LL MAKE SURE YOU GET MY CARD.

I'LL FORWARD THE EMAIL TO YOU.

THAT SOUNDS WE CAN MOVE FORWARD.

AND I KNOW THERE IS A PILOT PROGRAM WITH THE CITY OF LONG BEACH THAT, UM, JULIAN TOLD ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT.

THERE'S AN RFP COMING UP FOR IT, AND WE WOULD LOVE TO BE A PART OF THAT.

I THINK WE SEE A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY IN THOSE VACANT SPACES, AND SOMETIMES WE CAN GET IN TOUCH WITH THE DEVELOPER AND THEY'RE OPEN TO IT, AND OTHER TIMES WE JUST FEEL LIKE WE CAN'T GET ANYWHERE WITH IT.

SO WE WOULD LOVE YOUR SUPPORT MAYBE TO GET A HA HOLD OF SOME OF THESE, UH, LARGER DEVELOPERS.

LET'S SAY THEY'RE A COMPANY THAT'S NOT BASED IN LONG BEACH AND THEY'VE HAD EMPTY SPACE FOR SEVERAL YEARS AT THE GROUND LEVEL.

THERE'S SO MANY CREATIVES AND SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE CAN SEE IN THOSE SPACES.

UM, AND THAT'S JUST BEEN SOMETHING THAT LIKE WE HAVE SOMETIMES HIT A WALL WITH.

SO THESE PROGRAMS THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT ARE FANTASTIC.

SO YEAH.

I MEAN, I'M A CREATIVE PERSON.

I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS IS, UM, I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION THAT YOU GAVE, WHICH IS KIND OF GIVING THE HISTORY OF SOME OF THE COMPANIES LIKE ART RENZI AND, AND ALL INTER TRENDS.

AND ALSO STUDIO ONE 11, HOW EVEN YEARS BEFORE THE COLLECTIVE WAS EVER FORMED, YOU WERE DOING SOME OF THIS WORK.

AND SO, UM, BECAUSE YOU GAVE THE CASE STUDY ON DETROIT AND ALSO THE HELMS BAKERY, IT MAY BE, AND I SEE IT IN YOUR PRESENTATION, BUT IT MIGHT BE GOOD TO REALLY BE, HAVE THAT BE A PART OF THE WHOLE COLLECTIVE'S HISTORY BECAUSE IT REALLY IS VERY COMPELLING, UM, THE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE.

AND ALSO SOME OF IT, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE NOT IN THE COMMUNITY, WE WON'T, YOU KNOW, IN THAT PARTICULAR DESIGN COMMUNITY, WE REALLY DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT.

BUT IT WAS HAPPENING FOR ALMOST 10 PLUS YEARS.

MM-HMM .

UM, SO I THAT'S REALLY GREAT THAT YOU HAVE THIS IN THE PRESENTATION.

THE OTHER THING ELSE IS THAT, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE METRICS THAT YOU HAVE ARE AROUND, UM, WHICH IS VERY TYPICAL FOR SO MANY OF OUR ORGANIZATIONS.

IT'S ABOUT PARTICIPATION, UM, AND, AND EVENTS.

AND I WAS WONDERING IF THERE'S A WAY TO WORK TOWARDS, OR IF THERE'S SOME THOUGHTS THAT YOU HAVE ON SOME, HOW SOME OF THEM COULD BE KEY KPIS AROUND ECONOMIC IMPACT.

SO, YOU KNOW, HOW ARE THE BUSINESSES DOING? ARE, IS THERE INCREASE IN THEIR REVENUE JOBS AND THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.

IS, IS THERE ANY WAY THAT THERE COULD BE SOMETHING THAT THE CITY WORKS ON WITH YOU OR THE DOEA THAT WORKS ON WITH YOU TO TRACK AND MONITOR SOME OF THIS? BECAUSE I DO THINK THAT PUNCHES THE STORY A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN ANECDOTAL STORIES.

UM, BUT IS THERE ANY DESIRE TO GO IN THAT DIRECTION? YES, WE'D LOVE, UH, ACCESS TO MORE KPIS AND SOME OF IT HAS TO BE PROBABLY SELF COMMISSIONED.

THE ONE THAT WE DID WITH L-B-E-P-A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WAS A, AN ISOLATED, UH, COMMISSIONED CUT OF THE DATA THAT ROBERT ENS AND SAGE WORKED ON WITH CAL STATE LONG BEACH.

AND IT WAS SPONSORED BY LBEP, SO MAYBE WE COULD DO A, A REFRESH OF THAT EVERY FEW YEARS TO GET THE CREATIVE ECONOMY NUMBERS AND, UH, SPECIFICALLY ISOLATING LONG BEACH, UM, EMPLOYMENT, UM, CUTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

BUT WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THE IMPACT OF BUSINESSES.

I THINK EVERY ART WALK WE TRY TO WORK WITH THE ALLIANCE TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY ANECDOTES, BUT TO HAVE MAYBE, UH, A REGULAR SURVEY THAT'S, UH, DEPLOYED ON A QUARTERLY BASIS COULD BE INTERESTING TO JUST TRACK, UH, MORE REGULARLY.

BUT YEAH, WE WOULD LOVE, LIKE REVENUE NUMBERS, TOURISM, GROWTH, OCCUPANCY AND EMPLOYMENT TO HELP, UH, DRIVE THE, THE NUMBERS, UH, AND THE, THE PROOF POINTS FOR THIS.

YEAH, I THINK IT MOVES IT INTO THAT WHOLE SIDE OF WHEN YOU'RE TELLING THE STORY, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PIECE OF IT.

'CAUSE RECENTLY, UM, COMMISSIONER SANDOVAL AND I PRESENTED AT THE KELLOGG CONFERENCE, SO I WAS GONNA SUGGEST THAT MAYBE THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO PRESENT THERE NEXT YEAR.

BUT, YOU KNOW, UM, MORE ON THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING WITH THE DESIGN DISTRICT, THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE DOBA AND ALL THE OTHER COLLECTIVE ORGANIZATIONS, AS WELL AS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WITH THE CITY.

UM, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, UH, INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH IS THERE ARE OTHER CITIES THAT PROBABLY WANNA REPLICATE SOMETHING LIKE WHAT YOU'RE DOING, OR I DID FIND IT TO BE A REALLY GOOD PLACE FOR US TO BE, TO MEET UP WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING LIKE, WORK AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

AND SO THOSE METRICS ARE REALLY IMPORTANT.

UM, AND THEN I THINK THE LAST QUESTION I HAVE FOR YOU IS, IS, SO WHAT DO YOU, WHAT HAVE YOU FOUND HAS BEEN MOST REWARDING ABOUT DOING THIS WORK? YOU KNOW, KIND OF, YOU'RE HERDING A LOT OF DIFFERENT CATS AND IT'S BRINGING TOGETHER A LOT OF PEOPLE COLLECTIVELY, WHO ACTUALLY, I BELIEVE YOU'VE BUILT A REAL TRUST ENVIRONMENT WITH THE PEOPLE THAT YOU'RE WORKING WITH.

SO WHAT DO YOU FIND MOST REWARDING ABOUT DOING THIS WORK WITH THE DESIGN DISTRICT? OH, I MEAN, HONESTLY, 'CAUSE TO BE A LOT OF IT, WE JUST, WE, WE DO IT FOR THE GREATER GOOD, FOR THE LOVE OF OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR CITY.

UM, IT'S VERY REWARDING.

I GET TO MEET FANTASTIC PEOPLE EVERY DAY.

I FEEL INSPIRED.

UM, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT DRIVES ME, FRANKLY.

UM, IT GETS ME UP IN THE MORNING AND, AND, UM,

[01:15:01]

MY BACKGROUND WAS IN THE ARTS.

I SPENT 15 YEARS WORKING IN GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS. UM, THEN I CAME TO ARCHITECTURE AND THIS OPPORTUNITY HAS ALLOWED ME TO BRIDGE THE TWO WORLDS TOGETHER.

AND SO IT'S LIKE KIND OF, UM, IT'S, I DON'T KNOW, IT'S JUST, IT'S REALLY INSPIRING WORK FOR ME.

I FEEL LIKE THE PEOPLE THAT I MEET, UM, YOU KNOW, KEEP ME GOING.

'CAUSE SOMETIMES IT CAN GET TIRING AND EXHAUSTING AND A LOT OF THIS IS WORK WE DON'T GET PAID TO DO.

YOU KNOW, IT'S WORK THAT FULFILLS LIKE A MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATIONS WE WORK FOR, BUT ALSO MAYBE LIKE A MISSION WITHIN OURSELVES.

AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES I GET , I CAN GET DE DEPLETED AND DEFEATED, AND THEN SOMEBODY TELLS ME LIKE, WOW, THIS OPPORTUNITY REALLY CHANGED MY LIFE.

OR YOU GAVE ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO TEST MY IDEA OUT AND NOW I'M, YOU KNOW, STARTING A NEW BUSINESS OR SOMETHING, AND THEN I FEEL REINVIGORATED AGAIN.

UM, SO I THINK CREATIVE ENERGY FEEDS MORE AND MORE CREATIVE ENERGY.

AND SO THAT'S WHAT KEEPS ME GOING.

THANKS TANYA.

SAME.

UM, YEAH, I MEAN, I WORK 35 YEARS.

THERE'S A, OUR AGENCY'S 35 YEARS OF A MARKETING AGENCY, BUT I WORK MOSTLY ON NON-AGENCY THINGS.

SO THE VENTURE INCUBATOR AND, UH, THE NON-PROFIT SIDE.

SO LOTS OF FULFILLMENT IN TERMS OF BUILDING AND CREATING.

'CAUSE I CAN VICARIOUSLY LIVE THROUGH OUR ENTREPRENEURS.

AND THEN THIS IS ALSO AN ENTITY, UM, AND A SENSE OF COMMUNITY WITH THE FOLKS THAT ARE LIKE-MINDED, CREATIVE, INSPIRING, INNOVATIVE, UH, AND REALLY TRYING TO DO GOOD.

AND JUST THE SNOWBALL EFFECT OF JUST MEETING SO MANY PEOPLE AND ALL THE DIFFERENT HALOS OF LAYERS AND LAYERS OF PEOPLE THAT WE'VE MET OVER THE YEARS.

AND LOOKING AT THE INITIATIVES THAT WE HAVE HERE ON SCREEN, IT'S SUPER EXCITING JUST TO SEE WHERE WE'VE BEEN BECAUSE IT WAS JUST A COUPLE YEARS AGO.

IT WAS VERY LOTS OF CONVERSATIONS.

THERE WAS NO ACTION YET, RIGHT? UNTIL WE, THAT STEP WAS TAKEN.

UH, AND SO IT WAS JUST BEING PART OF THAT PROCESS AND SEEING IT EVOLVE AND WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH IN SUCH A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME, SELF-INITIATED, I THINK.

UM, AND THERE'S LOTS OF PASSION AS PART OF THIS GROUP.

SO IT'S BEEN REALLY FUN.

WE ALWAYS SAY THAT WE'RE CREATING A DESIGN REVOLUTION IN THE DOWNTOWN, AND WE'RE BUILDING AN ARMY.

AND IT REALLY, LIKE SO MANY MORE PEOPLE HAVE AGENCY NOW, THEY FEEL LIKE THEY CAN PLUG INTO THEIR CITY THAT THEY CAN HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

THAT'S WHAT IT'S REALLY ABOUT, RIGHT, IS JUST GIVING PEOPLE A SENSE OF PURPOSE AND INVITING THEM TO COME ALONG.

I MEAN, WE'RE JUST LIKE DOING IT.

