CITY OF
LONG
November 15, 2022
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
City of Long Beach
California
RECOMMENDATION:
Economic Development Department
411 West Ocean Boulevard, 10th Floor Long Beach, CA 90802 (562) 570-6099
R-39
Approve the City of Long Beach's (City) Draft Blueprint 2.0 for Economic Development to guide the City's overall economic development work plan for the next ten years. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
The City's initial Blueprint for Economic Development was created by the Economic Development Commission (Commission) and adopted by the City Council in April of 2017 and served as the Economic Development Departments' framework for five years. As we emerged from two full years of a pandemic, the economic impact and loss have played out in different and difficult ways across Long Beach. With the totality of these circumstances in mind, the Commission began planning to advance the Blueprint for Economic Development 2.0 (Blueprint 2.0). Blueprint 2.0 was developed through a collaborative process that included a detailed economic analysis by California State University Long Beach's Office of Economic Research, Public Economic Recovery Roundtables, and public study sessions with experts.
Between January and August 22, 2022, the Commission held a total of 25 Economic Recovery Roundtables and 20 study sessions to review reports, receive presentations and input from industry leaders in the areas of the creative economy, development environment, business licensing, digital connectivity, workforce development, international trade, economic inclusion, and infrastructure. City staff presented and solicited input at community meetings, attended events focused on local and regional economic development to learn about best practices, and reviewed other local and regional strategic plans for economic development to inform the planning process. An online option was created to solicit public input for the Blueprint 2.0 using the Economic Development Department's online [email protected] address. The draft Blueprint 2.0 was reviewed and provided feedback by the Economic Development Commission on August 22, 2022, and the Economic Development and Finance Committee on September 20, 2022.
The goal of the Blueprint 2.0 is to advance the vision of Long Beach as a "city of opportunity for workers, investors, and entrepreneurs." The policy recommendations embraced in the Blueprint 2.0 layout the broad focus areas that will drive economic growth over the next ten years, including key industry clusters and emerging sectors, equity and economic inclusion, digital connectivity and inclusion, workforce development, business assistance, the development environment, quality of life, and economic cooperation.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
November 15, 2022
Upon adoption of the Blueprint 2.0 by the City Council, City staff will work with the Commission and community partners to develop a work plan, including specific activities, estimated costs, and identification of resources. Staff will distribute the Blueprint 2.0 to key stakeholders, create an online reporting platform for key objectives, and provide regular updates to the Commission, community, and the City Council.
This matter was reviewed by Deputy City Attorney Monica Kilaita on October 13, 2022 and by Budget Operations and Development Officer Rhutu Amin Gharib on October 21, 2022.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action is not time critical.
FISCAL IMPACT
The Blueprint 2.0 is a policy document that lays out the City's overall economic development vision and goals. The projects and programs identified in this plan indicate the type of activities contemplated by the City for the next ten years. Although the Blueprint 2.0 includes projects and program descriptions, the details are not yet known. Project and program details will be developed with the Blueprint's implementation and several of the proposed initiatives are currently unfunded and require new resources prior to implementation. The Blueprint 2.0 does not constitute City approval of projects, programs, or expenditures. As such, there is no fiscal or local job impact associated with this recommendation. This recommendation has a moderate staffing impact beyond the normal budgeted scope of duties and is consistent with existing City Council priorities.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully submitted,
B:EEZ
DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ATTACHMENT - BLUEPRINT 2.0
APPROVED:
THOMAS B. MODICA
CITY MANAGER
1 Blueprint 2.0
A New Vision
for Economic Development
Creating a more inclusive and sustainable economy by 2030 for workers, investors, and entrepreneurs,
in the City of Long Beach.
2 Vision
The Blueprint 2.0 will advance a new, 10-year vision, for more inclusive and sustainable economic opportunities for workers, investors, and entrepreneurs in the City of Long Beach.
Focus Areas
1. Engines of Growth
2. Digital Connectivity & Inclusion
3. Economic Equity & Inclusion
4. Talent Recruitment & Retention
5. Business Expansion, Attraction & Retention
6. Real Estate Development
7. Economic Partnerships
8. Quality of Life
3 A Message from the Mayor
Over five years ago, city and community
leaders called to create a 10 -year Blueprint
for Economic Development, which the City
Council approved on April 4, 2017. Since
then, the Blueprint has proved to be a critical
resource in response to COVID-19 and the
economic emergency caused by disruptions
to our major sectors —healthcare, tourism,
manufacturing, and logistics —and to the
thousands of small businesses and wo rkers
who were sidelined by the pandemic.
