First meeting of the new year. Uh, we wish you the very best.
we, we hope, uh, uh, you didn't get too sick during the holiday. I know it
was a whole lot going around, but you showed up and you're here. There must be some good things
on the agenda tonight. Uh, we're gonna go ahead and call the meeting to order.
roll call please. Councilwoman sinha.
councilwoman allen. Present. Council member duggan.
here. Councilman ana. Here. Councilwoman kerr. Present councilwoman
sorrow. Present vice mayor uranga. What is present name? Councilman
thrash ook? Here. Council member rick oti. Here. Mayor
richardson. I am here. We have a quorum. Alright, so council member allen
is joining us remotely. Uh, council members in dejas is under the weather.
uh, and we are gonna start with the pledge of allegiance led by council member ricks oti.
uh, thank you mayor. Um, well here we go. Well, I was also gonna do a
moment of silence, but we can stand up too for that too. Um, the only thing I was
gonna say is, uh, we have a lot going on in our world, both nationally, locally,
nationally, internationally. And a lot of times, I think when we start the new year, we
think about those things that we left behind in 2025 and those things that are to come in 2026.
and so, I, um, invite you to take a moment of silence
to consider those things that did not serve you last year, that won't allow you to
be the person that you need to be in 2026 to show up for your family, for your community,
um, and for yourself. Um, and so contemplate those things during that moment
of silence. And then we will join together and do the pledge of allegiance.
join me in standing if you are able to do the pledge of allegiance.
hand over your heart. I pledge allegiance to the flag
of the united states of america and to the republic for allegiance
stands, one nation under god, indivisible,
with a justice.
alright, thank you. Council member ricks oti. Alright, so we have no
presentations. Uh, tonight we'll have our consent calendar. We'll report
out from closed session. We'll handle, um, uh, our first
few items. Then we'll do, uh, public comment, and then our hearing. So
let's start with, uh, consent calendar items one through
10 and 12 through 30. We're gonna withdraw. We're gonna pull items 12
and 13 to handle separately. So do we have a motion? Let's,
we need, uh, we need voice motions tonight, right?
all yes. If we can get a verbal, verbal motion. So, I see vice mayor yanga
and council member thresh took, uh, it's been moved and seconded.
any public comment on consent? I can't say
no public comment on consent. All right. So we're gonna go to roll call, vote
please. District one, district two.
I'm sorry. Councilwoman
allen. District three.
aye. District four. Aye. District five. Aye. District six.
aye. District seven. Aye. District eight. Aye. District nine,
district nine. Aye. Motion is carried. Alright,
good. Thank you. Now we're gonna go to item 12. Uh, we list read
the item, then I'm gonna recuse myself report from economic development
recommendation to execute all documents necessary for an amended and restated
lease between the city of long beach and the long beach museum of art foundation,
a california nonprofit corporation to extend and modify certain terms
of the lease and authorize to execute all documents necessary for
an amended and restated agreement to manage art collection between the city of long
beach and the long beach museum of our foundation. A california nonprofit corporation
extended and modified certain terms of the management agreement citywide. Alright, I have
a recusal on this item related to the long beach museum of art. Uh,
re, regarding the levi act, I need to need to recuse myself in this item.
I previously accepted contribution from an individual ron nelson associ
associated with the long beach museum of art foundation, which is a party to
the subject agreement in item 12. I'm gonna hand it over to vice mayor uranga.
thank you. Right, mayor, um, make that report
for closed session. Oh, wait a minute. Wait. We have to
item, we have to consider the items. If we can get a mover and a
seconder for the item. A verbal mover and a seconder. Second.
seconded by kerr. Motion by
council district eight. Thank you. Okay. Any point,
comment. There is no public comment on this item. Aye. Let
go do a roll call. Vote. District two.
aye. District three aye. District four. Aye. District five.
aye. District six. Aye. District seven
aye. District eight. Aye. District nine. Aye. Motion
is carried. Okay. Now we'll take a look at the, uh, poll
items. Item 13, report
from economic development and opportunity and health and human services.
recommendation to execute all documents necessary for a new lease with
a day's, I'm not sure how to say this last
name. Doing business as first
response, healthcare for the establishment of a medical clinic in the ronald rres
health equity center in city owned houghton park. District nine.
thank you. We're gonna go to council member ricks oti for comment.
oh oh. Do we need a motion? And a second out? First
move motion by council member ricks oti. Second by council member thrash. And took. Thank you.
um, I think you want staff report? Yeah. Uh, while I'll make, well yeah, make
your comments. Introduce, I'll make my comments. This is a good item. I, uh, this, it's a great item. So I just wanted to,
I I wanted to highlight this up. 'cause this item advances our shared commitment to health equity
and access to care in north long beach by activating the existing city owned space at howton
park for expanding medical services. Um, the ron, ras health equity center, health
equity center, for those of you don't know, uh, was created to serve communities that are historically
underserved. And this lease directly supports that mission. Uh, this lease allows a medical
clinic to operate five days a week, significantly expanding the services beyond
the limited one week use that previously existed at that time when federal, at
a time when federal funding cuts have reduced our sti and hiv prevention and treatment
resources. This partnership helps restore critical services locally res
be able to access care in a trusted, familiar, neighborhood based setting, reducing
barriers related to transportation cost and system navigation. Um,
utilities are included, the leases of fair market value. And over the initial three terms,
the really the city anticipates. Um, you know, I'll,
I'll say this, this represents a cost effective use of city owned space that would otherwise be
underutilized. Uh, this item reflects smart mission, aligned use of city assets
to meet real community needs. And legitimately, um, we had
an underutilized space at the rres health equity center. We have been trying to find
a really high quality vendor, um, that could produce the services, um,
that our community needs. Um, and so I am happy to see that we have
found such a vendor. Um, and I wanna thank our city staff for working
diligently, uh, to do so. Um, and bringing someone on, um, that will support
our community. And so I will turn it over to our wonderful city staff, uh, to share
their perspective. Good evening. Uh,
I believe that dr. Des is indeed in the audience. We'd just simply like to have
her stand. Um, if she is here, we were told that she is.
um, there she is. Okay. Um, so she will be providing,
um, many general services to the community in a space that has not been
activated as a clinic for some time. And so we, um,
graciously welcome her into that space to serve this underserved community
and look forward to her operationalizing within the next
90 to 120 days. Wonderful.
so, uh, wonderful. Thank you so much staff. Um, and thank you and welcome to
long beach and district nine. Uh, council member
thra. No comment. Thank you. Alright. Uh, congratulations to,
to the ninth district. Um, this center, the ron
arias health equity center was our first health equity center we've ever developed in
the city. It was taken underutilized space at some one point. It was a childcare center,
and now it offers a number of services. A clinic was designed to go
in there, but we used to run it ourselves. And based on impacts from,
uh, the, the current presidential administration, we got cuts.
huge opportunities. So we're so glad that the councilwoman has stepped up to really find,
uh, an opportunity here to bring in healthcare in an
actual clinic. So, good job to keep, uh, this health equity center
open and these services available to the community. And good job, to our health, health department
and, and to the good doctor. It's nice to meet you. Welcome to the long beach community. All right. That
said, uh, let's, any, we already did public comment. Let's do a roll call. Vote please.
district two aye. District three
aye. District four. Aye. District five. Aye. District six.
aye. District seven. Aye. District eight. Aye. District nine.
aye. Motion is carried. Alright. Report out from closed session please.
thank you, maura. Mayor, we have no report from closed session. The best kind of report.
alright, now we're gonna go to, um, uh, hearing item 31,
report from economic development and opportunity recommendation to receive supporting
documentation into the record. Conclude the public hearing and adopt a resolution. Continuing
the bixby knolls parking and business improvement area assessment. Levy districts
five and eight. Alright, we're gonna go to staff for the staff report
if we can get a verbal motion and a second move. All right. Move. Five. Second
eight.
okay. Um, tonight we have julian nita, business development bureau manager and
bo martinez, economic development and opportunity
team. Good evening, honorable mayor and members of the city council.
the bixby knows parking and business improvement area, also known as the business improvement
district was established by the city council in 1989. And this allows for the
levy of an annual assessment to be paid by the businesses located in that district.
the city contracts with the bisby knows business improvement association to manage the business improvement
district, as well as the association's board of directors, um, which serves
as the advisory board to the city council on matters related to the district
state law governing this district requires that an annual report be approved by the city council.
the annual report describes its boundaries, propose activities, and budgetary information,
as well as the method and basis for the continuation of the assessment. Daniel
report also proposes, um, does not propose any district boundary
changes, uh, method of assessment and no significant change to the proposed activities
as well. State law finally requires that a republic hearing be held in a proposed program
and assessment at it. December 9th, 2025, meeting the city council approved the
resolution, granting approval of the annual report to current the intention of the city council to vy
the assessment and set. Today as the date of public hearing, city council shall hear
and consider all protests from members of the bbu of parking and business improvement area
against the assessment programs or boundaries of the area as proposed in the annual
report. This concludes my, uh, the staff report. Thank you very much.
alright, thank you. This is the hearing. So we'll go straight to public comment. Is there any public comment here?
there's hearing
I have no public comment. Public comment on the hearing. On the hearing, yeah. We'll call for general
club to comment in a bit. There's no public comment on the hearing. Thank you. We'll go to, uh, back to the
daas council member kerr. Yes. Um, thank you team for your continued
engagement and support of our business improvement districts. Um, especially this one in bixby
knowles. I wanna thank blair cohen, the executive director and his administrative team,
as well as the board and president crystal rogers for their continued support of small businesses
in the bixby knowles area. We look forward to another robust year filled with great events,
um, and business development. So thank you so much. And first fridays.
absolutely. Absolutely. Thank you a lot for my, my, uh, congratulations.
this is an outstanding bid. Uh, blair and the team and crystal, they do
an incredible job for our city and, and they're leaders amongst leaders. So we want to
con continue to support you in the work that you do. Uh, that said,
roll call, vote please. Council, district two. Council member
th took I didn't see you here. Go for it. No, you're good. She's good. See? Okay.
all right. All right. Uh, roll call. Vote please. District two
aye. District three aye. District four. Aye.
district five. Aye. District six. Aye. District seven, aye.
district eight, aye. District nine. Aye. Motion is carried.
alright. Uh, motion is carried. We'll now go to item 34,
report from economic development and opportunity recommendation to increase appropriations
in the tidelands area fund group and the economic development and opportunity department
by 7,314,000 to fund higher site improvement,
pre-opening services and furniture fixtures and equipment
costs for the development of the long beach amphitheater. Offset by the venue's
future net operating profit district one. Alright, thank
you. So this is, uh, an important item. Uh, the next few items
all, uh, are related to our strategy around grow long beach, growing our economy,
generating new, uh, exciting forms of revenue for our city,
and an economy that represents who we are. The culturally dynamic
community of long beach. Two years ago, uh, we proposed an amphitheater.
it was just an idea. Uh, and today we're taking real steps
toward opening a world class venue to help support arts and bring revenue to
our city. Uh, we're very proud of this. Uh, as plans came together
and, uh, we began to develop interests from artists and performers
and partners and sponsors, as that interest grew, it became
clear that we need to invest in a higher quality amphitheater.
uh, and that was the right move for our city. And so this approved, this approach
strengthens our long-term success of the venue, while creating economic benefits
for long beach, uh, including more folks shopping in our restaurants,
in our hotels, and, and staying in our, uh, in our city. Uh,
now we're looking ahead to a soft opening this spring and a full grand opening this summer.
more details to come, uh, next week at our state of the city address. We have a presentation,
uh, from staff to really dive into what this presentation, what this
proposal is today. So we'll hand it over to mr. Moca. Thank you very much, mayor. And, uh, the
attorney is letting us know we need a motion in a second before we proceed. Motion and
second verbal. I see nine and
eight. Thank you. Great. All right. Well, thank you, mr. Mayor. I think you summed
that up. I was gonna make some very similar points. So, um, this project has come together very, very
quickly. Uh, this has been, uh, part of our, uh, strategy to increase revenue
for the city without going to taxpayers. So, uh, city services need to be paid
for, uh, by, by revenue. And so this is a way, uh, to actually bring people
into the city, have an amazing experience, grow our brand, uh, and also,
uh, um, help the city's, uh, titles and general fund budget at the same time.
and, uh, we're prepared to go pretty deep into this tonight to get you comfortable with the numbers and
go through what has changed in the past year. Uh, but, uh, bottom line, we found that
with additional investment into this project, we can actually generate additional revenue,
uh, and that way we can maximize the economic impact of this new asset.
and so the project you see tonight pays for itself. It does not have, you know, a subsidy.
it actually not only pays for itself and pays back the capital, it will generate
a surplus to help support the tidelands. And then in addition to everything that you hear tonight, all
the numbers, uh, there will also be additional economic activity for people that go to our
restaurants and park in our parking lots, uh, and come, uh, and stay in our hotels
as they experience, uh, the, the amphitheater and all of that would be additional.
uh, and that would be, you know, helping to support citywide services, uh, throughout the entire
city. And so we take this very, very seriously. Uh, we've also looked at, um, sponsorship
and marketing revenues. And you'll see tonight, uh, that with a better facility, we
get additional interest in that, which helps pay, uh, for the facility. And right now,
um, just, uh, conservatively about half of the facility will be paid for outta those
revenues, which we'll talk about tonight. So we did wanna, uh, really dive into this,
uh, and I will turn it over to bo to, um, talk a little bit about the overview and then to
the team to get into the details. Thank
you. City manager moca, uh, mayor, city council, beau martinez, director of
economic development. This game changing project is more than a
construction project. When we think about the amphitheater, it is an investment
in long beach's economic future, and the vibrancy of our downtown, our
waterfront, and city as a whole. The amphitheater is intentionally
designed to activate and support the queen mary district building on the activation
and investment that's already underway in this area. It
also directly advances one of our fastest growing, grow long beach
targeted industry sectors, tourism, hospitality,
music, entertainment, and sports. Has
with major projects across the region, state, and the nation. The
updated costs reflect current labor and construction marketing conditions,
enhanced site requirements, furniture, fixtures, and equipment,
and other refinements to ensure that the venue is safe, competitive,
and is financially stable for many years to come.
this venue also creates an opportunity to create more visitors,
generate new revenue streams that flows back to the city that helps support the high quality
community services and amenities that our residents, businesses
and visitors continue to enjoy. Downtown long beach and
our city thrives when people culture and activity come
together. The amphitheater will serve as a catalyst for small
businesses, jobs, creation, tourism, while
positioning, our city has a premier and competitive
destination for live music, entertainment, and placemaking
for many years to come. The long
beach amphitheater is a transformative city led project, designed in partnership,
one with one of the nation's premier entertainment venue
operators, legends global. As mentioned, this intriguing venue is
uniquely situated location on the waterfront adjacent to the queen mary
overlooking our vibrant downtown queensway bay.
and it's designed to support concerts, music festivals, and many
community events. This project is,
is an integral component of the grow long beach initiative. And
out of this initiative came rise revenue innovation
and strategic enhancements with the goal, investing in new revenue generating
opportunities, leveraging city owned assets strategically,
and building on all the activations and events that are happening in downtown
along our waterfront and throughout the city. And with that, I'm gonna,
um, have johnny of vallejo, deputy director for economic development and opportunity to,
uh, move forward on the rest of the presentation.
thank you, bo. Good evening, mayor and council. As you likely recall, in april
this past year, the council approved appropriation for the amphitheater project and
selected legends global to manage and operate the venue. The original, uh,
originally improved $14 million. Project development budget included approximately
$4 million for parking, transit and ride share improvements that benefited
the broader campus supporting queen mary carnival and other onsite operations,
and would've been re required regardless of the amphitheater project,
the project has seen considerable progress in a relatively short time since the
april preparation and operator selection. The council approved the purchase of major
components of the venue over the summer and before year end. The project,
uh, received both planning commission and harbor commission approvals in mid-november.
the operator also began to announce shows at the venue.
here we see a recently developed rendering showcasing the venue's expansive queen
berry and long beach skyline views.
in addition to the aforementioned venue development progress, the legends global team is moving
quickly towards a summer kickoff. Legends global has assembled their core leadership
team, having hired the venue's, general manager, director of booking, marketing
manager, and finance manager. Additionally, legends global has tapped into their
vast network of expertise to support marketing, sponsorships, and business
development. The long beach amphitheater team has launched a venue website and social
media channels, and its continuing outreach to promoters and talent managers, sponsorship
and naming rights partners and future concert goers.
two concerts have already been announced and legends global has developed a strong pipeline
for concerts, events, and partnerships yet to be announced.
while a good amount of progress has been made, there's also been considerable change in both
the development and operating markets that have impacted the project and require
cost increases. Factors impacting the overall project costs include
the following, the refinement of site plans and designs identified operational
needs not previously contemplated. There have been increases to construction and
labor costs, exacerbated by wildfire related reconstruction and shortages
in the labor trades market. There have been tariff related material price
increases, construction materials and ff and e components were significantly
impacted by these cost increases. We've added sustainability features and
improved public transit integration at an added cost. And finally, the market
demand to accommodate a more premium venue has necessitated enhanced
guest and artist facing amenities.
to complete this important project and address the aforementioned cost impacts city staff
estimates, estimates an additional appropriation of $7.3 million
is required. This additional use of funding is generally broken down as follows,
$2.2 million for increase construction costs, 4.3 million
for expanded and upgraded ff and e to elevate the venue experience for guests
and performers. $400,000 for an extended pre-opening
period as the opening date was pushed slightly from spring to summer of this year
and $414,000 for contingency,
the additional funding would come from titleless fund, which has sufficient idle cash now
to allow the city to pay for the estimated $21.3 million project cost.
net operating profit will be used to pay back the titles fund with payments anticipated to
be made annually, somewhere between 2.4 and $3 million per year.
the estimated payback period is approximately eight years.
bless you. Legends global has submitted an updated five year pro forma
to reflect the shorter initial opening year. A more accurate assessment of available concert
dates and potential labor impacts accounting for local and regional wage drivers.
while the cost of operations increased significantly, the diligence of the legends global team
and strong market demand have allowed the venue to remain well positioned into
the future. Significant anticipated increases in gross revenue will help
offset the increasing operating costs. This anticipated
increase in revenue growth, though is contingent on the venue meeting the expectations of guests,
promoters, and artists. These expectations include elevated food and
beverage offerings, premium vip experiences, and competitive and
appropriate artists and promoter accommodations.
these elevated offerings, including upgraded furniture, fixture and equipment, and
expanded vip experiences are essential to driving higher revenue from premium
seating and sponsorships. So even though the current market and
economic pressures had driven up costs, a higher quality venue is expected to
sustain or even grow market demand and revenue to offset these costs.
capturing this revenue potential requires the additional upfront investment to deliver
an elevated guest promoter and artists experience.
to be clear that while a portion of this appropriation request is to address development cost
increases, a significant portion is to improve the design and deliver a better
final product. The feedback received from promoters, artists and potential guests
was overwhelming excitement for the unique waterfront location and its proximity
to la and orange counties. But it was also made clear that the experience needs to meet
the standards set by peer venues. The amp team believes
the additionally funded fff and e improvements such as improved premium seating and vip
seats and stage screens shown here will ensure the venue meets that
standard. The vip lounge also
seen here will not only meet the expectations of premium guests, but it's uniquely
situated to retain stage views from the area. Additionally, improved food
and beverage facilities throughout the amphitheater will allow the venue to provide more premium
offerings, including freshly prepared foods and cocktails not originally
contemplated. In the more temp feel of the original design
staff utilized a relatively conservative 3.2% annual growth
escalator per year six through 10 to prepare a 10 year projection,
which estimates a 10 year profit for the venue of $28.7 million.
after development cost recovery, the estimated 10 year net profit for the venue
is estimated $7.4 million. I'd like to emphasize,
as mentioned previously here, this does not include additional financial and
economic benefits, which are anticipated to be significant. The amphitheater
is expected to increase visitor traffic and spending in downtown and businesses across the
city. Guests are anticipated to further strengthen the local long beach
hospitality industry growing both sales tax and tot.