SO WE'RE LIKE, SURE, COME ON BOARD, YOU KNOW, DO WHAT YOU WANT, PLUG INTO YOUR WAY.

SO EVERYBODY KIND OF FEELS LIKE, UM, THEY'RE DOING SOMETHING THAT IS, UH, CONNECTED TO THEIR PASSION.

SO THAT'S GREAT.

THAT'S A GREAT VISUAL.

AND COMMISSIONER NOR WILL HANG THAT IN HIS OFFICE.

GOOD.

IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT, QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? SEEING NONE.

SEEING NONE.

WE TAKE A VOTE ON RECEIVING AND FILING THIS RECOMMENDATION.

DID YOU PUT YOUR ? I WASN'T SURE.

THANK YOU FOR INVITING US.

MOTION IS CARRIED.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SHANAE AND TANYA, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

THANK YOU FOR HAVING US.

LOOK FORWARD TO TALKING TO MORE OF YOU.

TO RECEIVE AND IO PRESENTATION ON THE CITY OF LONG BEACH CANNABIS EQUITY PROGRAM.

UM, CAN WE READ OUT ITEM THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM, ITEM THREE, RECOMMENDATION

[3. 26-55019 Recommendation to receive and file a presentation on the City of Long Beach Cannabis Equity Program. Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]

OKAY, WE HAVE A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER SMITH AND A SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER SANDOVAL.

ALRIGHT, SO OUR NEXT ITEM HERE IS A CANNABIS EQUITY PROGRAM.

UM, UPDATE HERE.

UH, I'LL, I'LL INTRODUCE, UH, JORDAN BAKER.

HE IS OUR CANNABIS EQUITY PROGRAM MANAGER.

SO HE IS, UH, LEADS A TEAM, UH, THAT YOU'LL SEE HERE.

SURELY THAT LEADS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF TWO BIG PRONGS OF OUR, OF OUR PROGRAM HERE.

ONE IS, UM, THE CANNABIS EQUITY LICENSING PIECE OF IT, YOU KNOW, UH, LOOKING AT RETAIL STOREFRONTS, AND THEN ALSO OTHER, UM, CANNABIS RELATED, UH, BUSINESSES, ACTIVITIES.

AND THEN ALSO

[01:20:01]

ON THE, UH, IN THE EMPLOYING, UH, EMPLOYER BASE PIECE.

SO LOOKING AT THE CERTIFICATION OF, UM, EMPLOYEES, UH, THAT RECEIVE, UH, RECOGNITION AS BEING, UH, A CER UH, PART OF THE CANNABIS EQUITY, UM, CERTIFICATION PROCESS THAT WE HAVE HERE.

AND, YOU KNOW, THE HOPES OF THIS PROGRAM, UH, BOTH OF THESE PROGRAMS IS TO, YOU KNOW, REALLY, UM, CORRECT AND RIGHT, THE WRONGS OF THE WAR ON DRUGS THAT'VE BEEN DONE IN THE PAST.

SO, UM, I'M GONNA PASS IT OVER TO, TO JORDAN HERE TO GIVE YOU GUYS, UM, A PRESENTATION ON THIS PROGRAM, WHICH, UH, I DON'T THINK THE COMMISSION HAS, HAS, UM, KIND OF RECEIVED A PRESENTATION, AT LEAST IN, IN THE RECENT TIME.

SO, JORDAN, THANK YOU JULIAN.

UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, COMMISSIONERS.

MY NAME IS JORDAN BAKER.

I AM THE CANNABIS EQUITY PROGRAM MANAGER.

UM, SO JUST A QUICK AGENDA HERE.

I'D LIKE TO JUST INTRODUCE OUR TEAM, THE FOLKS BEHIND ME.

UM, CANNABIS SOCIAL EQUITY PROGRAM, BACKGROUND, UH, PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY, UH, DIRECT GRANT FUNDING, UH, DIRECT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, UH, PROGRAM FUNDING.

AND THEN, UH, THE EQUITY EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM THAT JULIAN HAD MENTIONED.

UM, SO ALONGSIDE ME IS EVELYN AMATO AND ARI COOPER, OUR PROGRAM SPECIALIST WHO HELP ADMINISTER THE PROGRAM.

UM, AND SO JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR PROGRAM BACKGROUND.

BACK IN 2018, UH, COUNCIL VOTED TO ADD CANNABIS AND CANNABIS EQUITY PROGRAM.

UH, SINCE 2020, THE CITY OF LONG BEACH HAS ANNUALLY BEEN AWARDED, UH, A GRANT FROM GOBI, UH, FROM THE, UH, STATE.

AND WITH THAT GRANT, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO, UH, PROVIDE ELIGIBLE A APPLICANTS WITH DIRECT GRANT FUNDING AND TRA UH, DIRECT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, UM, THROUGH THESE GRANT DOLLARS.

UM, AND SO THE GRANT FUNDING IS USED FOR FEES IMPROVEMENT, RENT, BUILD OUT, ET CETERA.

UH, WHILE THE, UH, DIRECT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE IS FOR ONE-ON-ONE CONSULTING, UH, SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT SERVICES, PROFESSIONAL MENTORSHIP SERVICES, AND OTHER DIRECT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.

UM, SO JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PROGRAM STATUS AS IT IS.

UM, CURRENTLY WE HAVE FIVE LICENSE TYPES HERE IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH.

THAT'S GOING TO BE, UH, CULTIVATION, MANUFACTURING, DISTRIBUTION, LAB TESTING, AND DISPENSARY, AND SOON TO BE DELIVERY ONLY.

UM, COUNCIL ORIGINALLY APPROVED 32 DISPENSARY LICENSE HERE IN THE CITY, AND IN MAY, 2022, COUNCIL APPROVED THE OPENING OF EIGHT MORE EQUITY EXCLUSIVE, UH, LICENSES FOR DISPENSARIES.

SO FROM, UH, AUGUST OF 2022 THROUGH SEPTEMBER OF 2024, A TWO YEAR LONG RFP PROCESS, UH, WAS UNDERGONE TO IDENTIFY AN AWARD EIGHT ADDITIONAL EQUITY, UH, APPLICANTS WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO APPLY FOR A DISPENSARY LICENSE.

SO I WANTED TO TOUCH BASE HERE ON THIS SLIDE OF THE CURRENT STATUS OF THOSE EIGHT THAT WERE SELECTED THROUGH THAT RFP PROCESS.

UM, SO SIX OF THE EIGHT HAVE SECURED, UH, LOCATIONS.

AND THEIR FIRST KIND OF STEP IN OUR PROCESS, WHICH I'LL EXPLAIN LATER, IS OUR MILESTONES.

SO, MILESTONE ONE, UH, FIVE OF EIGHT HAVE RECEIVED MILESTONE THREE, WHICH MEANS THEY'RE ON TO BUILDING OUT THEIR, THEIR PREMISES.

UH, FIVE OF EIGHT ARE ON TRACK TO OPEN IN 2026, WHICH WE ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT.

CURRENTLY, UH, IN THE PROGRAM, WE ONLY HAVE ONE CURRENTLY OPERATING, UH, DISPENSARY, AND WE HAVE TWO THAT HAVE SECURED LICENSES.

SO IT'S AN EXCITING TIME FOR THE PROGRAM.

UM, AND I THINK IT'S, IT'S A, A GOOD TIME IN THE INDUSTRY AS WELL, UM, AS WE'VE SEEN THIS INDUSTRY MATURE A BIT, AND WE START TO SEE SATURATION KIND OF, UM, LEVEL SELF, SELF-REGULATE A BIT.

UM, SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED FOR THIS YEAR, 2026 TO INVITE FIVE NEW, UH, EQUITY BUSINESSES, DISPENSARIES INTO, UH, OUR, OUR CITY'S E UH, ECOSYSTEM.

UM, NOW THIS IS JUST DISPENSARIES RIGHT NOW.

WE'VE ALSO HAVE THOSE OTHER FIVE LICENSED TYPES.

SO WE HAVE, UH, DISTRIBUTION, WE HAVE CULTIVATION, MANUFACTURING, AND ALSO MICRO LICENSES, WHICH IS TWO OR MORE BUSINESSES UNDER ONE ROOF.

UM, AT LEAST 15 OF THOSE OTHER BUSINESSES ARE IN SOME SORT OF THE MILESTONE PROCESS.

BUT HERE I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT ON OUR, UM, DISPENSARIES, OUR RETAIL, SO PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY, JUST GET INTO THAT A LITTLE BIT.

SO ESSENTIALLY, IN ORDER FOR US TO, UM, VERIFY YOU AS, UH, YOU KNOW, ELIGIBLE TO BE AN EQUITY OPERATOR IN THE CANNABIS SPACE HERE IN LONG BEACH, FIRST BE NATURAL PERSON ABLE TO, UH, OPERATE, UH, A BUSINESS IN THE UNITED STATES IN THE LAST YEAR, HAVE AN, UH,

[01:25:01]

ANNUAL, UH, FAMILY INCOME AT OR BELOW 80% OF THE, UH, AREA A MI AND A NET WORTH UNDER $250,000, HAVE LIVED IN A LONG BEACH CENSUS TRACK FOR A MINIMUM OF FIVE YEARS, EITHER CONSECUTIVELY OR IN TOTAL, WHERE AT LEAST 51% OF CURRENT RESIDENTS, UH, HOUSEHOLD INCOME IS AT OR BELOW THE A MI OF 80%.

AND, UH, MEET ONE OF THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA DURING THE PERIOD OF 1971 THROUGH 2016, WAS ARRESTED, CONVICTED OF ADJUDICATED, UH, FOR A CANNABIS CONVICTION, RIGHT? OR HAS A PARENT, SIBLING OR CHILD WHO DURING THAT SAME PERIOD WAS ARRESTED OR CONVICTED OF A CANNABIS CONVICTION.

SO THIS IS OUR ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA.

ANYBODY IN THE, UM, COMMUNITY WOULD LIKE TO APPLY.

THEY FILL OUT THEIR APPLICATION, WE REVIEW IT, AND THEN WE VERIFY THEM, AND THEN WE START THE ONBOARDING PROCESS.

UH, ONCE THEY'RE ONBOARDED, UM, WE GET 'EM ON TRACK THROUGH OUR MILESTONE PROCESS, WHICH I'LL, I'LL GO OVER HERE IN A MOMENT.

UM, BUT THIS IS DIRECT GRANTS, RIGHT? SO WHAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO WITH THOSE FUNDS IS, UM, YOU KNOW, DISPERSE THESE FUNDS THROUGHOUT THESE MILESTONES.

SO ONCE THEY'VE REACHED A CERTAIN MILESTONE AND WE CAN CHECK OFF ON ALL THAT, CHECK THE RECEIPTS OF HOW THEY SPENT ON THE CURRENT FUND OR THE PREVIOUS FUND, THEN WE'RE ABLE TO, UM, AWARD THEM THEIR NEXT GRANT AMOUNT, SO THEIR DIRECT GRANT.

UM, SO, YOU KNOW, ONCE, ONCE THE, UH, APPLICANT GETS THOSE FUNDS, THEY'RE ABLE TO USE THOSE FUNDS IN MULTIPLE WAYS.

UH, A LOT OF IT GOES TOWARDS, UM, YOU KNOW, FINDING LOCATION RENT, THINGS LIKE THAT.

UH, AND ALSO CITY, UH, IMPOSED FEES LIKE PLAN CHECKS AND INSPECTIONS.

AND THIS IS AN AREA WHERE WE FIND OUR APPLICANTS, UM, YOU KNOW, REALLY NEED AS MUCH RESOURCES FROM THE CITY, FROM US AS A PROGRAM AS POSSIBLE.