Our City’s focus on racial equity, access to
capital, ecosystem building, and digital
inclusion helped our community stay
connected and bounce back more quickly
than other major cities. Now, our local
economy thriving more than ever. Since the
first Blueprint, the City has seen the
construction of over 4,700 new housing
units, record -breaking cargo levels at the
Port of Long Beach, the birth of the
innovative Long Beach Accelerator, and the
creation of Space Beach —the highest
concentration of space and technology
companies in the United States of America—
just to name a few of the
many accomplishments. Yet even with these
exciting advances, there is always work to be
done to create a more inclusive economy
that is accessible to everyone. The following
Blueprint 2.0 is a 5 -year update to guide
workers, investors, entrepreneurs , and City
partners to create a more inclusive economy
by 2030. As part of the Long Beach Recovery
Act, the City will implement a series of
exciting new programs , including the
Guaranteed Income Pilot Program, Bridge
the Divide digital inclusion program, and the
first-ever Econom ic Empowerment &
Economic Innovation districts to spark a new
decade of investment and public -private
partnership.
The City of Long Beach acknowledges the
ongoing commitment from residents and
business leaders. As a community, we all
believe in the power of economic
opportunity to transform lives and hope that
this new vision for economic development—
through public -private-partnership—will
inspire another decade of growth for our
great city. And, as always, Go Beach!
Dr. Robert Garcia, Mayor of Long Beach
April 2022
4 A Message from the Economic
Development Commission Chair
As a community, we are in unprecedented
times that offer a critical opportunity for
reflection and action. The COVID -19
pandemic has disrupted all aspects of our
lives and our economy. It has stressed critical
health and city infrastructure and highlighted
racial inequities across our economy,
particularly the disproportionate burden
placed on our “essential workforce” across
all industries and sectors. COVID-19 exposed
our growing digital divide and the effects on
those who can work from home and those
who cannot.
While we were sheltered in place, we
witnessed the almost immediate
transformation of our air quality and the
health of our oceans as our daily human
activities dramatically decreased. This
ongoing global pandemic has given us time to
reflect on our humanity and take stock in our
individual, familial and societal resources and
responsibilities. It has also given us time to
acknowledge our vulnerabilities and accept
that we must do better. We may all be in the
same storm, but we are in very different
boats.
The viral impact and worldwide ripple effect
of the murder of Mr. George Floyd has been
a catalyst for the reawakening of our social
consciousness. It reignited our need to
address the long -standing effects of
structural ra cism at every level in our
communities, cities, and country. The
confluence of these significant challenges,
including structural racism, the future of
work, and the need for environmental
stewardship, is also a significant opportunity
to reimagine a better, more equitable world.
The City of Long Beach’s 10-year Economic
Development Blueprint (Blueprint) was
developed by the EDC and adopted in 2017.
The Blueprint advances a 10 -year vision of
Long Beach as “the city of opportunity for
workers, investors, and entrepreneurs.” This
document sought to proactively recognize
and seek solutions to civic and socio -
economic challenges and opportunities.
Equity is the foundational element of the
Economic Inclusion Focus Area of the
Blueprint. Today, our commitment is to
refresh, reassess, refocus, and uplift
blueprint activities to make Long Beach a
“city of opportunity for all.”
Our goal as the EDC is to recommend an
effective and sustainable path to position
Long Beach as a leader and model for future
cities. The following priorities and goals
acknowledge the recommendations in the
Racial Reconciliation Initiative – Initial
Report, plans enacted by the City Council,
and new initiatives proposed by Mayor
Garcia.
Walter Larkins, Chairman
April 2022
5 Executive Summary
Blueprint 1.0 developed by the Economic
Development Commission with input from
hundreds of stakeholders, and approved by the
City Council, guided the City’s Economic
Development Departments, Mission, Objectives
and goals over these past 5 years. It provided the
framework for creating many new departments,
entities, partnerships and organizations.
The Blueprint as it was known, was distributed to
the community in every language and became a
model for other cities around the country.
Having come out of two full years of a pandemic
there are constant reminders of how our world
has been marked by economic loss. We have
watched in Long Beach as these issues have
played out in different and difficult ways. As the
labor market shifts in real time, Asian, Black,
Latino, and other people of color that
overrepresent essential workers and owners of
local serving small businesses, have struggled
most to navigate the economy. With these
circumstances in mind the Long Beach Economic
Development Commission began planning to
release Blueprint 2.0. This local economic analysis
and plan for recovery confirms the
disproportionate impacts of COVID -19 on local
workers and businesses. These impacts are
particularly noticeable in the Leisure/Hospitality,
Arts/Entertainment and Caring Economy sectors.
Blueprint 2.0 identifies eight (8 ) focus areas to
ensure that Long Beach succeeds in prioritizing
and deploying its assets. The focus areas respond
to findings and analyses (see list of reports)
regarding Long Beach’s future challenges and
opportunities, we received input from partner
organizations (see list of partners), invited
experts and community member s, and framed
objectives and recommendations. Together
these eight (8) focus areas will serve to engage
and activate the many stakeholders in order to
ensure a more inclusive, resilient and sustainable
future for business, entrepreneurs, investors and
workers.