and the project will result in numerous new temporary and permanent jobs,
is the intention of the department to conduct a comprehensive economic impact report,
uh, upon completion of the third year of operations to document these broader economic impacts.
next step for the amphitheater project include the following major site work to begin
this month, followed by seating stage and ff and e installation in
late february, early march. City and legends global will host
a groundbreaking ceremony this month and release promotional media legend
global will continue planning and hiring for venue operations. And anticipation
is building for a naming sponsor, which will occur before venue opening. And I note
here that demand had been significantly higher than originally contemplated.
and finally, the venue will begin planning to host soft opening events in anticipation
of the summer 2026 grand opening.
with that, the city team and operator are excited and confident this project will be an
integral part of the growth and reposition of the long beach waterfront as a premier entertainment
destination and amenity residents can be proud of. Additionally, the venue
is expected to become a revenue generator and economic driver
with that. And we respectfully request your consideration and we'll continue to work diligently on
this important project. Thank you. This concludes our staff report.
alright, well thank you so much for that presentation. Uh, I think,
um, uh, it's certainly come a long way from,
um, color pencil drawings, uh, to,
uh, what we see today. Uh, we're excited to finally break, break
ground on this, but we also wanna remind folks we gotta do things differently.
our revenue is changing in our city. Our city is no longer iowa by the
sea. We don't have oil revenue coming in into tidelands the way we used to.
we have to be more entrepreneurial as a city. This is one low hanging
fruit, uh, revenue opportunity that's also fun. And it supports our
small businesses, our restaurants, our retailers who
their bottom line hasn't been, uh, what it used to be prior to the pandemic. So we have
to take some shots and some opportunities. Others are betting on long beach already with
the olympics and everyone else already betting on long beach. I think it's time that we bet on ourselves
and create the opportunities, uh, to generate revenue in our city. Uh,
I'll also say what's responsible about this. We're being very conservative in this pro forma.
uh, they showed a total cost of, uh, $21 million to build
this venue. Um, 4 million was already committed to the, you know, emergency
improvements in the parking lot would've been done anyway. So really it's $17 million,
but there was a slide there that showed 11 million in private sponsorships
and private, um, um, uh, right naming rights and other opportunities
already, uh, secured. So you're talking about 17 million minus
11, you're talking about 6 million outlay. And if you see,
uh, what the capital net projections are, three to 4 million bucks each year
in the first few years, that's a smart and responsible play without issuing
any debt to make it happen. And so we haven't had an opportunity like this in a long time.
uh, I support, uh, this, uh, decision moving forward, uh, because
we need to invest in a high quality venue. We're in the hottest entertainment market
anywhere in america here in southern california, and we're competing with inglewood.
we're competing with downtown la uh, the hollywood bowl. And we need
to get our share. I think strategically the size of venue that we're building at 10 to 12,000
participants is the right size. You're not competing with the super big
venues. We're in a space where we can really operate a lane between
orange county, la county that books successful shows that can sell
out. And so this is, this is, uh, you've done some incredible work and we
look forward to taking the next steps. Uh, we're gonna go to council member ricks odi then council
member th took, uh, thank you mayor. And I think your, um, framing comments
were, uh, spot on. Um, and so I'll just, um, add that I know a lot of work
has gone into this project and that will continue into the future. And so thank you to the
economic development team and the work that you've done. Um, I really appreciate the seed's commitments to the project
as we seek to not only continue to make the city of long beach, uh, landmark and a destination,
but also to diversify our revenue streams. And that's what the rise initiative is really about.
I also appreciate the way we as the city are committed to transparency and run our costs and
the unanticipated challenges that come with any new initiative. I'm looking forward to
opening day, welcoming new visitors to long beach and securing the best artists.
um, and lastly, um, I wanted to highlight the fact that you had the focus on economic
outcomes. Conducting the economic impact study after the third year, I think really allows
us to truly assess its impact, do any kind of course corrections improvements, uh, to
continue to make, uh, this initiative, um, as successful as it possibly can be. So
again, thank you so much for the continued work that you are doing, and I, um,
may we rise together? Mm-hmm . Great point. I'll also notice,
uh, I'll also state, which I think is important, is that,
uh, this project is gonna benefit local jobs as well. So
both the construction and the operation are, uh, quality
union jobs that are gonna be able to support our local families, uh, council member ths and
took. All right, thank you for that, mayor. And yes, this is
exciting. I'm looking at the photos and I'm excited about the clarity that we're seeing in them
now, and really pleased that the city is focused on testing some of those
economic assumptions, uh, that we started with, with this project. So we
have come a long way in the last six months, um, as, but as stewards
of public funds, I just wanna make sure we fully understand how we are gonna be
using these additional dollars, um, to ensure the long-term success
of this facility. Its competitiveness and all the things that we described
as the public value for this venue. So you've already mentioned
as we march towards construction, uh, the world has changed.
uh, we've got labor costs that are rising tariff related matters,
um, and really because of the fires and other, uh, activities in the market,
just construction, um, has really changed in our market. But I think
that number of the items that you have in mind, um, are really smart. And
I know that I certainly try and take the time to go around our, uh, our region
to make sure that I get a sense of what entertainment venues are like. Um,
and very pleased at some of the, uh, areas where you wanna make investments.
so let's talk about, uh, one area associated with sustainability.
um, in particular, we wanna have multimodal opportunities to
be able to get to this site. And some of your, uh, improvements
relate to transport, transit access, pedestrian circulation, and first
and last mile connectivity. Can you just share a little bit about how, uh,
the, this investment, uh, additional investment can help us make that happen?
uh, council member th took. So we are, you know, really focusing on
how we not only look at transportation mobility, but most importantly, how do we move
people? And it's a true partnership. It's gonna be rideshare, it's gonna be using
our water taxis, it's gonna be partnering up with long beach transit to
bring people to and from the venue via buses, and also working with legends
global. So all hands are gonna be on deck when it comes to transportation and
mobility the first year. And we'll continue to meet not only as a city team, but
with all our partners to making sure that if there are challenges with transportation, we'll address
'em and we'll look forward to providing solutions and making it better for people to
move to and from the venue. But at the same time, providing them opportunities to park in city
garages in downtown and long orland front lot waterfront like alamedo bay,
and really taking advantage of the retail restaurants that are within our city. Yeah, council
member, we've been very purposeful that people are gonna come from all over the place and we want them to have an experience.
so whether you're coming on the blue line, uh, whether you're, or a line where you're coming from, um,
down, uh, on the aqualink or you're coming over and parking in a garage, you have the ability
to come to downtown, enjoy, go to, you know, go to a, um, a
restaurant, be somewhere else in long beach, and then come down and then go over to the, um,
to the amphitheater. So lots of different ways to both interact to get there and
then to interact and get over to the amphitheater. Yes, we know how important that is to move
people, get them there, and then to move them along accordingly. So,
um, this particular proposal now, uh, really represents the sharpening of the
pencils, um, and is really based on a lot of actual market
understanding those who are in the professional field of bringing these kinds
of venues and acts, uh, to the kind, the facility that we'll have.
I know I've had a chance to speak with staff about the fact that you've had those conversations
with those professionals. Um, can you just share with the public that, you
know, the city has gone out and had conversations with those who are very
knowledgeable about entertainment facilities and part of what we have done in
the proposal here is bring those assumptions now sharpening them up
to be able to move forward with this particular proposal.
sure, yeah. So as, as we built out the design
of the facility that obviously kind of sharpened the pencil with what was
needed in order to meet the needs of, of, of guests. But really what we started to
understand as we, uh, as the operator had conversations with promoters
and artists is they had expectations as well. So in order to get
those types of, of acts in place, if we want top tier acts, we need to
have a facility that accommodates both promoters and guests. And frankly,
it was enlightening for me to understand how much,
how important the premium seating and premium aspect is to
all of this. You know, general admission, uh, makes up a large contingent of a venue,
but a a, a larger proportion of that revenue is driven by, by
premium, uh, expectations. And so we were able to, to better understand that from
both the needs of the guests, promoters and artists. And that's really what has driven, uh,
a lot of this. And council member, our operator who we brought on to actually run this site, they do
this across the country. So they are experts, legends global, they're one of the biggest ones that do this.
it's considered an open venue. So they work with everybody. They don't work with just one promoter,
but they get experiences from all these different promoters. We've had experience from
both them and from promoters themselves saying, giving us input into the preliminary
designs and saying, if you make these types of improvements, you can increase your revenues
over here. We can bring you better shows, we can bring you more people, uh, which ma multiplies
the economic impact. Thank you so much for that. Um, and then my final,
I just, I know that, uh, you're looking at year three in terms of looking at some of
the indirect benefits of this, uh, particular venue. You know, we've
got the venue, uh, proforma, but we expect transit occupancy taxes,
other sales taxes to come in. I would just say that, I don't know, three years might be too
long down the line. I would wanna make sure, um, that we are capturing
some understanding of how this we're benefiting as a city, uh, indirectly
as quickly as one year and then going forward, um, so that we can have
a, a good sense of where, you know, where, where that revenue might be coming from and those other places.
so those are all my comments. Uh, I support this and look forward to us continuing
to move forward. Thank you. Alright, thank you. Council member sorrow.
yes, thank you mayor. And thank you to, um,
this, the team and working so hard on the issue because it's, it
was a lot to, to, I think it bring this forward and getting it through the permitting
process and at times there are things
you can predict and things you can't. And I think that it's important that
we learn about that early on so that we're able to address it, uh, before
we actually start breaking ground. So I'm glad that it's elise
coming before us. I mean, how many of us have ever done a home renovation project
and estimated a correct amount that first time around?
I would love to meet you and hear how you did it. So,
um, again, I think that there was a lot of careful consideration
in thinking about how we're gonna offset this costs, we'll consider the projection
and revenue. So I just wanted to add about, not in addition to what all
the comments were made, um, you know, the utilization of this
land, what was there before it, and, and if we didn't do this project
to be creative about generating income, uh, what would be,
what would be there? Well, in its
current state, it would remain a parking lot. We rely on parking revenue to come
in. Um, but looking forward and being strategic and looking
at from a grow long beach initiative, we really felt this was an opportunity to
really live up our game as it relates to that growth sector from tourism,
hospitality, entertainment, music, and sports. And we did our due diligence and
we felt that there was a hole in the market when it came to live
music and entertainment. And we also knew that there was a gap
in the market when it came to large music venues. And you don't
get a venue that's gonna be overlooking a world class waterfront, a
vibrant downtown, which will bring visitors not only locally, but regionally,
nationally and internationally. Mm-hmm . Thank you for that. Director martinez. I think this
is strategic and smart and really also utilizing underutilized
space. Much rather have an amphitheater than a parking lot. I also
think it's highlighting uplifting the roots and history as a mayor have shared,
uh, a lot is our roots in music and entertainment and really being able
to lift that up and showcasing it. So I, I'm proud that we're
able to take this opportunity to address multiple needs,
but also be thoughtful about the future. Thank you. I'm supportive of this item.
thank you. Council member thrash and took, has some comments from council members zendejas?
yes. Thank you, mayor. Uh, councilwoman zendejas was not able to be here. She did
provide a statement that I will read. Uh, the long beach amphitheater is an
exciting forward thinking investment in our city's future. This project has the power
to transform long beach into a premier destination for entertainment,
arts, and culture, while significantly increasing tourism and generating
meaningful sustainable revenue that will directly benefit our community.
I'm encouraged by the thoughtful and conservative financial projections presented
by staff and strongly, and I strongly believe in that vision.
this is about creating something truly special for long beach, a vibrant,
iconic venue that will energize our local economy, elevate
our city's profile, attract visitors from across the region and beyond,
and deliver long-term success for residents and local businesses alike.
thank you. Thank you. Council member duggan.
alright, thank you. Thanks for the questions and the comments from my colleagues before.
um, I wanna start by saying that I do support the amphitheater project. I
believe it will be a real asset for long beach. There is a strong
market for concerts. People are going all the time and a unique
waterfront amphitheater, uh, in southern california. It makes
our coastline different in southern california, very unique.
um, at the same time, this project has shifted
from being a profit center to being viewed as more of an
economic driver. I talked extensively
with economic development about this, and when I look strictly at the numbers,
it seems like, um, we could
generate more direct revenue by placing the funds in an
interest bearing account and renting out the existing lot
that could make around the similar revenue.
but I, I do believe the broader economic benefits of this project
will be more significant than that option.
the project has historically been evaluated
as a profit center, so one of the things that I'm
concerned about is I wanted to see a stronger explanation
of the expected economic impact and how those benefits
are being measured. I know that that's impossible
at this moment, but, um, I hope that we start
working on that so we can show those economic impacts.
one of the questions I do have, um, you know,
I, we talked about this being a 10 year,
um, structure. What, can you go
into more detail about it being 10 years? Is there a possibility
this could last for 15 years that would, we would see more,
uh, direct profit off of that? Can you share some information
about that? Yeah, I'll jump in first and the team can support me. So,
um, in, in the materials, in the letter, uh, we absolutely do have some of the details about
the revenue performance. So, uh, um, unlike some other assets
where you buy or you, um, fund that asset and you're using it to attract other
investment, uh, that's where you really have to look at what, what is that investment going to
generate in sales tax and tot and others. Uh, this is a different, uh, investment. This
one actually pays for itself just within the operating costs of what
it can bring in. And so, uh, we've seen strong performance from other very similar facilities.
and so that's where we're, we are showing that it generates a profit of about two and a half to
$3 million every year. Uh, and then that is what does the initial payback
of the dollars that go back into tidelands funds, then we do expect that additional
impact, uh, going on. And, uh, we can certainly come back a little sooner as soon as we get a
year under our belt, see where we are with tot, see where we are with, uh, with others. But
again, we're not counting on all that. So even if that number were zero, this number,
this project still pencils, um, to get to your other question, uh,
uh, of, um, five years or 10 years, um, yeah, it certainly could be there
longer. So the idea is not to have this be our event space forever.
the idea is to build an actual permanent event, um, space, uh, that's kind of in
the long range plans. Uh, but that could be a very expensive facility and that needs
to have a strong performer to do the same thing. So if we're able to show strong revenue growth
here, that'll allow us to move into that space, but it's unknown. That could be
in five years, it could be in 10 years, it could be in 15 years. In my experience, most
of our facilities that are temporary last longer than the two or three or four or
five years that we expect. Um, and, but we, it'll be on us to make sure that
we're investing in it and keeping it up. Great. And,
uh, thank you for that. Um, city manager moca,
uh, one thing that you touched on, um, the amphitheater will
be a tide lens asset and all revenue generated
goes back into the tidelands funds. Can you walk through how that
works and how repayment to the fund is expected to happen?
absolutely. And that's the question we get is, you know, amphitheater is, is important, but you
know, how does that balance with, you know, public safety or infrastructure or roads?
um, actually they're very separate. Um, these are dollars that can only be spent on the coast.
they cannot be used instead to do street repairs or park improvements
or fund public safety. Uh, so that is, uh, within the t ends as you are very,
very well aware. Um, so, uh, because this is such a unique revenue
generating project, um, uh, we're not treating it like a normal public, uh, project
where you have to have all the cash in hand or, um, to go and issue
debt. Uh, we're actually able to use cash that we have within the tidelands, uh, build
this because it immediately starts making money and use that revenue source to pay it back.
that's different than another public project where most of our public projects are not
designed to generate revenue. They're designed to put, to provide public benefit. And so,
uh, uh, there will be a repayment schedule. The idea is, is when we make the
profit, it basically goes right back into the same fund. There's no need for interfund
borrowing or transferring. It's all within the same fund. Uh, and it, uh, those dollars will
be paid back from, uh, the revenues, uh, that are generated.
alright, that is, uh, great. Thanks for the explanation. Um,
you know, I I I am concerned that the cost escalation has made the
margins tighter than we expected before even starting
construction. And that's what we're seeing here. But I think this project is gonna be
profitable and successful in the long run, and the latest projections for
the tidelands fund do show we need to come up,
uh, and take some calculated chances on different revenue
streams. So I think this has the potential to do that
and I'm happy to support tonight. All right, great comments.
I'll also note the 7 million, only about 2 million of that is cost escalation.
about 4 million of that are intentional enhancements that generate
more revenue. So I think that's important for the residents to know. It's not $7 million
of cost enhancements, cost overruns, things like that. These 4 million were
intentional to bring in premium spaces, which we're finding people will pay
more for. And it generates more revenue separately from even naming
rights or sponsorships. So we'll have even more updates on span
on private dollars that are helping to support the construction of this and how that
factors into the overall construction costs in months to come. As we're getting
more interest in sponsorships and naming rights, it's still really early, but
this getting a lot of excitement nationally and that bodes very well for
our ability to deliver this without, without debt. Thank you so
much. And just to put a finer point on that, if front me, mr. Mayor yeah. Give you a number to, to back up that point,
uh, the performance shows that under this new model with these investments we're boosting gross revenue
by 20% by 20.7% over what we had estimated
when we first brought that to you. Right? So that's an $11 million difference. So it's an
intentional, it's an intentional strategy to make it more profitable,
more attractive venue, uh, uh, for the space that we have.
uh, next council member kerr. Yes, thank you. I'll be brief. Um, I wanna thank,
uh, the team for getting into the weeds tonight. Um, we know that there's a
lot of talk and a lot of concerns. I wanna thank my council colleagues for bringing up really salient
points that I think we've heard from our residents and our constituents across the city. Um,
and I appreciate, um, the transparency of the conversation. The conversations that we have
here aren't always easy. Um, we get to go back and we get to talk about
the decisions that we made with our constituents, and you have provided information,
um, that help us talk about how we're working through, um, to
the answers that we need to get to tonight because this is an exciting conversation. Um, when
dr. Soros said, what's there, now my, I I know exactly what's there now.
um, and so people are into experiences
and I am looking forward to the experiences, um, that we as local
folks, as well as folks around the region can experience at this amphitheater.
um, I appreciate the consideration of earlier
than three years in terms of economic impact, and I think it would be really interesting to
talk with our, our local partners, whether it's visit long beach, um, our downtown
alliance and find kind of those ho hyper-local metrics that
we may be able to measure more immediately. Um, as events come into the space,
what's the difference in hotel rooms versus last time? What's the difference in restaurant revenue? So
really identifying some of those hyper local partnerships to be able to
tell a story sooner than those three years and maybe even sooner than those 18 months
because we know, um, for some folks there will be an immediate impact,
um, a positive impact for them. So I would ask that the team, while busy
with all of the construction pieces of it, also look into how do we partner,
uh, with folks in the immediate area to ask them to help us track
success early on. Um, but again, uh, thank you to my
colleagues for the conversation and to the team for bringing this to us.
alright, council member superal, uh, thank you mayor. Um,
I'm certainly a big fan of finding new revenue sources, so I,
I certainly hope this works out. Um, I'd like to bring up,
uh, a couple of points. You know, if I can wrench the fourth district into the conversation, I
always do that. Um, so city manager said this is completely
separate from infrastructure and, and, and, um, andit funding,
but let's not lose sight of the fact that we need infrastructure to get the residents
down to the venue. So let's get, uh, studebaker done and all the other,
uh, uh, northwest quarters we're working on. Um, I also
wanted to mention the, uh, municipal band, uh, because as
I think council member dugin said, uh, long beach loves concerts. So for
those of you don't know, 2026, it's the last year a public funding for the municipal
band. And I've made a commitment to get the 20,
uh, 2026 year of doing private fundraising for the 2027
season. We hope that goes well, but I just like my council colleagues,
um, to look at the money we're spending here tonight. And bear in mind, should
we fall short on the private fundraising for less than a million dollars,
you can get the municipal band for 10 years. So I just wanted to drop that on you.
thank you. , the long beach municipal band is actually
the oldest longest running municipal band in america. So,
um, they actually started in this area, um, to
bring people to the coastline. Uh, we created our own department,
a department in the city of a municipal band to get people to come to the coastline. So it's history.
so, uh, thank you for those comments, uh, to the council members again,
um, soft opening, coming, uh,
uh, yes, direct investment into titans revenue generator
for titans, but it also supports those services and infrastructure. But
how do we get general fund money outta this when people support our hotels? That's
transit, occupancy tax, when people shop, that generates sales tax.
so it creates multiple benefits that helps our overall, uh, long beach
revenue picture. We're now gonna go to public comment. Uh, the first, uh,
five speakers. John cross, cameron clark, samantha mellinger,
steve goodling, dave shukla, and I see one more. John edmond.
all right. John cross is up first after john is cameron.
thank you mayor and council and city staff. I'm john cross.
