Dear Friend —

Earlier this week, I chaired my final City Council meeting as Mayor of Long Beach. It was a bittersweet moment leaving the dais where I have worked to move our city forward the past 13 years — 8 as mayor and 5 as a member of the City Council.

During the meeting, I held my final Key to the City presentation recognizing Press-Telegram editor and columnist Rich Archbold and Long Beach NAACP President Naomi Rainey-Pierson for their enormous contributions to our community. We also said farewell to Councilwoman Suzie Price, Councilwoman Stacy Mungo and City Attorney Charles Parkin — each of whom has made an enormous impact on the City.

It was a great opportunity for us all to share how much we have been able to accomplish over the years and reflect on the projects still ahead for the next Council. We all may not have always agreed on every issue, but I am incredibly proud that during my time on the Council we focused on service, kindness, and respecting each other's differences of opinion.

The final item on the agenda was to approve a direction for our city's COVID-19 memorial, which will be dedicated to the lives lost during the pandemic.

The selected plan was made by a committee of community leaders with backgrounds in the arts, healthcare, and education fields as well as local organizers who have led the COVID-19 response at the neighborhood level. The project is fully funded.

I am extremely impressed with the concept the committee selected, and I want to thank them for their work. The pandemic was the most devastating crisis our community has ever faced, and this proposal is a fitting tribute to honor the over 1,300 lives we have lost in our community. The memorial will be placed in Lincoln Park in Downtown.

Just a few days to go until I turn over the gavel to a new mayor.

Thank you,

Mayor Robert Garcia