Within the Blueprint, each Focus Area will have a
mission statement, and objectives with
recommendations.
These focus areas respond to findings and
analyses (list reports) regarding Long Beach’s
future challenges and opportunities, as well as
the input and recommendations of our partners
organizations formed in response to our initial
Blueprint, invited experts and community
members. Together these 8 focus areas will serve
to engage and activate these stakeholders and
others yet to be imagined, ensuri ng a more
inclusive, resilient and sustainable future for
businesses, entrepreneurs, investors and
workers.
Now, it is imperative that public -private
partnerships are formed to ensure that focus is
aligned, and resources exist to support equitable
recovery. Knowing this, the Long Beach Economic
Development Commission and Department will
continue to work with leaders across sectors and
in collaboration with City departments to bridge
the widening economic and social divides present
in the City and wo rk toward the growth of our
local economy. Working together, we will
confront systemic barriers, combat past
challenges and create a future of opportunities
that best utilizes the talents of each individual, as
we realize economic stability and growth.
This Blueprint 2.0 , supports the mission of the
Long Beach Economic Development Department
to support the prosperity of Long Beach’s
residents, its workers, entrepreneurs, businesses
and investors. The Economic Development
Department will continue to act as a convener, a
partner and facilitator working with city
departments, cross-sector leaders to
6 first bridge the widening gap economic and social
divides present in the city with the goal to
eliminate it by 2032.
As we confront systemic bar riers, combat past
challenges, and create a more inclusive future
with opportunity for all, featuring our diverse
talent pool and providing for economic stability
and security and prosperity for our great city.
With Blueprint 2.0 now complete, we are ready
to begin. Please join us.
Nick Schu ltz, Deputy Director of Economic
Development
7 Table of Contents
Vision ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............... 2 A Message from the Mayor ................................ ................................ ................................ ............. 3 A Message from the Economic Development Commission Chair ................................ .................... 4 Executive Summary ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................... 5 Implementation Process ................................ ................................ ................................ .................. 8 Key Activities ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............. 8 Engines of Growth ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................... 9 Objectives ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................. 9 Equity & Economic Inclusion ................................ ................................ ................................ .......... 11 Digital Equity & Inclusion ................................ ................................ ................................ ............... 13 Objectives ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................ 13 Talent Recruitment & Retention ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 15 Objectives ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................ 15 Business Expansion, Attraction & Retention ................................ ................................ .................. 17 Objectives ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................ 17 Real Estate Development ................................ ................................ ................................ ............... 19 Objectives ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................ 19 Economic Partnerships ................................ ................................ ................................ ............. 21 Objectives ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................ 21 Quality of Life ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ 23 Objectives ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................ 23 References and Citations ................................ ................................ ................................ ............... 25 Subject Matter Experts & Guest Speakers: ................................ ................................ .................... 26 Acknowledgments ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................... 27
8 Implementation Process
Mission: The development of the Blueprint 2.0 was a collaborative effort involving over 40 hours of community roundtables, two dozen Economic Development Commission study sessions, and input from dozens of subject matter experts. The following section establishes vital activities to ensure the implementation of the Blueprint 2.0.
Key Activities
To move the critical objectives toward this vision, the following key activities are recommended:
1. Equity & Inclusion: promote the dynamic culture of the Long Beach community through diverse images, art, and languages; and utilize an equity lens to provide economic information by age, race, gender, and geography to develop strategies for the greatest economic impact.
2. Language Access: translate the Blueprint 2.0 into the most common languages of the Long Beach community and trading partners, including English, Spanish, Khmer, Tagalog, Mandarin, and other languages, to promote engagement.
3. Multi-Media For mat: providing multiple, modern, mobile, print, and online formats emphasizing innovative video and voice formats to reach diverse audiences who utilize a range of media to consume information.
4. Tracking & Reporting: measure and report timely results for critical actions and objectives in a publicly accessible, user-friendly, online, and mobile dashboard to promote awareness and develop effective strategies to promote inclusive economic development
5. Marketing & Promotion: engage community partners and invest resources to attract public, private, and community investment in key business, workforce, and real estate development strategies.
6. Business Planning: engage public, private, and nonprofit partners in developing specific business plans for each of the critical activities and strategies that promote effective, inclusive, and sustainable economic development for the community.
7. Annual Updates: provide publicly accessible live and online events to promote awareness, engagement, and partnership for the implementation process.
9 Engines of Growth
Mission: Develop a proactive and sustainable growth strategy around key sectors; creating the business, infrastructure, and employment environment necessary to nurture and support a thriving and diverse business ecosystem and community for the next decade.