AND SO WE'RE NOT ONLY HELPING WITH PAYING THOSE FEES, BUT WE'RE ALSO HELPING, UM, NAVIGATE THROUGH THOSE, THOSE SYSTEMS, RIGHT? UM, THE GRANT ALSO GOES TOWARDS IMPROVEMENTS, BUT IT CANNOT GO TOWARDS ANY PERSONAL EXPENSES OR NON-CANNABIS RELATED EXPENSES.

AND SO WE'RE ABLE TO VERIFY THAT ONCE THEY, UH, APPLY FOR THEIR NEXT MILESTONE, WE REVIEW ALL THE RECEIPTS AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY LINE UP WITH OUR PROGRAM GUIDELINES.

UM, SO IN 2025, THE, THE MILESTONES LOOKED LIKE THIS.

WHAT WE FOUND WAS, UM, FOLKS WEREN'T ABLE TO MAKE A BUDGET, UH, BASED ON THIS MILESTONE, UH, SCHEMA UNTIL MILESTONE TWO, RIGHT? SO WE'VE CHANGED THE PROGRAM AND THE GUIDELINES, UH, IN THE PAST YEAR SO THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO, UM, IF YOU CAN SEE HERE ON THE SCREEN, MILESTONE TWO A IS A CANNABIS FACILITY CONSULTATION.

WE DUPLICATED THAT PROCESS AND MOVED IT IN FRONT OF MILESTONE ONE.

THIS WAY, OUR APPLICANTS ARE OUT IN OUR COMMUNITY LOOKING FOR PROPERTIES.

WHEN THEY FIND A PROPERTY THAT THEY'RE INTERESTED IN, THEY CAN BRING THAT PROPERTY TO OUR, UM, CANNABIS FACILITY CONSULTATION IN THE PERMITTING PROCESS, AND DISCUSS ANY BARRIERS AND DISCUSS SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THEY MIGHT FACE THAT THEY MIGHT NOT OTHERWISE SEE.

UM, AND ONCE THEY'VE GONE THROUGH THAT CONSULTATION, THEN THEY CAN SIGN A LEASE, THEN THEY CAN GET A LETTER OF INTENT, AND THEN THEY GET, UH, FUNDED FOR MILESTONE ONE.

SO, MILESTONE ONE IS SECURING THAT BUSINESS LOCATION.

WE ALSO HELP WITH, UH, APPLICATION FEES THROUGH MILESTONE ONE, A ADMINISTRATIVE USE PERMIT FEES THROUGH MILESTONE ONE B, UH, AND, UH, CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT FEES THROUGH MILESTONE ONE C.

ONCE WE GET TO MILESTONE TWO, UH, WE'RE REALLY TALKING ABOUT DRAWING UP PLANS.

SO THIS IS TO HELP WITH YOUR ARCHITECT, GET THAT, UH, A SECONDARY, UH, CANNABIS CONSULTATION, UH, CANNABIS FACILITY CONSULTATION FROM OUR PERMITTING DEPARTMENT PLAN, CHECK FEES, PERMITTING FEES, UH, CATEGORY OF EXEMPTION FEES.

AND THEN MILESTONE THREE MEANS THEY'RE READY TO START, UM, BUILDING OUT THEIR SPACE, WHICH IS REALLY EXCITING.

THEY'RE STARTING CONSTRUCTION.

THESE FEES CAN BE USED, OR THESE FUNDS CAN BE USED TOWARDS DESIGN ARCHITECTS.

ANYTHING THROUGH, UH, MILESTONE ONE THROUGH, UH, THREE, AND THEN ADDITIONALLY CONTRACTORS AND, AND, AND THE SUPPLIES THAT THEY WOULD NEED TO BUILD OUT THE, THE PROJECT.

AND THEN MILESTONE FOUR, UH, WE WOULD GRANT THAT ONCE THEY GET THEIR LICENSE, SO THAT'S, THEY'RE READY TO OPEN THEIR BUSINESS.

NOW, THIS, AGAIN, HAS BEEN CHANGED FROM WHAT YOU CURRENTLY SEE TO THIS, AND THIS AGAIN, UH, ADDS MILESTONE A AND B IN FRONT OF MILESTONE ONE.

THIS WAY,

[01:30:01]

ALL WE'RE DOING IS WE'RE HELPING THEM COVER, UH, A BIT OF THEIR, UM, ARCHITECT FEES AND THE FEE FOR OUR INTERNAL FEE FOR THE, UM, CANNABIS FACILITY, UH, CONSULTATION.

THIS WAY, WE'RE NOT HANDING OUT, UH, A LARGE GRANT AMOUNT PRIOR TO THEM BEING ABLE TO BUILD A BUDGET.

OUR, THEIR BUDGET IS BASED ON THE SQUARE FOOTAGE OF THE LOCATION THAT THEY SELECT.

SO IF THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT, UH, UH, WHAT LOCATION TO SELECT BEFORE MILESTONE ONE, THEY, THEY FIND A LOCATION JUST BECAUSE THEY WANT TO GET GOING IN THE PROCESS, AND THEN FIND LATER THAT THERE'S ROADBLOCKS, CONDITIONAL USE FEES, CONDITIONAL USE, PERMITTING FEES, OR ADMINISTRATIVE USE PERMITTING FEES THAT THEY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT.

THIS CAN REALLY THROW THEIR BUDGET OUT OF WHACK.

AND BY THE TIME THEY GET TO MILESTONE TWO, THEY'RE, THEY'RE GETTING STUCK.

AND WE'VE NOTICED THAT AS, AS A PROGRAM.

AND SO THAT'S WHY WE'VE PUT THAT MILESTONE, UH, A IN FRONT OF MILESTONE ONE.

THIS WAY, THEY'RE NOT GETTING THOSE GRANT DOLLARS UNTIL THEY'VE ACTUALLY SELECTED A PLACE.

WE SEE THE SQUARE FOOTAGE OF IT, THEY KNOW WHAT ROADBLOCKS ARE IN FRONT OF THEM.

THEY MEET WITH OUR DIRECT TECHNICAL ADVISORS, AND THEN THEY START BUILDING A BUDGET, AND THEY CAN FOLLOW THAT BUDGET THROUGH THE REST OF THE MILESTONE PROCESS.

UH, SO THOSE, I THINK THE, UH, HIGHLIGHTS THE BIGGEST CHANGE THAT WE'VE MADE IN THE PAST YEAR TO THE PROGRAM TO MAKE IT MORE SUCCESSFUL FOR OUR APPLICANTS TO ACTUALLY OPEN THEIR DOORS.

SO, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT GOING TO READ THROUGH ALL THIS UNLESS YOU'D LIKE ME TO, BUT HERE'S, YOU KNOW, EACH MILESTONE ELIGIBLE USES IN THE APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS, RIGHT? SO, FOR MILESTONE A FOR EXAMPLE, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE TO OBVIOUSLY COMPLETE AN APPLICATION, COMPLETE RE PREREQUISITE ACTIVITIES, WHICH INCLUDE, UH, YOU KNOW, SUBMITTING A BUSINESS PLAN TO US, UM, COMPLETE PREREQUISITE DOCUMENTATION, EXECUTED, UH, LOI, OUR, UM, LETTER OF INTENT TO, UH, LEASE, UH, PROPERTY, UM, COMPLETED SITE PLAN AND FLOOR PLAN DRAFTS, UM, YOU KNOW, REFERRED TO IB, UH, 0 4 3 AND COMPLETED FORM, UH, ZERO 10, UH, PRE-DEVELOPMENT MEETING REQUEST, RIGHT? THESE ARE ALL THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO SEE FROM THEM BEFORE WE EVEN BRING 'EM TO OUR CANNABIS FACILITY, UH, CONSULTATION IN THE PERMITING DEPARTMENT.

SO, DURING, YOU KNOW, BEFORE MILESTONE ONE, THEY MIGHT BE ELIGIBLE AND VERIFIED AS A EQUITY APPLICANT PURSUING A LICENSE FOR A YEAR, MAYBE A YEAR AND A HALF, UNTIL THEY FOUND THAT LOCATION.

ONCE THEY FOUND THAT LOCATION, THAT'S WHEN WE STARTED 'EM AROUND MILESTONE ONE.

AND THAT'S WHERE THE GRANT, UH, DIRECT GRANT FUNDING STARTS TO HELP THEM SUPPORT THEIR BUSINESS.

SO, AGAIN, THERE'S A LOT TO IT, BUT, UH, ELIGIBLE USE, AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, ARCHITECT FREE WAIVERS, RENT, LEASE PAYMENTS, UM, SECURITY DEPOSITS, UM, YOU KNOW, CONSULTANTS, ARCHITECTS, STRUCTURAL ENGINEER, LEGAL ASSISTANTS, UM, CONTRACTORS, ELECTRICIANS, STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS, PLUMBERS, CONSULTANTS, UM, INVENTORY, NOT CANNABIS INVENTORY, BUT OTHER INVENTORY THAT THEY WOULD NEED TO OPEN THEIR BUSINESS, PACKAGING, MARKETING IT, AND WEB SUPPORT EQUIPMENT AND FIG, UH, FIXTURES.

THIS IS WHERE THOSE GRANT DOLLARS ARE GOING FROM THE, UH, THE STATE FROM GO BZ.

UM, AND WE VERIFY THAT, UH, THROUGHOUT EACH MILESTONE THROUGH OUR RECEIPT.

RECEIPT CHECKING, UM, LIKE I HAD MENTIONED EARLIER, NOW, HERE'S JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF CULTIVATION.

THIS IS OUR, UM, MATRIX FOR GRANT FUNDING.

SO, AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, SQUARE FEET, THAT BECOMES VERY IMPORTANT IN BUILDING OUT A BUDGET.

AND THIS IS WHY WE DO THAT CON, UH, CONSULTATION UPFRONT NOW.

UM, SO ONCE THEY KNOW THEY'RE, UM, SQUARE FOOTAGE, THEY CAN BUILD OUT A BUDGET THROUGHOUT EACH, EACH PHASE OF THE MILESTONE PROCESS.

AS YOU CAN SEE, MILESTONE ONE IS TBD.

WE DON'T PUT THOSE NUMBERS OUT TO THE PUBLIC, BECAUSE ODDLY ENOUGH, THAT'S WHAT THE DEPOSIT ENDS UP BEING.

UM, SO WE'VE, WE HIDE THAT CONTENT, AND THEN ONCE, UH, THEY'VE SECURED A LOCATION, THAT'S WHEN WE'RE ABLE TO, UH, BRING THAT INFORMATION TO THEM.

BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, YOU KNOW, UH, BASED ON YOUR SQUARE FOOTAGE, THAT'S GONNA ALIGN WITH THE MILESTONE, UH, GRANT, UH, FUNDING AMOUNT.

ALL RIGHT? AND SO ONTO DIRECT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.

SO WE'RE REALLY HAPPY, UM, TO HAVE COMPLETED OUR CONTRACTS WITH BOTH THESE COMPANIES RECENTLY, LAUNCH INDUSTRIES, LAUNCH INDUSTRIES DOES A REALLY GREAT JOB IN FINANCIAL REVIEW, MARKETING AND OPERATIONS, COACHING, BUDGET AND ACTION

[01:35:01]

PLAN AND REGULATORY COMPLIANCE.

