R-9 Correspondence – LBForward
From: James Suazo [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, February 9, 2022 9:35 AM
To: Mayor Garcia <[email protected]>; Mary Zendejas <[email protected]>; Cindy Allen <[email protected]>; Suzie Price <[email protected]>; Daryl Supernaw <[email protected]>; Stacy Mungo <[email protected]>; Suely Saro <[email protected]>; Roberto Uranga <[email protected]>; Al Austin <[email protected]>; Rex Richardson <[email protected]> Cc: CityClerk <[email protected]>; Diana Tang <[email protected]>; Connor Lock <[email protected]>; Jack Cunningham <[email protected]>; Barbara Moore <[email protected]>; Holly Unruh <[email protected]>; Chork Nim <[email protected]>; Celina Luna <[email protected]>; Lynette Johnson <[email protected]>; Matthew Hamlett <[email protected]> Subject: Support for Agenda Item #9 - Permanent Adoption of Right of Recall and Retention Ordinances
-EXTERNAL-
Honorable Mayor Garcia and Members of the Long Beach City Council,
Long Beach Forward strongly supports item #9 on the February 15, 2022 agenda to make the City of Long Beach’s Right of Recall and Retention ordinances permanent policies. We urge you to prioritize the needs of essential workers and the economic stability of working families to ensure that they have these important protections in place amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and future economic crises.
The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that we are all interconnected, and that our lives and our livelihoods depend on us getting through this public health crisis together with dignity for everyone.
Despite our best efforts and collaborative work to help residents protect their health during this pandemic, this pandemic continues to linger and has disproportionate impacts on those who are on the social and economic margins of our city.
In May of 2020, the Long Beach City Council led the nation in putting workers first when the Council unanimously passed ordinances to protect workers’ right to return to work after massive job loss during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospitality and janitorial workers are essential workers who are key to our ongoing recovery. At the same time, they have been hit the hardest during the pandemic.
As an organization working on a daily basis to help improve the lives of people deeply impacted socially, economically, physically, and mentally by the pandemic, we directly see how essential workers are still dealing with numerous hardships during this recovery process. The COVID-19 pandemic is not over and we need to make sure everyone recovers, not just the privileged few who can work from the safety of their homes. These policies have been critical to protecting the lives and livelihoods of Long Beach workers who are overwhelmingly Latinx, Black, Cambodian, and Filipino. We ask our city’s leaders to do everything possible to prevent a deeper social and economic crisis where race and class define who does well and who does not.
As community members, our shared responsibility is to keep ourselves and each other safe and healthy, and we must prioritize the people most impacted -- this is not a new approach. It’s called equity. Racial and economic equity is the way forward yesterday, today, and tomorrow. We urge the Long Beach City Council to make these Right of Recall and Retention ordinances permanent.
In solidarity,
James
James Suazo (He/Him/His)
Executive Director
Long Beach Forward
www.lbforward.org | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Give
February 9, 2022
Honorable Mayor and Members of the Long Beach City Council411 W Ocean Blvd., 11th FloorLong Beach, CA 90802 RE: Support for Agenda Item #9 - Permanent Adoption of Right of Recall and Retention Ordinances Honorable Mayor Garcia and Members of the Long Beach City Council, Long Beach Forward strongly supports item #9 on the February 15, 2022 agenda to make the City of LongBeach’s Right of Recall and Retention ordinances permanent policies. We urge you to prioritize the needs ofessential workers and the economic stability of working families to ensure that they have these importantprotections in place amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and future economic crises.
The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that we are all interconnected, and that our lives and our livelihoodsdepend on us getting through this public health crisis together with dignity for everyone. Despite our best effortsand collaborative work to help residents protect their health during this pandemic, this pandemic continues tolinger and has disproportionate impacts on those who are on the social and economic margins of our city.
In May of 2020, the Long Beach City Council led the nation in putting workers first when the Councilunanimously passed ordinances to protect workers’ right to return to work after massive job loss during the startof the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospitality and janitorial workers are essential workers who are key to our ongoingrecovery. At the same time, they have been hit the hardest during the pandemic.
As an organization working on a daily basis to help improve the lives of people deeply impacted socially,economically, physically, and mentally by the pandemic, we directly see how essential workers are still dealingwith numerous hardships during this recovery process. The COVID-19 pandemic is not over and we need tomake sure everyone recovers, not just the privileged few who can work from the safety of their homes. Thesepolicies have been critical to protecting the lives and livelihoods of Long Beach workers who areoverwhelmingly Latinx, Black, Cambodian, and Filipino. We ask our city’s leaders to do everything possible toprevent a deeper social and economic crisis where race and class define who does well and who does not.
As community members, our shared responsibility is to keep ourselves and each other safe and healthy, and wemust prioritize the people most impacted -- this is not a new approach. It’s called equity. Racial and economicequity is the way forward yesterday, today, and tomorrow. We urge the Long Beach City Council to make theseRight of Recall and Retention ordinances permanent. Recovery means everyone! Sincerely,
James SuazoExecutive DirectorLong Beach Forward