I'm vice president of development for, uh, long beach symphony, and
I, I made a few comments to share, um, on behalf of the symphony.
this our staff, the musicians, and our board of directors. We definitely
stand in support of the amphitheater project. Um, currently we
are in the midst of our 91st season. And as an arts leader in the city,
the symphony is excited about the potential, um, that the amphitheater
will bring to the greater region and for our own potential
programming there. Um, we see the amphitheater as an opportunity to present
wider and more diverse programming outside of our current classical and pop seasons.
it's an opportunity to build on our musical bridges program, um, that
is intended to connect music with all the diverse communities across long beach.
um, we're grateful that the city has prioritized the amphitheater's infrastructure
to support world class talent and our own world class orchestra. We
firmly believe that this investment will be a boon to the city for years to come. Thank
you. Thanks, john cameron, after cameron is
samantha, good evening mayor. Esteemed members of city council and
economic development and city manager and staff. Um, I'm speaking here today
on behalf of danny salas harbor breeze cruises. He sends his apologies for not being able to
be here tonight. He's previously working to get
scudo our milestone project launch scheduled for launch next week, which
will be the city's first parallel hybrid zero mission capable water taxi vessel
right here in our great city. So, uh, he greatly supports
this project and thankful, uh, for all the work that the city's doing to bring this
project to light. Uh, we have a saying that the rising tide flow to all boats,
and we see this being that exact project, more visitors coming to the waterfront. That
means more visitors being able to come visit restaurants, use our parking facilities,
come to the, come to our vessels, see our great city via water, which would
not be possible without this project. Uh, in my previous life, I ran
a business that had involvement in waterfront around the world, and I can attest to
and see whether it's projects in melbourne, australia or more closely
here to home in chicago at navy pier or in new york at
roosevelt island governor's island, or the rooftop, uh, event
venue that was created in the south street seaport. People want to come to the water,
which is not only good for us, but it's good for the city and it's good for the region that's
supporting that area in the economic development. So, again, I can attest firsthand,
we plan to be there, uh, council member duggan, and receive the benefit that's coming
from these visitors that are coming. And I've seen it from these projects where
we've provided transportation to these venues, relieving stress on our
other public transit systems to help people connect through that multimodal
version of travel and connecting. So I can attest to it, I've seen it,
and we're doing everything we can in our powers to help electrify
aspects of rainbow harbor to help deliver our vessels to be there to support this
project when it comes in. So on behalf of danny salas harbor reefs,
we're excited for this project. Uh, and we're standing here ready to support any which
way we can. Thank you. Alright, thank you samantha.
and then, uh, steve. Good evening mayor
and city council. Um, harbor breeze cruises is just one of our,
you know, 400 plus small business members that's really excited about
the amphitheater project, whether it's restaurants or bars, they're really excited
about the prospect of more visitors coming in, more residents coming to this
area so that they, you know, can, can capitalize on that traffic,
I think too is a really smart investment. Obviously, you know, the difference between
a parking lot and having a music venue here when we already have so much
momentum with the music festival scene, whether it's cali vibes or day trip, or
the van's warp tour, it's really the right move to be making right now to capture that visitor
traffic and momentum. And so I'm just here to respectfully, um,
request your support and, um, let you know that our hospitality and tourism community's
really excited about this. Thank you. Thank you. Next
is steve goodling. Then dave sla and john edmond. Great, thank you mayor. Council
members, city management and economic development, uh,
on behalf of our 450 business members. Our membership
is excited about this project and has been since the actual discussion
of it. And you heard cameron, I'm sorry, cameron couldn't
be more excited about this project. And he runs waterfront taxis,
right, and, and excursions and whale watching. This
is going to expand the tourism base for the city of long
beach. Conventions is definitely a solid core of our city,
however, we have maximized that potential. We
just recently shared a revenue per available room.
revpar report, our occupancy and average rates are running ahead
of san diego. You're paying more to stay in the city of long
beach than you are in san diego. And so with
that, we have to expand. As you all have been looking into
different forms of tourism and
council member kerr, you asked about data. We will be glad to work
with you on that. We really know that when we've had festivals
in the city, our occupancies and our average rates are at our peak.
we know our restaurants are full. And so this project
is going to help with all of that. Lastly, today,
I met with some clients that were in town looking for a convention.
she came in september as a visitor on her own.
her friends live in downey. She says, where do you wanna play? They said, long beach.
she spent three days here, went back to work in sacramento
and told her colleagues, we need to be in long beach for our
international convention in may of 2028.
that's what this project is gonna do. It's gonna bring more people into our
city, showcase our city, expand the platform, and
we appreciate city manager moca and staff,
all the hard work that has gone into envisioning this
process, but also to the council and the mayor and mayor
for starting this discussion two years ago. But
for all of you dreaming big, because your dream is almost there
and it's gonna further put long beach on the map. So thank you to all of you for your
support. Thank you, dave.
thank you mix. Uh, thank you mr. Mayor. Happy new year, everyone. Um,
I'm agnostic on this, uh, uh, project. Uh, I'm
willing to give the idea of an amphitheater at the location of chance. Uh, but since
you know, it's given its prominence as an economic development strategy over the
past year, I'd like to state some concerns. Um, the project
is not without risk. Um, eight years at 3 million is not guaranteed.
and while it's interesting, uh, that, uh, the performance depend,
uh, on expanding vip accommodations, the simple fact is this venue
will live or it will fall based on how it resonates
with the local and regional populations and with what, uh, as,
uh, councilman sono mentioned, what the kinds of things we already do here.
um, the city
of long beach is being asked, uh, to invest quite a bit. And so I think it's
more than fair to ask not only what public benefits there are, but uh, how people will be affected.
um, I support, uh, continued work on an economic impact
study as, uh, council members, uh, sorrow and, uh, duggan,
uh, for the reasons that they mentioned. Um, I think, uh,
the year six through 10 estimates in particular are, are overly optimistic.
um, I think it's a good investment to add access to public transit in
the design, and I think that should include, uh, thorough connectivity with long
beach transit la metro. Um, personally, um,
I think it need, this project needs to achieve a high degree of integration with the local
long beach arts and music scenes. And it should be open to the possibility
for public uses, uh, that are free, uh, of this venue.
um, I also think as , as a
general rule, this city needs a policy on the outlay of tidelands
funds. There has to be a certain percentage, no matter what the project is, that is devoted
to dealing with the problem of oil well abandonment. And finally,
um, as a strategy, um,
I still think this one pales ultimately to rest in control of the electricity
system from edison and making our own way. Thank you.
alright, thank you john. Honorable mayor, city council, city
manager, economic development city clerk, uh, as a long beach
stakeholder. I have a business here by raising my family here.
I am so excited to see this come to fruition.
I remember tourism trade technology coming from navy yard
to, uh, having to change from that. I remember the time of austerity
under bob foster and really managing a fiscal crisis that was dealing
up and down the state. Here we have one of the largest continuous open
space on the waterfront that is far too long, been inactive.
and we have one of the most innovative ways to capture that spirit
of energy and excitement where people will claim long beach
as a wider aperture. I am tired of being iowa by
the sea or in the shadow of la we are our own city with our own
airport, with our own municipality. And this is something that will
raise the city's profile internationally, nationally, but certainly
internationally. It's a place that I love that more people need to know about.
and so with that, I just want to thank all the hard work from the, uh, city
staff and making this happen. And I can't wait to, to be a part of this, uh,
wonderful opportunity. Alright.
uh, I see. So sorry. Sorry, ma'am. You're not signed up on
this one, ma'am. It's not your, you don't get a chance to, I don't care.
call the cops. We're not calling the cops. What you have
done to me is I
thank you very much. That's right. Yeah. The microphone is not on. Wonderful.
jeffrey williams called me a few weeks ago
and said, oh, we're gonna help you. Ms. Hernandez,
thank you for your time. The microphone's not on. It didn't happen. No, you're
gonna listen to me. I'm, you're, you're welcome to sign up for public comment.
world woman who's homeless, who's begging you for help,
and what have you done? Nothing. Nothing. Thank you. You're, you're,
oh, you're homeless industrial complex
that makes millions of f*****g dollars on
the homeless around the clock. What do you do? Nothing. F**k
you. Thank you. Woo. Happy new year.
all right. All right. Uh, okay.
so you, thank, thank you so much. Um, f**k you.
um, okay. So thanks everybody for your public comment. Thank you staff for
that presentation. Uh, next steps, uh, after this vote, we
break ground. And after we break ground, I, I want, I do want to address the
council members raised some very good questions that are circulating out there in the community.
lots of disinformation in the community. Um, so this was a great forum to
actually get a lot of those questions answered. But one thing I do wanna mention, there is a vision
for a permanent amphitheater. But in this area, we
have to go through the appropriate planning process and the coastal process,
which takes, it, takes quite a bit of time to go through, through process.
so this strategy, rather than wait five, seven years on
developing a coastal waterfront amphitheater, we can experience,
we can experience benefits now, economic benefits now through
going through this approach with a temporary structure that lasts 10
years, around 10 years, while we go through the planning the
land, use the updating of the queen mary master plan, and ultimately
identify the means to create a permanent waterfront amphitheater built on
the water that's architecturally significant, that is publicly held by the
city, that will be iconic, uh, across our west coast and will
rival the hollywood bowl. That's where we should want to strive in
the future. This allows us to test it in a way with very limited risk now.
so thank you so much. Uh, we'll go to roll call, vote please. District two.
district two, aye. Aye. Receive. Thank you. District three
aye. District four, aye. District five, aye. District six,
aye. District seven, aye. District eight, aye. District nine,
aye. Motion is carried. All right, we'll go to item 32. Please
report from city manager recommendation to execute a contract and any necessary
documents with kelvin anderson and world famous vip records
for the refurbishment, public display and licensing of the vip records
sign, including the city's right to manage refurbishment publicly, display
the sign and enter into related subleasing agreements with third parties mutually
approved by the city manager and vip records for a total contract amount
payable to vip records, not to exceed 170,000.
and refer the request to name the site at the southwest corner of pacific coast
highway. And martin luther king, jr. Avenue, the vip records park
to the government operations and efficiency committee for study and subsequent recommendation
to the city council per the city's administrative regulation. Eight dash seven
citywide. Alright, thank you. Uh, so
consistent with, uh, the last motion item. This, uh, let's get a motion in second council
member sorrow. Motion. Who's the second? Second? Council member kerr. Okay. I heard
kerr first. Uh, so this is, this next, uh, proposal
is very special for a, a lot of members of our community because it's really about
leveraging economic development to support and recognize the history and the cultural preservation
of long beach. Um, this item, uh, is about
the refurbishment and the restoration of the iconic vip record sign.
uh, before folks have heard about long beach, one
of the first things they've heard about is some of the culture's been shaped right here in central long beach.
uh, with, uh, the legacy of vip records and, and all
of the global culture that's come out of that. Uh, tonight we have an opportunity to protect and
showcase an important cultural asset, uh, to partner with
a local business. 'cause vip records still exists today, is still operating today,
uh, to support them, uh, while also enriching our own cultural
tapestry and creating a landmark as the world prepares to come
to long beach, it uplifts our central long beach community. But ulti ultimately
uplifts our role as a, a global, uh, sort of I icon
for culture. And so, uh, we're gonna go to the staff presentation. I want
to congratulate and thank, I wanna thank and congratulate, uh, uh, calvin
and tanisha. Calvin and tanisha anderson from vip records here for them, calvin
and tanisha for lifting up our city for many years
and for working. This is a really innovative approach that we've, we've really
found. And I also wanna recognize, uh, theresa chandler and the entire team
in the city manager's office, who's worked for quite some time in april, and everyone who quite
for, worked for quite some time to really get it to this point where we're proud
to hold this agreement up. Uh, and, and finally restore
this sign, uh, back to, uh, the mlk, uh, the
mlk, uh, community and the, um, uh, the pch community.
so that said, let's go to the staff presentation. Well said, mr. Mayor. So, yeah, we
are excited to be here and to present. This has been a long negotiation and a long path to
find the right approach. And we think we really, uh, have a, a good approach here
that, uh, is very beneficial, uh, uh, both to the city and also to the person who
owns the sign, uh, which is kelvin anderson. Uh, that is, uh, a lot of people think that's a city
sign. It's not, it's actually private property. And so we've got a unique agreement here
to be able to use that and restore that cultural asset to the community in the sixth
district, uh, where there's a lot of pride and, uh, be also to have that be part
of our culture, part of our tourism. Uh, and, uh, we're gonna go through what that agreement is
so we all understand, uh, the, a lot of these dollars are, are things that, uh, we use
for promotions of, of the city. And so, uh, that is really its intended purpose
and, uh, we're excited to get into it. So I will turn it to theresa, uh, chandler, one of
our deputy city managers who's been leading this, along with grace yon, our other deputy city manager who's
been really involved. Before you do that, tom,
so when, tell us about the first time you came to long beach
. So, uh, uh, although I live here now with my
family, I, I feel like a, a, a local, you know, long beach person.
uh, actually I'm from a, uh, from arizona and, uh, I drove out here when I was 18
years old. I didn't know anything about a queen mary, I didn't know anything about a downtown or
belmont shore. What I was looking for was to go visit the vip record sign when I was 18 years old.
so, uh, this is important to me as well. Um, so I remember driving there,
finding the sign, taking the picture. Uh, you know, it, you know, it really resonates
with culture and there's still people who ask us about the vip sign and whether it's still in long beach.
that's what we start the presentation with, . Alright, let's continue. . Alright.
good evening, mayor and members of the city council. We are very excited to be here
as we have expressed, um, to talk about this agreement that we have been working
on with kelvin and family and, uh, vip. And so the
agreement, we're gonna talk about the refurbishment, uh, public display and licensing
of the vip record sign, and entering into a sublicensing agreement for five years
with the option to extend for a total of 10 years. And then also recommendation
it, it also includes a request to start the process for naming the proposed site
of the vip sign to be named vip records park.
so we're gonna move along here. So, vip records has
been a meaningful part of long beach's culture, cultural, and creative identity since
opening in 1978, more than a record store, it became a
place where young people could explore music, creativity, and self-expression, and
where local talent found mentorship and opportunity. Under the leadership of
kelvin anderson and his family, vip records grew into a trusted community
space, one rooted in access and encouragement and belief in young people
at a time when many neighborhoods were facing real challenges. Vip offered
a positive and creative outlet grounded in belonging and possibility. The impact
of the work extended far beyond the walls of the store, helping shape a sound that would
bring international recognition to long beach, while always remaining deeply connected to the
community that made it special. When the vip sign was taken down
in 2018 due to changes in the building's use, the city lost
a visible symbol of that legacy. This item supports restoring that landmark,
honoring the anderson family's contributions, and reaffirming the city's commitment
to preserving cultural in, uh, institutions that reflect long beach's
creativity, resilience, and pride. So, just as a reminder, um,
in may, uh, of 2 20 17, the city authorized the city
manager to execute an agreement with kelvin and family and vip records.
um, and then in, uh, in 20th of march of 2018, the
city council approved an ordinance and resolution designating the vip record sign as
a long beach historical landmark. So, building on that history
we're really pleased to share that the city has reached an agreement with vip, uh,
records to bring the sign back in a way that honors its legacy and its meaning to long
beach. The city will manage the refurbishment of the sign using our
standard procurement process to select a contractor and ensure the work meets city
standards. The city will contribute up to 30, uh, 2,200,
excuse me, 235,000 toward the refurbishment and will also handle the
transportation and installation of the sign. This funding was approved in
the fiscal year 23 budget and is currently held with public works.
the sign will be reinstalled at the southwest corner of pacific coast highway
in martin luther king, jr. Avenue in fiscal year 25,
500,000 in measure a funds were allocated through the elevate 28 project
list for vip records, sign placemaking, and those funds will support
the site improvement and related development work. So together this allows us to
preserve the sign, invest in the site, and bring an important piece of long beach's
cultural history back into public view. So I'm gonna turn it over to grace yoon, who's gonna talk
more about the agreement. Great, thanks theresa. Um, to
continue the parameters and the highlights of the agreement, uh, the city receives
a five year license to publicly display the vip sign
with the option to extend that term for an additional five years.
during this period, the city can use the sign in its likeness, so
including images, logos, replicas in marketing, branding,
and public events. The agreement allows the city to sub-license the
sign and its imagery as well for things like events, media
and merchandise. And any revenue that the city receives from those sub
licenses is shared 50 50. With vip records,
the agreement gives the city the first opportunity to purchase the sign. If vip records
decides to sell it during the term of the agreement, and the city will
handle routine maintenance of the sign and the site, including
normal wear and tear and minor issues like small graffiti
to prepare for larger unexpected repairs, the city will also set aside
5,000 each year in a dedicated reserve fund.
the city isn't responsible for major vandalism or damage
outside normal wear and tear that exceeds the reserve. But we will
indemnify vip records for third party claims that arise
directly from city's maintenance or display of the sign. Unless those claims
stem from vip records, own negligence or misconduct,
vip records will continue to own the physical sign as well as all
associated intellectual property, including copyrights and trademarks.
the agreement includes an annual licensing fee paid to vip
records, and this is made up of 35,000 in the first year,
and then 15,000 for each year after that. There's also a
provision that if sub licensed revenue is unusually high
in the first two years, so specifically if it exceeds 135,000,
the city and vip records will revisit the licensing fee
and negotiate a reasonable adjustment in good faith. If
vip records chooses not to extend the agreement at the end of the initial
term, they are responsible for removing the sign and restoring the
site at their own cost. Once the agreement expires or
is terminated, the city's licensing payments and other obligations end as well.
the agreement includes a provision for the city to install a simple structure at the
site with the design to be determined by the city. In consultation
with vip records and available funds and resources, vip
records will have the exclusive right to sell merchandise from that structure during the term
of the agreement. So these are the main highlights of the agreement and
additional minor items are described in the city council letter.
additionally, vip records have asked that the site at pch and
mlk junior avenue be named vip records, park
city staff support this request and are recommending that it move forward through
the city's established naming process. So under administrative regulation
eight dash seven, naming requests for non-par properties,
which is this are referred to the government operations and efficiency committee for
review, the committee then has 30 days to return its recommendations
to the city council for a final decision.
so once the agreement is approved and executed tonight, public
works will begin the process of selecting a contractor to refurbish and install
the vip sign. As part of that work, public works will be conducting
some community engagement to discuss the site its use and
its development, along with continued conversations with vip records.
and all of this input will help shape the direction of the rfp.
after the rfp is developed, released, and a contractor is selected,
the refurbishment work can begin and we could move forward towards bringing
the sign back out into the community.
so as we move forward, again, I just wanna echo what theresa said. We are
deeply grateful to calvin anderson and the entire vip
records family for their decades of creativity, mentorship, and
a cultural leadership in long beach. We're excited to
honor that legacy, to bring the sign back into public view and to celebrate
a piece of long beach history that continues to inspire new voices today.
and so that concludes staff report. We're available for questions along with, um,
um, josh hickman with public works and adam jacobs with
the city attorney's office, who has really been instrumental in helping us,
uh, work through this, uh, contract. And with that, we turn it
over for any questions. Alright, thank you. We're actually gonna go to public comment first.
uh, but thank you for that, uh, that informative presentation.
um, I'm glad to see the city doing right by the anderson family and,
um, and restoring, uh, this sign, uh, to his glory. We're now gonna
go to public comment. That's right. Um,
I have 11 members of the public signed up to speak. Gregory johnson,
kelvin anderson. Matter of fact, I'm gonna change this order. We're gonna go kelvin and tanisha first,
then gregory johnson. Dave shukla, alexander serup,
uh, edwin michael sheriff, uh, tyler, laux,
uh, sharon digs jackson, stephanie ramos, cornell, vivian
ulu, and monica nelson. Alright, mr. Kelvin, welcome.
good evening everyone. Thank you mayor and city council members.