Objectives
• Increase the following key measures for major sectors of the Long Beach economy: number of employers, number of jobs , types of jobs and average pay , number of business es, number of customized and on-the-job training (OJT) contracts with employers.
o Coordinate with key business sector partners in each of the core sectors to establish an Infrastructure Development Plan that will strengthen key sectors by investing in workforce housing, internet, physical infrastructure, and power. o Fund and develop a comprehensive Business Attraction & Retention Marketing Plan to attract and retain businesses in key sectors, featuring the cities assets and coordinating with partners to help execute the plan.
• Reduce regulation, taxes, and fees, and revise zoning where needed to promote business formation, attraction, and growth.
o Coordinate with key business sector partners in each of the core sectors to establish an Infrastructure Development Plan that will strengthen key sectors by investing in workforce housing, internet, physical infrastructure, and power. • Increase funding for physical infrastructure and resource s development to support economic growth including workforce housing, internet access, and power. o Fund and develop a comprehensive Business Attraction & Retention Marketing Plan to attract and retain businesses in key sectors, featuring the cities assets and coordinating with partners to help execute the plan.
• Increase structural funding to support local workforce development strategies and programs that strengthen core economic sectors.
o Build adaptable, scalable, and sustainable workforce strategies to create alignment around talent attraction and retention between businesses, key business sector partners and local government departments and agencies. • Increase st ructural funding for sector-specific business expansion, attraction, and retention.
o Develop a sustainable sector growth strategy for the following sectors:
▪ Transportation, Distribution & Logistics
▪ Healthcare
10 ▪ Bio-devices & Pharma Technology
▪ Blue & Green Economy (consider renaming)
▪ Caregiving & Wellness
▪ Aerospace & Defense
▪ Entertainment, Arts, & Hospitality
o Coordinate with key business sector partners in each of the core sectors to establish an Infrastructure Development Plan that will strengthen key sectors by investing in workforce housing, internet, physical infrastructure, and power. o Develop a business plan to promote clean technology, innovation, and quality new green jobs and funding for the City government to invest in green projects based on the Climate Action and Adaption Plan.
• Increase incentives to promote environmentally friendly initiatives and policies that help achieve sustainable growth and development in core economic sectors. o Implement recommendations from the Climate Adaptation and Action Plan (CAAP) to develop incentives that promote environmentally friendly initiatives and policies to achieve sustainable development within core sectors. o Implement other actions from the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan such as solar installation or energy efficiency upgrades to buildings to create quality jobs while reducing our carbon footprint and helping to make a healthier local community. • Increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in core economic sectors to enhance success. o Build adaptable, scalable, and sustainable workforce strategies to create alignment around talent attraction and retention between businesses, key business sector partners and local government departments and agencies. o Approach collaboration with core sectors through diversity, equity, and inclusion - informed practices to ensure Asian, Black, Latino, and other communities of color benefit from sector investments and growth.
o Develop start -up health technology partnerships to develop tools and programs that can engage with communities of color in a way that leads to improved chronic health outcomes.
11 Equity & Economic Inclusion
Mission: Advance equity and increase economic access to opportunities in underserved and underrepresented communities.
Objectives
• Increase capital and education resources for underserved and underrepresented populations.
o Create equitable access to contracting and procurement opportunities with the City and other public agencies such as education institutions and the Port of Long Beach.
o Eliminate bias across the entire health and mental health care systems at all levels and commit to achieving a more diverse workforce.
• Increase public and private investments in underserved business corridors. o Leverage economic empowerment zones, opportunity zones, and tax increment financing programs to direct investments into underserved and underrepresented communities.
o Utilize opportunity zones to increase investment, employment and revitalization in Asian, Black, Latino, and other communities of color.
• Increase number of minority-owned and women-owned businesses. o Leverage economic empowerment zones , opportunity zones, and tax increment financing programs to direct investments into underserved and underrepresented communities.
• Increase public investments in local businesses with a priority on investing in minority and women-owned businesses.
o Create resource centers in Central, North, and West Long Beach and bring together City services by with collaborating community partners and sister city departments • Increase wealth-building and educational opportunities for residents. o Establish home-buyer programs for underserved communities. o Increase access to healthcare options and services with public/private partnerships.
o Advocate for a Universal Basic Income.
• Decrease the digital divide across all households and businesses.
12 o Increase broadband solutions and technology education programs to give access to the internet for all.
• Increase broadband solutions and technology education programs to give access to the internet for all.
o At all levels of education, increase access to education and training to meet the needs of future job opportunities and upskill workers.
• Increase training opportunities and access to higher paying jobs for residents of underserved and underrepresented communities.
o Collaborate with community partners to develop and track shared economic inclusion goals and metrics.
o Take an active role in coordinating service providers and activities that support the Caring Ecosystem for the people who need the services the most. o Explore policies and programs to build -up Medicaid and Medicare provider workforce
13 Digital Equity & Inclusion
Mission: Establish Long Beach as the “Most Digitally Connected City in the World”, providing high quality broadband and affordable access and training to all its businesses and community members.
