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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.
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$13 million for testing and contact
tracing for businesses and workers
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$5 million to restaurants, breweries and
bars
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$5 million for personal services and fitness
centers
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$4 million to nonprofits and arts
organizations
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$3.5 million for fee waivers for
business and nonprofits
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$2 million to business improvement
districts
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$1.25 million for tourism
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$8 million to digital and economic
inclusion
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$2.5 million for economic empowerment
zones
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$2.5 million in small business
development
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$2 million towards closing the digital
divide
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$1 million for youth workforce
development
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$5 million for 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.
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$13 million for testing and contact
tracing
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$5 million for health equity and health
outreach programs
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$1 million for mental health
programs
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$7.4 million for food security and basic
needs support
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$2.1 million for early childhood
education and childcare support
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$29 million for tenant assistance
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$12 million to 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
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$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.
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$48 million to replenish city reserves,
which have been nearly depleted due to pandemic related expenses
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$30 million to eliminate the FY 2022
budget deficit so that we do not impact any critical services as we
recover
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$5.2 million to 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
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$2 million for a Micro and Public Transit Pilot
Program to support economic recovery
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$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
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$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
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$500,000 in additional funding for language access
translation
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$300,000 to waive library fees for a year
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$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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