I am so honored to be here tonight. Uh,
long time coming. Um, first
of all, I want to thank the team, grace and
everybody for staying in touch, keeping us informed and, uh, helping
move the process along. Uh, definitely want to thank, uh,
my daughter tanisha, who is my chief of staff that makes everything
go. My, uh, daughter latasha, who's kind of the president
of vip, she don't say much, but, uh, when it's important, she will
speak up. But this is, uh,
january the 15th of this month would be year number 47
that I've been on that block and a part of the community. So
that, that, that's a long time. And, uh,
uh, this community, uh, long beach is very special to me.
and, you know, with all of the things that have been spoken of early tonight
about moving forward with the city, with the amphitheater and
all of that, long beach is a big art and music
location and you know, I am just so excited to be
a part of it. The vip record sign is definitely something in long
beach, just like basically known, known all around the world
and stuff in travel. Uh, you know, people would say that,
uh, vip is definitely
a part of their, uh, bucket list. And this past summer,
uh, I mean this past christmas holidays, a lot of the, uh,
tourists that came through was saying that, hey, it's always
the first thing a tourist ask is where the vip sign and stuff. And
to have the opportunity to be able to bring it back in public view is
just overwhelming to me. Uh, like I say, 47
years on the block, building a brand such as this
is, uh, special to me and my family and stuff. So definitely
look forward to moving forward. Alright, thank you. Congratulations.
one other very important, I'm sorry everyone but ms.
run the love, rest in peace and stuff. I have to recognize her because
she played a very important part of, uh, our
communication with the city of long beach and her hard work bringing
this project forward. Thank you. Thank you. Alright,
tanisha, you're up? I'm up.
all right. I'm put my spectacles on. Good evening, mr. Mayor and the members of the council. Um,
those of you that do not know, know me, I'm tanisha anderson. Um, I stand before
you representing the anderson family and the vip family foundation to make
sure that you know that vip records sign is more than a record store logo.
it is cultural staple of long beach, representing a creative home for artists and
a safe space that has helped shape generations through music, mentorship,
and opportunity. Our story is deeply woven into the
cultural fabric of this city. This proposed partnership strongly aligns with the
grow long beach initiative, which recognizes art, culture,
and entertainment as essential drivers of economic growth, placemaking and
community identity, preserving and publicly displaying the iconic
sign, um, and supporting the naming of the
vip records park is a powerful way to honor the legacy that could creating
and inspiring public space for residents and visitors alike.
naming the vip records park is not simply symbolic. It acknowledges the
lasting contributions of this local institution that helped
put long beach on a global cultural map while reinforcing the
city's commitment to celebrating authentic community history. Vip records remain
deeply committed to the growth of music and arts, youth engagement and
cultural preservation. We see the partner this partnership as an
opportunity to continue serving as a long-term community stakeholder,
working alongside the city inspire creativity, education, and
economic opportunity. We are grateful and thankful for the mayor,
the city council, grayson theresa in the city manager's office
for continued commitment and supporting. And we respectfully ask for
your approval of this agreement and the support of the naming of the vip records park.
this partnership represents a meaningful investment in long beach, past, present, and future.
I also wanna take a quick moment to say thank you to my father for continuing to get
up every single day and continuing to serve the people of the
long beach community and the world abroad on the corner of pch and martin luther
king. That's right.
alright, thank you. Alright, next is gregory, then dave.
good evening. Greg johnson, arts council for long beach arts,
culture and media entrepreneur based here in long beach, life partner
of rhonda love. Um, I'm
almost in tears. Rhonda love was my
partner and I watched her advocate for the sign.
I watched the stress of it going through rekindling relationships,
building a bridge between city government and the community, risking
her personal physical health in doing so. And
I'm just so ecstatic to listen and hear that this is finally
coming to a close. I cannot tell you
all the whole city that that woman put her life
on the line to support the community. The anderson family,
the city of long beach, and she deserves all the credit for keeping
this project alive and supporting our community.
congratulations to the anderson family. I've known them since way before I came to
long beach. Love you all. I love our community and I love this city.
god bless the memory of rhonda love. I'm gone.
alright, dave
shukla and then alexander. Thank you mr. Mayor. City council members, thank you
for your support on this item. Thank you for getting it right and for the time and effort that
was put into it. Uh, driving by the vip sign was part of my childhood, uh,
part of my growing up. I drove by it every day on the way to high school. Um,
I think this entire episode has important, uh, lessons,
uh, not only about community resilience and identity, but also, uh,
about, uh, some of the failures of short term economic thinking in this city and
economic decisions, especially those that were more, uh, directed towards
corporatist and kind of out of town or kind of influences. Thank you. Thanks
dave. Alright, alexander and then edwin.
yeah, this time means a lot, especially growing up in long beach. I'm one race reserve.
had to do a lot of culture, a lot of good things. I'm glad that
the sign is up. That's all I got to say.
alright. Enough said. Alright, edwin and then tyler.
hi everybody. Happy new year. Um,
I understand the, uh, shining new initiatives mentioned throughout the, this
particular sit down and they're in alignment with what vip does
and has done. And that's draw. And while a lot of the conversations
surrounding this situation are of economic impact, I'm here to continue to speak and highlight
the social. My name is edwin michael sheriff. I've lived in california
going on three years. I moved here because I got signed. And
while navigating the ups and downs of this industry, vip
has been there for me personally. I was born in silver spring,
maryland, right outside of, uh, washington dc when I was growing up, there was
a movie theater out there in 99 at a location called lake forest mall. They'd
gotten rid of it, but I remember what it represented. Family,
community, and a good time, which is all very important since
antiquity. And up until now, people have looked for signs to keep going.
signs of goodwill, love, peace, charity. The vip
sign is one of those signs. Thank you for honoring the humble request
that after 46 years of providing those things, we continue
to bless the community with the sign that they're looking for. Thank you for preserving
the history and continuing to provide what people still come from all over
the world to see. Happy new year. Great comments.
thanks so much. Alright, tyler, then sharon.
um, good evening mayor and members of the city council. My
name is tyler and I'm here today to represent young artists to speak in
support of vip records. The vip sign is more than a sign, it's a
symbol. It represents creativity, history, and the idea that culture matters
in the city of long beach. Seeing that sign reminds young people like me that
art, that music, art and self-expression have a place here
and that our stories are worth preserving. Vip records has consistently been
a place where youth has, where, where youth are encouraged, supported, and
inspired. Not just to dream, but to create. Having access to
a place that celebrates music, culture and history helps young people believe
in their own potential. Vip records represents what is possible
when a, when a community invests in creativity instead of instead
of overlooking it. It shows us that art can be a pathway, not just a hobby.
this is important because they preserve culture while also being, while also
creating opportunity. They connect generations, honor, history,
and give young people a foundation to build from. When the city support spaces like this, it sends
a powerful message. I am excited to see how the city will support
continuing to uplift cultural institutions that have consistently supported young
artists like me. Thank you for listening and for your commitment to the future of
long beach. Thank you
sharon. And then stephanie. Good evening. Um, there's
some booklets that are being handed out to you that I wanted to be able to share. You guys
are some of the first ones to see it. Um, dr. Soro, I don't know if you remember,
about four years ago we said at mamamia and we talked about the
importa, the importance to the african american community of the corner
of martin luther king and pch. So I thank you for this support. I thank you
for helping us to have earmarked that corner to now be realized as
it is. Um, I stand before you today on behalf of the historically black cultural
district in the central district, central area of long beach. Just to talk
about the musical legacy. The booklet there in front of you, it talks about
all of the musical talent that has was raised, born in
and around in the central area. It goes from marilyn horn,
it goes from the harlem globe trotters, uh, song.
it goes and takes us through. I mean, it's
just amazing when you think about it. But this booklet working with the port of long beach
who helped out to sponsor and help with the research. It's sort of the first publication
that we are presenting to talk about the amazing history of the african
american community, but also the music musical legacy here in
long beach. From gospel roots, from rock
and roll to war. All of these individuals grew
up in and around, or either graduated from poly high school. So we present this
to you tonight. It's just the first iteration. It gives us a foundation to begin
to work off of when we talk about the amphitheater, to truly understand
our legacy and build forward to kelvin and to
tanisha. Thank you for your commitment, your unwavering
faith and willingness to stand through it all. We thank
you so very, very much for that. And the only other request that I'd have of the city
is if we could immediately fence off that corner, there is some
good infrastructure that exists there. That corner is owned by the city. There's
still plumbing there, there's still some electrical and things like that. So if we can immediately
fence it off, it will help us as we work to rebuild it. Thank you sharon.
real quick. Mm-hmm . When did this, when did this come out? Actually, it just came out of
about a month and a half ago. Okay. A month and a half ago. So we're just starting to distribute it again.
it was part of a port of long beach sponsorship. Right. So we have copies of this and, and was
this elite skills? Elite skills development. Congratulations. And the historically black cultural
district. Okay. And the historically back. This is great. We need, we need to make sure this gets out. And I did
not know snoop's middle name was za . We try to give you a
little facts in terms of that. I see that the mery first motown grammy award winner. Y'all need to read this
book, all of that. So we will start to tribute this more. Thank you so much.
alright. Just not, just not our copy. Thank you. Um,
uh, stephanie and then vivian. Good evening mayor and members of
the city council. My name is stephanie ramos and I am a, I'm
a member of a local nonprofit called the lbc hero squad. The hero squad
is a group that organizes community events that are inclusive and welcoming
for the narrow diverse community of long beach. The hero squad has collaborated
with vip records on numerous community events, and that is how I've come to know mr. Anderson
and his incredible family. While vip records is a music
store to most, to families like mine, it means much more. Vip
records is a community organ organization that provides not only a rich culture with
a world famous musical history, but also of safe space for our neurodiverse
community to continue to have access to music and all of its magic.
the renovation of the sign will bring more attention to this incredible space and that attention
will allow mr. Anderson and his family to continue the work they do for this community.
the world knows and loves vip records. There are many examples of people from
all over the world making it a destination they specifically seek out. You can see many posts
and videos on social media. So let's show the world that long beach values its culture
and community. Let's show the world that we love and cherish. Vip records. I
believe that the work proposed for refurbishing this sign and the work for vip records
park will do just that. Thank you.
alright, thank you vivian. And then monica.
good evening mayor and members of the city council. I am here in strong support
of agenda item 32. And I want to be very clear that it is
a big yes yes to the park. Yes to the sign, and yes to honoring
the cultural legacy of long beach. The vip record sign is not
just a sign, it's a landmark of long beach history. It represents the birth and
rise of west coast hip hop. The power of independent black
owned businesses and the global cultural influence that started right
here in our streets long before long beach was branding itself
as a creative city. Vip records was the culture, the
driver of that amplifying voices, telling stories, and
putting long beach on the map worldwide. Preserving and publicly displaying
the sign is an act of cultural stewardship. It says that long beach
values its history, not just the polished parts, but the
authentic community rooted stories that shaped generations. I also
want to say this plainly, the $170,000 is not enough
for an icon of this magnitude for a symbol that carries international
recognition and deep local meaning this investment should
be viewed as a floor, not a ceiling. If we are serious about
honoring cultural assets, supporting creative economies and
leveraging public private partnerships, then we must be willing to invest
accordingly. Naming the park, preserving the sign, and committing
to its long-term visibility sends a powerful message that long beach
doesn't just benefit from culture. We protect it. Thank
you. Thank you.
alright. Uh, next speaker please.
hi, monica nelson and I met kelvin and last year at the art
expo. And ever since I met him I've been a supporter. But I have a quote from a friend of
mine who was there from the beginning. Um, the world famous vip record
sign is not just a sign, it's a staple of long beach excellence in music
and a symbol of west coast hip hop in its greatest era. The vip record
shop with a place you could go physically go and win at the beginnings of a great hip hop era, especially
in the nineties. And the sign is a reflection of community and strength. We all miss driving
down pch and seeing it. And that's a quote from my friend
garrett henderson, aka hollywood who was there with snoop,
warren g badass, and all the local legends.
so I'm, I'm just wanna show my support and
I draft me, mr. Mayor got a cigar for you after . I can't accept the cigar,
but thank you. I appreciate the sentiment. Thank you so much.
next speaker, please. Okay. Um, my name is sylvia burrow
and I just realized, um, I came here with kelvin and
I realized after listening to everyone, I wish I would've put my name on the list
because I can personally attempt. So you just told yourself I didn't even know your name was on the list. Keep going.
. I'm sorry. . I personally, I'm a photographer and
I personally sat in the store, worked from the store with kelvin for approximately
six years. And I was the, um, promoter
of his facebook page, his personal page. And I can
tell you that there was not more than one or two days that one by, that
someone did not come from across the united states or
out of another country. If you go to his facebook page, you'll see posts from me
like china and japan in the house, uh, brothers from
denmark, uh, frank from jersey. There was literally, um, a dj
that brought his daughter in from florida. He was a famous dj. And I,
I witnessed this almost every other day and I documented it.
everyone wanted a picture with him in front of the sign that's
inside the store, the replica. And it's just, when they
say world famous vip, it's just that world. I've seen people
come from everywhere to the store and I thank you for
the, the interest in vipi thank you for
the, the shoppers there and I'm proud and
blessed to have spent as much time inside the store and witnessed this. And, and I
am a record buyer still today. And
I love the store and I thank you for what you're doing. Thank you. Thank you so much.
alright, so before we go to a vote, uh, I want
to let the council know and let, um, the andersons know that we're gonna take a photo,
uh, right after the council vote, uh, with kelvin and tanisha. But we want, but
I, I want to note something why this is significant. So
I remember when the, uh, the seven 11 came in
and all the drama. This was eight, nine years ago when all the
drama and all the questions, the right, the, the questions, uh, were generated from the
community of what will happen to this sign. And there was a
lot of interest, uh, on all sides. But I'm proud that
tonight we're getting some closure on that. And the sign is returning
to king and pch with this action tonight. It was not
easy to get here. It took a lot of, uh, conversation and trust building.
and I remember having the conversations with the anderson family saying, hey, you know,
the city, you know, I've been promised this before. And it was a lot of
like, hey, let's, let's take steps toward building this trust and getting this right.
uh, because this is incredibly important for what it represents for all of us. And,
uh, you know, this is, uh, you know, I wanna quote someone
who said a floor, someone said a floor. I think it was viv vivian. It is a floor
because built into this is the opportunity for economic development
and revenue share. And when the sign is it's in storage, there's
no opportunities to, for it to have life and for it to be used in film
shoots and video shoots and generate licensing and all of those, uh, those
revenue opportunities, uh, that's how we increase the floor. I'll also
shape this as an invitation. Uh, this is an opportunity for the businesses who
are here and long beach city college is right across the street with a big old budget.
so if you want to see this floor grow, this is an opportunity to sponsor
and license and be a part because we're all a part of that, that shared community. Long
beach city college is one of the biggest anchors to the historically black
cultural district. So we look forward to working together to really uplift,
uh, uh, vip but really that historic district. Uh, there,
uh, we're gonna go to the council comments and then we'll have our council vote, and then we're gonna, uh,
take the photo council member sorrow. Yes, thank you, mayor.
um, yeah, this is such a pivotal moment
and it's actually a moment of healing because of what the mayors
just shared, that it's been through a lot beyond then just when the
sign had to be restored, the founding of it so much, uh, literal
blood, sweat and tears that's been poured into the creation
and the operation, but also the, the carrying
of, uh, the legacy. And while it's worldly
recognized, it's always been a source of local pride. And that
is something that people in central long beach hold fiercely dear to their
heart and will fight you on anything that is,
um, you know, disputing otherwise about what comes from central long beach.
and that's what, uh, I think brings the passion around,
uh, the community that supports and uplift the anderson family. And
thank you calvin, uh, for your perseverance and tanisha
and the whole family for making sure that this legacy continues on even when
the physical placement of the, the, the store
has shifted in the record and, you know, and it's evolving. And that's what this process
has been. I wanna give thanks to different staff who have worked through
this from linda tatum, and then it went on to, I think april, and
then went to theresa and then it went to grace. So, um, a lot of
staff member have been part of this from across the different teams who are
also even not here, um, previous, um,
you know, elected as well who all wanna see the succeed despite
the journey it's taken. And we're all very excited and really proud
and honored to be able to move to the next phase of being able to restore
the sign back to if, if not, uh, a little shinier than it was because
it's been outdoors for so many years. But also to have it
be, um, be in a, I know that it has to go through a process
to be able to designate that open space across the street of the
original plate. Vip record location as a vip records,
uh, park. I'm very supportive of that. I know it needs to go to the goe,
but I think that this is, again, it's gonna be more than a park because it needs
to be a commemorative park given the legacy, uh, of this
sign. But also so many talent that's been birthed as
well as celebrated and uplifted and is shining internationally to showcase us
as a city, to make us proud and to also continue to,
um, inspire the next generation of talent, but also to really
inspire those who may not have much personally in
possession but inspire. But but for those who can be enriched,
um, in, in, um, personally nurturing
their top their pride and feeling that they can make a contribution in that world. And that's,
for me, what I see the hope of this sign is to really inspiring those who
may not have hope, who may feel like they don't have a contribution. And
so this has been a shiny diamond in the district that
now can finally be set in a ring, uh, and present
it to the world. I like to think about it that way so that we can all,
um, take a picture with it. But more than anything to remember, um,
its contribution to the music movement, but the cultural movement of america.
so, uh, I'm very excited to be able to work, uh, with calvin,
um, and the family and the community in the way that we can also ensure that
there is economic development in that corridor. Not just having that sign
there, but making sure that whole area in that corridor is improved
and uplifted so that we can develop the area
as a tourist destination and where rightfully should be so that people can
come and visit and shop and, and join music and entertainment there.
uh, so thank you so much everyone for your con
contribu contribution as far as continuing to root and also to,
um, lend advocacy that we wanna make sure this always
continue to move forward and, um, be celebrated. So thanks.
alright. Thank you. Uh, council member kerr. Yes, I wanna thank all the
public speakers who shared their stories tonight and their experiences. And when
you look at the depth and breadth of age and experience of folks who spoke tonight,
it very much reflects the city that I was born in, raised in, and that I love so
much. Uh, I wanna thank the team for speaking so eloquently to
the history when you talked about this item. That it's not just about business, that
it's about who we are, um, and who we are as community, um, and
what the sign represents and means to so many. And while it was a destination
for a young tom moca as he came to california, and so many
who come here from around the world, uh, for me and for my family, we have been
fortunate that has been part of the backdrop of the growing up here in long beach. Uh,
it was on the way to my dad's office downtown. It was on my way to high school every
day downtown at st. Anthony. And it was there every day that I drove eight years to
and from poly high school to take my children to school. Um, it
is a collective history rooted, um, in a community that is resilient
and so important to who we are as long beach. And I'm grateful that we are at this space
today. So I'm thrilled we have reached this agreement. Thank
you kelvin and tanisha and the whole anderson family, thank you for trusting
us to finally get it done. And I look forward to seeing the sign back on the
corner where it belongs in our community. Thank you. Thank you. Council member thrash and took.
all right. Um, good evening. I believe that long beach
is really, really lucky to have something as special as vip
records. Um, it's already been noted that six since 1978, it's
been a big part of the sound culture and identity of the city and
hip hop across southern california and noted as the world.