Objectives
• Seek to provide low to no-cost internet services for residents and business owners in need. o Establish a City Broadband Infrastructure workgroup (e.g., utilities, water, electricity, traffic) to foster public and private partnerships that advance equitable Broadband in neighborhoods of most need.
o Explore the development of equitable municipal Broadband services. o Explore partnerships that provide internet access and hardware for all homes and businesses in the city.
• Increase access to broadband network and infrastructure in neighborhoods most impacted by the digital divide.
o Establish a City Broadband Infrastructure workgroup (e.g., utilities, water, electricity, traffic) to foster public and private partnerships that advance equitable Broadband in neighborhoods of most need.
• Establish structural funding for City digital inclusion staff and citywide digital inclusion implementation efforts.
o Identify and secure structural funding to launch the City’s first Office of Digital Inclusion that will spearhead ongoing implementation of the Economic Development Blueprint, Digital Inclusion Roadmap, Racial Equity and Reconciliation Report, and Technology & Innovation Commission (TIC) recommendations as adopted by the City Council.
o Continue the role of City staff serving as the backbone organization and ensure cross-sector collaboration amongst the community and local stakeholders for citywide digital inclusion implementation efforts.
o Identify funding opportunities through taxes and philanthropic organizations, state and federal funding to implement the Digital Inclusion Roadmap. • Increase competition amongst internet service providers (ISPs) in order to provide affordable services and solutions for all and decrease cost of service to high-need areas of the City.
14 o Enter into strategic partnerships with ISPs to foster competition, quality, innovation, affordability, and access in the ISP marketplace (e.g. permit fees, financial incentives).
• Leverage a racial equity lens to advance economic, digital, and educational equity to decrease the digital divide by race.
o Continue the role of City staff serving as the backbone organization and ensure cross-sector co llaboration amongst the community and local stakeholders for citywide digital inclusion implementation efforts.
o Ensure that every household and business has training necessary to access online City services, pay bills, conduct online meetings, access K-12 and higher education, advocate for their interests, health visits, etc.
• Ensure accountability and continue collaboration amongst cross -sector partners to monitor progress of citywide digital inclusion implementation efforts. o Create a baseline and designate a City department to monitor minimum standards for Broadband bandwidth speeds and quality of service regardless of location provided to businesses and households citywide regardless of background, neighborhood, and identity
• Increase availability and access to high-speed internet for small businesses and workers in the City of Long Beach.
o Enter into strategic partnerships with ISPs to foster competition, quality, innovation, affordability, and access in the ISP marketplace (e.g. permit fees, financial incentives).
o Ensure sustainable hotspots and Broadband adoption for communities most in need.
15 Talent Recruitment & Retention
Mission: Increase equitable opportunities for the City’s diverse workforce in alignment with business needs to strengthen the local economy, economic development opportunities, training, education, and public/private partnerships.
Objectives
• Increase year over year per capita income in Long Beach. o Research new models that increase financial earnings for the flexible workforce. o Provide entrepreneur training and resources for lifelong learning. o Connect workers to mentors and resources that create pathways to careers, trades, and leadership.
• Increase the number and percentage of middle and high skill resident workers in the labor force.
o Elevate women impacted by the pandemic and reengage them in job opportunities, advancement, and entrepreneurial ventures.
o Explore policies that mitigate displacement through workforce housing. o Invest in, scale and sustain the approaches, programs and activities outlined in key strategic plans including the Strategic Plan for Older Adults, and Early Childhood Education Strategic Plan.
• Increase the number of comprehensive and inclusive childcare providers. o Create nontraditional options for childcare and reestablish capacity lost amid the COVID-19 pandemic
• Increase the number of residents accessing childcare. o Create nontraditional options for childcare and reestablish capacity lost amid the COVID-19 pandemic
• Increase the number of jobs and placement opportunities in City-identified growth sectors. o Promote and increase resources to assist small businesses in retaining and hiring employees.
o Convene business leaders to continuously strengthen connections to education, and workforce programs.
o Actively identify current and future needs of skilled worker s through the publication of available Labor Market Information (LMI).
16 o Implement strategies to retain California State University, Long Beach and Long Beach City College graduates as residents and employees. o Utilize and develop new technologies to upskill workers and track advancement. o Design a policy and an implementation plan to support the large unemployed/unemployable workforce impacted by the introduction of new technology and automation.
o Invest resources to incentivize and scale the Caring Workforce (i.e. health/mental health, education, social service fields, advocates).
• Increase the number of workers from low to moderate-income communities supported by innovative solutions in housing, and racial and gender equity programs. o Expand career pathways for individuals that are unhoused or experiencing housing insecurity.
o Accelerate workforce diversity and inclusion through Community Benefit and Local Hire agreements
o Explore policies that mitigate displacement through workforce housing. o Commit to sustaining programming and supports to address the housing and homelessness crisis.