UM, THEY HAVE EXTENSIVE HISTORY IN SEATTLE, SACRAMENTO, COLORADO, AND BEYOND OF REALLY HELPING PROP UP THESE EQUITY CANNABIS EQUITY PROGRAMS. AND THEN TASH VENTURES, UH, THAT IS A RENEWED CONTRACT DUE TO THEIR EXPERTISE IN SITE NEGOTIATION, SITE LOCATION, REAL ESTATE EDUCATION, AND, UM, REALLY HELPING, UH, OUR E UH, EQUITY APPLICANTS GET THE BEST CONTRACTS WRITTEN, UM, AND NOT, UM, BE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF BY SOME OF THE LANDLORDS THAT SEE THE GREEN RUSH.

UH, THEY REALLY SEE THROUGH THAT.

SO THAT'S WHY WE'VE, UH, DECIDED TO EXTEND THEIR CONTRACT AS WELL.

SO THIS IS OUR DIRECT TECHNICAL, UH, ASSISTANCE.

UH, THESE FOLKS WORK ALONGSIDE OF US, AND THEY, UM, YOU KNOW, ARE ABLE TO GET, UH, ONE-ON-ONES GOING.

THEY HAVE AI FEATURES THROUGH THEIR DATABASES THAT HELP OUR APPLICANTS ON THE FLY THREE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING, WHENEVER THEY NEED THAT, UM, ASSISTANCE, THEY CAN ACCESS IT.

AND WE DO, UH, MONTHLY CHECK-INS WITH THESE VENDORS, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALIGNED IN ANY WAY THAT WE CAN STEP IN AND HELP OUR E EQUITY APPLICANTS THAT WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT.

THEY DO, WE CAN, WE CAN COLLABORATE THAT WAY.

SO, MOVING ON TO OUR, UM, OUR FUNDING, RIGHT? SO GOBI, JUST A QUICK OVERVIEW OF THE DISTRIBUTION PROCESS.

ESSENTIALLY, UH, GOBI AWARDS US, UM, 25% UPFRONT, AND THEN, UH, THE SECOND DIS DISTRIBUTION IS 25%, AND THEN THE THIRD DISTRIBUTION IS 25%, AND THEN THE FINAL IS REIMBURSED TO US AS, UH, 25%.

SO THAT'S A NEW MODEL FOR GOBI THIS YEAR.

UM, AND IT'S WORKING OUT WELL.

WE HAVE, AS A PROGRAM JUST, UM, SUBMITTED OUR DISTRIBUTION TWO REPORTING AND HAVE BEEN GRANTED OUR DISTRIBUTION THREE.

UM, SO WE HAVE TWO MORE DISTRIBUTIONS TO GO, AND WE'VE ALSO SECURED OUR NEXT CYCLE OF FUNDING, UH, THROUGH GOBI FOR OUR NEXT FISCAL YEAR.

UM, SO WE'RE DOING REALLY WELL, AND I WANT TO, UM, JUST, YOU KNOW, GIVE YOU A, A BRIEF LOOK AT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, RIGHT? SO INITIAL DISTRIBUTION AND THEN SUBMISSION.

UH, WE SUBMIT INVOICES, BUDGETS, UH, EXECUTE A GRANT AGREEMENTS, UH, PROOF OF PAYMENT, OTHER RELEVANT, UH, FINANCIAL RECORDS, UH, FOR THEM TO MOVE ON TO DISTRIBUTION THREE.

AND THEN WE REPEAT THAT PROCESS UNTIL WE GET TO DISTRIBUTION FOUR.

THEN WE SPEND DOWN THE FUNDS OURSELVES, AND THEY REIMBURSE US.

THE BEAUTIFUL THING ABOUT THE WAY THEY HAVE IT SET UP IS IT'S STAGGERED, WHICH I'LL GET TO HERE IN A MOMENT, BUT I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT HERE ON THIS SLIDE AGAIN, I KNOW THAT'S A LOT OF INFORMATION TO BE LOOKING AT ON A SCREEN.

SO, UM, WHAT WE WERE AWARDED IN THE 2025 FISCAL YEAR WAS $1.1 MILLION.

UH, SO 1 MILLION, 100,000, 198,000.

AND THIS, UH, THIS, THIS WAS AWARDED TO US.

AND OUT OF THAT, WE HAD A MATCHING BUDGET OF $598,000, RIGHT? SO THIS IS WHAT WE USE TO ADMINISTER THE PROGRAM, UM, TO TAKE CARE OF ALL THE THINGS THAT I HAD MENTIONED, OUR ONE-ON-ONE, UH, UH, UH, CONSULTANTS, AND THEN ALSO SOME OF OUR ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.

AND MOVING ON TO 2026, ALL THE GOOD NUMBERS HAVE GONE UP, AND THE ONES THAT WE DON'T WANT THE MATCHING FUNDS HAVE GONE DOWN, RIGHT? SO WE'VE GOT $1.2 MILLION AWARDED TO US, AND INSTEAD OF MATCHING $598,000 THIS YEAR, UH, THIS NEXT, UH, GRANT CYCLE WILL ONLY BE MATCHING $222,000.

SO, DECREASING THAT SIGNIFICANTLY, AND STILL KEEPING ALL THE SERVICES AND ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT THAT WE HAD ON OUR PREVIOUS GRANT CYCLE.

SO WE'RE HAPPY ABOUT THAT.

UM, AND I THINK THIS'LL HELP BREAK THAT DOWN A LITTLE BIT.

SO IF WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS GRAPH HERE, 2005, WE HAVE OUR GRANT AWARD, WE HAVE OUR MATCHING FUNDS THERE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE.

AND THEN 2026, WE HAVE THE SAME NUMBERS ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE.

SO YOU CAN SEE WE'VE BEEN AWARDED MORE, AND WE ARE MATCHING LESS, UH, BUT, UM, THE AMOUNT OF DIRECT FUNDS, UH, HAS INCREASED FOR THIS NEXT FISCAL YEAR.

SO THOSE FUNDS GO DIRECTLY TO OUR EQUITY APPLICANTS.

SO WE'RE GIVING MORE MONEY TO THEM.

UH, DIRECT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.

WE HAVE A SLIGHTLY LARGER BUDGET FOR THAT AS WELL.

UH, ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT, UH, WE HAVE A SLIGHTLY LARGER BUDGET BUDGET FOR THAT AS WELL.

UM, AND THEN FOR THE, UM, CITY OF LONG BEACH, UH, RIGHT, WE'RE ONLY COVERING, UH, $147,000

[01:40:01]

IN ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT AS OPPOSED TO $523,000, RIGHT? SO THESE ARE, THIS IS, I THINK, UM, A, A GREAT IMPROVEMENT FOR OUR PROGRAM, AND MORE EFFICIENT IN MAKING SURE THAT THESE DOLLARS GO DIRECTLY TO THE APPLICANTS THAT ARE LOOKING TO OPEN THESE BUSINESSES IN OUR COMMUNITIES.

OKAY? AND SO, UH, JUST REALLY BRIEFLY ON THE EQUITY EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM, UM, BASICALLY CODE, UH, 5.9, TWO POINT, UH, 1 6, 6 0 STATES THAT ALL ADULT USE CANNABIS BUSINESSES IN THE CITY MUST HIRE A MINIMUM OF 40% OF TOTAL ANNUAL, UH, HOURS WORKED FROM, UH, EQUITY EMPLOYEES.

WHAT EQUITY EMPLOYEES MEAN ARE VERY SIMILAR TO THE CRITERIA THAT I HAD MENTIONED EARLIER, BUT JUST, YOU KNOW, UH, A LITTLE EASIER FOR, UH, RESIDENTS TO ACHIEVE, UH, TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH THIS REQUIREMENT.

OUR PROGRAM CHECKS BUSINESS, UH, PAYROLL RECORDS, UM, AND THOSE ARE SUBMITTED DIRECTLY TO OUR PROGRAM ON A, UH, BIANNUAL BASIS, SO WE CAN SEE WHERE THEY'RE AT AND HELP THEM REACH THAT 40%.

UM, I WILL ADMIT, UH, YOU KNOW, 40% IS QUITE STEEP FOR A LOT OF THESE BUSINESSES TO BE HIRING, YOU KNOW, 40% OF THEIR STAFF MEETING THIS ELIGIBILITY.

BUT WE HAVE HAD, UH, ONE SO FAR MAKE THAT 40%, AND WE HAVE A HANDFUL OF OTHERS RIGHT AT THEIR HEELS AROUND 30 TO 35%.

SO, UH, WE ARE MAKING HEADWAY ON THIS.

BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, BEING FROM THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY MYSELF, I UNDERSTAND THAT THAT IS DIFFICULT, UH, TO, TO MAKE THAT REQUIREMENT WHEN WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO IS, IS FIND PEOPLE THAT MEET YOUR BUSINESS CULTURE, UH, YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS, UH, CUSTOMER SERVICE, THINGS LIKE THAT.

UM, SO WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING IS GOING OUT TO JOB FAIRS AND TRYING TO WIDEN OUR POOL OF, UH, ELIGIBLE, UH, EQUITY, UH, JOB SEEKERS.

AND IN FACT, WE HAD ONE THIS MORNING, SO JUST COMING OFF OF THAT.

UM, SO HERE'S THE ELIGIBILITY, ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR THESE EQUITY EMPLOYEES.

UM, OF COURSE, AGAIN, BE A NATURAL PERSON, UH, AND HAVE THAT, UH, A MI BELOW 80% THAT WE HAD DISCUSSED EARLIER.

AND THEN THE INDIVIDUAL NEEDS TO SATISFY AT LEAST ONE OF THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS HAVE LIVED IN A, A, A LONG BEACH CENSUS TRACK THAT WE HAD MENTIONED EARLIER, BUT NOT FIVE YEARS, BUT ONLY FOR THREE YEARS, WAS ARRESTED OR CONVICTED.

AND, UH, IS CURRENTLY EMPLOY, UH, UH, RECEIVING UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS.

SO THIS OPENS IT UP A LITTLE BIT, UH, ALLOWING MORE PEOPLE TO APPLY FOR THIS PROGRAM AND BECOME, UH, VERIFIED AS ELIGIBLE EQUITY, UH, JOB SEEKERS.

ONCE THEY'VE DONE THAT, WE GET THEM A CERTIFICATE, WE OPEN UP OUR JOB BOARD FOR THEM, AND THEN WE SEND THEM, UM, INFORMATION ABOUT, UH, JOBS AS THEY COME THROUGH OUR PROGRAM.

WE ALSO HELP THEM WITH, UH, ANY RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE HERE AT THE CITY, INCLUDING, UH, UH, RESUME WORKSHOPS, JOB SEEKING WORKSHOPS, SO ON AND SO FORTH.

SO, UM, IT'S STARTING TO PICK UP WE'RE, WE, WE HAVE A HIGHER NUMBER OF EQUITY EMPLOYEES THAN WE EVER HAD BEFORE, UH, DUE TO THIS.

SO, UH, WE HOPE TO SEE THOSE NUMBERS JUMP UP.

AND THEN, FOR HIRING AND RECRUITING, WE ALSO WORK WITH THE BUSINESSES ALL ACROSS THE, THE CITY, UM, AND ANY LICENSE TYPE, ANY OF THE FIVE LICENSE TYPES TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS REQUIREMENT AND THEN HELP THEM, UH, SUBMIT THEIR, UH, OPEN POSITIONS ON OUR JOB BOARD.

AND SO THOSE, THOSE JOB BOARDS ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, KNOW ROUTINELY SENT OUT TO OUR LIST OF ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS AND JOB SEEKERS.

SO, WITH THAT, THAT IS THE CANNABIS EQUITY PROGRAM.

I WILL PAUSE THERE FOR ANY QUESTIONS.

THANK YOU, JORDAN.

UM, COMMISSIONERS, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, ? NO.