I wanna start by thanking kelvin anderson sr. For everything
that he has poured into this community, uh, and the people,
uh, who can tell stories about what you've done so unselfishly,
um, in connecting with young people and artists in our community.
vip records was more than just a store. It was a place young
people could find their voice, develop their talent, and stay connected to something
positive, especially during a very difficult time, uh, in our city.
because of that, as we've just received tonight, there are so many notable
artists that grew up right here in long beach and they have taken
that sound for the entire world to hear. The vip record
sign that we're talking about tonight is so easily recognizable and it
means a whole lot to a lot of people. It is reminder of how
music shaped, uh, this local neighborhood and helped define the city
as to who we are. That's why the city's decision to designate
it as a historical landmark in our community is so important,
and to make sure that we bring it back in such a visible and permanent way.
I appreciate the partnership, um, with vip records and the community
outreach that's been done so far. I'm so very grateful to our city staff that
have continued to pick up the mantle and keep moving forward with ensuring
that we repaired the trust and the opportunity to be able to showcase
this iconic, um, item on pch and martin luther
king jr. Avenue. I know that there's still work to do
with the refurbishment, but I'm really glad to know that tanisha and kelvin's
insight will be part of that process. And as I understand it,
lbcc is nearby and there may be opportunities for additional
expanded, uh, outreach and revitalization, uh, within the community.
so this is long overdue and this is our chance to celebrate
history, a true local legacy, and to make sure that future generations
and seeing this young woman here today is a reminder, um, that this
story is not over and there is more to come. Um, I'm happy
to, uh, support this item. And mayor, thank you so much for obliging
me and my interest in having a photo tonight with the council and those who we honor,
uh, tonight with the vip record signed. Thank you. Alright, that
concludes the rest of the council comments. We'll have a roll call. Vote please.
district two
aye. District three aye. District four. Aye.
district five. Aye. District six. Aye. District seven aye.
district eight. Aye. District nine. Aye. Motion is carried.
all right. The council will join us down. Uh, uh
all right everyone, we're gonna reconvene the council early sixties. Thank
you so much. Yeah, I'm a 73-year-old . Hey
fran. Hey fran.
hey, mr. Fran.
fran.
all right. It's a whole lot of people waiting on the next couple agenda items.
mm-hmm .
all right. It settled down. It settled down enough. Okay, we're gonna continue.
uh, we're go to item number 11, next
report from economic development and opportunity recommendation to adopt specifications
and award a contract to ike smart city for the design
project management, software development, manufacturing,
construction and installation, content management, operations and maintenance
and advertising sales of a digital kiosk network up to 50
kiosks for a period of 10 years with the option to renew for
one additional 10 year period and authorized to execute all
documents necessary to enter into the contract, including any necessary subsequent amendments
citywide. Alright, so, uh, in terms of the order
and announced this earlier, I announced it again. So we're handling this item, item
36. Then you have public comment. You have,
uh, 33, 35, 37, which are renewals of bids.
uh, and then we have some ordinances take care of. So that's the order tonight. Alright.
this is, uh, this item 11 is in keeping with, uh, uh, the
theme tonight. Grow long beach. We are growing our revenue. Uh,
we just had a proposal on amphitheater, which is a public comment. Uh,
excuse me. That's not what we do here. For people who are here as you know
that there's public comment, some people are here as well.
there are a lot of people here waiting. Yeah. Raise your hand if you're waiting on your item.
thank you. So we don't take your priority over everyone else. Let's respect
everyone's time. I stated the order, and then we're gonna continue
with the order. Thank you so much. Okay. So, so in this item
again, uh, this is a proposal for a digital network,
uh, that helps generate about $1.4 million
a year in annual revenue that is in keeping with our work on the amphitheater,
our work on, uh, cultural preservation with the vip sign. And
now we have, uh, a new way for to do digital way finding in our city
in a way that is, is modern and sleek and generates revenue for our city.
uh, this, uh, uh, is, is, uh, an important, uh,
presentation we're gonna hear from. Thank you so much.
thank you. Us president. We've been asking you for help. Thank you so much.
okay. I've sat with so we're gonna, we're we're, I've already emailed
you the proposals, dr. So you just gonna do your
own public comment on your own?
you, you don't wanna hear what we have to say. Say reality
by the rules. Yeah. You trying acknowledge the
reality b******t. You're welcome to wait till public comment or you can leave.
it's that simple public. Thank you so much as the
chair of the meeting, I establish when these things take place, but thank you
so much, everyone. All right,
I'm gonna, I'm gonna respect everyone who's waiting patiently for their items who are coming forward.
thank you. You know that they're here, they're staying in our city.
not only that, I have proof that long beach pd. Thank you.
and we'll hear all about it at public. Comment at seven night.
these council meetings go till 11 o'clock sometimes. Okay, then you thank you.
thank you. That's the spirit. All right, so now we're gonna go to the presentation.
before we do the present, we're gonna go to the presentation. Before we do presentation, can we get a motion in a second?
we need a motion in a second. So moved. Alright, moved. Eight guys,
kirk and eight and five. We'll start our staff presentation. Thank
you. Thank you, mr. Mayor. So, uh, as you mentioned, this is another
part of our grow long beach strategy. Uh, we're incredibly excited, uh, to bring
this to you. And you're gonna see this in a different couple different phases. It's gonna start in downtown,
but we've really thought about citywide equity as well. Uh, this is up to 50 kiosks that
we can distribute throughout the city. Uh, and so you're really, uh, gonna hear about this
and the investment. And then also, uh, how this is gonna help do public
advertising as well for, uh, community messaging. Uh, and then we also have the ability to work
with our small business as part of it. So I will turn it over to beau martinez to walk through the presentation.
thank you. City manager moca, uh, mayor, city council, beau martinez,
director of economic development. Um, this item provides an overview of recommended
contract with ikes mark city to implement a citywide kiosk network.
this proposal is a strategic citywide investment in how
our city communicates, navigates, and act activates its public spaces.
this network of digital kiosk will improve way finding, expand
access to real-time infra city information, promote local
businesses and events, and enhance the pedestrian experience across
downtown, the waterfront, and throughout our neighborhood commercial corridors.
as the mayor mentioned, this initiative also reflects how we are leveraging city owned assets through
the grow long beach initiative and the creation of the rise division
renovation, re revenue, innovation, and strategic enhancements
to responsibly diversify the city's economy and revenue streams.
this revenue sharing partnership with ike smart city will generate new and
recurring revenues to support the high quality community services
and amenities our residents and visitors enjoy.
but most importantly, as we think about the revenue innovation and strategic,
strategic enhancements, not only along with the waterfront, but throughout the city as tonight
you hear with the long beach amphitheater project, it's gonna generate over $7 million
during the lifetime of that project. This project's gonna generate
over $28 million over the lifetime of the projects, thus equaling over
$35 million in new revenue generating opportunities in the city
tonight. So with that, I'd like to have eric romero,
our waterfront development bureau, complete the presentation.
good evening mayor and city council. In may, 2025, the
city issued a request for proposals to select a partner to implement a digital
kiosk network in long beach. The rfp outlined a variety of goals, which
emphasized balancing the kiosk commercial goals with quality of life, minimizing upfront
and ongoing costs for the city to implement and manage the kiosks, generating new revenue
to the city, and supporting community based organizations and small businesses.
one proposal was submitted in response to the rfp by ike smart city, llc.
a committee of city staff evaluated the proposal based on the company's experience implementing
similar projects, the proposed project plan, the kiosk design and
functionality, and the financial proposal. Thank you.
ike. Smart city is a market leader in partnering with municipalities to design, deploy, and
operate digital kiosk networks, and is well qualified to lead this project.
the company has installed and currently operates more than 700 kiosks in 23 cities
nationwide, several of which are highlighted, uh, here on the screen.
ike smart city has the in-house expertise required to successfully deploy, manage,
and maintain the kiosk network, and through its sister company, orange barrel media. Uh,
ike has longstanding relationships with national and regional advertisers, which
is critical to the financial success of the kiosk network.
ike's digital kiosks offer a wide range of features and public benefits. The
kiosks are durable and constructed with weather resistant materials designed for outdoor use.
the kiosks are multilingual, allowing users to access content and their preferred their
preferred language. Cities can select languages that reflect the surrounding community,
and iq uses human interpreters to ensure key interface translations are
accurate. The kiosk will be a da compliant and designed to
avoid obstructing pedestrian pathways or creating barriers to safe and convenient
travel. The kiosk will adhere to strict privacy standards, so so
there'll be no sharing of, uh, personally identifiable information. It's not
collected. All user interactions will be anonymous and any data collected is
aggregated and anon anonymized. The kiosk improved navigation
and wayfinding of transit, parking, local businesses and cultural
destinations. The kiosk can display information about community resources including
food banks, free health clinics, veteran services, family services, shelters,
and more. The kiosk can disseminate critical emer emergency information such
as weather alerts. They'll also support economic activity through proximity based
business directory listings, and they can integrate with city applications such
as the go long beach app. They'll have, uh, interactive games and activities
to drive user engagement, and they're a lot more kiosk features and
benefits. This is not an exhaustive list. The image on the slide shows an example of the
kiosk design. The final kiosk will be customized for long beach and match the long beach
brand and are expected to be approximately eight feet tall, three feet wide, and one one
foot, uh, deep.
I'll now walk through the key terms of the proposal negotiated by city staff with ike smart city.
the proposal allows ike smart city to deploy up to 50 digital kiosks implemented
in two phases of 25 kiosks. Each phase one would be deployed
in downtown with phase two deployed in other areas of the city.
ike smart city will advance all capital and operating costs required to implement and operate
the kiosk network. These costs will be reimbursed from gross advertising
revenue generated by the kiosk. Over a period of 10 years. Ix
smart city will provide the city with either a minimum annual guarantee of
$10,000 per kiosk or 30% of net advertising
revenue, whichever is greater. The minimum annual guarantee will
increase by 10% in years five, 10, and 15.
and if the kiosk network generates at least $200,000 in annual revenue per
kiosks in any given year, the city's share will increase to 40% of net
advertising revenue. Revenue sharing payments will be made quarterly and the agreement will
include city audit rights. To ensure transparency and accountability,
the city will receive 12.5% of advertising inventory at no cost.
in addition to any unsold advertising space, discounted advertising
rates will be available to local small businesses and nonprofit organizations. Small
businesses will also have the opportunity to apply for two weeks of free advertising space.
the agreement will have an initial 10 year term with an option to extend for an additional
10 years. And ike smart city will be required to conduct ongoing community
engagement during site planning, kiosk deployment, and throughout kiosk operations.
the following slides provide an overview, ike smart city's scope of services. Ike
will be responsible for the end-to-end delivery of the kiosk network, including
kiosk design and fabrication, pre-construction planning and site preparation,
engineering and permit preparation, construction and installation, content
development and ongoing operations and maintenance. As part of
the kiosk site selection, ike will conduct site specific due diligence, including
confirming that each location has sufficient power and recommended kiosk.
locations will be located at active intersections with high pedestrian traffic,
uh, minimize obstructions such as street furniture and buildings. They'll
be situated in areas near local retailers, restaurants and cultural or tourism as
assets, and the kiosk will not be located in any areas that are solely residential.
this slide continues to outline ike's scope of services. So ike will hire a
local maintenance team and inspect, test and clean the kiosks at least five days per week.
the team will respond promptly to maintenance issues or vandalism with a goal of
resolving minor issues within a few hours and addressing more complex issues within 24 to
48 hours. It's important to note that all advertisements de displayed
on the kiosk must comply with the city's established advertising restrictions. The
city prohibits adult or vice related content including sexual content, vulgar
language or gestures and advertising for alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs.
advertisements may not impersonate the city of long beach or imply city endorsement
of any product or service to protect public safety. Advertisements
may not, uh, be distracting or confusing to drivers and may not include words such
as stop drive or danger and flashing lights or symbols that could be
mistaken for traffic signals or emergency vehicles are prohibited.
this slide summarizes the projected revenue to the city from the advertising revenue sharing
agreement. With ike at full deployment, with 50 kiosks each guaranteeing
a minimum of $10,000 annually, the network would generate at least $500,000
per year for the city during the first five years of the term. As noted earlier,
the minimum annual guarantee increases by 10% in years five, 10, and
15. Based on ike's financial projections, revenues are expected to
exceed the minimum guarantee and could generate approximately 1.4 million
in average annual revenue for the city. After full deployment or roughly $28 million
over 20 years, the kiosk network is expected to begin generating
revenue at limited number of downtown locations. Toward the end of the current fiscal year,
revenue from kiosks located within the tidelands area will be deposited into the tidelands
fund. While revenue from kiosks located outside the thailands area will be deposited into
the city's general fund. At this time, detailed projections showing the revenue split between
the titles fund and the general fund are not yet available. Those projections will be finalized
once I confirms the final kiosk locations. And this
concludes our presentation for this item. Thank you. Alright, thank you for that presentation
and I'll take it, uh, to take it behind the daas council member th
took, uh, thank you mayor and thank you to the city for staff
for that report there. You know, as an urban planner, I get excited about
these kinds of way finding signs. Um, I think this is a really important step
to continuing to ensure that as we move people throughout our city,
but especially in the downtown to start that we make it very, very easy for them to
be able to access and understand, uh, what's happening in our city. And I also
think that this kind of asset when, uh, implemented, can also add to the vibrancy
of our, uh, corridors. Uh, I wanna thank the team for bringing this,
uh, forward in such a creative way and all the thoughtfulness regarding, um, how
it will roll out and ensure a level of safety as well as economic opportunity.
um, and you highlighted that these kiosks will be a da accessible and be
available in a variety of languages, uh, for all of the public to be able to
engage. Um, I understand that the rollout is going to be in two phases
with the first phase focused on downtown, um, which we understand.
um, and then looking at moving intentionally across the rest of the city.
uh, really appreciate that. And identifying key emerging commercial corridors
where we can also utilize, um, these kiosks as well.
uh, one thing that I think is really exciting is to be able to have public messaging,
um, on them. So this is an opportunity to get key messages out, uh, across the
city. Um, and I'd like to recommend, uh, to staff as we consider what
that messaging looks like, especially for those kiosks that are gonna start in downtown.
there may be an opportunity to encourage, um, or to have
an icon to encourage, uh, those pedestrians to look at other parts
of the city. So explore, uh, different parts of the city or different cultural districts
or various different experiences that you can have throughout the city while
it's located in downtown, this may give, uh, people an opportunity to explore,
uh, the rest of the city. So I hope that this is something that we can put in the first
phase, um, since the first, uh, set of kiosks will be, uh, in
the downtown area. Um, but I think that this will be a great way to continue to,
um, invest and give people a reason to beat in our city and to circulate,
um, as comfortably and easily as possible. Thank you.
thank you. Council member cart. Uh, yes, thank you for the team for their hard work on
this over the last many, many months. Um, and thank you to my colleague for, uh, those great comments.
um, I concur with what's been said. I think there's an opportunity for
folks who aren't downtown, um, as they move into other parts of the city, potentially
the airport, really incorporating what some of our public transit options are as well
to get people to those destinations. Um, whether they're cultural destinations, social destinations,
events happening in other parts of the city. Um, a really comprehensive way to
get around long beach, not just know where everything is. So I look forward to how we
continue, uh, to roll this out and work together. Thank you so much.
council member sorrow. Uh, thanks mayor and
thank you eric and uh, for your work on this as well as the
whole team and bringing this forward. I think it's really exciting when we
can always have more digital, uh, tools that are accessible
to the public. Uh, not just for way finding, but I think as a way to
educate and provide information about different aspect of where
these will be located in the city. Like it could be, you
know, a, a mini like placemaking opportunity to educate
a corridor as they do in other parts of the city with actual like
physical photos. Um, this could be digital kind of curation.
and the other thing, um, is I'm hoping that when we do look into
phase two, where there are key energy, key corridor
is looking at high, using some data to determine where we can place some more opportunities
for activation as well. Um, bringing attention to an area,
not just where it's already, uh, busy, but where it could be busy.
um, and then the other thing is, I just had a few questions about the advertisement.
while, uh, campaign signs are prohibited on public property,
I'm just wondering if this would be included as a area where
we would, alright, public campaigning or political. So this is your final warning.
you need to allow the proceedings to continue. The process is if you
continue this, I have to empty the entire chamber. All of these people who are
here have to go to work tomorrow. A hundred people
have to go to work tonight and tomorrow. Please respect them. You
have your opportunity to speak. Otherwise I have to ask everyone to step out
and let everyone back in and you'll be gone. I just told you
earlier, we have this item, then we have this item where all these people are
speaking and then you have public comment. We're almost there. Public comment
is in two more items and then we'll conclude the rest of the agenda.
are we clear on that? There's this item. There's the item. All of these people
are patiently waiting for and then there's right, and they're waiting patiently.
so please respect everyone here and allow them to participate
and you will have your moment. You can say whatever you want for your three minutes, really.
thank you. Alright. Please proceed. All right. So I just,
yeah, my question is, because it's not specifically public property, is
political campaigning allowed on this? Because, um, so I'm just
curious about that. Um, ashley stone,
deputy city attorney, that's a very good question. Um, council member sorrow. And
it's something that you're absolutely right. We cannot use public resources to go to
campaign activity and we're entering into a campaign season. Um, and I
think it, the kiosks are not intended to be city property, but we
also wanna make sure we're not creating the appearance of an endorsement aligned with the
spirit of our advertising policy. So I think you're raising a really good question. We
can, um, you know, provide clarity around that. Yeah, thank you. Just because,
um, they are tied to the city and I just
wanted to be, make sure we get clarity on campaigning
ads on these. Yeah. And council manara will work very closely with like smart
cities and the city attorney's office and making sure that we're not only managing the content,
but also looking at potential prohibitions around the content that will, uh, be on each
of those kiosks. All right, thank you. Alright,
thank you. Next is council member rick sodi. Uh, thank you mayor.
um, I just had two questions. Um, I think this is a really interesting and exciting initiative,
so I'm looking forward to seeing, um, as these go up and follow them along.
um, my first question was, can you talk, I think sometimes when people talk about things being a
da compliant, people don't necessarily know what that means when we talk about technology like that. Could
you all talk a little bit about what aspects of the kiosk, um, that we would
visibly be people would visibly be able to see or, and engage with that'll allow it to be a da compliant?
sure. That's a great question. So a da stands for americans with disabilities
act and the kiosk locations will comply with all federal a da
requirements and also any applicable city codes and design standards. And
some examples of compliance will be maintaining, uh,
required unobstructed p parian, uh, clearances. So not creating obstructions
for people that are, are using a sidewalk, for example. Also digital
accessibility. Uh, accessibility will be important. So the size of text or
the colors that are used will be important for some folks as well. And then usability.
so how user friendly is it, for example, for someone that's in a wheelchair and can they reach
and interact with interface as well? Are some considerations that will be taken into account
as these are developed and deployed to ensure compliance with a da. Um, and then, uh,
do we know what is the, um, what are the accessibility, um, options for
those who are hearing impaired or deaf? I don't have that available right now,
but we will follow up up with that information. Right. Okay. Yeah, I was just curious. I had met with the,
um, uh, I had, I had, uh, met with the, um,
operators, uh, earlier in the week. Um, and I just wanted to highlight that they, they had mentioned that
there was the ability to put in like a phone jack. Um, they also said there
was ability for, um, users to, to use their own devices
so they can actually interface directly with the kiosk itself, use their own handheld
devices. So I really appreciated the fact that it was thoughtful around our, um,
our disability community and what they use. So that way we make sure that something like
this is technology is accessible to everyone. And council member rick
sodi, the, um, uh, I represented from mike smart cities is here in the
audience tonight too, to also answer any questions or elaborate further. Okay. Wonderful. Um,
and then my last question was, I know that the idea is that we have the 50 kiosk, 25
will be kind of in the tidelands downtown area and the other 25 will be inter
dispersed across the the city. Can you talk a little bit around your vision for
how we will select those locations, um, in other parts of the city?
yeah, so we'll work very closely with, um, I ikes mark cities when it comes to
looking at the, um, number of kiosk and where they'll be located. And
some of the factors that they'll be looking at is, uh, pedestrian activity,
impression counts, uh, the technical physi feasibility to locate
a kiosk along a commercial corridor within the right of way. And then most importantly,
we'll work with the neighboring, uh, businesses as well as the community as we look
to locate these, um, into the future. And I'll just add that I, I should
have mentioned that while pedestrian activity and highly trafficked areas is really important
from an advertising sales standpoint, I, it is also committed to at
least 10% of kiosk being located areas that may be not
the most ideal in terms of a high traffic kind of location, but that are really focused
on, uh, distributing e the equitable distribution of these kiosk to make sure
that there are other areas in the city commercially at corridors that are uplifted as well. Okay, wonderful. One
of the things that I would love to see us do as we're, um, engaging in determining
locations, if we're thinking about a court, a corridor or a corner, um, and
I know we talked about making it available and interfacing with the businesses. I'd love to see us
go and actually kind of maybe even do some canvassing of the businesses in the local area, talk to them about the
technology, um, and ways that they might utilize it as I feel like that would really inform,
um, our usage and make sure that it's something that, um, is effective when we're thinking
about economic development opportunity. Yeah, absolutely. And community engagement is a
core part of their scope of services. We'll make sure to prioritize that. Excellent.
thank you. Council member duggan.
alright, well thanks to the economic development team who brought this
to the city. I remember seeing it for the first time. Um,
and I understand a lot of people downtown are excited about this opportunity.