17 Business Expansion, Attraction & Retention
Mission: Build an economic ecosystem that supports business attraction, expansion to develop a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem that supports small businesses to large corporations.
Objectives
• Establish benchmarks and increase year -over-year numbers for businesses attraction, expansion, and retention in the City of Long Beach.
o Grow public -private partnerships to attrac t and retain innovative technology startups in sector growth areas.
o Lead and activate strategies to address the loss of office workforce, increase in telecommuting, and augment local economic recovery efforts that address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
o Study and track the impacts of climate change on the economy, and business environment
• Increase the number and percentage of business owners who report that the City is business friendly.
o Implement a solution-focused culture in providing City services for businesses that are starting and growing or moving to Long Beach.
o Plan to allocate a portion of City fees and taxes collected from businesses for economic development activities including business retention and attraction, small business technical assistance, and business resources.
o Continue to fund the Small Business Monitor Survey through CSULB and create a business owner customer satisfaction survey for new and existing small businesses in the City.
o Eliminate structural racism and bias in “supplier diversity” set -aside programs by creating a streamli ned certification process (i.e. only requiring basic documents regarding race, sex, or disability such as birth certificates, medical certifi cation, or DD214 for veteran status). This will give people of color , women, veterans, and people with disabilities greater opportunities to bid on government contracts. • Increase the number of minority-owned and women-owned businesses. o Prioritize the creation of an inclusive economic environment that advances women and minority -owned businesses through technical assistance, contracting opportunities, and pathways to business resources.
18 o California State Law requires that any corporation subject to the law must have at least one female director by the en d of 2019. By the end of 2021, subject corporations with five board members must have at least two females. • Expand public-private partnerships for small business technical assistance with a special focus on low-to moderate-income communities and business owners of color. o Strengthen Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) and identify sustainable sources of revenue to maintain their service levels, access training opportunities to build capacity, and document collective impact.
o Establish business resource centers in underserved and centrally located areas that provide training programs, advisory services, access to capital, and access to City resources, including social services.
• Increase access to capital at all stages of growth in a business with a special focus on businesses located in low to moderate-income communities and businesses owned by business owners of color.
o Augment access to capital by attracting capital investors, inclusive lenders, and innovative capital options to address the need for capital at all stages of growth in the business life cycle.
• Increase local purchasing spend in local businesses with a priority on investing in minority and women-owned businesses.
o Incentivize local businesses to apply for contracts with the City by strengthening preferential procurement opportunities and technical assistance and training for businesses to access contracting opportunities locally and in the region, specifically, the 2028 Olympics and other large-scale events.
o Increase environmentally sustainable business practices aligned with the Climate Action and Adaption Plan.
19 Real Estate Development
Mission: Create more transparent, responsive, cost -effective, and streamlined City regulatory approval processes to attract and grow investment and development throughout the City.
Objectives
• Improve customer experience and satisfaction for firms and organizations developing projects in the City
o Create more Ombudsman positions empowered to leverage resources in the development review and approval process for large and small businesses. • Reduce the cost of development and average days to approval for entitlement. o Assemble an Economic Development Site Selection Team to host development and investments seminars to define a transparent development process for specific property-related development opportunities.
o Modernize land use regulations, entitlement, and permitting processes to reflect new economic opportunities and streamline development.
o Establish a process and revenue source to complete economic impact assessments of new ordinances which may impact business and property development b efore and after implementation.
• Increase communications between the City and customers. o Provide greater education on the development process, transparency, and a culture of collaboration between City staff and customers to create a more customer-focused property development experience.
o Establish programs and e vents that promote interaction between City staff, the commercial real estate community, and potential investors. o Work with local education institutions and commercial real estate firms and associations to spread awareness of the career opportunities in t he commercial real estate profession to Long Beach students in underserved and underrepresented communities.
• Reduce the commercial vacancy rate.
o Partner with the Planning Commission to evaluate parking requirements that inhibit development and business growth.
• Increase citywide real estate development investment.
20 o Incorporate an “Economic Development Element” into the City’s General Plan and link to the current Land Use element to identify new commercial, industrial, and other types of investment opportunities.
o Provide attractive, high-quality infrastructure, and utilities to attract private sector investment and development.
o Pursue public-private partnerships to establish a development navigation portal to assist customers with commercial real estate investment. o Leverage federal resources, tax increment financing, and other financial tools to redirect investments into low-and-moderate income areas. o Convert under-utilized commercial real estate into urban farms.
21 Economic Partnerships
Mission: Support the expansion of public-private partnerships that accelerate economic growth in the City of Long Beach and provide innovative solutions to regional and national economic challenges.
