* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:26:18] OKAY, [00:26:19] WELL, [00:26:19] NOW [00:26:20] THAT [00:26:20] WE [00:26:20] HAVE QUORUM, LET'S CALL THE, UM, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE MEETING TO ORDER FOR OCTOBER 6TH, 2026, PLEASE CALL ROLE CLERK COUNCIL COUNCILWOMAN ZENDEJAS. PRESENT, VICE CHAIR ALLEN. CHAIR SORO. PRESENT, WE HAVE CORN. THANK YOU. CAN YOU READ THE FIRST AGENDA ITEM? ITEM ONE IS THE RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FOR THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE MEETING OF [CALL TO ORDER] TUESDAY, APRIL 14TH, 2026. AND I'LL MOTION FOR [ROLL CALL] THE ITEM SECOND. AND, UH, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION ON THE ITEM? NO, ON THE ITEM TWO. AND IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE ITEM? OKAY. SEEING NONE, LET'S, UM, DO ROLL CALL VOTE, OR IS IT, UM, SORRY. THERE YOU GO. IT'S JUST A LITTLE SLOW. MOTION CARRIES. WONDERFUL. LET'S MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER TWO. PLEASE READ THAT AGENDA. ITEM ITEM TWO IS A RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE A FILE PRESENTATION ON THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND OPPORTUNITIES 2026 YEAR IN REVIEW AND LOOK FORWARD TO HIGHLIGHTING ACCOMPLISHMENTS, INITIATIVES, AND [1. 26-56359 Recommendation to approve the minutes for the Economic Development and Opportunity Committee meeting of Tuesday, April 14, 2026.         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESS MICRO-ENTERPRISES AND ENTREPRENEURS. YES, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, WE ARE IN QUARTER, UM, JUST ABOUT FOUR ACTUALLY NOW OF THE YEAR, [2. 26-56360 Recommendation to receive and file a presentation on the Department of Economic Development and Opportunity’s 2026 Year-End Review and Look Forward highlighting accomplishments, initiatives and future opportunities supporting small businesses, microenterprises and entrepreneurs.         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] AND IT'S ABOUT THE END OF 2026. AND A LOT HAS BEEN DONE THIS PAST YEAR. AND I THINK THAT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT WE HEAR ABOUT WHAT'S BEEN ACCOMPLISHED, PARTICULARLY FOR SMALL BUSINESS, BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN A VERY CHALLENGING AND DIFFICULT YEAR. UM, AND I THINK IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT SMALL BUSINESS BEING THE BACKBONE OF OUR ECONOMY, AND, AND THAT'S WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT WE PROVIDE THE SUPPORT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR SMALL BUSINESSES ARE THRIVING. SO, WITH THAT SAID, I'M GONNA HAND IT OVER TO DIRECTOR MARTINEZ. THANK YOU, CHAIR SORROW MEMBERS AND DEJAS. UH, BO MARTINEZ. I'M THE DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND OPPORTUNITY DEPARTMENT, AND TODAY WE'RE GONNA SHARE, UM, NOT ONLY WHAT'S HAPPENING FROM A PROGRAM MINISTRY PERSPECTIVE, UH, BUT ALSO LOOKING AT OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND THEN A LOOK FORWARD. AS YOU MENTIONED, A SMALL BUSINESS IS BIG BUSINESS HERE IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT SMALL BUSINESSES, THEY ARE THE BACKBONE OF OUR LOCAL ECONOMY AND THE HEARTBEAT OF OUR COOL, UNIQUE, AUTHENTIC COMMERCIAL QUARTERS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. SMALL BUSINESSES CREATE JOBS, THEY BUILD WEALTH FOR THEIR FAMILIES AND MAKE BIG INVESTMENTS IN OUR COMMUNITY, ONE BUSINESS AT A TIME. WE HAVE AND CONTINUE TO IMPLEMENT PRO UH, PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES THAT SUPPORT OUR SMALL BUSINESSES AND ENTREPRENEURS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. TODAY, WE ARE HONORED TO SHARE ALL OUR AWARD-WINNING SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS, ACCOMPLISHMENTS, AND I LOOK FORWARD THAT SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES, ENTREPRENEURS IN THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE. AS YOU CAN SEE ON THIS SLIDE, OVER THE PAST YEAR, WE'VE REALLY WORKED WITH A LOT OF BUSINESSES THROUGHOUT THE CITY. WE ASSISTED OVER 1,261 BUSINESSES. WE VISITED OVER 1000 BUSINESSES THROUGH BUSINESS RETENTION AND BUSINESS WALKS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. WE HELD 49 COMMUNITY EVENTS WE ALS AND ATTENDED, AND WE ALSO PROVIDED, UH, 40 BUSINESSES WITH TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORTED THROUGH OVER 300 BUSINESSES WITH REP BUSINESS RAPID RESPONSE SERVICES FROM, UH, [00:30:01] PROPERTY DAMAGE TO VANDALISM, TO MAKING SURE THEY UNDERSTAND AND EDUCATE THEM ON ALL THE GREAT RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH AVAILABLE THROUGH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY DEPARTMENT, AS WELL AS THE CITY AS A WHOLE. WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO HAND IT OVER TO JULIAN. SENATOR DUDA. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR MARTINEZ. SO, YEAH, WE'RE GONNA PROVIDE YOU WITH AN OVERVIEW, UH, OF THE VARIOUS SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE, AND I THINK IT'S GREAT THAT WE GET STARTED WITH THE LEGACY BUSINESS PROGRAM. SO, LEGACY BUSINESS PROGRAM IS A PROGRAM THAT WE RECENTLY TOOK ABOUT A COUPLE YEARS AGO OVER FROM THE LONG BEACH HERITAGE FOUNDATION, WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THEM. AND, UM, IT, YOU KNOW, THERE IS A, A SET OF ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS THAT A BUSINESS IS TO MEET. ONE OF THEM IS BEING IN OPERATION FOR AT LEAST 10 YEARS. AND SO OTHER ELEMENTS LIKE, UM, CONTRIBUTING IN A MEANINGFUL WAY IN A CULTURAL MANNER, FOR EXAMPLE, TO THE BUSINESS CORRIDOR OR THE COMMUNITY AROUND THEM. UM, THE PROGRAM IS OPEN FOR ENROLLMENT YEAR ROUND. SO WE DEFINITELY ENCOURAGE, UH, YOU KNOW, EVERYONE TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION, UH, YOU KNOW, FOR BUSINESS THAT SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED AS A LEGACY BUSINESS PROGRAM. WE ALSO HAVE THE BIZ CARE TEAM. YOU HEAR A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT LATER, AND THEY'RE HAPPY TO HELP, UH, WALK THE BUSINESSES THROUGH THAT PROCESS. UH, THE LATEST AND GREATEST ON THIS PROGRAM, WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WE'VE PARTNERED WITH, UM, BRIN AGENCY, WHICH IS A MARKETING FIRM, AND THEY'RE ASSISTING THE, UH, LEGACY BUSINESS AS RIGHT NOW TO REALLY MAKE SURE THEY HAVE A GREAT DIGITAL PRESENCE. UH, AS YOU KNOW, IN TODAY'S ECONOMY, THE CONSUMER IS REALLY LOOKING ONLINE TO SEE WHERE THEY WANT TO GO, WHERE THEY WANNA, YOU KNOW, UM, LOOK TO PURCHASE, LOOK TO, YOU KNOW, EXPERIENCES AND RESTAURANTS. SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THEIR LEGACY BUSINESSES, OFTENTIMES, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE, UM, OLDER, UH, BUSINESS OWNERS THAT MAYBE ARE, HAVE NOT BEEN KEPT ABREAST OF THE IMPORTANCE OF DIGITAL, UH, PRESENCE ON ONLINE. SO, UH, WE'RE FOCUSING ONE BY ONE WITH THESE BUSINESSES TO MAKE SURE THAT THE BUSINESSES HAVE A ROBUST WEBSITE, MAKING SURE THAT THE WEBSITE ALSO IS, HAS BEEN, UM, OPTIMIZED FOR, YOU KNOW, SEO SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION SO THAT THEY CAN BE FOUND ONLINE. SO THEY CAN BE FOUND THEN, YOU KNOW, IN THE CORRIDOR. UM, ALSO ASSISTING TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE AND HELPING THEM TO CREATE CONTENT THAT IS ENGAGING FOR THE CONSUMER, THE RESIDENTS, YOU KNOW, AND OUR VISITORS HERE IN LONG BEACH. AND THEN ALSO, YOU KNOW, OTHER SERVICES, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, MAYBE THE, UM, THE LEGACY BUSINESS DOESN'T HAVE A LOGO AND THEY WANT TO HAVE A LOGO SO THAT THEY'RE BRANDED CORRECTLY, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE'RE ALSO UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF MARKETING AND BRANDING, YOU KNOW, FOR THE CONSUMER AND IDENTIFYING, UM, ESPECIALLY IN A VERY COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT LIKE WE HAVE HERE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. SO, THINGS LIKE LOGO DESIGN OR REFRESHING THE LOGO, CREATING A WEBSITE, SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE, MARKETING CAMPAIGN, UH, YOU KNOW, ONLINE. THESE ARE ALL VERY IMPORTANT THINGS THAT WE'RE PROVIDING OUR LEGACY BUSINESSES WITH RIGHT NOW, UH, THROUGH A PARTNERSHIP. THE OTHER THING WE'VE DONE, UH, OR THIS YEAR IS THAT, UM, WE EMBARKED ON A MARKETING CAMPAIGN WITH THE, UH, HOTELIERS AROUND THE, HERE IN DOWNTOWN AND THEN THE LONG BEACH AIRPORT. SO THEY, UM, HAVE FLYERS THERE. SO AS OUR VISITORS ARE FLYING IN FROM THE AIRPORT OR STAYING, UM, YOU KNOW, A NIGHT OR TWO HERE IN OUR, UH, LONG BEACH HOTELS, THEY CAN PICK UP THIS FLYER. AND IN THAT FLYER FEATURES OUR LEGACY BUSINESSES. SO, YOU KNOW, KIND OF AGAIN, JUST PROMPTING THEM TO VISIT OUR, OUR LEGACY BUSINESSES HERE, UH, IN THE CITY. UH, ANOTHER PROGRAM HERE IS THE VACANCY, THE VIBRANCY STOREFRONT PROGRAM. SO, YOU KNOW, THIS ONE IS ABOUT YOU MAKING SURE THAT OUR CORRIDORS ARE BRIGHT AND THEY'RE WELCOMING AND THEY'RE ENGAGING TO OUR, YOU KNOW, PEDESTRIANS ARE CORRIDORS HERE. SO WHAT WE DID WITH THIS ONE IS WE ENGAGED IN ANOTHER COLLABORATION WITH R TEL B AND R TEL B HELPS US TO IDENTIFY FIVE LOCAL ARTISTS HERE IN LONG BEACH BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, AS, AS WE HAVE THESE FUNDING DOLLARS, WE ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE, UM, YOU KNOW, CYCLE THEM HERE IN OUR LOCAL ECONOMY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, PARTICULARLY, YOU KNOW, ARTS ENTERTAINMENT AS WELL. SO, YOU KNOW, WE SELECTED FIVE LOCAL ARTISTS HERE, AND THEN THE FIVE ARTISTS PROVIDED, UH, RENDERINGS FOR, UM, THE STORE, UH, THE STOREFRONT WRAPPING PROGRAM. AND NOW WE ARE, YOU KNOW, ESSENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, LETTING, UH, LANDLORDS, PROPERTY MANAGERS, BUSINESS OWNERS KNOW IF THEY'RE INTERESTED IN HAVING THEIR STOREFRONT WRAPPED, YOU KNOW, WITH, UH, ART THAT IS REALLY KIND OF SPEAKS TO LONG BEACH AND ITS CREATIVITY AND, AND WHAT IT MEANS TO BE IN LONG BEACH. YOU KNOW, WE COVER THE COST OF THAT INSTALLATIONS AS WELL. SO IT REALLY, IT COMES AT NO COST TO THE PROPERTY OWNER OR THE PROPERTY MANAGER, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, VERY HAPPY TO, TO SAY HERE. AND AGAIN, THAT REALLY JUST HELPS TO TURN ON, WANT OUR ACTIVITY IN THE CORRIDOR AND MAKES IT, YOU KNOW, UM, EVEN FOR THE ONES THAT ARE, UM, VACANT, GIVES IT MORE OF AN ACTIVATED FEEL, YOU KNOW, THROUGH, THROUGH ART. NEXT SLIDE HERE IS JUST A BUSINESS SUPPORT PROGRAM. ANOTHER PROGRAM WE RUN ALONGSIDE WITH THE LEGACY BUSINESS PROGRAM IS THE GREEN BUSINESS PROGRAM. SO THIS ONE REALLY IS, UM, IT'S REALLY FOR SMALL BUSINESSES THAT WANNA SET THEMSELVES APART BY, BY LETTING CONSUMERS KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY ARE SUSTAINABILITY GOALS, UH, HAVE AGGRESSIVE SUSTAINABILITY GR UH, GOALS. UH, AND SO FAR THIS YEAR, UH, WE HAVE 26 CERTIFIED OR RE-CERTIFIED GR GREEN BUSINESSES, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT THE CITY. THAT'S, UH, MORE OF A, THAT'S A PROGRAM WE HAD PUT ON PAUSE FOR THE PAST COUPLE YEARS. UH, BUT NOW IT'S SOMETHING THAT KIND OF, WE'VE REACTIVATED. SO AS WE GO AND TOUCH, UM, TOUCHING WITH OUR BUSINESSES, WE MAKE SURE THAT, UH, WE PRESENT THEM WITH THIS PROGRAM AS WELL TO SEE IF THEY'RE