I think it's great the thought of making sure that there
is benefit to our local businesses. Um, when we bring this
here, I, I'm gonna ask a question just to put some people at
ease 'cause I'm getting some concerns from people that they're
seeing a lot of the kiosk go downtown. Um, and
then they're gonna see the kiosk popping up throughout the city. Uh,
what is the second phase for bringing this out? Do we have specific, uh,
council member ricks oti talked about canvassing? I'd like
to hear about how that second phase is going to
roll out how we're going to get community engagement around
these bids if, if we're going to use bids or where we're going to put these things.
absolutely. So community engagement will be a priority for the sighting of,
of all of these locations. Of course, there'll be a lot of, you know, analytics that will
be looked at, uh, to identify what are those high traffic locations, those ideal locations from
an advertising sales standpoint. But community engagement will, will be a part
of that as well. So that could include outreach to our business improvement districts, other
business associations that aren't, uh, officially a business improvement district, community,
uh, organizations like neighborhood or organizations. Um, and, and a lot
more. So there'll be a robust outreach process. As a part of this, we'll develop that
community engagement plan in partnership with ike smartt city, assuming that council
goes forward with rec, uh, uh, approving the recommendation to award this contract to
the vendor. Great. Good to hear that. They'll bring it to neighborhood associations.
that's what people are asking for.
alright, council member thra tu. Yes,
I have, uh, comments from councilwoman
zendejas who is not able to be here. I will read them on be on her behalf.
uh, from the moment this idea was first introduced, I could
not wait to see it become a reality in downtown long beach. This project
represents the kind of bold, forward thinking innovation that truly moves our city forward.
with the olympic games on the horizon, we have an incredible opportunity to
showcase long beach to the world. The kiosk will play a key role in helping
visitors and tourists navigate our city, while also serving as a powerful
place, making assets that highlight our history, major capital
projects and everything that makes long beach so special. I want
to sincerely thank clay from ike and their entire
ike and their entire team for believing in our city, investing in our community,
and bringing this exciting project to long beach. Their partnership and commitment are exactly
what strong city collaboration looks like. These kiosks will reflect
long beach pride, strengthen our identity as a destination of choice, and
generate local revenue that directly supports our community. Most importantly,
they have the power to bring our long beach communities together in such a
unique and innovative way. This is the kind
of meaningful programming that will elevate the downtown experience for
everyone. I'm proud to support this item and I can't wait to see it, these
kiosks activated citywide, especially in our downtown area. Thank you.
thank you. And council member allen remotely?
yes. Uh, thank you mayor. And, um, and just, I just
wanna say thank you so much for the presentation and just all the work, um, that has
gone into this and all the effort that has gone, uh, to get where we're at today.
I think, um, it's important that the city leverages, uh, existing
public space and, um, also think about new
ways, how we can generate revenue. Um, also signage
and advertising is a practical approach to diversifying,
um, how the city supports its economy, especially
at a time when, uh, we need tools that generate ongoing
rev revenues. Um, rather than just, um, looking at one
time solutions we can, um, directly
support our local businesses, um, and commercial corridors
by helping, um, drive foot traffic and spending and,
um, of course activity in these areas, um, where people
are already gathering. Um, I also believe this helps public spaces
in a way that strengthens, um, the pedestrian experience,
which is directly tied to stronger retail, dining
and, um, entertainment environments. Um, also I believe that
this item also fits into a broader effort to
modernize how the city thinks about economic development. And
I believe that, uh, we are behind in terms of advertising
and, uh, with related, uh, to, you know, modernizing, um,
those efforts. So I am happy, uh, to see
this on the agenda today and it has my, uh, full support.
so thank you for my colleagues comments and just everyone that, um, that brought this
forward and made this happen. Thank you. Thank you. Uh, council member subina.
um, thank you. Just a couple of questions submitted to our office. Um, the
kiosks are not solar powered, they're hardwired. Um,
the question was, who picks up the utility bill? Is it covered by
the vendor or the city or the vendor? Okay. Um, the
other, uh, I guess request I would have is that we have, um, a system
in place for handling inquiries, complaints, questions about content,
uh, whether it's part of the gold long beach app, that's great, but as long as it's there. So
we avoid, um, those, those kind of comments coming into
council offices. It can go right to a source. Okay. Thank you. Thank
you so much. We'll now go to public comment. We have one member of the public signed up to speak. Austin
matoya.
I think you took the long way, austin. I was, yeah, I realize that .
alright, I'll keep my, uh, comments brief on this one. Good evening. Uh, honorable
mayor, members of the city council. My name is austin matoyer, uh, president and ceo for the downtown
long beach alliance. But I'm also speaking on behalf of the council of business associations,
which comprises the city's 10 business improvement districts. Uh, we're
here in support of the ike smart kiosk. We've had an opportunity to, to see
the kiosks, uh, in person at uh, fellow downtown organizations
across the state, as well as have a presentation for mike. Um, we truly
believe that this system will allow us to better connect the
city. Uh, what was mentioned earlier by councilman, uh, to know was, uh,
how do we make sure that what is happening in one part of the district is being,
uh, conveyed and helped support it in another part of the district. Um, we're really excited,
even though that downtown will have phase one, we can really advertise and promote what's happening in
the sixth district, what's happening in bixby knowles, what's happening in belmont shore. Um,
and we look at this in the context of both the world cup and in
the context of the olympics. And we want to be able to show
the, the world when you come to long beach, there's so much more than the one spot that you're
coming to that maybe the olympic game or the watch party may be happening. So how do you
help explore? And we feel like these kiosks are a great opportunity for that.
um, so we're in full support, uh, and we thank you for the opportunity. Thank you. Alright,
well thank you for your comments. This is a great project. Again, another opportunity to generate revenue.
our city. Let's have our roll call vote please. Council district two
aye. Council district three aye. Council
district four. Aye. Council district five. Aye. Council district six. Aye.
council district seven aye. Council district eight. Aye. Council district nine.
aye. Motion carries. Thank you. We now go to item 36, please.
item 36, report from economic development and opportunity recommendation
to execute all documents necessary for a fourth amendment to lease between
the city of long beach and the long beach yacht club. To extend the term of the lease, facilitate
capital improvements and establish and define rent offsets for city owned
property. Located at 6 2 0 1 appian way, commonly known
as the long beach yacht club district three. Alright, thank you. So
before, okay, we have a motion, uh, cd three. Is there second?
we need a second on the motion. I'll second. Second. Uh, cd nine. Alright,
so before we begin the presentation or remind people we have this item,
then we're going to general public comment and then we continue with the rest of the council meeting.
so let's start with our staff presentation please. Thank you very much, mr. Mayor.
so we do have a presentation on this. We're excited to be here, uh, to after, uh,
a series of negotiations and, and discussions with the yacht club. Uh, the yacht club
has been a long part of the city's history, uh, dating all the way back to the 1960s and
it sits on city land. Uh, and so, uh, you know that there's a chance
to really invest in the yacht club. The yacht club wants to bring a significant investment that
you hear about tonight and put that into city land and city, uh, what will ultimately
become city facilities, uh, but also a chance for us to re-look at the agreement to make
sure that there's public benefit for doing that, uh, and that the yacht club is working
together with us, uh, to be able to have a community benefit in the amount, uh, equal
to the, uh, rent that they would be paying. So, uh, it's been a good negotiation. We're excited
to be here, to recommend this to you. And, uh, we will then turn it over to the team to be
able to, uh, walk through the details.
thank you c manager, moka. And as you've uh, seen tonight, um, it's really been about,
you know, the waterfront from the amphitheater project to the kiosk,
and now to, uh, the long beach yacht club. And we recognize the opportunity that's
in front of us. And I think, you know, when you think about creating great places, you got
to, uh, create great placemaking where people be connected to great places and great
experiences, and that's what makes our city so special. And with that, um, mary
tos is going to give us a, a, um, a presentation on, on the, uh, yacht
club agreement. Thank you, uh, honorable
mayor, members of the city council. The honor item before you is for a lease extension
for the long beach yacht club for city owned property. Located at 6 2 0 1 appian way.
in january of 1960, the city entered into lease number 7 0 1 3
with the long beach yacht club for approximately 70,577 square feet
of city owned property to construct the clubhouse and the rent was set at $1,800
per year. In january, 1970, city council authorized the
first amendment, which extended the term for 50 years until january, 2020.
and included rent adjustments through cpi increases, the rent was set at $2,400
per year. In march of 2007, city council authorized
the second amendment extending the term to january, 2050 with rent increases being offset
through a lump sum extension fee of $250,000 and capital improvements
of $430,000. In july, 2011, city council
authorized the third amendment, which clarified the use of mooring facilities to be consistent
with city policy. Um, the proposed project before you,
uh, the long beach child club is proposing, uh, a project that includes demolition
of an existing storage building pool and pool decking and construction of a
two story addition with roof deck, new pool area, and decking, and ancillary storage
and equipment areas. The project also includes construction of a new 375
square foot community room, which will be made available for community-based programming and
meetings. Additional landscaping is also planned.
to that end, the fourth amendment, uh, has been negotiated with the following terms.
the premises is currently 70,556 square feet with the land,
uh, of land with the building. Uh, that measures 19,915 square feet
while the building, uh, will increase by approximately 20,000, uh, usable
square feet. Pursuant to the project, the leasehold area remains the same at the approximately
70,000 square feet. The yacht club will invest a minimum of $10 million
in capital investment into the facility and be responsible for the entire cost for all improvements
in modifications to facilitate the financing required to
complete the construction, the term will be reset to 66 years effective january 1st, 2026,
and expiring december 31st, 2091. And the city may be
asked to consent to a leasehold deed of trust, which agreeing, agreeing that a leasehold mortgage you
will have certain commercial reasonable rights. The consent is for security purposes
only, and is not an assignment of the lease. Unless a foreclosure or assignment in lieu
of foreclosure occurs, base rent will be set at $200,000
annually, which is fair. Market value is determined by an independent appraisal. 10%
of the base rent will be paid annually in cash with the remaining 90% eligible for
rent offsets. Uh, the base rent increase will not take effect until the final
certificate of occupancy has been issued after construction and the base rent will be
subject, uh, to a 10% increase every five years. Rent
credits available will be first, um, involving the community room use. The
city will be entitled to use the community room for up to 600 hours,
uh, per year at no cost to the city or its partners. The value of this rent
offset is set at $200 per hour with an annual rent credit of $120,000.
once the community room is constructed, inability available for use, city programs
and services as well as community groups will be eligible to reser reserve the space.
additional rent offset will be available through documented value of non-member reduced
or free use community benefits provided at the premises or adjacent to the premises
if they are c based programs. An example of some of these community benefits
are swim and scaling sailing scholarships with nonprofit partners such as ymca and the boys
and girls club to offer an outreach scholarships for swimming and sailing lessons.
panthers at sea, which is a free day program for students at jordan high school, and scholarships
for year-round junior sailing program for non-members.
the value of these offsets will be adjusted consistent with the rent escalator of 10%
every five years. Um, the programs may be added or subtracted subject
to city approval. The yacht club, the yacht club will provide an annual community
benefit report outlining all the proposed rent offsets.
uh, apologize. Um, we'll provide an annual report
outlining all the annual community benefit. Uh, the proposed rent offsets for the proceeding
lease year. If the rent off offsets do not meet or exceed 90% of
the base rent, the difference will be due in cash within 30 days. Reporting of the
rent offset will not begin until the base rent increase has taken effect upon the issuance of the
certificate of occupancy. And therefore, the recommendation before you is
to authorize the city manager or designee to execute all documents necessary
for the fourth amendment between the city and the long beach chalk club. This concludes the staff report and I'm
available to answer any questions you may have. Alright, thanks so much. We're gonna hold
the questions. There's a number of people who've waited patiently for public comment. Now is
that time I'm gonna, uh, we have, uh, a number of speakers signed
up. I'm gonna do the first 10, uh, larry bustos, eddie
rivera, jason, baiz, phil dandridge, julie snow,
bob pearcy, matt shea, lisa meyer, pat west, and
blair mccarty. If you heard your name, please line up.
all right. All right. Please proceed, sir. Okay, thank you. Good evening, honorable mayor,
city council and staff. My name is larry bustos and I am a 20 year
member of labor's international union of north america. I am here today
to speak in support of this developer and the projects that they build. Good
responsible developers like this one believe in strong wages with good
benefits that support working families. These tough economic times affects
all of us, and this is exactly why we need those types of projects. These
projects invest in the local community and deliver hundreds of high quality construction jobs
that provide good wages, health benefits, and a pension.
this opportunity is right here in our local community, in our local skilled and
trained workforce. Like those in orange, you see behind me. Stand ready to
build it. Thank you. Thank you so much.
next speaker is eddie, then jason. Good
morning, uh, mayor and, uh, staff. It's almost
morning . I just woke up,
uh, . All kidding aside, thank you for letting me speak.
uh, once again, my name is eddie rivera. I am a member of the labor's international union of
north america here before you in support of this project, as well
as the amphitheater, I didn't get a chance to speak on. Um, but
I hope you move it forward again, for many reasons, positive reasons.
I, I tend to be positive and focus on the good of things. And there's a lot
of good here. It's been there for many years. Why can't we just make it
better? That's, I think, the end goal here. So I hope we,
we could see all the benefits in many different ways, whether it's members
going to work close to home without commuting on that
horrible 4 0 5 or the 91, going and coming to
inland empire, north la, orange county, whatnot.
um, just trying to stay close to home for, for the possibilities
of workers, local hire, benefits, pension,
um, in, in these days with the, uh,
situation coming from the white house, a lot of instability, uncertainty,
a lot of negativity. We need to push the positive and this
is just a big positive, good developer, good partners.
I hope you, uh, can approve it. Thank you for your time. Thank you so much.
next is jason and then phil, honorable counsel jason
baez with labor's international union of north america here tonight
in full support. We are truly ecstatic for the opportunity
to put forth the pride of our trade into such a historical
landmark. And we are also very grateful to the long beach yacht
club for their benevolence in providing good paying
living wage jobs to the community. Most of everything
has been said, but I'd like to share this one statistic with you that I learned
when a applicant hires non-union contractors, for every
dollar paid out, only 25 cents stays in that community.
but when applicants hire local union contractors,
not only does the full dollar paid out, stay in the community,
but also an additional 50 cents. Thus making
this an opportunity for the city itself,
the long beach yacht club and labor's local 1309,
to have the opportunity to make an excellent contribution
to the city's endeavor for economic development and opportunity,
thus making long beach's priority number one,
it's prosperity. Thank you so much. Thank you so much.
thank you. Next is phil. After phil is julie. Oh,
hi. I'm actually matt sha, uh, our role mayor, council members
of city staff and members of the public. Thank you for your opportunity to speak on behalf
of the long beach lifeguard association in support of the long beach yacht club. My name is matt
shea and I am the board member of the long beach lifeguard association and a resident
of district four. The long beach yacht club supports and expands the
aquatic community by providing access and opportunity while sharing
knowledge and ex expertise well beyond its membership.
this is not an exhaustive list, but I wanted to highlight some of the events. The long
beach yacht club supports and sponsors and hosts at their club. The waterproof
our youth program, which teaches free swim lessons to children to learn to swim in long
beach. The annual heroes regatta at which public safety and military members
and their families are invited by the yacht club for a day of friendly sailing competitions
and celebration. Special meetings for the united states coast guard sector la
at which stakeholders are brought together to discuss significant events, california
boater safety courses and sailing lessons at which waterways are safer
for all persons on the water monthly. They host the long beach lifeguard alumni
at which community service and outreach is planned california select
surf lifesaving association meetings. The csla is the organization that sets and
maintains the professional standards for pro open water lifeguarding, long beach lifeguard
hall of fame, award ceremonies, and end of summer banquets
for local high schools such as millikin and wilson. And they host regular blood drives,
the long beach lifeguard association. Thanks the club for their willingness and per
thank you, your time is concluded. Thank you so much. Long list today.
uh, julie and bob.
hello there. My name is julie s. Snow. I'm a belmont shore resident and
I am one of a few volunteers that have helped to establish the
high school sailing program. We operate out of long beach yacht club. This is our fourth
season. We are opened all eighth through 12th grade
students in the school in our school district, as well as just outside of
the city of long beach. I am very much for the remodel
of the club. This will bring some much needed classroom space and training space for our
sailors. Uh, we are open for any of
the kids and really working on our outreach now as we are in
our fourth year to try to get more, uh, high schoolers
to come and experience the opportunity of sailing. And a lot of our
current sailors, this is the first time they've ever sailed in their lives. Some of you
may be familiar with the big rose bowl, uh, sailing retta that
we had this past weekend. It was held just off of the granada lawn
tramp and it attracts high schools, uh, all over the coast
of california as well as some out-of-state schools
and colleges as well. And some of our very first time sailors had the opportunity
to sail and they were incredibly competitive. We're so proud of the kids. We
have scholarships available for the children as well. They're doing great
and they're really relishing and enjoying this opportunity.
uh, these classroom, uh, would be amazing for this program. So I'm
in full support. Thank you. Thank you so much. Alright, next
is bob and then lisa. Honorable
mayor, council members. My name is bob pearcy. I serve
as the commodore of long beach yacht club and I'm here tonight
not only as a representative of the club, but as a voice for
a very passionate group, community group, um, that
enjoys the beautiful waterfront that we have here in long beach.
over the past 97 years, the long beach yacht club has
demonstrated a profound commitment to our shoreline position. We
have invested our own resources to improve the city property.
this is not just an investment in our club, it's a contribution to
our entire community. Extending our lease
reflects not just a commitment to our club, but an affirmation,
affirmation, excuse me, of the value we bring to this community.
with your support, we can continue to embrace our waterfront,
provide valuable programs for our residents,
and keep the spirit of adventure alive for generations to come.
