Dear Friend --



Yesterday the Long Beach City Council voted to adopt the Long Beach Recovery Act -- our $234 million plan to bolster our economy, keep our community healthy and safe, and secure our city’s future.



I previewed the plan to the community last week, and after a thoughtful and robust dialogue last night it was unanimously adopted by the Long Beach City Council.



Now it’s time to get to work.



Economic Recovery:$51 million will go immediately into the hardest-hit areas of our community.



- $13 millionfor testing and contact tracing for businesses and workers

- $5 millionto restaurants, breweries and bars

- $5 million for personal services and fitness centers

- $4 millionto nonprofits and arts organizations

- $3.5 millionfor fee waivers for business and nonprofits

- $2 millionto business improvement districts

- $1.25 millionfor tourism

- $8 millionto digital and economic inclusion

- $2.5 millionfor economic empowerment zones

- $2.5 millionin small business development

- $2 milliontowards closing the digital divide

- $1 millionfor youth workforce development

- $5 millionfor our Clean Long Beach Initiative, which will include significant investments in corridor cleanups, business and neighborhood association cleanups, and finally trash and graffiti collection and abatement programs



Healthy and Safe Community:$72.8 million in investments that will improve and develop Long Beach neighborhoods during this recovery.



- $13 millionfor testing and contact tracing

- $5 millionfor health equity and health outreach programs

- $1 millionfor mental health programs

- $7.4 millionfor food security and basic needs support

- $2.1 millionfor early childhood education and childcare support

- $29 millionfor tenant assistance

- $12 millionto assist people experiencing homelessness by investing in new modular temporary shelters, additional housing options, mobile outreach programs, accessible restrooms and showers, and further investments in workforce and social enterprise programs

- $4 million for violence prevention and safe cities, which will include bringing back the safe park and midnight basketball programs, and the development of a reentry pilot program and other community development programs



Securing our City's Future:$83.2 million not just for the Long Beach of today, but for generations to come.



- $48 millionto replenish city reserves, which have been nearly depleted due to pandemic related expenses 

- $30 millionto eliminate the FY 2022 budget deficit so that we do not impact any critical services as we recover

- $5.2 millionto end city employee furloughs so we can get back to full operations



In addition to the initial $207 million outlined above, an additional $12.35 million was included in the final American Rescue Act for Long Beach. These added dollars make our plan even stronger and will be invested into our economic recovery and healthy and safe community efforts, and include:



Economic Recovery



- $2 million for a Micro and Public Transit Pilot Program to support economic recovery

- $2 million for Direct Income Pilot Programs to help our community meet basic needs and increase the potential for economic stability and advancement

- An additional $1.25 million for Economic Empowerment Zones

- An additional $1 million for childcare and early childhood education



Healthy and Safe Community



- $5 million for Housing Support, including $3 million for down payment assistance for first-time home buyers, $1 million for rental housing navigation and $1 million to start a public land trust

- $500,000 in additional funding for language access translation

- $300,000 to waive library fees for a year

- $300,000 in additional support for the Long Beach Justice Fund



I am extremely proud of the work of our city staff, City Council and community. Over the course of the last 12 months, we have all re-tooled our operations to support one another in ways we never imagined would be needed, but we stuck together and we’ve made it through. Now, it’s time to recover.



Thank you and Go Long Beach,



Mayor Robert Garcia







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Robert Garcia - Mayor of Long Beach - 411 W Ocean Blvd 11th Floor, Long Beach, CA 90802, United States

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