INTERESTED IN BEING QUALIFIED FOR IT. UM, [00:35:01] SOMETHING WE ALWAYS SAY IN OUR DEPARTMENT, YOU KNOW, IS EVERYONE HAS DREAMS. EVERYONE'S WANTS TO MAKE THINGS REALITY, BUT WHAT YOU NEED IS REALLY, YOU KNOW, FUNDS TO MAKE THAT BUSINESS REALITY TRUE. SO, SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALSO VERY HAPPY TO TALK ABOUT HERE TODAY IS A LEVEL OF SMALL BUSINESS BOOT BOOT, UH, BOOTCAMP PROGRAM HERE. UH, WE JUST CONCLUDED THIS THIRD COHORT, UH, HERE IN LAST MONTH IN 2026. AND WHAT THIS PROGRAM DOES, IT PROVIDES BUSINESSES WITH 10, WITH $10,000 GRANTS TO HELP PARTICIPANTS, UH, LEVEL UP THEIR OPERATIONS, RIGHT? SO DURING A SERIES OF WORKSHOPS OVER A COUPLE OF MONTHS, WE PARTNERED THEM WITH ONE OF OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS, FOR EXAMPLE, SBDC, THE SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL. UH, THEY PARTNER WITH, UH, WITH THEM, UH, A BUSINESS DOES. AND THEY THEN, OVER THE COURSE OF, OF A FEW WEEKS IN WORKSHOPS, REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT ARE THE GAPS IN EACH OF THE BUSINESSES, AND THEN HELP THEM TO, UH, FILL THAT GAP. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, MAYBE THE BUSINESS DOESN'T HAVE A BUSINESS PLAN. THEY MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE ONE OF THOSE, YOU KNOW, UM, UH, CREATED TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE GUIDED AS WELL, STRATEGICALLY THROUGH THAT MARKETING AND BRANDING AS WELL. UH, HELPING THEM UNDERSTAND THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS FOR CITIES, THE PORT AND OTHER, UM, AND OTHER AGENCIES. YOU KNOW, OFTENTIMES WE FIND THAT SMALL BUSINESSES ARE HESITANT TO ENGAGE LARGER AGENCIES TO FOR BUSINESS, BUT THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, WE HELP 'EM UNDERSTAND THAT THAT IS REALLY A HUGE OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM. UH, WE KNOW WHETHER IT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, UM, FOOD SERVICES OR OFFICE SUPPLIES, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, SO THIS HAS BEEN A REALLY SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM HERE, AND HAPPY TO HAVE CONCLUDED IT JUST LAST WEEK IN CELEBRATING THE CULMINATION THERE OF ADDITIONAL BUSINESSES, UH, FOR THAT PROGRAM. UM, A LONGSTANDING PROGRAM THAT I THINK, UH, YOU KNOW, MANY BUSINESSES ARE AWARE OF IS THE VIP PROGRAM OR THE VISUAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. UH, THAT IS A PROGRAM THAT STARTED, UH, DURING COVID, AND WE'VE PROVIDED A TOTAL OF 472, UH, GRANTS TOTALING IN $634,500. AND, UH, THE VIP PROGRAM REALLY IS MEANT TO REPAIR ANY DAMAGES THAT HAVE OCCURRED DUE TO VANDALISM, RIGHT? SO THINK OF GRAFFITI BROKEN WINDOWS, UNFORTUNATELY, RIGHT? WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE BUSINESS IS ABLE TO AMELIORATE AND SOLVE FOR THAT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. ONE, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY IT'S A SAFETY ISSUE, BUT THEN TWO IS REALLY TAKE MAKING SURE THAT THAT CORRIDOR IS HEALTHY, RIGHT? BECAUSE YOU WANT TO ATTRACT, IF THERE'S ANY VACANCIES, ADDITIONAL BUSINESSES YOU WANNA ATTRACT PEDESTRIANS. MAKE SURE THAT OUR CORRIDORS HERE THROUGHOUT LONG BEACH REALLY PORTRAY THAT THEY'RE SAFE, AND IT'S A GREAT PLACE TO COME AND, AND PATRONIZE OUR BUSINESSES ALONG THOSE LINES. UH, WE RECENTLY JUST LAUNCHED, UH, LAST MONTH, OUR SAFE AND SECURE LONG BEACH PROGRAM. UH, HAPPY TO REPORT THAT IS, UH, BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL SO FAR. WE HAVE ABOUT 12 APPLICATIONS IN THAT ARE UNDER REVIEW. UH, FOUR OF THOSE HAVE BEEN APPROVED. UM, SO WE MOVED AWAY FROM, YOU KNOW, UH, WE HAVE THE VIP PRO. WE REALLY WANNA BE PROACTIVE, YOU KNOW, SO WHAT DETERS THE VANDALISM THAT THE VIP PROGRAM SEEKS TO, UH, AMELIORATE. AND WHAT WE THOUGHT ABOUT IS DESIGNING A PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES, UH, UP TO $1,500 IN GRANTS FOR THE BUSINESSES, AND THAT THESE DOLLARS CAN BE APPLIED FOR, UH, INSTALLMENT OF SECURITY CAMERAS, UH, YOU KNOW, KIND OF, UH, MORE, UM, PICK RESISTANT LOCKS, UH, BETTER WINDOWS AND DOORWAYS OR MATERIALS TO PROTECT, UH, YOU KNOW, BREAK-INS AND ALSO, UH, POS OR, UH, POINT OF SALE SYSTEMS. OFTENTIMES, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HEAR THAT, UM, THERE MAY BE BREAK-INS BECAUSE A, UH, UH, BUSINESS IS CASH, YOU KNOW, CASH ONLY. SO WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO ENCOURAGE MORE BUSINESSES TO DEPLOY POS SYSTEMS SO THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE AS MUCH CASH ON HAND, YOU KNOW, ON THE SPOT, AND HOPEFULLY DETERRING A BREAK IN, UM, YOU KNOW, DOWN THE ROAD THROUGH THE SAFE AND SECURE PROGRAM. NEXT, MOVING ON, UH, YOU KNOW, IS, UH, THE ACCESS TO CAPITAL PIECE HERE. UM, THIS IS A LONGSTANDING PROGRAM, UH, THAT THE CITY HAS HAD, AND ONE THAT I THINK WE'RE VERY PROUD, UH, TO, TO SAY THAT WE HAVE HERE. UH, WE RECENTLY, UM, HAVE RECEIVED A $750,000 GRANT FROM, UH, THE EDA, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION. AND THAT FUNDS ARE GONNA GO DIRECTLY INTO OUR COMMUNITY, INTO OUR SMALL BUSINESSES TO PROVIDE, UH, WHAT CALLED REVOLVING LOAN FUND OR MICRO ENTERPRISE ENTERPRISE LOAN FUND PROGRAMS. THEY RAN IN ANYWHERE FROM $10,000 TO A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, UH, FIVE TO 10 YEAR TERM. UM, AND THE GREAT THING ABOUT THE THIS PROGRAM IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE NOT, UM, A, A TRADITIONAL LENDING INSTITUTION, RIGHT? SO WE'RE REALLY, UH, ABLE TO PROVIDE COMPETITIVE INTEREST RATES ONE, AND THEN TWO, OUR GOAL IS REALLY NOT THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT ON THE DOLLAR SO MUCH AS IT