Objectives
• Increase funding for partner organizations committed to equitable and inclusive economic development.
o Establish structural funding to increase investment in real estate development, business attraction, retention, and expansion strategies for key industries. o Establish a public-private sector procurement collaborative to increase local firms’ certification and business development opportunities, focusing on business owners, women, and people of color.
o Establish a formal partnership with neighboring municipalities and regional agencies to implement the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) and promote regional competitiveness and economic growth. o Establish a leadership role to facilitate regional coordination and funding for infrastructure, including transportation, internet, and housing, supporting economic development.
o Develop creative public-private-nonprofit partnerships to implement the economic development goals of the 2030 Vision for the City of Long Beach. • Increase investment in a citywide innovation ecosystem through partnerships that promote entrepreneurial training, business incubators, and accelerators, focusing on entrepreneurs from low to moderate-income communities.
o Promote the partnership and identify structural funding for accelerators to create jobs, and attract, grow, and retain diverse technology startups. o Ensure that investments in the Green Economy that this also includes people of color, and women as workers, entrepreneurs, and investors. • Increase investment in educational partnerships that focus on the production and retention of skilled workers ready for high -wage careers, focusing on people from low to moderate-income communities.
o Support the establishment, growth, and ongoing funding for a permanent economic research center and entrepreneurship institute to advance the Beach 2030 plan and create economic opportunities for students, workers, and entrepreneurs from low to moderate-income communities.
22 o Formalize partnership and support for the College Promise Fellowship Program to provide local work experiences for students and graduates of CSULB and LBCC, focusing on advancing economic opportunities for students from low to moderate communities.
• Increase investment in partnerships that promote foreign direct investment, foreign- owned enterprise, and international trade.
o Invest in regional, national, and international marketing and promote the city to attract private investors in real estate development.
o Establish a formal partnership with neighboring municipalities and regional agencies to imp lement the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) and promote regional competitiveness and economic growth. o Invest in opportunities to partner with Los Angeles and Orange County cities on regional marketing initiatives to attract private investment to the region. o Formalize partnership with the Port of Long Beach and L ong Beach Economic Partnership to re -establish the World Trade Center Long Beach (WTCLB) and partner with regional agencies to promote foreign direct investment and international trade.
23 Quality of Life
Mission: Help all residents and business owners have meaningful access to resources and services to achieve their highest potential across all aspects of civic life.
Objectives
• Develop and implement a robust cultural plan that reflects residents’ unique culture s, history, and lived experiences.
o Invest in small business and industry programs and create contracting opportunities for the creative and cultural sector.
o Create a community -led advisory committee that will provide funding for a Long Beach cultural and arts master plan to explore developing an economic ecosystem. o Develop a city-sponsored marketing plan that will create a greater sense of pride across all Long Beach, investing and uplifting diverse neighborhoods . • Increase wealth-building and educational opportunities to help residents grow and thrive in a city that centers the health and well-being of individuals and communities. o Invest in the sustainability and development of Business Improvement Districts, specifically in diverse communities.
• Increase the availability of cohesive, creative , and accessible spaces for people to live, work, learn, create, interact, play, and experience diverse cultures. o Invest in facilities that are dedicated to hyperlocal arts and culture organizations. o Create a cultural stabilization trust dedicated to purchasing and leasing space for arts-based nonprofit organizations.
• Promote inclusive civic engagement through community meetings and resident engagement projects that improve quality of life.
o Incorporate the policy recommendations of the City’s Racial Equity and Reconciliation Initiative’s goals and strategies related to the quality of life. • Create alig nment with public safety efforts such as the Long Beach Health and Human Services Department’s Advancing Peace Initiative.
o Establish intersections on quality of life issues with the Community Advisory Committee for the Advancing Peace Initiative.
• Promote the development of innovative housing models, including shelters, to meet the need and create access to amenities regardless of income.
24 o Establish long -term home -buyer programs in low to moderate -income communities.
o Establish a housing assistance fund for College Promise Students, system-impacted residents, veterans, and low to moderate-income working residents. • Leverage technology and data to advance “smart city” strategies that bolster quality of life. o Builds upon community -focused tools char acterizing community exposures to environmental contaminates that lead to cumulative risks. These tools include information, strategies, human exposure models, databases, sampling/ analytical methods, GIS maps, and web applications.
o Create a unified dashboard with overlapping layered data by district boundaries. • Integrate policies and practices that cultivate sustainability in areas most impacted by density and industry.
o Create environmental justice indexes offers a variety of powerful data and mapping capabilities that enable users to access environmental and demographic information, at high geographic resolution, across the city. o Adopt Collaborative Problem-Solving (CPS) Model to address environmental and/or public health issues in local communities for environmental justice stakeholders, including community-based organizations, tribal and local governments, industry, non-governmental organizations, and academia.
o Support efforts for environmental justice in diverse communities, including those outlined in the City’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan.