UH, OPERATE THESE BUSINESSES.

VICE CHAIR THOMAS.

THANK YOU, JORDAN, FOR THE PRESENTATION.

I APPRECIATE IT.

UM, YOU, I THINK YOU MENTIONED IT, BUT I'M, I WAS WRITING SOMETHING DOWN.

I THINK I MISSED YOUR POINT.

IN TERMS OF THE ENTITLEMENT PROCESS, LAND USE, APPROVALS, UM, PUBLIC NOTICES, IF, IF REQUIRED, WHEN DOES THAT OCCUR TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE AN ADVANCED FEES OR UNDERWRITTEN A, A, UH, POTENTIAL PROJECT? UM, ONLY TO HAVE IT PUSHED BACK AND GO NOWHERE? YEAH, SO ZONING IN, IN THE CITY, UH, WE HAVE A CANNABIS MAP WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO LOOK AT ZONES, GREEN ZONES, WHERE PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO,

[01:45:01]

UH, AND THEN OUR DIRECT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, UM, IS, YOU KNOW, COORDINATING THOSE EFFORTS THERE, UH, MAKING SURE THAT THESE PROPERTIES ARE, UH, ELIGIBLE, UH, FOR CANNABIS USE AND ARE NOT, UM, OTHERWISE EARMARKED.

IF, IF THAT ANSWERS, IF THERE'S A, UM, PROTEST, DO WE, DOES THE FEES COVER THE DOES AMOUNT GOING TO PAY FOR THE PROCESS OF GOING TO CITY COUNCIL OR PLANNING TO COMMISSION? IF THERE IS, UH, ANY KIND OF A ACTIVATION BY THE NEIGHBORHOOD OR OTHER BUSINESSES? NOT TO MY KNOWLEDGE, BUT I CAN, I CAN FOLLOW UP WITH YOU.

UM, I CAN SAY THAT WE HAVE NOT HAD THAT ISSUE.

UM, AND IT'S, IT'S REALLY DUE TO THOSE GREEN ZONES.

THEY'RE, UM, THEY'RE VERY STRICT ABOUT WHERE YOU CAN OPERATE THESE BUSINESSES, NOT CLOSE TO SCHOOLS OR, OR, UM, SENSITIVE, UH, BUILDINGS OR COMMUNITY AREAS.

YEAH, I, I CAN REMEMBER WHEN THE CITY, UM, DISCUSSED CLUSTERS AND ZONES.

THEY DID A REALLY GOOD JOB EDUCATING THE COMMUNITY AT THE TIME TO PREVENT ANY KIND OF BACKLASH, UH, FROM FOLKS.

BUT PEOPLE MOVE IN AND OUT OF NEIGHBORHOODS AND BUSINESSES COME AND GO.

SO IN TERMS OF FEE WAIVERS, UM, I ASSUME THAT MEANS THE APPLICANT DOESN'T PAY A FEE, BUT LIKE THE SERVICES COMPLETED, IT'S THE, LIKE THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT OR PLAN CHECK IS OCCURRING, INSPECTIONS OCCUR.

ARE THOSE COSTS UNDERWRITTEN AS WELL? THOSE COSTS ARE COVERED BY THE GRANT.

SO THAT'S, UM, THAT'S ACTUALLY REIMBURSED TO THE DEPARTMENT, CORRECT? THERE'S NO LOSS THERE? THAT'S CORRECT.

MM-HMM .

AND YOU MENTIONED YOUR ADMIN COSTS, I ASSUME THAT'S TO RUN THE PROGRAM AND COVER SALARIES.

IS THAT FAIRLY WELL COVERED? YES.

UM, SO THE, I SAW THE NUMBERS, IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS, YEAH, THE GRANT COVERS 86% OF THAT.

OH, IS THERE A SALES TAX, UH, SALES TAX? YES, THERE IS SALES TAX.

UM, THAT FUND IS COLLECTED, AND THEN IT, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S REALLY MORE THE OFFICE OF CANNABIS OVERSIGHT, AND THEY'RE ABLE TO UTILIZE THOSE FUNDS, UM, FOR OTHER EQUITY PURPOSES.

A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS IS, UM, SO IF A, A BUSINESS, UH, A BUSINESS PERSON WOULD LIKE TO OPEN A CANNABIS BUSINESS IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, DO THEY ALL GO TO YOU OR ONLY FOR THE EQUITY PROGRAM? WE ARE SOLELY EQUITY.

UH, THE ONLY TIME WE WORK WITH ALL THE BUSINESSES IS ABOUT THE 40%, UM, EQUITY HIRE.

SO THAT'S WHEN US, AS A CANNABIS EQUITY PROGRAM WOULD GO TO THE OTHER BUSINESSES AND HELP THEM HIRE FROM OUR POOL OF CANDIDATES.

'CAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE YOU HAVE A REAL DEPTH OF TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE IN THIS AREA, SO , SO ARE THEY GOING TO SOMEBODY ELSE IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THEN? ? UH, SO I'VE BEEN IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY FOR OVER 15 YEARS.

UM, YOU KNOW, I'VE WORKED WITH, UH, MULTINATIONAL PLAYERS AND, AND, UH, OPEN BUSINESSES IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY AND EVERY LEGAL STATE.

SO THAT'S WHERE THAT DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE COMES.

UM, BUT YOU KNOW, WHAT I, WHAT I DO, WHAT, UM, I'M PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS WORK IS HELPING, UH, THE FOLKS WHO REALLY KIND OF CARRY THIS INDUSTRY BEFORE, UM, IT'S, IT IS WHERE IT IS TODAY ON THEIR BACKS AT, UM, YOU KNOW, GREAT SACRIFICE.

I, I, I REALLY DO BELIEVE THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE A PIECE OF THE PIE, UM, AN AREA TO, TO, UH, OPERATE IN, IN A LEGAL SPACE.

UH, AND I THINK THIS PROGRAM HELPS THEM DO THAT.

NOW, IN TERMS OF ALL THE REST OF THE CANNABIS BUSINESSES, THOSE GO THROUGH THE, UH, OFFICE OF CANNABIS OVERSIGHT IN TERMS OF LICENSING, UM, WHICH WE WORK VERY CLOSELY AND COLLABORATE WITH THAT TEAM AS WELL.

UM, SO, BUT I WILL SAY THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT MY EXPERIENCE, UM, LONG BEACH HAS A, A, A GREAT PROGRAM ON BOTH ENDS, EQUITY AND CANNABIS OVERSIGHT.

TO EQUITY, RIGHT? SO WHAT, INSTEAD OF SAYING, UH, I BELIEVE, HERE, LET ME GET BACK THERE REALLY QUICK, INSTEAD OF SAYING, AND AFTER BULLET 0.3 MM-HMM .

NO, THAT, THAT EXPLAINS THAT.

UM, SO THAT'S REALLY INTERESTING BECAUSE WHEN YOU TALKED ABOUT THE ELIG ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS IS, UM, I, I, I HEAR EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE SAYING ABOUT WANTING TO MAKE SURE THAT THE OPPORTUNITY WAS THERE.

I JUST DIDN'T KNOW HOW THE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS WERE DECIDED.

IS THAT A STATE REQUIREMENT, OR WAS THAT SOMETHING YOU DESIGNED? UH, THIS WAS DESIGNED PRIOR TO ME, UM, JOINING.

UM, WE HAVE TAKEN A LOOK AT SOME OF THOSE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS OVER TIME.

UM, THEY HAVE MADE IT A LITTLE BIT MORE NARROW.

UH, I THINK OVER THE PROGRAM'S HISTORY, WE'VE HAD OVER 200 APPLICANTS, UH, BECOME VERIFIED, RIGHT? MM-HMM .

UH, BUT THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY, UM, POINT

[01:50:01]

I USED TO SAY, OR, RIGHT.

SO NOW WE'VE MADE IT A REQUIREMENT THAT THAT ARREST RECORD IS THERE, UM, OR A PARENT OR SIBLING, UH, IS THERE, AND NOW THAT'S TO OPEN A BUSINESS, NOT TO BE AN EMPLOYEE.

UM, SO THE ELIGIBILITY HAS BEEN LOOKED AT A FEW TIMES.

UM, BUT AS IT STANDS TODAY, I THINK THAT IT'S, IT DOES POINT AT THE, THE RIGHT INTENT OF THE PROGRAM.

AND IS, SINCE THIS IS DONE THROUGH GO BZ, ARE THERE CERTAIN CITIES THAT THEY'VE SELECTED FOR THIS PARTIC PARTICULAR CANNABIS EQUITY PROGRAM AND WHERE LONG BEACH IS ONE OF THEM? OR DID YOU PRESENT THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM TO THE STATE? UH, ANY, ANY JURISDICTION CAN APPLY.

UM, AND, YOU KNOW, IF THEY HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE SUPPORT, UH, THROUGH THEIR JURISDICTION, I BELIEVE, EXCUSE ME, I BELIEVE RIGHT NOW THERE'S 14 OTHER JURISDICTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN AWARDED SIMILAR AMOUNTS.

THOSE AMOUNTS, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE A WHOLE CRITERIA AND A WHOLE, UM, MATRIX OF THEIR OWN TO DETERMINE THOSE AMOUNTS.

UM, BUT WE ARE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE.

UM, YOU KNOW, SOME, SOME DISTRICTS, SOME JURISDICTIONS HAVE BEEN AWARDED 3 MILLION AS OPPOSED TO 1.2, LIKE WE HAVE OTHERS HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, AWARDED 800,000, FOR EXAMPLE.

SO IT WAS A STATE INITIATED PROGRAM? YEAH, THAT'S CORRECT.

UM, AND, YOU KNOW, I WAS JUST GONNA TAG ON TO VICE CHAIR THOMAS'S QUESTION.

THAT'S GREAT THAT THE CITY IS SUPPORTING IT WITH OPERATIONAL FUNDS.

UM, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM CO OH, SORRY, COMMISSIONER, NOR THEN COMMISSIONER MATOYA.

UM, AND SO I JUST WANT TO JUST POINT A CLARIFICATION ON THE ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.

IT LOOKS LIKE THE 2026 BUDGET, UM, TWO OF THE INDIVIDUALS DROPPED DOWN TO JUST SHY OF 40% COMPARED TO THE 100% THAT THEY WERE IN THE PRIOR BUDGET.

AND THAT, THAT DIFFERENCE SEEMS TO BE THE MAJORITY OF WHERE THE SAVINGS IS.

THERE WAS ALSO THE 1486 SPLIT, RIGHT? THAT, THAT, THAT REVERSED BETWEEN WHAT THE, UH, THE STATE FUNDS VERSUS THE LOCAL FUNDS COVERED.

CORRECT.

UM, IT SOUNDED LIKE YOU FELT THAT AT THAT 37.5% ALLOCATION, ALL SERVICES WERE STILL ABLE TO BE MAINTAINED, OR AM I MISUNDERSTANDING KIND OF THE, THE STAFFING LEVEL? YES, YOU, YOU'RE CORRECT.

I, I FEEL THAT, THAT WE CAN STILL MAINTAIN, UM, AND OUR, YOU KNOW, AS THE GRANT AMOUNT GOES UP, THE THRESHOLDS CHANGE.

SO WE DIDN'T HAVE TO, UM, CONTRIBUTE AS MUCH AS A CITY.

UM, SO THAT'S WHERE THAT, THAT DIFFERENCE IS.

AND THEN ALSO, IF YOU NOTICE FOR OTHER ADMINISTRATION, UM, WE, WE ONLY HAVE 9,000 THERE, AND THAT'S GONNA BE FOR EVENTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, INSTEAD OF THE, I BELIEVE IT WAS, UH, 90,000 PRIOR.