IS AS LOOKING AT JOB CREATION. WE, YOU KNOW, THERE, WHEN WE PROVIDE A, A LOAN TO THIS BUSINESSES, THERE'S AN EXPECTATION THAT THEY'RE GONNA BE CREATING JOBS WITH THIS LOAN. SO, AGAIN, IT'S ABOUT PROVIDING GOOD PAYING JOBS AND ACTIVATING THE STOREFRONTS, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT MAY CURRENTLY BE VACANT. UH, THE OTHER PIECE, UH, RELATING TO ACCESS TO CAPITAL IS OUR GROW LOAN BEACH FUND. SO THAT IS ESSENTIALLY SIM, UH, FUNCTION SIMILAR TO THE REVOLVING LOAN FUND, EXCEPT FOR NOW YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT LARGER LOAN AMOUNTS, ANYWHERE FROM A HUNDRED THOUSAND TO $5 MILLION. THE YEARS A LITTLE LONGER HERE AS WELL. AND ANOTHER, UM, [00:40:01] THROUGH THE, UM, REDEVELOPMENT, UH, AGENCY DOLLARS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO RECEIVE, UH, NFY 26, WE WERE ABLE TO RESEED THIS FUND WITH $405,000. UH, THE GREAT THING ABOUT THE GROW AMERICA FUND IS THAT, UM, IT'S ALSO KNOWN AS THE GROWER FUND. THE GROW AMERICA PARTNER THEN TAKES THIS INITIAL INVESTMENT AND THEN ATTRACTS ADDITIONAL DOLLARS FROM THE FEDERAL LEVEL, FOR EXAMPLE, IN THEIR OWN DOLLARS. SO WE'RE ESSENTIALLY, UH, GETTING A, A ONE TO THREE RATIO. SO THESE $405,000 IN LENDING THROUGH A PARTNERSHIP WITH THEM TURNS INTO $1.2 MILLION IN LENDING. SO THAT'S, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE GREATEST PROGRAMS I THINK THAT WE RUN HERE AT THE CITY, MAKING SURE THAT OUR SMALL BUSINESSES, YOU KNOW, THAT MAY NOT ALWAYS HAVE THE MOST STELLAR CREDIT, 'CAUSE THEY'RE NEW, THEY'RE ENTREPRENEURS, HAVE ACCESS TO MUCH NEEDED CAPITAL TO RAMP UP THEIR BUSINESS OPERATIONS. MOVING ON TO A VACANCY AND VIBRANCY HERE, I THINK, UM, SOMETHING, A KEYNOTE, UH, SOMETHING REALLY IMPORTANT TO NOTE ABOUT HERE IS, YOU KNOW, OFTENTIMES A BUSINESS, SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS, ENTREPRENEURS, THEY DON'T HAVE THE INFORMATION AND DATA READILY AVAILABLE TO MAKE THE, THE WISE DECISION, THE RIGHT, THE WISE BUSINESS DECISIONS FOR, FOR THEIR COMPANIES AND THEIR ORGANIZATION. SO, UM, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE REALLY, YOU KNOW, ALSO FROM THE CITY, VERY HAPPY TO PROVIDE. ONE, WE HAVE THE VACANCY TO VIBRANCY REAL ESTATE PROPERTY TOOL. SO WHAT THIS ALLOWS ANYBODY TO DO, LET'S SAY, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN BAKING OUTTA THEIR KITCHEN, RIGHT? BUT THEY HAVE OVER THE YEARS, HAVE NOW GROWN A CLIENTELE TO WHERE NOW THEY'RE LOOKING AT A BRICK AND MORTAR. SO, YOU KNOW, OFTENTIMES THEY MAY, YOU KNOW, AND TRADITIONALLY MAY LOOK FOR A BROKER OR MAY BE, YOU KNOW, FEEL THEY MAY, MAY BE ON THEIR OWN JUST DRIVING AROUND TOWN LOOKING FOR A VACANT STOREFRONT. WELL, THIS VACANCY TO VIBRANCY, REAL ESTATE PROPERTY TOOL SCRAPES EVERY NIGHT, SCRAPES THE IN, YOU KNOW, UH, THE INTERNET TO FIND THE VACANCIES THROUGHOUT ALL OF LONG BEACH. AND IT CENTRALIZES ALL THESE VACANCIES FOR THE BUSINESS OWNER, AND IT'S A SUPER INTUITIVE TOOL. THEY'RE ABLE TO LOOK FOR INDUSTRIAL, COMMERCIAL, UM, YOU KNOW, UM, EVEN OFFICE USE THERE, AND TO FILTER EXACTLY WHAT THEY NEED. DO THEY NEED 500 FEET? DO THEY NEED 1500 FEET? THEY'RE ABLE TO TOGGLE ALL THOSE, ALL THOSE AREAS AND REALLY, YOU KNOW, FIND WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR WITHOUT HAVING TO SPEND MORE MONEY. SO, YOU KNOW, WE LOVE DEMOCRATIZING THE DATA THAT IS NEEDED FOR SMALL BUSINESSES TO MAKE WISE DECISIONS. AND THIS IS ONE WAY GREAT TO ONE, UH, GREAT WAY TO DO IT. THE OTHER ONE THAT WE HAVE IS THE BUSINESS INSIGHTS TOOL. SO AGAIN, UM, TRADITIONALLY THIS KIND OF INFORMATION HAS BEEN GATE KEPT, YOU KNOW, THROUGH CONSULTANTS OR, UH, YOU KNOW, THINK TANKS. IT HASN'T BEEN READILY MADE, READILY AVAILABLE. SO THIS IS A GREAT TOOL REALLY TO ASK AND TO LEARN, YOU KNOW, WHERE SHOULD I START MY BUSINESS IN LONG BEACH? LET'S SAY YOU WANNA START A COFFEE SHOP, RIGHT? YOU'RE ABLE TO SEE WHAT THE LAY OF THE LAND IS. UM, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, IF THERE IS A GAP IN THE CITY THAT DOESN'T HAVE A COFFEE SHOP, YOU'RE ABLE TO IDENTIFY THOSE AREAS AND ALSO UNDERSTAND, UH, CUSTOMER DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILES. YOU KNOW, WHO IS YOUR CLIENT? WHERE DO THEY LIVE? WHAT IS THEIR HOUSEHOLD INCOME? WHAT IS A DISCRETIONARY INCOME? SO IT ALLOWS 'EM TO REALLY THINK THROUGH, UM, YOU KNOW, THINK THROUGH HOW THEY'RE GONNA START THEIR BUSINESS AND WHERE THEY'RE GONNA START IT, AND HOW THEY'RE GONNA LAUNCH IT. UH, AGAIN, YOU, I CAN'T GET ENOUGH PEOPLE TO GET ON THIS. IT'S EXTREMELY, YOU KNOW, USEFUL AND VERY VALUABLE. UH, MOVING ON TO BUSINESS WALKS. WE ACTUALLY JUST DID THE ONE IN, IN CD ONE A COUPLE DAYS AGO. SO THIS IS OUR GOALS HERE IS REALLY TO INFORM OUR BUSINESSES ABOUT THE RESOURCES, RIGHT? AND REALLY TO MAKE A PERSONAL CONNECTION WITH OUR BUSINESS OWNERS THAT HAVE INVESTED SO MUCH IN OUR CORRIDORS AND OUR BUSINESSES, AND TO LET THEM KNOW REALLY THAT WE'RE HERE AND THEY CAN REACH OUT TO US FOR WHATEVER QUESTIONS THEY HAVE. UM, AND IT'S ALSO TO HELP THEM NAVIGATE THE, THE CITY PROCESS, UH, AS WELL. THIS IS, AGAIN, COLLABORATION IS HUGE FOR, FOR US HERE AT EDO TO DO OUR WORK. YOU SEE THE LONG LIST OF DEPARTMENTS, UH, THAT, THAT HAVE WALKED WITH US, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT OUR BUSINESS WALKS, IT'S A REALLY GREAT EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYBODY, AND WE'RE ABLE TO REALLY HEAR FROM THE BUSINESS OWNERS THEMSELVES, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S GOING ON IN THEIR MINDS, HOW CAN THE CITY BE A GOOD PARTNER? HOW CAN WE HELP THEM BE SUCCESSFUL? UM, AND IT'S A, IT'S A JUST A GREAT WAY TO BUILD THE RELATIONSHIP, YOU KNOW, BETWEEN