I urge, strongly urge you to, um, vote yes on this
issue. Thank you. Thank you so much.
alright, see, we, we changed some order, blair. Sorry. Thank you. Alright, uh,
good evening, mr. Mayor and council members. My name is blair cardi. I'm a retired uni, uh,
long beach unified school district, high school principal with a master's degree in curriculum
development and instruction from ucla. And I'm currently the executive director of the adams
legacy foundation, which is a local nonprofit supporting students getting out into
nature. But tonight I'm here as a board member of the long beach sailing foundation. And
because I'm the coordinator of that, of a stem program that it runs, we
strongly support the long beach yacht club lease extension. We launched the stem program eight years
ago to bring inner city youth to the water and give them meaningful hands-on learning.
each year, our partners select 35 middle school students to come to long beach yacht
club. Once a month for structured three hour saturday program.
it's two year alternating curriculum designed for middle school students, critical years
of building confidence in preparing students for more rigorous coursework in their future.
students rotate through sailing instruction, hands-on stem lessons and rov
building and testing. The results are strong, 98% attendance rate
and 95% re uh, return rate. We're halfway through this year's
cohort and we invite you to visit us on the 16th, uh, from one to 4:00 pm
but you can see what's going on. We select our partners at the beginning of, or at
the, for each school year, at the summer, um, proceeding that school
year. Uh, and we look forward to working with each of your offices for input on those
students. Thank you for your time. Programs like the stem sailing program,
uh, open access to our waterways and include students, introduce students to
maritime engineering and environmental career pathways that they may not otherwise encounter.
thank you. Your time is, thank you. Thanks so much. Pat,
before you go, before you go, uh, I'm gonna read the let next
list of names so they can begin to line up. Marilyn cassidy.
uh, I'm gonna call phil dandridge one more time. If, if phil's not here, we can take him off the list.
uh, mike gehrig, andrea gehrig,
norm rich lisa palmer, tom camp steve scott,
shannon gallagher. Jonah breslau. B-r-e-s-l-a-u.
josh deleon. Uh, veronica lawrence. Alright,
pat, you have the floor. Hi everybody. Lease extensions. Lease
extensions are hard. They're complicated. Trust me on that.
um, before I start, I just wanna thank the city team who's worked with us for the past two years to get
to this level and we thank them so much. Bo martinez, mary torres, christopher
c***s taught the land, and steve scott. So thank you guys so, so much. So
the city has numerous leases that is responsible for whether it's in highlands area,
los salami, des bay, rainbow harbor, the city's beaches, the airport
parks, golf courses, and the ranchos. Community and public benefits have
been required for many of these leases for decades. It must be negotiated with the city prior to obtaining
any lease or lease extension. As you can see, the community benefit package
negotiated between the city and the long beach yacht club is very robust.
I believe there's about five yacht clubs in long beach, including the seal beach yacht club
and the navy yacht club. The long beach yacht club has the most comprehensive
array of community benefits and public engagement in this arena.
also know that the term of the lease and of other benefits term of of the lease
and other benefits can be added and substituted to better meet the needs of the community or the
council districts. As we go forward, any of these benefits that are not met,
um, during a certain year, the long beach yacht club rent is increased accordingly.
also too, there's gonna be a fire suppression system here. Three years ago, the la yacht
club burned down to the ground in marina del ray and they lost a hundred years of history. Thank you
very much. Thank you lisa
mayor. Honorable council people. Good to see all of you again. Many, many thanks to
tom moca, city manager and the entire staff for working with us on the lease extension.
so why now? Why is this important? Well, I think every one of us realizes
that the world has turned their attention to the city of long beach.
as soon as snoop dogg arrived on our beach after paris,
everybody looked at long beach. Now is the time that we have the opportunity
to take advantage of that attention, to build a legacy
for our youth and our community. Long beach yacht club. And I say
it's long beach yacht club. Even though we may sit in the third district in
on the island of naples, it's your yacht club for you to be using.
now is the time to take the advantage of all of the focus on us to
continue to build out the programs that long beach yacht club has been building for almost a
hundred years. We started in the 32 olympics. We continued from the 84
olympics and the paralympics and we are poised to do it again out of the 28
olympics. We need your help, we need your children. We are opposed to make that ready.
you heard blair? We, we will be working with every one of your offices to
ensure that we have a legacy out of the 28 olympics and we need
to start now. Any delay on this as you've been seeing within with the amphitheater
and many, many other projects. And by the way, congratulations on that. I'm excited,
I'm excited about the kiosks. I would like our congressional cup to be,
begin using that already. That's coming up in the end of april. That's gonna be great advertising
for us. But now is our opportunity. It's the opportunity for us to join voices.
I look forward to working with each and everyone of you personally. Thank you.
alright, marilyn. Okay. And then we'll scratch phil's
name. I don't see phil here. Oh, phil is here. Okay, you're next. Phil, I called you like three times.
should he? No, you can go, you can go after. It's fine. Sorry. Alright, now that we know phil's
here, you can go ahead and continue. Hello city council. Thank you for the time.
uh, my name is marilyn cassidy and I'm a lifelong sailor, internationally ranked
match racer port captain at the california yacht club in marino del rey, which recently
burned down. And I sit on the board of directors for the long beach sailing foundation.
uh, I'd like to use my time to make two points. First, the impact of the
partnership between the sailing foundation and the long beach yacht club. And second,
the importance of a stable facility for this community programming.
the relationship between long beach yacht club and the long beach sailing foundation is key to the mission
of the foundation, which is to maintain their feet, their fleet of 11 boats to promote
the idea that sailing, especially in a place like long beach, is for
everyone. Without the support of the yacht club, the sailing foundation's costs would
be higher support, more limited, and ultimately its mission less fully fulfilled.
in order for the sailing foundation to continue serving communities currently underrepresented on
the water, we need the yacht club in its facilities. My second
point is based on my own experience as a member of a yacht club, currently stuck in a cycle
of short-term lease extensions when major renovations, to put it mildly, are
required. A yacht club can best serve its community when it has a long-term lease
and a solid footing sitting as most of us do in volunteer positions. Every
meeting about our lease is time we aren't spending on outreach. It's time that our community
of boaters doesn't feel is spent on the thing that we're all passionate about.
um, and so I hope that we can support this motion. Thank you. Alright,
thank you. Alright, phil.
hello mayor and city council members. I just want to
reiterate my support of all the points that have been brought forward earlier.
and this is a opportunity there where we shouldn't let go because
we need to continue supporting not just the sailing community of long beach,
but the entire community of long beach. Thank you. Thanks
phil. Mike and andrea,
I'm speaking for mike and andrea, so you got a little stage right here. So ,
so I'm not gonna take all of our time, but, uh, it was nice to hear about the poly
neighborhood with the vip records because I went to poly and I graduated 50 years
ago. And we may have our reunion at, at the yacht club, but
it, um, I I just want to point out some of the things that people have been talking about
after going to poly. The membership of long beach yacht club is more
diverse than people commonly think. Like a big, big long list of
countries where people were born and belong to the long beach yacht club. So it's, it's not,
doesn't really fulfill the image that everyone says. I've been working on the master
plan for about 13 years now, believe it or not. And, um,
as a member of the club and one of the board of directors, it, uh,
it's important that we get the lease approved and
get it approved now to meet the timeline to minimize the
risk of not being done in time for the olympics. So it, uh, I fully support
the project. Thank you. Thank you so much. Alright,
next is norm rich and then liz palmer is norm
here. Okay. Liz, you're up. I'm up. And for once I'm
not talking about water polo in our community. I'm actually, uh,
liz palmer. Uh, I am a lifetime, uh, long beach resident,
born and raised here, and long beach is a city that's divide,
definitely defined by our connection to the water. And I'm just briefly here,
gonna read a letter that was submitted late today by mark bonner.
he is the long beach sea scout, ceo, who's
in support of, um, our youth as a
part of scouting america. Dear long beach city council, as scout
executive ceo of scouting long beach, I'm riding in support of long beach yacht
club's. Proposed leash extension with the city of long beach. The long beach yacht
club has been a long valued and responsible stu steward of waterfront
facilities. With a positive partner with a greater long beach maritime community,
the proposed leash extension will allow the club to move forward with a modernization
project and investment that offers meaningful benefits not only to its members,
but to the city as a whole. From a community perspective, it
represents an expanded public serving program and access to community space
that supports city agencies, nonprofit organizations, and neighborhood groups.
I respectfully urged the city council to approve this lease extension and thank you for your
continued improvement and commitment to thoughtful waterfront planning and
community focused development. Thank you. Thank you so much.
alright, next is tom kemp.
thank you am mayor richardson. Council members, um, first
of all, I'd just like to say a special thank you to staff. They really have put in the time and effort
at working this lease up. This isn't the last minute development that really
put the time into it and it's gonna put us up to prove what we talk about. That
we reach out to the community, that we serve the community, and we help bring the
community in and give them access to the water. Um, we're
gonna prove that to you when this lease is approved, please approve it. Now let
us get on with the business of rejuvenating this crown jewel of alamedas bay
so that we can continue providing all the programs everyone else is talking about. And a special thank
you to all of you for your incredible patience. I don't know how you do it, . Thank
you so much. Alright. Steve. Steve,
I'm sorry. Steve. No, what's your name? Shannon. Shannon. Where's
steve? Steve. Oh, I, I don't think he, okay. I think we take steve. Steve off.
shannon, you're up. Thank you. Thank you. Good evening.
mary richardson, members of the city council, city manager moca,
bo martinez, mary torres, and the rest of the city staff. My name's shannon gallagher
and I'm here to speak in support of the extension of the club's lease from the city.
this project is important. It's important to the city
so that we have the best representation of what the city is not only for the
olympics, although that's important, but also for decades to come.
it's also important to the community because the club will be providing on an annual basis
hundreds of thousands of dollars of community benefits and on over
the term of the lease, millions of dollars of community benefits. We anticipate
once we get the program up and running, once the clubhouse is done, that uh, it'll
be a minimum of $180,000 a year of community benefits and could be as much
as $320,000 once fully implemented. Um,
it's important to our community labor forces, both in terms of providing jobs
in connection with the construction of the project, but also on an ongoing basis
once the clubhouse is done, because we'll have more space and we'll need more employees.
and it's important to the yacht club so that we can remodel our 65-year-old
clubhouse and have it available for the next 65 years
and for future olympics as well. But we can't do this without
an extension of the lease. Uh, the club is committing to providing
significant community benefits and we take it very seriously.
if there's other pro uh, programs that we have not addressed yet, we're committed
to working with, uh, economic development to address what those
needs are and we look forward to doing that. I encourage you to vote in favor of the
proposal. Thank you. Thank you. Alright, next is jonah,
honorable mayor and council. My name is jonah breslow and I'm
here on behalf of unite here, local 11. We respectfully ask
that you continue this item to allow for additional consideration.
our public land should be used to deliver clear and measurable
public benefits. If the city is considering rent
offsets of this scale and for this length, for a yacht club.
we must structure the lease to ensure it provides meaningful value to all
residents. The proposed lease contemplates rent offsets of
up to 90% of fair market rent. We must consider other
offsets directed to wages or healthcare payments for workers at
the long beach yacht club. Investments in worker compensation and healthcare
produce ongoing public benefits, including more stable
employment, reduced reliance on taxpayer funded public assistance
and higher quality services, while still fitting within the leases
existing community benefit rent offset framework. The city has already
recognized this principle by using its role as a proprietor of other
publicly owned facilities to address similar issues. Please
continue this item to allow for further considerations
of these rent offsets. Thank you. Thank you. Alright,
josh, before you go, I'm gonna call the next, uh, tra of speakers.
so after josh is veronica, after veronica is anthony,
uh, lindsay wynn. Mary dw
ro, f-a-I-r-o-z, beri, b-e-h-I-r-I,
uh, peter alvarez, alex cherin, jeff hoffman, kathleen adams,
and reverend maryann. Okay, josh, you're up.
thank you. And good evening, honorable mayor, city council. My name is josh de leon. I
am the interim director for long beach for just economy at lane. And our, our core ask
here is to continue, uh, this motion until staff can evaluate and include support
for wage benefits for the workers of the club. And, and I wanna be clear, uh,
we're not calling for a hard no on this, uh, renovation project, right? Uh,
we want projects built by local unions. We want our fellow residents to find
community, uh, in these historic spaces like, uh, the yacht club. This is not
incompatible with what has been shared already, but really what we want to make sure is
that the essential stakeholder missing this proposal, the workers
who staff it are protected too. Here's what we mean by this. There are
90% offsets from the market based rent for this agreement. Uh, that's
a great deal for the yacht club. But within this deal, what we wanna see is that the workers
themselves also get some sort of wage, uh, more health benefit,
uh, explored by the city. So we can ensure that the city as a proprietor of public land
is raising the standard for living wages and proper benefits for all the
workers who then operate in this, right? It is a privilege for private entities to
be on public land. And I want our workers who will be there, who make it possible, uh,
who do the daily work to make the club flourish, uh, to be able to benefit and flourish
themselves, right? And so let's, let's take a little bit of time to study that. Let's make
it 10% better, 20% better, and ensure that all of our community members, the
workers who are not in this deal right now, get included and then let's move this forward. Thank you.
thank you. Alright. Next is veronica. After
veronica is anthony. Good evening, mayor
and council. My name is veronica lawrence. I've enjoyed working at the long beach
chocolate for 20 years. I am, I wanted to be here.
so it was clear that workers should be considered in
decisions that are made by the city council today. Thank you very much.
thank you. Next is anthony. And then lindsey.
got to do mayor, mayor, and city council. My name's anthony lawrence. I work at the long beach yacht club and
I'm also a student at cal state long beach. I am here today to acknowledge that workers
are directly affected by decisions made by this facility, and we hope that employees are
being considered. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Next is lindsey
and then mary. Good evening mayor and city council.
I am lindsay. I've been working at the long beach yacht club for about seven years, and I
just wanna be here and to observe and let it known that the workers'
community is affected by the city council decisions.
thank you. Alright, mayor
mary and then ro. Good evening, honorable mayor and council members.
my name is reverend mary yung. I am the labor program
director at crew clergy and laity united for economic justice. And I'm here
to respectfully ask you to slow down the decision and, uh, give
time for more thorough study and discussion. Uh, many members of the
long beach yacht club are members of long beach congregations, working with crew
to advocate for the dignity of our community, including workers and
immigrants. And so we deeply be concerned about this proposed lease extension
because it does not provide competitive financial investments
in our city for the next 65 years. And most long beach residents
never step on that, uh, on this yacht club property because it's inclusive
to upper class community and really not accessible to our working class
families. And so we wanna make sure that lease is a public land should
come with guaranteed public benefits, not ac not accounting
maneuvers that reduce rent own. And the structure right now prioritizes
a private club over our public interest. And so, uh, we
asking that you would, um, make a thought, um, make
tam to look into, uh, this discussion because
responsible stewardship of resources for the good of the whole community
is a high value in every faith and spiritual tradition. And you have
the privilege and responsibility to steward our public lens for the good
of our community. And so I urge you to slow down and to
continue this item for thorough discussion. And thank you for your leadership. Thank
you so much. Next is ros and then peter.
um, I'm actually, uh, from, um, district two and also
a leader of long beach islamic center, um, bar of blue, uh, justice.
I'm actually here because I'm very concerned about the long beach yacht club, um,
amendment that's being described as a good financial deal, which is,
I don't think so because it's actually dealing with it
to 2091, which is more than six decades
from now. And I don't think a lot of us will be alive. So,
um, taking, uh, responsibility of taking a a
decision for this generation in our faith tradition, we are thought
that every, everything we hold and trust land money and power
is an amana, which is, um, sacred responsibility. We are
not owners in the absolute sense. We are, uh, caretakers
on behalf, on god and behalf on future generation and
actually our islam teacher that we will be held con
accountable. I'm tired of waiting, I'm so sorry, , but for what we
protect when public land is interested, interested
to us, and we are morally obligated to ensure
it serve the broader communities, especially those who come after
us. So decision is very difficult to take a decision in behalf of
our next generation. And thank you so much for listening to me. Thank you
so much. Alright. Uh, next is peter.
is peter here? Okay. Peter. And then after peter is alex.
hello, my name is pete. Um, I live here in long beach. It seems
everyone always worries about the companies themselves and not about the workers. Um,
I was wondering why we're rushing to make this decision while we aren't against
the idea. The lease itself, the existing lease doesn't expire until
2050, which is in 24 years. And yet we're being asked to extend it
for the next six decades. Um, it's
an important decision for the community as a whole. We ask that you please continue this
item and allow full consideration of the consequences of this decision. Thank you.
thank you so much. Alright, alex and
then jeff. Thank you mr. Mayor members, the city council. I, I first wanna start
off by thanking staff for the nearly four years of work that has gone
into this project. Uh, we're very proud of the project, which is approved by
both your planning commission and the california coastal commission. We're
proud of the community outreach we've done over the last four years, including over two dozen meetings
with community groups and constituents. We're proud of the community benefits
we've worked on in collaboration with the city coastal staff, community organizations,
and nonprofits. We're proud that this community benefit package is a living
breathing document. As lisa mentioned, it allows programs to be swapped out
if they're not providing the intended economic benefit. And we look forward to our pledge
of working with each council office to make sure that there is equity among
the districts for purposes of this community benefit package. We're proud of the community
room that will be built as a result so that nonprofits like children today,
uh, can use them and neighborhood groups as well. We're proud of our una partners
who waited eight hours at the california coastal commission to testify in support of this
project and, and it might add,
ate some pretty bad pizza on the lunch break. So thank you guys for putting up with that.
we're proud of our track record with unite here who have represented our
employees for nearly three decades. And as mentioned to you earlier, we have a successful
record of negotiating every contract with them. This current collective
bargaining agreement will be no different. We're proud that if approved tonight, the
lease extension will serve as the final conduit to allow construction before the 2028
games. Thank you very much. Thank you so much.
alright. Uh, jeff, before you go, I'm gonna call the next, uh, tra
of names. Okay. So it'll be jeff and kathleen, reverend maryann,
lana farhan. If you heard your name, please make your way to the front. Uh, alexander mendoza,
anthony h sean ot, juanna melara, and
betty alvarez. All right. You are up. Jeff . Okay.
thank you. Honorable mayor, members of the city council. Happy to be here.
you know, this, this has been, I think, a really interesting council meeting because
of really focusing on the cultural heritage of our city.
I mean, vip records talking about our music history, even
going all the way back to the municipal band. But, you know, our name is long beach
and we're about the water and a lot of things happened on the water. And the long beach yacht
club is really focused on that 97 years as part of
this city. So, uh, we're, I'm really passionate about
the work that we wanna do leading up to the olympics. I just wanna
read a couple of paragraphs out of a letter that our immediate past
commodore lisa meyer sent to all of you today. The timing
of the lease extension is essential to the viability of the modernization
project as a whole. Simply stated, without this
lease extension, the project will not happen. Simply
any delay or continuance in the lease approval process will seriously
jeopardize the financial feasibility of the project in order to meet
the 2028 summer olympic deadline.
so, just wanted to reinforce that one fact that the clock
is ticking. We're looking forward to welcoming the world in 2028,
and as of six days ago, we're now 2026. So let's
approve this tonight. Thank you. Thank you. Alright,
kathleen, you're up, kathleen.
hello. Happy new year and so good to see you. Happy new year to you. And y'all look in
good health except, and the one that isn't. I hope you feel better. Um,
I'm here to, I sent a letter to darrell . I can leave a copy
here for the clerk. Um, just for record,
um, I asked that we pause on this and take time to review
and understand the impact. What was missing at presentation that I looked at today?
uh, I have a engineering background with c-s-u-l-b and
there's no, I didn't see how it benefits the public.
I see how it benefits the private members, but I don't see the,
so can you come back and add, there's girls and boys club.
there's gonna be open sessions that are available to the public
for education. Um, there's partnerships with cal state
long beach where people can learn how to sail. And frankly, it's
the first time I looked at the website. I, I didn't, I've learned of two, there's
two things I know about this yacht club. You have to be a member and there's
fireworks and, um, there's a boat parade, which I've heard is really awesome.
so I'd like to see that it get past, say next week with a 10 years
rent lease, not 60. Um, that way you can reassess
after the olympics and maybe the deal will should
change appropriately. Rent increase held for four years, not five. So that
when the city council changes that they can give input and credit
only for use, not as a block credit. Thank you for updating the presentation
and bringing it back. Thank you so much. Alright, next is reverend maryanne,
then lana farhan fan.
reverend maryanne. Yes. Hi, my name is garrett montoya.