RIGHT.

SO WE'VE DECREASED THAT.

AND REALLY THE, UM, THE INTENT THERE IS TO GET THESE, THESE DIRECT GRANT DOLLARS IN THE HANDS OF THESE OPERATORS TO HELP THEM WHERE THEY REALLY NEED THAT HELP.

AND THAT'S WHERE WE SEE MOST OF, UH, THE ROADBLOCKS IS IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S EXPENSIVE TO OPEN THESE CANNABIS FACILITIES.

UM, SO GOT IT.

I WAS CURIOUS 'CAUSE YOU'RE THE EXPERT ON THIS, UH, ARE SOME OF THE BANKING RESTRICTIONS BEING LIFTED NOW? I KNOW THAT I'VE GOT THAT QUESTION COMING UP TO ME A LOT WHEN PEOPLE ASK ABOUT THIS INDUSTRY.

SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S STILL FIGURING IT OUT A LITTLE BIT.

UH, BUT THE RESCHEDULING, I THINK IS WHAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO.

SO CURRENTLY IT'S SCHEDULE, UH, SCHEDULED ON A FEDERAL LEVEL AS SCHEDULE ONE, AND IT'S BEING RESCHEDULED TO SCHEDULE THREE, MEANING THERE ARE SOME MEDICAL USES TO CANNABIS.

AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS RECOGNIZED THAT, AND THAT MEANS THAT THE FEDERAL, BASICALLY CANNABIS BUSINESSES CAN NOW WRITE OFF A PORTION OF THEIR, UH, OPERATIONAL COSTS, WHEREAS PRIOR THEY COULD NOT.

SO I THINK THAT'S, I THINK THAT'S THE BIGGEST THING THAT WE, UH, CANNABIS BUSINESSES ARE EXCITED ABOUT WITH RESCHEDULING FOR NOW.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? SEEING NONE.

COMMISSIONER MATOYA? YES.

AND SEEING NONE, CAN WE GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE TO RECEIVE AND FILE THIS REPORT?

[01:55:18]

I CAN TAKE VERBALS.

WE'RE HAVING ISSUES WITH THE SYSTEM.

COMMISSIONER HAQUE? YES.

COMMISSIONER.

UM, SO SORRY.

NORDIC? YES.

COMMISSIONER PEREZ? YES.

COMMISSIONER SANDOVAL? YES.

COMMISSIONER SMITH SMITH.

COMMISSIONER HUNCH? YES.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, JORDAN.

THANK YOU FOR THAT REPORT.

WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING MORE ABOUT YOUR PROGRAM.

I'M GONNA LEAVE THIS TO JULIAN.

WE HAVE LIKE 10 MINUTES LEFT, AND I KNOW YOU'VE GOT A REPORT AND YOU ALSO HAVE THE WEST SIDE PROMISE, SO, WHICH YES, WE HAVE, LOIS IS HERE ON A, AS A SPECIAL VISITOR, ACTUALLY, SO WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE HER NEXT AND DO ENOUGH TIME TO GIVE YOU REPORT STILL.

AND I DO JUST WANNA SAY, YOU KNOW, IT IS, UM, THE, YOU KNOW, OUR CANNABIS EQUITY TREATMENT IS JUST, IT'S A VERY, YOU KNOW, UH, GOOD, HARDWORKING TEAM.

AND WITH JORDAN'S LEADERSHIP, YOU KNOW, HAVING ALL THAT BACKGROUND HAS BEEN EXTREMELY HELPFUL TO OUR ENTREPRENEURS HERE, YOU KNOW, IN THE CITY TO BE ABLE TO DEVOTE THAT, YOU KNOW, PRIVATE SECTOR KNOWLEDGE NOW WITH THE, YOU KNOW, GROWING PUBLIC SECTOR, UM, YOU KNOW, FUNDS AND RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE.

YOU KNOW, HE'S JUST BEEN A, A REALLY GREAT, UM, RESOURCE FOR OUR BUSINESSES, UH, HERE AT THE CITY.

SO WE ARE VERY, UH, LUCKY, UH, TO HAVE HIM HERE.

RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE PRESENTATION ON THE WEST SIDE PROMISE FINANCIAL INSTITUTION OPPORTUNITIES.

WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING THE REPORT.

AND JUST BECAUSE I KNOW A COUPLE COMMISSIONERS HAVE TO LEAVE, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE IF YOU HAD ANYTHING WE HAD TO VOTE ON THAT YOU DIDN'T NEED QUORUM.

DO WE NEED A CALL TO READ THE ITEMS? CAN I HAVE A MOTION TO RECEIVE RECOMMEND FOR THE RECOMMENDATION AND THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM? OKAY.

FOR ITEM FOUR,

[4. 26-55020 Recommendation to receive and file a presentation on the Westside Promise – Financial Institution Opportunities. Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]

IT'S BEEN MOVED BY COMMISSIONER HAKE AND SECONDED BY VICE CHAIR THOMAS.

GOOD AFTERNOON, COMMISSIONERS.

WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING YOUR REPORT.

AND JUST A QUICK BACKDROP.

NOW, YOU MIGHT RECALL THAT A COUPLE MONTHS AGO, I THINK THREE, WE DID HAVE, UM, A WESTSIDE PROMISE PRESENTATION.

SO WE WANTED TO BRING, UH, LOIS ROGERS HERE.

SHE IS OUR FUSE FELLOW THAT FOR THE PAST YEAR HAS BEEN WORKING TIRELESSLY, YOU KNOW, WITH THE WEST SIDE.

AND TO UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, THE VISIBILITY TO, UH, YOU KNOW, FOR THE WEST SIDE TO, UH, HAVE A FINANCIAL INSTITUTION.

SO SHE'S HERE TO GIVE YOU HER FINAL UPDATE AND FINDINGS, YOU KNOW, ON THE YEAR LONG KIND OF STUDY AND RESOURCE THAT SHE'S BEEN DOING.

UM, AND SHE WAS SO GRACIOUS TO COME BACK, YOU KNOW, SHE'S NO LONGER TECHNICALLY A FUSE FELLOW WITH THE CITY.

UH, BUT I, YOU KNOW, WE THOUGHT IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT FOR HER TO COME AND, AND KIND OF PROVIDE THE NEXT STEPS IN HER FINDINGS, YOU KNOW, UH, FOR YOU GUYS AS A COMMISSION SINCE YOU DID GET A, A REVIEW OF THIS A FEW MONTHS AGO.

THANK YOU, MR. SUNDA.

MY NAME IS LOIS ROGERS ON BEHALF OF FUSE ORGANIZATION.

IT WAS MY PURPOSEFUL PLEASURE TO SERVE THE WEST SIDE LONG BEACH COMMUNITY.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ALL OF YOU.

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT FUSE IS A NATIONAL NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT PURSUES ITS SOCIAL IMPACT MISSION BY PLACING EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONALS AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES TO LEAD STRATEGIC PROJECTS THAT WILL ACHIEVE SUBSTANTIVE PROGRESS TOWARDS HIGH PRIORITY COMMUNITY NEEDS.

SO MY EFFORTS WERE BECAUSE OF THE SUPPORT OF THE LONG BEACH CITY LEADERSHIP, THEIR DEPARTMENTS TO NAME A FEW ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND OPPORTUNITY, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, PARKS, RECREATION, AND MARINE, THE WEST SIDE PROMISE STEERING COMMITTEE, THE COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS, AND THE LONG BEACH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION.

THANK YOU ALL KINDLY.

MY PROJECT WAS TO CULTIVATE PARTNERSHIPS THAT EXPAND ACCESS TO FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT, RESOURCES, INCLUDING FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS IN THE WEST SIDE LONG BEACH.

THIS IS WHAT WE ACHIEVED OVER THE PAST YEAR.

I'M GONNA MOVE THROUGH THESE.

TO FRAME MY APPROACH AND EFFORTS I HAD TO RESEARCH AND LEARN ABOUT THE COMMUNITY.

I COULD NOT FIND THE LOGIC AS TO WHY AND HOW THIS COMMUNITY WAS UNDER-RESOURCED,

[02:00:01]

MISUNDERSTOOD, INVISIBLE, YET SELF-SUSTAINED.

I FOUND A DESCRIPTION, THE BLUE OCEAN, THE WEST SIDE.

LONG BEACH IS A BLUE OCEAN OPPORTUNITY FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BECAUSE IT CONTAINS SIGNIFICANT UNTAPPED DEMAND AND UNDERSERVED NONE.

CUSTOMERS FROM THE MAINSTREAM ECONOMY AND THE CITY CAN HELP CREATE NEW MARKET SPACE BY PAIRING BANK AND GROCERY RECRUITMENT WITH PLACE-BASED ACTIONS THAT REDUCE INVESTMENT FRICTION, BUILD RESIDENT TRUST, INCREASE CORRIDOR TRAFFIC, AND EXPAND WAYS TO HOUSEHOLD AND SMALL BUSINESS WEALTH.

THE FOUNDATION OF THIS STRATEGY IS UN IS, EXCUSE ME, THE FOUNDATION OF THIS STRATEGY IS UNDERSTANDING THE TWO CHARACTERISTICS THAT I'VE SHOWN HERE.

BLUE OCEAN IS ACTUALLY A MARKETING STRATEGY THAT IS PURSUED BY EARLY ENTRY INVESTORS WHO CREATE UNCONTESTED MARKET SPACE FROM UNTAPPED DEMAND OR NON-CUSTOMERS, CUSTOMERS.

THIS EXPLAINS THE WEST SIDE LONG BEACH COMMUNITY.

THE SECOND CHARACTERISTICS, THE WEST SIDE LONG BEACH COMMUNITY BOASTS, UNDERRATED ECONOMIC INDICATORS.

WHAT ARE THOSE? THEY GO BEYOND THE A CS, UH, STANDARD, MEDIUM, UH, INCOME, THE POVERTY RATES, BUT THEY SPEAK DIRECTLY TO BANK DEMAND, RISK, AND COMMUNITY IMPACT.

RECENTLY, UM, THE COSMO MARKET STUDY, I THINK IT WAS, IT WAS RELEASED IN 20 23, 20 24, AND THEIR STUDY REVEALED HIGH SIGNAL MEASURES THAT INVESTORS FIND PERSUASIVE.

IE THE WEST SIDE HAS 705 SMALL BUSINESSES.

THEY HAVE HIGH RETAIL LEAKAGE IN, IN HEALTH AND PERSONAL CARE STORES, FULL SERVICE RESTAURANTS, GENERAL MERCHANDISE STORES, AND AUTO DEALERS, AND THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF GENERATIONAL HOME OWNERSHIP IN LONG BEACH.

THE TAKEAWAY HERE IS THAT THE BLUE OCEAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES, THEY ARE TYPICALLY PURSUED BY EARLY ENTRY, MISSION ALIGNED OR MARKET SHAPING INVESTORS WHO ARE WILLING TO INVEST IN UNDERSERVED AREAS WHERE PUBLIC PARTNERSHIP, UNMET DEMAND, AND LONG-TERM CORRIDOR UPSIDE CAN CREATE VALUE THAT CONVENTIONAL MARKET MODELS TEND TO OVERLOOK, WHICH HAS OCCURRED IN THE WEST SIDE LONG BEACH.

OH, I NEED TO GO BACK.

SORRY.

SO, IN THIS APPROACH OVER THE, WHAT THIS DEFINES HERE IS, AND ALLOW ME TO SHARE THESE TWO PATHWAYS.

UM, ON THE LEFT SIDE, WE HAVE THE SHORT TERM PATHWAY.