THE CITY AND, AND THEN OUR, OUR BUSINESS OWNERS AND ENTREPRENEURS HERE. AND WE'VE REACHED THROUGH THESE, UH, THE FIRST YEAR WE'VE REACHED OVER 250, UH, BUSINESSES HAVE BEEN REACHED THROUGH THIS WALKS, UH, MOVING ON TO BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS. UH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE FORTUNATE TO HAVE NONE OF THOSE DISTRICTS HERE. AND AS YOU'LL SEE HERE IN A LITTLE BIT, THE CREATE POTENTIAL CREATION FOR MORE DOWN THE ROAD. SO, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEY REALLY DO IS THEY'RE A GREAT, AGAIN, BUSINESS PARTNER, JUST LIKE IN MANY OTHER PROGRAMS, TO CREATE A VIBRANT, CLEAN, AND SAFE, UH, BUSINESS CORRIDORS HERE. UH, WE PROVIDED THEM, UH, WITH ONE TIME GRANT FUNDING FOR THE PAST TWO OR THREE YEARS, AND WE'RE GONNA BE DOING THAT AGAIN THIS YEAR. UH, WITH THIS ONE TIME FUNDING AND ALSO THE ASSESSMENTS THAT THEY COLLECT, UM, AS WELL, UH, THEY'RE ABLE TO REALLY, UH, ENHANCE CLEANLINESS BEYOND WHAT THE CITY'S ABLE TO PROVIDE, YOU KNOW, AROUND THE COMMERCIAL CORRIDORS, MAKE SURE THAT THEIR GREEN SPACES ARE KEPT CLEAN, PLANT ADDITIONAL TREES, FOR EXAMPLE, LOOK AT STREETSCAPE ENHANCEMENT, PERHAPS LOOKING AT RS ACTIVATION, UM, EXPERIENCES FOR, FOR CUSTOMERS. AND REALLY ALSO LOOKING AT BUSINESS SUPPORT AND DEVELOPMENT. AND LIKE I MENTIONED EARLIER, SPECIAL EVENTS AND ACTIVATIONS. UH, AND AGAIN, THEY'RE, THEY'RE REALLY GREAT. UM, THE, THE LEADERSHIP AT THESE, UH, THESE BIDS ARE, ARE REALLY HELPFUL BECAUSE THEY REALLY ALL FUNDAMENTALLY UNDERSTAND THE CORRIDORS [00:45:01] AND HAVE GREAT RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE BUSINESSES IN THOSE CORRIDORS. AND THEY'RE ALSO, UM, ARE A GREAT VALUE TO US FOR PARTNERSHIP, BECAUSE WE'RE ABLE TO REALLY HEAR, YOU KNOW, THROUGH THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS, WHAT ARE THE PRIORITIES OF THIS CORRIDOR? WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS? AND THEY'RE ABLE TO REALLY JUST KIND OF FOCUS ON MESSAGING FOR US TO, TO REALLY BE RECEPTIVE AND, AND UNDERSTAND AND BE GOOD PARTNERS TO THEIR BUSINESSES. IN TURN, UH, NEXT MOVE ON IS, UH, INCLUSIVE BUSINESS NAVIGATORS. THIS IS VERY SIMILAR TO OUR, UM, OUR BIS CARE TEAM, EXCEPT FOR THEIR PARTNERS, YOU KNOW, LONGSTANDING PARTNERS AND NONPROFITS IN THE, OR IN, UH, THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, FOR EXAMPLE, UNITED CAMBODIAN COMMUNITY, RIGHT? AND THEY ARE, UH, WE LOOK TO THEM AND WE, UM, REFER CUSTO, UH, CUSTOMERS OR, OR BUSINESS OWNERS TO THEM, UH, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE BUSINESSES AND BUSINESS OWNERS RECEIVE INFORMATION AND LINGUISTICALLY AND APPROPRIATE AND CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE LANGUAGE. THEY RECEIVE, UM, HELP, UH, FOR GRANT AND LOAN APPLICATION, BUSINESS PLANNING, FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING, MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, YOU KNOW, SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ABLE TO LEAN ON THEM FOR SERVICES THAT WE OFTENTIMES CANNOT, UM, PROVIDE. AND THEY'RE ALSO REALLY WELL TRAINED. SO WE ALWAYS MAKE SURE, UH, YOU KNOW, WE FEEL, WE FEEL THAT WE, UM, THEY, WELL, WE KNOW THAT WE'RE GETTING GREAT, THEY'RE GETTING GREAT INFORMATION. AS YOU CAN SEE, UH, IN, IN COMBINATION, THOSE, UH, NAVIGATORS HAVE PROVIDED ALMOST 2,500 HOURS OF TECHNICAL SUPPORT. OVER 700 BUSINESSES HAVE BEEN SUPPORTED THROUGH THEM, AND A HUNDRED, OVER A HUNDRED WORKSHOPS HAVE BEEN HOSTED, UH, WITH THE, THROUGH THESE PARTNERS. UH, LASTLY, UM, YOU KNOW, WE RECENTLY ADDED, I THINK A COUPLE YEARS AGO NOW, A PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER TO THE TEAM. AND THEY HAVE BEEN INTEGRAL IN ALLOWING US TO SHORT SHOWCASE OUR SMALL BUSINESSES HERE. UH, YOU KNOW, AND THEY, THIS IS, AS YOU KNOW, THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND DIGITAL PRESENCE, LIKE WE MENTIONED EARLIER, IS REALLY JUST FEATURING THE BUSINESSES THAT OFTENTIMES, YOU KNOW, THE CUSTOMERS OR RESIDENTS DON'T KNOW THEY'RE THERE, BUT THEY WANT TO GO AND, AND VISIT AND SUPPORT. SO THIS IS REALLY, UH, SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN FOCUSING ON A LOT THROUGH SUPPORT OUR PAO HERE. AND, UM, OVER 300 SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHTS HAVE BEEN DONE, UH, THIS YEAR. AND AGAIN, IT'S, I THINK THAT THIS HAS HUGE IMPACT, RIGHT? AND WE'RE ABLE TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR UNIQUE BUSINESSES, YOU KNOW, RECEIVE THAT SPOTLIGHT AND, AND ARE RECOGNIZED BY THE RESIDENTS, AND THEN ALSO VISITED BY THEM. LASTLY HERE, WE ALSO ROLLED OUT, UM, WE KNOW THAT STARTING A BUSINESS CAN BE A VERY, YOU KNOW, CAN BE A DAUNTING AND CAN FEEL VERY DAUNTING FOR THE BUSINESS OWNER, THE ENTREPRENEUR. SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE MAKE THAT AS EASY AND AS STREAMLINED AS POSSIBLE. SO HERE, YOU KNOW, BO ALWAYS TELLS US THIS, OUR DIRECTOR, HE, YOU KNOW, WE BELIEVE IN ROLLING OUT THE RED CARPET, NOT THE RED TAPE. SO WE MAKE SURE THAT WE, UH, CONNECT WITH THE BUSINESS AS SOON AS WE CAN SO THAT WE, THEY, UH, YOU KNOW, THEIR HANDS ARE HELD ALONG THE PROCESS OF STARTING A BUSINESS, WHETHER IT'S OPEN UP A STOREFRONT, OR, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST EVEN A HOME OFFICE AS WELL, DEPENDING ON, ON WHERE THEY'RE AT. WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT OUR DEPARTMENT AND OUR PEER DEPARTMENTS MEET THE BUSINESSES AND ENTREPRENEURS EXACTLY WHERE THEY'RE AT. AND BEFORE I PASS IT OVER TO BO HERE, I JUST WANTED TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE COMING DOWN THE PIPELINE FOR US. VERY EXCITING. UM, THROUGH A PARTNERSHIP WITH