25 References and Citations
The following reports and strategic plans were referenced and incorporated into the development of the Blueprint 2.0:
10-Year Blueprint for Economic Development, City of Long Beach, April 4, 2017 Arts, Culture & Creative Placemaking Strategic Plan, Atlanta Regional Commission, January 2019
Suarez, Griselda, City Cultural Plan, Arts Council for Long Beach, July 12, 2021 City of Long Beach Housing Element
Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, City of Long Beach
Cultural Plans (see presentation from Griselda Suarez)
Digital Inclusion Roadmap, City of Long Beach
Everyone Home Plan to End Homelessness, City of Long Beach Everyone In Plan for Economic Inclusion, City of Long Beach Florida, Richard & Seman, Michael: Lost Art: Measuring COVID -19’s Devastating Impact on America’s Creative Economy, Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings, August 2020 IMAGINE 2020, Denver’s Cultural Plan, City and County of Denver, CO Local Plan for Workforce Development, Pacific Gateway
OTIS Report on the Creative Economy, 2017
Parks Master Plan, City of Long Beach
Reynolds, Meredith, Parks, Recreation & Marine Strategic Plan, September 13, 2021 Racial Equity and Reconciliation Initiative Final Report, City of Long Beach
26 Subject Matter Experts & Guest Speakers:
The City would like to thank the following subject matters experts and guest speakers who helped to inform the development of the Blueprint 2.0:
Andrea White-Kjoss, Long Beach Accelerator Executive Managing Director Brad Segal, PUMA Progressive Urbana Management Associates Carolyn Caldwell, FACHE, Hospital President CEO, Dignity Health, St. Mary Medical Center Daryl Carter, CEO & Chairman, Avanath Capital Management David Downey, International Downtown Association
David Salazar, Long Beach Community Design Center and Centro CHA Dr. Elisa Nicholas, CEO, TCC Family Health
Dr. Jessica Schumer, AMD for School Based Health, TCC Family Health Jeremy Harris, President & CEO, Long Beach Chamber of Commerce John Bishop, CEO, MemorialCare
Karissa Selvester, Executive Director, Mayor’s Fund for Education Katherine Aguilar-Perez, Associate Principal, Arup
Kraig Kojian, Former President & CEO, Downtown Long Beach Alliance Laura Merryfield, Former ESHIP Communities Local Director, Formerly with Forward Cities Mary Peralta, University of Southern California
Dr. Seiji Steimetz, Economics Department Chair, CSU Long Beach Seyed Jalali, Former Business Development Officer, Formerly with City of Long Beach Susan Malone, Operation Next Steps
Dr. Wade Martin, Director, CSULB Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship Arts Council of Long Beach
Build to Zero
27 Acknowledgments
Mayor and City Council
Dr. Robert Garcia, Ed.D., Honorable Mayor
Rex Richardson, Vice Mayor, and Councilmember, 9th District Mary Zendejas, Councilmember, 1st District
Cindy Allen, Councilmember, 2nd District
Suzie Price, Councilmember, 3rd District
Daryl Supernaw, Councilmember, 4th District
Stacy Mungo-Flanagan, Councilmember, 5th District
Suely Saro, Councilmember, 6th District
Roberto Uranga, Councilmember, 7th District
Al Austin, Councilmember, 8th District
Office of the City Manager
Thomas B. Modica, City Manager
Linda F. Tatum, Assistant City Manager
Katy Nomura, Deputy City Manager
Teresa Chandler, Deputy City Manager
Meredith Reynolds, Special Deputy City Manager for Recovery April Walker, Administrative Deputy City Manager
Dr. Tyler Curley, Manager of Government Affairs
Alanah Grant, Equity Officer
28 Economic Development Commission
Walter Larkins, Chair
Vivian Shimoyama, Vice Chair
Austin Metoyer, Commissioner
Becky Blair, Former Commissioner
Blair Cohn, Commissioner
Brenda Wunsch, Commissioner
Griselda Suarez, Commissioner
Jayro Sandoval, Commissioner
Dr. Jessica Schumer, Former Commissioner
John Shen, Former Commissioner
John Thomas, Commissioner
Leah Goold-Haws, Former Commissioner
Milton Duena, Commissioner
Nima Novin, Commissioner
Robert Smith, Commissioner
Department of Economic Development
Johnny Vallejo, Acting Director
Nick Schultz, Deputy Director
Alisa Muñoz, Workforce Development Officer
Arlen Crabtree, Acting Business Operations Bureau Manager Eli Romero, Workforce Development Officer
Eric Romero, Former Business Development Officer
Jessica Dela Rosa, Former Executive Assistant
John P. Keisler, Former Director
Lucius Martin, Acting Business Development Officer
Mary Torres, Real Estate Development Bureau Manager
29 Special Thanks
This work was supported by a grant from Ascend at the Aspen Institute. To learn more about the Aspen Institute’s work in convening systems, policy, and social impact leaders to co-create innovation two-generation approaches to forge educational success and economic mobility, visit ascend.aspeninstitute.org.