THAT'S THE IMMEDIATE, WHAT, WHAT DID I PROVIDE TO THE COMMUNITY? WHAT DELIVERABLES DID THE CITY PROVIDE TO THE COMMUNITY? THIS WAS THE PROGRAMMING ASPECT, EXPANDING THE ACCESS TO FINANCIAL, RESER, FINANCIAL, UH, SERVICES.

UM, IN AUGUST, WE HAD THE FINANCIAL EDUCATION WORKSHOP.

IN THAT WORKSHOP, WE HAD A CONSUMER, UM, CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION, UH, PRESENTATION.

WE ALSO RECENTLY HOSTED IN FEBRUARY, UH, FEBRUARY, 2028.

FEBRUARY 28TH, 2026, THE VIDA EVENT.

UM, THIS WAS WEST SIDE LONG BEACH'S, UH, FIRST VIDA EVENT, AND WE HAD A LOT OF SUCCESS WITH THAT.

THE PARTNERS, UH, THE PARTNERS THAT, THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT WERE, UH, CULTIVATED WAS WITH THE LA COUNTY CENTER FOR FINANCIAL EDUCATION.

WE PARTNERED WITH CAL STATE UNIVERSITY OF LONG BEACH.

AND FROM THIS EVENT, WE HAD A SUCCESSFUL TURNOUT, BUT IT IS SUSTAINABLE SUCH THAT I ALREADY SCHEDULED, UM, A FOLLOW UP VI DAY EVENT ON MARCH 27TH, 2027.

HERE WE HAVE, PARDON TO THE FAR LEFT.

WE HAVE A, WITH ED BANK.

NOW, THIS IS ON MY WISHLIST, BUT THEY HAVE A SAVE AT SCHOOL PROGRAM.

I THINK THIS IS ANOTHER PROGRAMMING THAT WE SHOULD CONSIDER, UM, TAKING TO THE SCHOOLS, THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.

ON THE RIGHT, WE HAVE THE LONG-TERM PATHWAY.

THIS IS TAKING YOU BACK TO THE CONCEPT, THE BLUE OCEAN CONCEPT.

AND WE'RE LOOKING AT IMPLEMENTING THE ESSENTIAL ANCHORS RECRUITMENT THAT IS A BANK PLUS A GROCERY.

SO IN MY PROJECT,

[02:05:01]

IT WAS, LET'S BRING A BANK TO THE WEST SIDE COMMUNITY.

BUT WHAT REALLY TO INCREASE THE SCOPE AND REALLY BOLSTER THE THIS OPPORTUNITY IS TO APPROACH AN ANCHORS STRATEGY APPROACH.

SO THAT'S A BANK PLUS A GROCERY.

I ACTUALLY PITCHED THIS IDEA TO, UM, SOME OF THE BANKERS WITH WHOM I SPOKE, AND THEY SHARED THAT THAT IS A MORE PALATABLE APPROACH BECAUSE IT MITIGATES THE RISK FOR INVESTORS INSTEAD OF JUST HAVING A BANK IN THE COMMUNITY.

IT ALSO, WHEN YOU ALSO CONSIDER IF YOU HAD A TRADER JOE'S IN THE COMMUNITY, SO THAT ADDRESSES THE ISSUES OF, UH, OF, UM, THE RETAIL LEAKAGE.

SORRY, THESE SLIDES ARE OUT OF ORDER.

THIS SLIDE HERE IS JUST, UM, A REALLY A DRILL DOWN OF ALL OF THE DELIVERABLES, AGAIN, WITH THE SHORT-TERM PATHWAY, UM, WITH THE CITY HOSTING THE FINANCIAL EDUCATION WORKSHOP, THE VIDA EVENT, AND THEN MOVING TO THE LONG-TERM PATHWAY.

UH, SORRY.

LET ME TAKE A STEP BACK.

WITH THE VIDA EVENT, WHAT I ALSO LEFT IN PLACE WAS I CREATED AND AUTHORED A VIDA SITE PLAYBOOK SO THAT THE PROGRAM IS SUSTAINABLE, AND THEY HAVE A ROADMAP FOR HOSTING THE VA EVENT FOR NEXT YEAR.

MOVING TO THE LONG TERM PATHWAY, THE BANK RE UH, THE BANK RECRUITMENT FOR THE WEST SIDE LONG BEACH COMMUNITY.

UM, WHAT I'VE DONE IS WE'RE GONNA HAVE THE, PARDON.

THE WEST SIDE PROMISE STEERING COMMITTEE HAS COMPLETED INDIVIDUAL ROUND TABLES AND DISTRICT TOURS.

WE'VE SECURED A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE LOS ANGELES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION TO MARKET THE ROUND TABLE TO EVENT TO BANK EXECUTIVES.

THE REASON THIS PARTNERSHIP IS SO POWERFUL, BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE, THE RIGHT INVESTORS IN THE ROOM WITH L-A-E-D-C, THEY HAVE ACCESS ON THEIR BOARD TO APPROXIMATELY 30 TO 50 BANK EXECUTIVES WHO ARE DECISION MAKERS.

THEY WILL WORK WITH US TO MARKET THE EVENT, UM, TO MARKET THE EVENT.

THE NEXT ITEM IS, UH, THE PROPOSED BANKERS ROUND TABLE.

AND THAT I CHANGED THE SCOPE TO, FROM JUST LOOKING AT BRINGING A BANK TO AN ESSENTIAL ANCHORS INVESTOR ROUND TABLE.

IT IS A BANKER'S NATIONAL GROCER RECRUITMENT STRATEGY.

AND THEN FINALLY, I ALSO CREATED AND AUTHORED THE PROPOSED WEST SIDE LONG BEACH ESSENTIAL ANCHORS INVESTOR ROUND TABLE PLAYBOOK.

THAT CONCLUDES MY ANNUAL REPORT.

UM, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, UM, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.

AND HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FOR LOIS? OKAY.

COMMISSIONER HAKI.

JUST WANTED TO SHARE WITH A GREAT REPORT.

LOIS ROGERS HAS BEEN RIGHT THERE FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, REALLY PLUGGING ALONG AND MAKING SURE THE WEST SIDE PROMISES MOVE FORWARD, ESPECIALLY WITH THE FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS.

SO, THANK YOU SO MUCH, LIZ, FOR THE WORK YOU'VE DONE FOR THE CITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

UM, I'M GONNA ASK AS THERE WERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS, SEEING NONE.

UM, CAN WE TAKE A VOTE TO RECEIVE AND FILE THIS? MOTION IS CARRIED.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, LOIS, FOR YOUR TIME, YOUR COMMITMENT TO THE CITY.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND THE SUPPORT.

AND CHARLES, I'LL JUST ADD THAT, YOU KNOW, SHE HAS DONE THIS INCREDIBLE WORK FOR US.

SO, YOU KNOW, WHAT I THINK THE NEXT STEP LOOKS LIKE IS THE, THE STEERING COMMITTEE, THE WEST SIDE STEERING COMMITTEE, UH, THAT WE HAVE HERE AS FROM DEPART VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

WE'RE REALLY HOPING TO TAKE THIS AS THE BLUEPRINT TO, YOU KNOW, REALLY SEE WHAT THE WEST SIDE COMMUNITY HAS BEEN WANTING TO SEE FOR SUCH A LONG TIME.

SO, YOU KNOW, JUST THE RESEARCH AND AND TIME COMMITMENT THAT, AND REALLY PASSION TO THAT, UH, LOUIS HAS, HAS GIVEN TO THIS, HAS IS, YOU KNOW, VERY VALUABLE AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO USING THAT, YOU KNOW, TO KIND OF KEEP, KEEP IT MOVING FORWARD, LIKE, LIKE YOU SAID.

SO JUST WANTED TO THANK HER FOR THAT.

IT'S, YOU'RE UP NOW, , SO, OKAY.

OKAY, JULIAN, YOU'RE,

[02:10:01]

WE, WE HAVE A MOTION TO RECEIVE THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM, ITEM FIVE, RECOMMENDATION

[5. 26-55021 Recommendation to receive and file Executive Director’s Report. Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]

TO RECEIVE AND FILE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT.

MOTION BY COMMISSIONER MATOYA AND A SECOND BY COMMISSIONER NORDIC.

ALRIGHT, SO I'LL BE, UH, QUICK.

UH, I THINK THE BIGGEST, UH, THING I WANTED TO IMPART, UH, TO Y'ALL TODAY WAS THAT WE WILL BE GOING DARK IN JULY.

SO, YOU KNOW, UH, I KNOW EVERYBODY TENDS TO BE BUSY IN THE SUMMER, SO NO NEED TO THANK ME.

UH, IT WASN'T MY IDEA, IT WAS THE COUNCIL'S IDEA.

SO WE TYP TYPICALLY WANNA ALIGN OUR CALENDARS, UH, WITH THEM.

AND, AND THE CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR AGREED.

SO, UH, WE'LL BE TAKING JULY OFF.

UH, SO JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU GUYS HAD, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVE PLANS, JUST TO, TO WORK THAT IN THERE AS WELL.

UM, I'LL, UH, THE DEPARTMENT HAS JUST RELEASED OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY 2025 YEAR IN REVIEW.

I HAVE ONE COPY HERE, UH, BUT I'M WORKING TO GET MORE COPIES FOR YOU GUYS AND THEN ALSO PROVIDE YOU THE DIGITAL VERSION.

UH, YOU KNOW, CHELSEA, OUR, OUR PIO HAS JUST DONE A WONDERFUL JOB AT CAPTURING OUR, YOU KNOW, OUR IMPACT THIS PAST YEAR.

SO I'M REALLY EXCITED TO SHARE THIS WITH YOU.

ALSO, YOU CAN BE AMBASSADORS ON BEHALF OF THE CITY AND THE DEPARTMENT AND ALL THE GREAT WORK THAT WE DO, ALONG WITH OUR PARTNERS THAT YOU GUYS, YOU KNOW, ARE ALL, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE VERY AWARE OF.

SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SHARING THAT WITH YOU.

I JUST COULDN'T WAIT TO TELL YOU BEFORE I HAVE THE, THE COPIES FOR YOU, BUT JUST KNOW THAT IT'S, UH, ON THE WAY FOR YOU.

THAT COULD BE, UH, MY SUMMER PRESENT TO YOU GUYS.

HOW'S THAT? UM, YOUR SUMMER PRESENT IS, UH, A REPORT.

UM, ALSO JUST WANTED TO KEEP YOU GUYS UPDATED.

UH, I KNOW A COUPLE MONTHS AGO, I LET YOU, UH, ALL KNOW THAT, UH, THE CITY DID RECEIVE, UH, AN EDA, UH, GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF $750,000 TO CONTINUE OUR REVOLVING LOAN FUND, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, PROGRAM.

SO, VERY EXCITED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT WE HAVE, UH, ALMOST, WE HAVE PROVIDED ALMOST ALL OF THE DOCUMENTS NECESSARY TO THEN BE BEGIN, BEGIN RES UH, BEGIN RECEIVING SOME OF THAT DISBURSEMENT, UH, TO KEEP UP THE FUND GOING.

SO, AND ON THAT, YOU KNOW, JUST THANK YOU TO, TO THE CONTINUED SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS, UH, FOR SUPPORTING THAT PROGRAM.

AND, YOU KNOW, REALLY GIVING THE CRITICAL EYE TO THE, TO THE MEMOS AND, AND THEN APPROVING THAT OR, AND ASKING GOOD QUESTIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE IDENTIFY, YOU KNOW, ENTREPRENEURS HERE IN LONG BEACH THAT ARE DESERVING OF THAT AND, AND CAPABLE OF, OF HANDLING, YOU KNOW, UH, LOANS IN, IN THAT AMOUNT.