TID, UH, WE HAVE THE ANAHEIM CORRIDOR SAFETY CROSSWALK PILOT. SO THAT'S GONNA BE, UM, A, A PILOT PROGRAM THAT'S ABLE TO IDENTIFY, YOU KNOW, NEAR HOW DO WE, HOW, BASICALLY ASK THE QUESTION OF HOW CAN WE MAKE THE HEIM CORRIDOR, UH, SAFER AND, YOU KNOW, ENHANCES SAFETY. SO LOOKING AT NEAR MISSES BY PEDESTRIANS, HOW DOES, WHAT DOES A LIGHTING LOOK LIKE? THAT'S SOMETHING WE HEAR A LOT, RIGHT? SO, UH, UNDERSTANDING WHERE THE ISSUE AREAS ARE PARTICULARLY, OR AT A COUPLE OF THE CROSSWALKS THERE THAT ARE THE BUSIEST. AND THEN, UM, MAKING A, A BETTER INFORMED DECISION ABOUT HOW WE'RE GONNA BE, UM, ADDRESSING, UH, THOSE CHALLENGES. UM, ADDITIONAL BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT ONE TIME SUPPORT. SO THAT'LL BE AN FY 27 COMING UP AS WELL. UH, GOING ON WITH THE, YOU KNOW, MORE ON THE, ON THE BIDS, UH, HERE, LOOKING AT CREATION OF POTENTIAL, UM, BID, UH, IN WRIGLEY. SO ON THE PACIFIC AND WILLOW CORRIDORS, THERE WE'RE ABOUT, UM, 40% OF THE WAY THERE. WE'RE CURRENTLY COLLECTING PETITIONS AND ABOUT 40% OF THE WAY THERE, UH, ENGAGING BUSINESSES AND REALLY JUST EDUCATING THE BUSINESS OWNERS ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF, OF THE BID AND, AND WHY IT IS A HEALTHY THING TO HAVE ALONG THE CORRIDORS, UH, IN THE BUSINESSES. UM, ALSO KIND OF HAVING THAT CONVERSATION ON, ON THE WEST SIDE AND THE SANTA FE CORRIDOR. UH, THAT ONE, UH, REALLY EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT, YOU KNOW, AFTER ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF WORKING WITH A CORE GROUP OF BUSINESSES THERE, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY OFFICIALLY BE, BECAME THE, UM, WEST SIDE LONG BEACH BUSINESS ALLIANCE, AND THEY ACTUALLY JUST HOSTED THEIR, THEIR FIRST NIGHT MARKET A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, UM, IN CO IN COORDINATION WITH COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, UH, KINDA DEVELOPMENT AND A FEW OTHER DEPARTMENTS, UH, YOU KNOW, IN THE CITY. AND IT WAS A GREAT SUCCESS. WE HAD ABOUT 500 PEOPLE ATTEND. SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED, UH, FOR THIS ONE THAT'S COMING UP, UM, THIS WEEK ON THE 16TH, AND THEN ANOTHER ONE ON THE 20TH. UM, AND THEN, UM, THE LAST PLACE, LEMME JUMP BACK, UH, ON THE WEST SIDE AGAIN, IS THE WEST SIDE INDUSTRIAL AREA HERE THAT IS ALSO ON THE WEST SIDE, BUT IS ON THE INDUSTRIAL, YOU KNOW, MORE OF THE, THE, UH, THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE WEST SIDE. AND REALLY ALSO HAVING THAT SAME CONVERSATION WITH REALLY PROPERTY OWNERS AND SOME BUSINESS OWNERS AS WELL, ABOUT THE UNDERSTANDING [00:50:01] THE INTEREST OF, UH, POTENTIALLY CREATING A BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT THERE TOO. AND THEN, LIKE I MENTIONED EARLIER, THE WEST SIDE MARKETS ARE A HUGE SUCCESS, AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING THE NEXT TWO HERE IN THE COUPLE MONTHS. UM, WE HAVE AN UPCOMING, UH, CANNABIS NETWORKING EVENT ON OCTOBER 8TH THAT'S REALLY SUPPORTING OUR CANNABIS EQUITY APPLICANTS. AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, THAT ECOSYSTEM THERE THAT EXISTS HERE IN LONG BEACH. AND THEN, UM, ALSO REALLY, UM, DIGGING INTO THE MICRO ENTERPRISES AND MICRO MICRO ENTREPRENEUR SUPPORT. SO RIGHT NOW, STAFF IS NOW, UM, REALLY TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS THE BE, WHAT ARE THE BEST PROGRAMS, AND HOW CAN WE BEST ROLL THEM OUT TO SUPPORT MICRO ENTREPRENEURS, RIGHT? SO NOW YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT MECO, NOW YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT SIDE WALK VENDORS, UM, AND ALSO PEOPLE THAT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE, UH, STARTING AN IN-HOME BUSINESS. SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE REALLY ARE THINKING THROUGH RIGHT NOW AND ARE EXCITED TO ROLL OUT HERE IN, IN, IN THE COMING MONTHS. AND THEN LASTLY, OF COURSE, WE HAVE THE LA 28 OLYMPICS AND PARALYMPIC GAMES. SO REALLY THINKING ABOUT, AND I THINK WE WE'RE DOING A GREAT JOB JUST THROUGH ALL THE PROGRAMS THAT WE DO. HOW DO WE PREPARE OUR SMALL BUSINESSES TO TAKE A BITE OF THE APPLE THAT ARE THE LA 28 GAMES? SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S, THAT WE'RE WORKING REALLY HARD IN AND COMING UP HERE ON THE HORIZON. WITH THAT BEING SAID, I'LL PASS IT OVER TO DIRECTOR MARTINEZ. THANK YOU. YEAH. I'M GONNA GO BACK TO ONE SLIDE ON THE HORIZON. AND ONE OF THE BIG, UH, INITIATIVES THAT WE HAVE COMING FORWARD IS WHAT WE CALLED THE ENHANCED INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCING DISTRICT, ALSO KNOWN AS THE FID. AND IT'S A PARTNERSHIP WITH LA COUNTY. UM, THERE'S BEEN SEVERAL, TWO FOR FROMS ISSUED, UM, ON THOSE FINDINGS. AND WE ARE NOW DOWN TO THE FINAL FINDING, WHICH WE WILL, THE NEXT STEPS WILL BE TO DEVELOP A TFF, UH, ON AN UPDATE FOR THE F FIS WITHIN THE CITY. AND THEN FROM THERE, WE'LL, UH, GO TO A STUDY SESSION, CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION ON OCTOBER 17TH TO PRESENT A COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW OF THE FIS TARGETED AREAS THAT INCLUDE DOWNTOWN CENTRAL LONG BEACH, WEST LONG BEACH, THE AIRPORT AND SPACE BEACH, AS WELL AS NORTH LONG BEACH. AND THEN FROM THAT STEP, THEN WE'LL SCHEDULE WITH LA COUNTY'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CLUSTER INTERNAL REVIEW COMMITTEE SO THAT THEY CAN REVIEW IT AND APPROVE AND MOVE FORWARD, AND NOT ANY FOR AN E-F-E-I-F-D FOR THE CITY. AND THEN THE FINAL, UH, UH, ONE WILL BE TO SCHEDULE A RESOLUTION OF ATTENTION WITH CITY COUNCIL, UH, BY DECEMBER, UH, TO CREATE THE DISTRICT. AND THEN, WE'LL, WHEN WE GO TO CITY COUNCIL, WE'LL ALSO ALSO BE ABLE TO START IDENTIFYING THE