Dear Friend —

Today, I joined small business owners, city leaders, and community partners from our Downtown neighborhood for a roundtable discussion about our city's economic recovery. This was the first of nine conversations we will have in each City Council district over the next few weeks.

We had a great discussion, and I think it's important that we continue to hear from local businesses that have been among the most impacted by the pandemic. Our small businesses are a huge part of what makes Long Beach a great community. Their success and their recovery are critical parts of how we will build back safer and stronger from COVID-19.

Two months ago when I delivered my State of the City Address, I outlined our city's commitment to our pandemic recovery in the critical areas of public health and safety, and in our local economy. We've made incredible progress in the fight against COVID-19 and today, 8 in 10 Long Beach adults are fully vaccinated.

As cases continue to drop across the region, we're also taking important steps to ensure the safety of our community. We know these efforts are closely tied to expanding economic opportunity for every resident and strengthening our economic recovery citywide which is why Long Beach is making it a priority to bring together stakeholders and invest in solutions.

Through the historic Long Beach Recovery Act adopted by the City Council last year, we're in the process of distributing $12 million in grant funding to local businesses in the coming weeks. These grants will help our businesses expand their workforce, recover from the pandemic and make our city a better place.

I want to thank everyone who participated in this morning's discussion and we're looking forward to hearing from business owners and community partners across the city.

Thank you and go Long Beach,

Mayor Robert Garcia