OF COURSE, UH, SINCE WE MASS MET THE GRAND PRIX HAPPENED.

SO, JUST WANTED TO, I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T IF ANYBODY WENT TO VISIT, UH, OR SPENT SOME TIME THERE.

UH, BUT JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT IS THE CITY'S LARGEST EVENT HERE.

THAT IS SUCH A HUGE ECONOMIC, UM, UH, OPPORTUNITY AND, AND EVENT STIMULUS FOR OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES AND OUR DOWNTOWNS AND, AND BEYOND THAT.

SO, UM, I'LL LOOK TO SEE IF THERE'S, UM, SOMETIMES I, I KNOW WE, UM, RECEIVE SOME LIKE ECONOMIC DATA VERY HIGH LEVEL.

SO IF, UH, IF I COME ACROSS THAT, I'M HAPPY TO SHARE THAT WITH YOU AS WELL.

UH, BUT FROM WHAT I, I HEAR, UH, YOU KNOW, IT WAS, IT WAS A GREAT EVENT, UH, VERY WELL ATTENDED, AND I DO REMEMBER LAST YEAR I WAS ABLE TO SHARE THAT IT WAS THE LARGEST EVENT, GRAND PRIX, UH, IN, IN ITS RUNNING.

SO THAT WAS REALLY COOL, HOPING TO SEE THAT, UH, AS WELL ON THOSE LINES.

UM, LAST, UH, TUESDAY WE DID SOMETHING, UH, WHAT I THINK WAS, WAS VERY COOL AND MEANINGFUL FOR OUR SMALL BUSINESSES, UH, IN COUNCIL.

WE DID A RECOGNITION FOR OUR LEGACY BUSINESS PROGRAM AND ALSO A GREEN BUSINESS, UH, PROGRAM.

SO FOR THE LEGACY BUSINESS, WE WERE ABLE TO, UH, ADD AN ADDITIONAL 20 PLUS BUSINESSES FOR THAT LEGACY DESIGNATION.

SO WE HAVE A TOTAL, I THINK OF ABOUT 81 BUSINESSES NOW UNDER THAT PROGRAM.

AND WHAT THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT PROGRAM DOES IS THAT RECEIVING THAT DESIGNATION THEN, UH, UNLOCKS SOME OF THE RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE HERE AS A CITY, SOME FUNDS AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, UM, THAT CAN BE STEERED TO, TO, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THAT THOSE LEGACY BUSINESSES REMAIN HERE IN LONG BEACH.

SO, UH, WE RECEIVE SOME OF THE FEED, UH, SURVEY FEEDBACK FROM THE LEGACY BUSINESSES.

AND WHAT THEY'RE REALLY LOOKING FOR, YOU KNOW, IS, IS ASSISTANCE WITH MARKETING, PARTICULARLY, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THEY HAVE A DIGITAL PRESENCE.

UH, YOU MAY, YOU KNOW, UM, UH, MANY OF THESE BUSINESSES, UH, DO NOT HAVE A DIGITAL PRESENCE, RIGHT? THEY'RE REALLY, UH, RELIANT ON THESE CUSTOMERS THAT HAVE BEEN COMING FOR 10, 15, 20, 30 YEARS, RIGHT? SO THEY SEE, I THINK, THE NEED TO HAVE A DIGITAL PRESENCE IN, WITH THE NEW CONSUMER THAT IS REALLY RELIANT ON THEIR CELL PHONES AND DIGITAL MEDIA TO, YOU KNOW, KIND OF BE TOLD WHERE, WHERE TO GO.

SO WE'RE GONNA BE REALLY FOCUSING ON PROVIDING THAT, THAT RESOURCE, UH, TO THEM IN THE NEXT COMING MONTHS.

AND ALSO JUST LOOKING AT, UH, JUST, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THEY HAVE THEIR BUSINESS PLANS, UH, IN, YOU KNOW, IN, IN GOOD ORDER.

SO THOSE ARE TWO OF THE, THE THINGS THAT THEY IDENTIFIED THERE AS PRIORITIES.

AND THEN FOR THE GREEN BUSINESS, JUST LASTLY, WANTED TO SHARE SOME OF THE IMPACT THERE.

SO THROUGH THIS CERTIFICATION, UM, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO, OUR, OUR, UH, GREEN CERTIFIED BUSINESS PROGRAM, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO SAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, COLLECTIVELY, UH, 108 MILLION GALLONS OF, OF WATER SAVED, 308 METRIC TONS OF CH UH, CHG REDUCED 1200, UH, 12,500 TONS OF, OF WASTE

[02:15:01]

HAS BEEN DIVERTED.

AND THAT'S ALL BEEN DONE BY, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BIT OVER 400 BUSINESSES, YOU KNOW, SO IT JUST GOES TO SHOW, YOU KNOW, HOW SMALL AND MIGHTY SMALL BUSINESSES CAN BE, NOT ONLY WHEN IT COMES TO JOB CREATION REVENUE, BUT YOU KNOW, ALSO BEING A SUSTAINABLY RUN BUSINESS.

SO, YOU KNOW, THAT WRAPS UP MY, MY, UM, MY REPORT.

AND IT IS, YOU KNOW, SMALL BUSINESS, UH, THAT, THAT TIME.

SO JUST WANTED TO SPEND SOME TIME AND, AND HIGHLIGHT, UH, YOU KNOW, THE IMPACT THAT OUR SMALL BUSINESSES HAVE, YOU KNOW, ACROSS OUR CITY.

THANKS JULIAN.

HOW ABOUT QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM THE COMMISSIONERS? COMMISSIONER PEREZ, JULIAN, ON A LIGHTER NOTE, I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW IT WAS VERY REWARDING.

WE KEPT HEARING ABOUT THIS RESTAURANT, UM, ON SEVENTH STREET CALLED RIVERA'S, AND BO AND I WENT DOWN THERE TO VISIT THEM AND I HAD NO IDEA THEY'D BEEN THERE FOR 30 YEARS.

TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT, YOU HIGHLIGHTED THEM ON YOUR SMALL, ALL YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA, AND IT'S MOM POP, THE WHOLE FAMILY WORKS THERE.

AND I, ON BEHALF OF THE COUNTY, WE'RE DOING A 30 YEAR SPECIAL SCROLL FOR THEM.

SO ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO TO HIGHLIGHT THESE SMALL BUSINESSES, BUT I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU GUYS TO GO TRY IT OUT.

IT'S AMAZING FOOD AND I WON'T GO BACK TO THOSE COMPADRE ANYMORE.

I REALLY LOVE RIVERA'S .

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? UM, JUST A QUICK QUESTION FOR YOU, JULIAN.

CAN YOU BRING BACK A REPORT FOR THE GRAND PRIX? 'CAUSE YOU SAID IT'S THE LARGEST EVENT THAT THE IT CITY DOES, AND WE COULD TALK ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT WE SHOULD PUT IT AS AN AGENDA ITEM, BUT IT'D BE GREAT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WHERE DOES THAT REVENUE GO? 'CAUSE I'M SURE IT'S PROFITABLE AND HOW IS IT REINVESTED AND BACK INTO THE CITY.

I THINK COMMISSIONER AHKI MAY HAVE A COMMENT.

UM, YOU'RE WELCOME.

YES, I'M VERY EXCITED ALSO FOR THE, UH, US CONFERENCE OF MAYORS AND THE OPENING OF THE GRAND OF THE, UM, AMPHITHEATER ON THE WATER, UM, WITH THE CONCERT.

SO I'M CURIOUS ABOUT HOW THAT'S GOING TO BE WE'RE DOING TO POSITION THE CITY AND OUR SMALL BUSINESSES TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT OPPORTUNITY.

UH, I KNOW A FEW MONTHS AGO WE BROUGHT IN, UH, ERIC ROMERO AND JOHNNY AVE HILL FROM OUR TEAM.

UH, IT MAY BE, I THINK, ADVANTAGEOUS.

I CAN SPEAK TO, YOU KNOW, CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR ON SEEING IF THEY, MAYBE YOU GUYS WANNA SEE ANOTHER UPDATE.

IT HAS MOVED VERY, VERY QUICKLY.

SO AS YOU GUYS PROBABLY KNOW, UH, JUNE IS THE OPEN DATE.

UH, SO IT MAY BE A GOOD TIME TO, YOU KNOW, TO COME IN MAYBE, WELL, IT'S ALREADY MAY, RIGHT? SO MAYBE NEXT MONTH OR TWO.

I KNOW THEY'RE GONNA BE VERY BUSY, BUT JUST TO PROVIDE SOME UPDATES ON, OBVIOUSLY IT'S SUCH A CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND ECONOMIC, UH, PROJECT THAT WE HAVE.

UM, SO, BUT JUST DO, DO KNOW THAT I, I BELIEVE IN THE AGREEMENTS, IN THE DETAILS, YOU KNOW, THERE IS WORKING WITH, UM, WITH THE, THE MANAGEMENT FIRM, SORRY, I'M BLANKING ON THEIR NAME RIGHT NOW.

UM, BUT WORKING TO INCLUDE, YOU KNOW, UM, HIGHLIGHTING AND THEN INCLUDING SMALL BUSINESSES HERE LOCALLY IN THE CITY, AND THEN LOOKING AT REALLY FORMALIZING PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE VENDORS AND THEN THE SMALL BUSINESSES HERE FEATURING THEM OR EVEN CREATING, UM, ESSENTIALLY, UH, YOU KNOW, LIKE A RESOURCE GUIDE WHERE PEOPLE COME VISIT HIGHLIGHTING THE BUSINESSES THAT THEY CAN COME AND VISIT.

SO THAT IS VERY MUCH IN CONVERSATION AND SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE KEEPING EYE ON EYE, OUR EYE ON, UH, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY NATIONAL FRANCHISES AND, AND ORGANIZ AND COMPANIES ARE WELCOME, BUT WE REALLY DO WANNA HIGHLIGHT OUR, YOU KNOW, GROW OUR OWN AND, AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY GROW AND GROW BIGGER.

COMMISSIONER, SORRY, JUST FOLLOW UP.

UM, YES, BECAUSE, UH, SPEAKING WITH THE MAYOR ABOUT THIS, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE ALL THE MAYORS CONVERGE FROM THE NATION TO LONG BEACH AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT LONG BEACH IS REPRESENTED AND HAS ITS OWN SPECIAL STYLE AND, AND UM, FLAVORS.

SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.

I'M ALSO VERY INTERESTED IN LEARNING ABOUT THE, UM, NEW BASEBALL TEAM AND HOW OUR SMALL BUSINESSES ARE, ARE PLUGGED IN, IS THAT DEVELOPMENT AND WHAT DOES LIKE THE WHOLE COMMUNITY PLAN LOOK LIKE AROUND THAT? THANK YOU.

PERFECT.

I GOT THESE AS A NOTE.

OKAY, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? OKAY.

UM, ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS AGENDA ITEM? SEEING NONE.

CAN WE TAKE A VOTE? MOTION IS CARRIED.

COMMENTS ON NON-AG AGENDA ITEMS? SEEING NONE, SIR.

AND THEN ANY PUBLIC

[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.]

FOR OUR COMMISSIONERS OR STAFF? I JUST REMEMBER IT'S UH, LEGENDS SLASH ASM GLOBAL IS THE, UH, THE MANAGER OF THE AMPHITHEATER IN CASE ANYONE WAS CURIOUS.

ANY OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

[ANNOUNCEMENTS]

THANK YOU JULIAN.