FUTURE BOARD, WHICH WOULD BE, IS CALLED A PUBLIC FINANCE AUTHORITY. AND THOSE ARE FIVE SEATS THAT'LL BE AVAILABLE FOR THAT BOARD. AND THEN START MOVING FORWARD OF CREATING AN EFID PLAN, AND THEN STATE IN, UM, UH, STARTING THE BASELINE YEAR IN AUGUST OF 2027, WHERE WE WILL START BUILDING A FUTURE INCREMENT FOR THE DISTRICT TO REINVEST BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY. SO THIS IS A HUGE UNDERTAKING. IT'S TAKEN SEVERAL YEARS, BUT WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT WHERE IT'S GOING NEXT. UH, NEXT SLIDE I'LL BE BRIEF ON THE NEXT TWO, IS THAT, YOU KNOW, NONE OF THIS HAPPENS WITHOUT TELLING THE LONG BEACH STORY. AND AS I ALWAYS SAY, MY BOSS WILL ALWAYS SAY, IF YOU'RE NOT TELLING YOUR STORY, IT DID NOT HAPPEN. AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE TAKE VERY SERIOUSLY. SO WE FOCUS ON BRANDING AND MARKETING, LOOKING AT MAKING SURE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND ALL THE GREAT, UH, NOT ONLY ECONOMIC DEVELOP RESOURCES, BUT ALSO PARTNERSHIPS AVAILABLE TO THEM, WHETHER IT'S WEB AND DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS, AND THEN JUST REALLY GOING OUT THERE AND TELLING OUR STORY FROM EVERY ROOFTOP ACROSS LONG BEACH. AND THEN FINALLY, NONE OF THIS HAPPENS WITHOUT GREAT PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS AND PEOPLE. AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT FROM A P FOUR PERSPECTIVE, IT'S REALLY FOCUSING, IT'S REALLY FOCUSING ON PLACEMAKING, PARTNERSHIPS, PROGRAMS, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, INVESTMENTS AND JOBS, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, LEVERAGING RESOURCES, PEOPLE, AND INVESTMENTS. SO THAT, THAT ALLOWS US TO CONTINUE TO PARTNER WITH ENTREPRENEURS, SMALL BUSINESSES, TO HELP THEM GROW, SCALE AND PROSPER AND THRIVE IN OUR COMMUNITY. CHAIR, SORROW, UH, MEMBERS AND AJAS, THIS COMPLETES OUR PRESENTATION AND WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I, UH, REALLY APPRECIATE THIS OVERVIEW ABOUT WHAT'S BEEN ACCOMPLISHED BASED ON, UH, PRIORITIES THAT WAS SHARED WITH, UH, THE, THE EDO FROM THE MAYOR, AS WELL AS THE COUNCIL MEMBER WHEN WE, UH, SUPPORTED THE REBOUND INITIATIVE TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE THINGS YOU'VE ACCOMPLISHED HERE. A LOT OF IT WAS AROUND, UH, SAFE AND, UM, SAFETY AND SECURITY FOR SMALL BUSINESSES. 'CAUSE THAT'S, AS YOU SHARE, REALLY CRUCIAL FOR SMALL BUSINESSES TO NOT ONLY, UH, MAINTAIN OR SUSTAIN THEIR BUSINESS, BUT TO GROW IT AS WELL AS OTHER SUPPORT THAT'S PROVIDED SO THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO MAKE SURE THAT CUSTOMER COMES. I HAVE A LOT OF OTHER COMMENT, BUT I KNOW THAT WE'RE LIMITED IN TIME. UH, AS FAR AS JUST APPRECIATING ALL THE WORK THAT'S DONE WITH A SMALL BUT MIGHTY TEAM, I THINK THAT IT'S SO IMPORTANT WE'RE ABLE TO BE RESPONSIVE. I KNOW THAT IT'S NEVER, WE CAN'T SOLVE [00:55:01] ALL OF THE ISSUES, UH, WITHOUT DOING THINGS IN PARTNERSHIPS. SO I'M GLAD YOU HIGHLIGHTED THE VARIOUS PARTNERS, UH, AS WELL AS MAKING SURE YOU DO THE BUSINESS WALK, WHICH IS BRINGING ALL OF THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS TO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON AND WHAT THE NEEDS ARE. OFTENTIMES, WORK IS DONE IN SILO, AND I THINK IT HELPS TO MAKE SURE THAT BUSINESSES AND RESIDENTS, FRANKLY, TO KNOW THAT THE, THE DEPARTMENT IS NOT WORKING IN A HIGH TOWER, THEY'RE IN THE COMMUNITY, THEY'RE ENGAGING AND CONSTANTLY TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MEET THE NEED GIVEN THE LIMITED RESOURCE. UM, I WILL JUST END ON ANOTHER COMMENT AROUND LOOKING FORWARD TO WHAT'S TO COME THIS NEXT YEAR BECAUSE OF WHAT'S ON THE HORIZON. AND THIS IS JUST WITH SMALL BUSINESSES, I KNOW THAT THERE'S JUST SO MUCH OTHER THINGS THAT WE NEED TO PREPARE FOR, UM, AS A CITY FOR THE OLYMPICS. BUT IT'S BEEN REALLY IMPORTANT TO, TO ME, THAT WE BUILD AN INCLUSIVE OLYMPIC. AND PART OF THAT HAS BEEN THE ONGOING CONVERSATION TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING SUPPORT TO MICRO ENTREPRENEURS, UH, KNOWING THAT THERE ARE OTHER SMALL BUSINESS AND, UH, THAT WE'LL MAYBE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY OF PROCUREMENT, BUT I'M HOPING THAT'LL HAVE MORE INFORMATION FOR PEOPLE WHO WANNA DO BUSINESS, UH, WITH, AS A VENDOR FOR THE OLYMPICS. UH, THERE PEOPLE ARE VERY ANXIOUS AND SO I'M GLAD THAT WE'RE ABLE TO SHARE SOME OF THE PROGRAMS THAT'S BEEN STRENGTHENED THROUGH IMPLEMENTATION, BUT IT'S REALLY IN THE END TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T LEAVE OUR BUSINESSES OR ENTREPRENEUR BEHIND WHEN THEY ARE REALLY WANTING TO BE PART OF, UH, THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY THAT WILL COME WITH THE OLYMPICS. SO JUST WANNA SAY THAT WHEN COME EARLY NEXT YEAR, I LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING MORE OF THOSE DIALOGUE AND SETTING OUR PRIORITIES AS A COMMITTEE, UH, FOR 2027 IN PREPARATION FOR OUR, UH, ENTREPRENEURS AND MICRO ENTREPRENEURS AND BUSINESSES FOR THE OLYMPICS. SO I DON'T HAVE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS. I'M GONNA HAND IT OVER TO MEMBERS. ANDAS. THANK YOU, CHAIR. UM, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT WONDERFUL PRESENTATION. IT GETS ME SO EXCITED TO LEARN SO MUCH ABOUT THE BUSINESSES AND WHAT WE'RE OFFERING THEM. UM, I REALLY, UM, REALLY, REALLY HAVE ENJOYED GOING OUT TO THE BUSINESSES WITH A WHOLE GROUP OF, OF THE CITY. IT'S LIKE WE'RE BRINGING THE CITY TO THE BUSINESSES, AND I THINK THAT THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT AND VERY NEEDED. SO I TRULY DO WANNA, UM, THANK YOU FOR, UM, WORKING WITH THE, OUR OFFICES TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT HAPPENS, UM, BECAUSE THERE'S QUESTIONS THAT WE MAY KNOW ANSWERS TO, BUT WHEN WE BRING OUT OUR, UM, EXPERTS IN THAT AREA, IT MAKES, UM, THE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE BUSINESS OWNERS AND THE CITY SO MUCH MORE, UM, IMPORTANT AND STRONGER. AND SO I THINK THAT THAT'S WONDERFUL. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, I REALLY LIKED, UH, EVEN ME LEARNING, YOU KNOW, THROUGH THE, THROUGH THIS PRESENTATION AND ALSO ON OUR WALKS, WAS HOW MANY RESOURCES WE ACTUALLY DO HAVE OUT THERE FOR OUR SMALL BUSINESSES. AND, UM, AND ONE OF THE ONES IS, UH, ACCESS TO CAPITAL THAT WE HAVE, THE ABILITY TO, UM, PROVIDE LOANS TO OUR BUSINESSES. THAT'S REALLY, REALLY WHAT A LOT OF THE BUSINESSES ARE IN NEED OF IS, OF COURSE, GRANTS. FIRST OF ALL, IF WE COULD GET, UM, GRANTS AND MORE GRANTS TO HELP OUR BUSINESSES THRIVE, I THINK THAT THAT'S THE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S CONTINUES TO BE A PRIORITY. BUT, UM, ACCESS TO CAPITAL AND HAVING SUCH A GOOD PERCENTAGE, UM, TO BE ABLE TO, UH, ACQUIRE THOSE, THOSE LOANS, UH, AND BE ABLE TO DO YOUR BUSINESS AND AT THE SAME TIME HAVE A REASONABLE LOAN THAT YOU ARE PAYING BACK WITHOUT FEELING LIKE YOU'RE COMPLETELY IN DEBT AND GOING UNDER IS WHAT I THINK HELPS OUR BUSINESSES. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF LOANS THAT WE ARE, UH, OFFERING SMALL LOANS TO UP TO $5 MILLION LOANS. THAT'S WONDERFUL TO HEAR. UM, I ALSO LIKE THE BUSINESS TOOLS THAT YOU, UM, THAT YOU WERE SHARING WITH US. I THINK THAT'S A GREAT, UM, WAY TO BE ABLE TO ATTRACT PEOPLE TO COME TO THE CITY OF LONG BEACH IN ALL AREAS, YOU KNOW, DEPENDING ON WHAT THAT BUSINESS IS ALL ABOUT. I WAS WONDERING, I HAD ONE QUESTION ABOUT THAT. AS WE KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S ALL KINDS OF, OF PLACES THAT A BUSINESS CAN, UM, SET UP SHOP, AND, UM, IS THERE, IN THAT PARTICULAR TOOL, DOES IT ALSO GIVE YOU MAYBE, UM, HOT SPOTS OF WHERE THINGS ARE HAPPENING? LIKE MAYBE THERE'S A LOT OF CALLS FOR POLICE THERE, MAYBE [01:00:01] THERE'S, DOES THAT TOOL GIVE THAT INFORMATION, UM, OF, OF MAYBE HAVE SOME PROBLEMS THAT THE AREA MIGHT HAVE? UM, OR IS THAT EVEN SOMETHING THAT WE MIGHT CONSIDER ADDING TO GIVE THE, UM, BUSINESS OWNERS MORE OF AN IDEA OF HOW THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS? GREAT QUESTION. MEMBERS ZENDEJAS, UM, THAT INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE AND THAT'S IN A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE, OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT. SO THEY DO HAVE STATS ON DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE CITY. AND SO WE WOULD DEFINITELY WOULD ENGAGE WITH THEM ON HOW WE SHARE THAT OUT, ESPECIALLY WITH PROSPECTIVE BUSINESSES, ARE THOSE YET TO COME? BUT ALSO MAKING SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO EDUCATE OUR BUSINESSES THAT ARE HERE AND SO THAT THEY CAN CONTINUE TO SCALE, GROW, PROSPER, AND AS WELL EXPAND. AND SO, UM, IT'S AN, IT'S ANOTHER GREAT RESOURCE THAT'S AVAILABLE AND THAT WE CAN MAKE, MAKE AVAILABLE TO OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I THINK THAT'S GREAT. UM, THANK YOU FOR THE TIME THAT YOU INVEST IN OUR SMALL BUSINESSES. I DO BELIEVE THAT LONG BEACH IS A SMALL BUSINESS TOWN AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE AN OPEN COMMUNICATION. I ALSO LIKE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, PART PARTNERING WITH THE CITY TO NAVIGATE THE PERMITTING, UM, PROCESS, WHICH IS TO SOME CAN BE BEAUTIFUL, EASY DONE, UM, BUT TO OTHERS CAN BE VERY CHALLENGING. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE, UM, THE FACT THAT THERE IS ASSISTANCE TO HELP THEM THROUGH THE PERMITTING, UM, PROCESS. AND I WILL ENCOURAGE, UH, THAT WE CONTINUE TO HAVE THAT AND, AND HELP OUR BUSINESSES BE ABLE TO THRIVE SO THAT THEY CAN STAY HERE IN LONG BEACH. AND WITH THAT, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS PRESENTATION. YES, I, AND WE ARE AT ABOUT TIME, BUT I APPRECIATE, UM, YOUR FEEDBACK ON YOUR COMMENT. COUNCIL, UH, COUNCILWOMAN SSON DAY HAS, I THINK THAT, UH, IT'S SO IMPORTANT WE CONTINUE TO MAKE SURE, UH, WE WORK TOGETHER TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF OUR SMALL BUSINESSES AS WELL AS MAKING SURE WE WORK WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, CITY TEAM AS WELL, UH, IN MAKING SURE WE UPDATE YOU AND ENGAGE WITH YOU ABOUT WAYS THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE WE GET THE INFORMATION OUT TO THE COMMUNITY TOO SO THAT WE CAN CLOSE GAPS. BUT WITH THAT SAID, I AM GONNA CONCLUDE THIS ITEM SINCE WE NEED TO GO INTO CLOSED SESSIONS. SO, UM, IF WE CAN VOTE TO RECEIVE AND FILE THIS ITEM AND CHAIR JUST TO NOTE FOR THE RECORD, UM, THERE'S NO PUBLIC COMMENT 'CAUSE THERE'S NO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. YES, THANK YOU. I WAS GONNA, ACTUALLY, I NEEDED TO ASK THAT. YES, THANK YOU. SO THEN WE'LL UM, VOTE TO RECEIVE IN FILE. MOTION CARRIES. ALRIGHT, WONDERFUL. SO LET'S MOVE ON TO GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT. I KNOW WE RECEIVED ONE IN WRITING, UM, BUT I WASN'T SURE IF YOU ACKNOWLEDGE IT OR IF I ACKNOWLEDGE IT. , WE TYPICALLY JUST EDIT IT IN THE MINUTES. UH, OKAY. AND WELL, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT BECAUSE, UM, WE RECEIVED IT AND I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT'S NOTED. AND SINCE THERE'S NO PUBLIC COMMENT, THEN, UM, IF THERE'S NO OBJECTION, I DECLARE THE MEETING ADJOURNED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I WANTED TO SHOW YOU THIS ABOUT. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.