I'm with unite here, local 11. Um, maryanne had to leave early, so
I'm, she asked that I read this. That's fine statement. You guys waiting a long time. Go for it. Alright. Good
evening. Um, mayor richardson and council members, my name is
reverend maryanne pickard. I'm the senior pastor of lakewood u united methodist
church and a resident of district four. I'm also a member of clue
clergy and laity united for economic justice. I'm here to urge
you to continue this item for further discussion and to slow down the important
decision so that the staff can evaluate the rent offsets proposed
in the the lease. The current lease does not expire until 2050,
yet the city is being asked now to extend it all the way to 2091.
that is 65 years from today. That raises the simple questions,
why rush and why 65 years? To make such a
long time commitment, we need to do a thorough study and assessment on the impact of
this proposed lease extension on our lb community. This
property sits on our coastline, yet this agreement expands a private club while
offering very limited community benefits. Many residents will never step foot inside this
facility, yet we are asked to give up control of land until nearly the end
of the century. Public coastal land should maximize public access,
not entrenched exclusivity. Leases of public land should come with
guaranteed public benefits, generate real value, not paper rent that disappears
through offsets. As a faith leader, I believe in our interconnections,
the wellbeing of, of community, and the thriving of business. However,
the proposed lease prioritizes a private club over community benefits
instead of showing mutual investments in long beach residents and workers. Sir, your time's
concluded. Alright, thank you. Thank you.
alright, next is lana. And then alexander. Is lana here?
no. No. How about a alexander? Okay, how about anthony? Are
you alexander? Yes. Okay. After alexander is anthony.
hello. Good evening. Uh, hello. My name is alex. I work at the long beach conference
center and I agreed you to continue this item. If rental
set are being considered for use or the community room,
whether it's use or not, why not consider offsets
for increased wages and healthcare benefits for the workers? Long beach? Long
beach has already tooken actions to support work self resilience
for workers like me at the long, at the long beach convention center and
airport rent offsets can also be used to promote
workers self resilience. The proposal also supports the
operator of the state site by offsetting the potential
al cost. It's a win win win. Please continue this item. The city
can consider all, all this options. Thank you. Thank you.
next is anthony and then sean.
is anthony here? That's juan.
I have juan on the list already. Yeah. Okay. Juana, you can go now.
okay. Good evening mayor. Um, richardson in city council.
my name is juana mal. I work here in the city of long beach.
I urge you to, you vote continue on the proposed
list extension for the long beach yacht club.
this deal will lock up publicly on land until 2091,
more than six dec decades from now. That's a might long time.
I don't, I don't oppose to the lease extension in pre principle,
but no city council today can predict what
long beach will need in the future. This should be no
rush here. The list doesn't expire until 2050.
please continue deciding and where to improve this list.
thank you. Thank you wana. Alright,
I'm gonna read the rest of the names if you're here. Come forward. Anthony h sean,
ot and beverly, uh, excuse me, betty alvarez.
hello. Good evening, mayor and council. Uh, my name is anthony. Um,
I'm a long beach young yacht club employee of 12 years. Um,
I'm just here to kind of reiterate what all of our, uh, employees that work there say,
um, that those us that worked there at the yacht club, some of us
multiple decades, 10, 20, 30 plus years,
um, we feel that we do matter when decisions like this are being made. So we just wanna
please be mindful and considerate of us as well when you're making these decisions. Thank you.
thank you so much. Uh, sean. Sean,
I'm assuming you're sean. You don't look like betty . I'll be sean. Okay. All right. Uh,
sean ote, long beach, native poly graduate, and current belmont
shore resident. Uh, I'm here in support of the long beach yacht club lease renewal.
but I'd like to go a little off script here and, uh, just marvel for a
second at the big picture represented here tonight. Uh, I want to thank everybody
in the room because, you know, we're here to voice our opinions and show
our civic duty about, you know, we matter when we bring things up
and listening to the items on tonight's docket. I'm excited to
see all of the forward thinking that this group is brought to the table.
the waterfront amphitheater venue, the long beach municipal band was mentioned,
vip records park, the kiosks, and now the renovation and
lease extension for the historic long beach chalk club. All
fantastic projects, all forward thinking. So thank you for
me and my family for all that you do to build a better and stronger
community here in long beach. Appreciate it. Thank you so much.
alright, our final speaker is betty
ola ez.
hello, my name is betty alvarez. I'm here mostly to ask you to hold on
this item for a few weeks. This is a lease that will be in place for
the next 65 years. There are many reductions in rent for the company here.
shouldn't we take some time to think through the community benefits and
associated offsets in rent for things like wages and healthcare?
please take time to fully study this before you make this decision, which
is an important decision for all of long beach. Thank you.
right. I wanna thank, uh, everyone for
coming out and, um, and their public comment. And we're now gonna take it back,
uh, behind the dais. Uh, I wanna recognize just all the different
voices we've had. A lot of people have waited a long time tonight,
uh, and for a long time just on this project. And, uh,
and different voices. And sometimes those voices don't necessarily agree. Uh,
but I am encouraged to see folks that I've known advocate for different things
across the city for many years. Uh, I know you all care about our city and
you love our city, and my hope is that you, you know, you find a way to answer
some of the 12 tough questions that were asked tonight. So I know there's gonna be some
important questions. The council has a lot of questions, so we're gonna jump right into it. We're gonna start
with, um, uh, council member duggan.
all right. Thank you mayor. And I wanna echo
the mayor's thanks and one of our la uh, last speakers who talked
about how many great projects came to the table tonight
and how important it is for all of you to be here so we can hear
your thoughts about things that are coming to our city. So thank you for
being here. Um,
economic development and community development teams have spent
years on this. I so appreciate all the work that has gone
into this project. Um, you've worked with members of the long, long beach yacht
club. You've worked with the coastal commission.
this to reach an agreement that meaningfully expands
community benefit at this facility. That is our
goal. When I was first elected, one of the first things that we did
was take a close look at the tidelands fund.
as many of you know, revenues generated from these facilities
are consistent with the public trust and must be spent within
the tidelands. Historically, when the city was generating
significant revenue from oil lease revenue wasn't a pri
wasn't prioritized. And many of the
leases that we inherited reflected that
as those conditions change, though they've changed. Right now,
it has become clear that several of these agreements no longer reflect the
true value of our public assets. Over the
past three years, we've been working to renegotiate several
tidelands leases to better reflect today's market conditions.
when I reviewed the lease for the long beach yacht club,
I saw that the agreement included no formal
community benefit, and it currently runs through 2051.
it currently offers no community benefit. That is
the deal that we are looking at today, a lease
that includes community ben benefit.
when this project opened up the opportunity to reopen
the lease, I wanted to support renegotiation to
bring forward a formal community benefit package
25 years earlier than expected.
it's really important to note that the $200,000
annual rent that's proposed, that is not arbitrary.
that amount was determined using as was shared in
the presentation, established, established methodology
based on real estate principles and assessment of a fair
market value. $200,000. This community
benefit package and lease renegotiation began more than four years
ago prior to my time on council. But since
then, I've continued to work on this effort because of the importance
of community benefit.
there have been dozens of iterations with
the coastal commission. We all know the coastal commission,
who is well known for holding firm on expanding
public access across the coast. Throughout
that process, I was encouraged to hear so
many club members expanding access.
while I'm not a member of the yacht club, I'm glad the broader community
will now gain access under this agreement, rather than waiting until
2050 to even begin consideration
of community benefit. This agreement also leverages private investment
to provide a community accessible space in naples,
short of the city building and operating a community center.
and we know how long that takes and how much it takes.
this would require upfront capital and hundreds of thousands
of dollars per year in operating expenses. This
agreement gives residents access to waterfront space
for classes, meetings, and public programs
provided by community groups and nonprofits from across long beach.
this project has taken much longer than expected to get through the coastal commission.
we heard the import of getting this approved
so they can get construction going so they can get it
done before la 28 or by la 28.
this is a deadline and we can't have the facility under
construction during the games. The long beach yacht club
has played an important role in the olympics.
in the preparation of the olympics, they help to lead the effort
to keep olympic sailing events in long beach. They
serve yearly as liaisons with international teams
and consistently provide support to visiting delegations.
I understand, and we're hearing that there's a request to delay this approval
in order to renegotiate the community benefits package.
I also, we've heard that unite here is asking
to allocate a portion of the community benefit classes,
stem programs, uh, swim classes,
move that towards wages and healthcare.
I have a really hard time supporting that approach because
over the past three years, I have been working to expand
public access to facilities like this. After decades
of limited access, I don't believe that employee compensation
should come out of ben benefit packages.
labor negotiations are the appropriate forum to address
compensation and benefits, and that process is
currently underway and should remain separate from these public use
funds. Couple of concerns I wanna address.
I've heard concerns about how 600 hours of community access,
asking how it's going to be managed. Let's be clear.
this is going to be overseen by the city and not
by the yacht club. I believe these hours must
be transparent. They have to be programmed,
programmed equitably. And I'm committed to work with my council
colleagues and economic development department to build a system that
reflects those values. And that means creating clear guidelines,
asking for input citywide and centering community
needs from across long beach, especially those who have historically
lacked access to these kinds of waterfront spaces.
this is a city controlled public benefit and it must be treated that way from
day one. I'd like to ask economic development, uh,
maybe mary torres about specific programs. Could
you share some of the specifics? We heard that from people asking, they didn't understand
what was gonna be offered by those community benefit
hours. Can I ask for clarification
on the community benefit hours? Are you speaking about the room or about the other programs that they would be
able to take as credit? I'd like to hear everything. Let's talk about the room to start. Sure. I mean, a community
room, let me give my thoughts on it and you can clarify it.
uh, the community room was discussed three years ago as something
that all of us as council members across the city could use
if we wanted to have meetings there. This is where, um,
schools could say, I'd like to book the room for class.
uh, can you explain a little more about the community room? Sure. That's exactly what
the room is intended for. So it's not only for city use. We have city programs that
have training classes, that have, um, you know, we have workforce, uh,
training that we can have there. Council, um, offices can have meetings there.
um, they would be open to our partners to community groups in the neighborhood
to reserve that if they have a a, a board meeting or a public
meeting that they'd like to have. So it, it is open for use by either city
or, um, community group and public neighborhood
associations. Neighborhood associations. Perfect. That
is a great description of our community room.
that a community room that the, the yacht club is building
specifically for this benefit. Can you talk about some of the programs,
please? Sure. So the, um, with the renovations at the facility,
um, in addition to the community room, um, they will have rooms that will be
designated for, uh, programs like regional sailing and aquatic nonprofits,
um, such as the long beach sailing foundation. Um, there'll be a meeting space
for public informational meetings, for example, they have a large dining room on the premises that
could be available for city council meeting if we opted to have that. Um,
they have the pool for public a, uh, public education. There
is a safety at c course that's taught over two days. That's both, um, in the
classroom and on and in the water. So they offer, um, that that
program there is the stem stem sailing that's been discussed. Um,
there are, um, the heroes, tto,
which I think a member of the public had mentioned, um, supporting the police,
fire, army, navy, marines, um, and hosting, you know, their
supporting them. There's a sea gals program that's offered two to three times during
the summer that's designed and taught by women for women, um, to allow
them an opportunity to sail. Uh, there's the panther at seas program, which I mentioned,
which is for, uh, students at jordan high school. There's, uh, the year-round
sailing program that they offer scholarships, the junior, junior skipper memberships
for, uh, non-members. Um, there is the long beach, um, the
local high school sailing teams, which a member of the public had mentioned. Uh, camp corinthian
is, um, for five to 12 year olds, um, to,
to, um, games and activities that help, um, in,
uh, introduce them to the sailing and to different activities
in the water. Um, they do, they host, host blood drives regularly.
um, there's swim scholarships and sailing scholarships that were mentioned.
um, and that's just a, a, a sample
of what's on the menu. But again, the, uh, programs that are offered can be added.
um, shannon had mentioned that, um, we're expecting, or they're
expecting to be able to hit the 80, uh, the 90% credit on the rent.
um, but they are likely to go over that just given the, the frequency of
some of these things that are provided. That's great. Thanks for that
description. Um, I think this is a chance for
us to bring meaningful public access to this site, and
not a century from now, but right now, um,
delaying this project only risks losing community community
benefit. We've worked very hard to secure. So I'm asking
my council colleagues to approve this agreement tonight. So
you want generations of long beach residents to finally share in the use
of space that has been out of reach for far too long.
thank you. All right. Next is councilman rick sote. Uh, thank you mayor.
um, and, uh, thank you, uh, councilman duggan. Uh, one of the questions you asked
was actually my question. I think a lot of times when people see proformas and they see,
uh, the kind of detailed financial kind of projections that we have here right around
rents and offsets, right? Uh, those things kind of seem outta reach and
unclear. So I think it's important for community members, right, that are here and residents
to hear from us. Like, hey, how do we come up with those numbers? Like what are those offsets, right?
what are those community benefits that make a deal like this makes sense from a
financial standpoint, if that's not your, your, your background, right? I tell everybody that,
uh, admittedly economic development is the area that I learned the most about,
uh, as a council member, right? Because it's not necessarily something that, that people teach you. So,
um, I really appreciated the line of questioning from councilwoman duggan. Um, and so
I was hoping that we could go back to slide five. Um,
um, uh, mary torres, and I know you went through
kind of quickly what those, what the, the rent offsets were, but could you kinda walk
the, can you walk us slowly through that? So I think that makes it a little bit more
concrete, um, so that people understand what an office offset is and
then how that makes up that 90%.
yes. So, um, with the rent offsets, so, um, we work with
the club to categorize the, the value of the public benefit. Oh, could
we get the, could we get the slide up too? I just want you to talk us through it while people are looking at the bar. Sure.
we've made that request to ti they're putting yeah, they're not in back. Okay, thank you.
I can fill time. You want to ask a different question while sure. They're doing that. Um,
oh, they got it. Oh, okay. Here we go. Thank you.
so, um, on the 90% of the base rent that, um, they're eligible to credit,
uh, we work with the, the yacht club to come up with what the market value is of
that service or that program that's being provided, whether it's a scholarship or a
date to see what that cost is. We do have a, a third party financial
consultant that we run those values by and make sure that we
confirm that that is the, the market essentially for that service
or that program. And then, um, that is what is agreed
upon, uh, for them to include in their report as a credit.
understood. Now, the process that we go through using that third party assessing
what's fair market, uh, fair market value for some of these, um, community benefits.
are we doing something different here than we do with other city assets?
is there something here that's unique that's different than what we would do anywhere else in the city?
no, actually, um, we have other leases that have community benefit credits.
um, there was a lease for the west health ece that was passed at council a
few months ago. That includes credit. If there is, um,
daycare that's provided below market or for free, um, then they are allowed
to take that credit against their rent. Um, essentially providing a member of the
public as a, you know, that benefit. Okay. So just, I just wanted to be clear for
those watching right, that the way that we're applying our methodology here isn't any
different than we would do with any other city facility where we are
offering these types of credits credit. Correct. Okay. Um, and then my last question is, um, it
sounded like people thought that the, the 65 year agreement was, was,
was long. Can you kind of talk through the, the thought process around
that agreement and again, kind of comparing it to how we, um,
how we do these types of agreements across the city? Sure. So, um, I
will say with the, there is a certain length of time that we're limited to in the tidelands
area at 66 is the max that we can, we can go to, um, for
a lease this, this extension, even though we're only requiring a minimum of $10 million investment,
the, the cost of the construction will likely be double that. And so the yacht club
is financing that. And a lot oftentimes lenders will require, uh,
a longer term lease to be able to, um, be collateral for that financing.
so that is one of the reasons for the longer runway. But we have worked in
the, um, mechanism that if they don't meet, you know, the public benefit,
then they pay the city the cash difference. Um, for that, if they,
um, you know, any time of the year,
the increase, you know, the rent does increase the, the value of the benefits
increase accordingly. But, um, the, the time of the year is really for
them to, to amortize their investment and to be able to secure the financing.
okay. And then just , and if I can add one thing that's a little bit different, uh, council member here is in
different than a private financing project where they own that person owns the land and
they're gonna have that benefit and perpetuity here. Uh, basically it's a private
group that is putting money into a city facility. So they raise the money,
they spend the two, the $25 million, but that ultimately becomes a city asset
at the end of the lease. And so, uh, it is fair then as they, as they're doing that
investment, that we provide them some ability to use that investment for the purpose
that it's intended to because ultimately it will become a city asset. Okay. Excellent.
um, and then just one point of clarification. You used a big financial word amateurize
at the end of your comments there. Uh, could you just clarify what that means?
I will attempt to, so that really is the depreciation and it has to do with
accounting. So when you invest in it, you're gonna take a certain amount of that
asset depreciation over a year. And so it's really just a longer runway, um,
when you're investing $20 million into a facility, as tom said, that
is really a city asset at the end of the day. Okay. So we're gonna summarize that by saying,
banks look at this and you need to have a long enough runway for be able to, to, for you to
recruit the investment that you are putting into the facility. Exactly. And so that is, that goes into
our decision making about the length of the term of the lease. Exactly. Excellent.
thank you. And if I can clarify one thing that I said, 'cause you'll hear from the attorney later. So
it actually is a private facility under the lease. So it is their facility that they put money
into it, but ultimately when that lease ends, everything reverts back to the city. So you
saw in the presentation that the deed and everything belongs to the city. So what during the
time of the lease, it is a private facility that has private rights that they can do what they want
with that facility, but at the end they give up that $25 million investment because the
city it becomes then at the end, uh, back to the city. Correct.
okay. Thank you. Thank you. Alright, uh,
next speaker, council member thrash. Thank you, mayor. Um, so
thank you for everyone who came out today and provide public comment, uh, on this
matter. And thank you for your patience this evening. Um, this item
before us regarding the long beach yacht club is an institution that has been
a fixture on our waterfront for nearly a century. I wanna start by
acknowledging the club's, uh, proposed private investment, which
I believe represents a significant vote of confidence for our city's
future. We've got, uh, we're preparing for the olympics, as some of you have
said in 2028. And our coastal assets must and should
reflect the worldcast world-class caliber that we expect and
project that long beach is. But part of my responsibility is also
to consider how we use public land and how
we're ensuring that we're transparent and equitable in the use of this asset.
so this commitment has been stated by my colleagues and several of you goes
un until 2091. And I believe that that means that we've
gotta make sure we've got a high level of public value. So, through my questions
that I'll be asking tonight, I just wanna focus on, um, those
programs and strategies to ensure that this resource
will be accessible to all of long beach, especially north long beach where
I represent, which is the furthest from the coastal zone. I was really heartened
by the number of, uh, those who spoke in public comment, uh, talking
about the importance of community benefit. And I wanna thank, uh, our councilwoman
duggan as well for her comments and opening that up and the importance of
ensuring that that is happening. So let me start with several of those questions.
so first, uh, there's been a discussion that these negotiations,
um, have been quick or rushed, but I have heard, uh, from
my colleagues as well as, uh, it seems from the staff's presentation,
this has been 2, 3, 4 years of negotiation with
the long beach yacht club. Can you help me clarify what that number is?
sure. Um, the project has been, um, around for, for
two to three years, if not longer. I'm not sure exactly when the yacht club initiated it.
I do know went to site plan review in 23. It went to planning commission
in 24. Um, we have been in negotiations with them lockstep the
whole way, um, working to make sure that whatever they were, um, proposing
to, to construct at the site was, um, amenable to the city,
but then also working on what that, what the terms in the negotiation
look like. So two to three years that you've been at the table regarding
the community benefits. Yeah. And, and if I can add, I think it started around from the yacht club's
perspective around 2021, if I, if I recall right. Okay. Uh, and there was also a major public
meeting last year at the coastal commission, many of which the people in this room on both sides,
uh, were in attendance to, to be able to, uh, do that in front of the coastal commission.
thank you for that. Um, we've already noted, and my colleague, uh, councilwoman,
rick oti, um, asked the question that I wanted to make sure we got to regarding the
length of the term, uh, and looking at 66 years from now, 2091
and why that was so important. Um, so I wanna thank the, uh, city staff
for walking through the importance of ensuring that this asset is something that the
yacht club can leverage because it's a hundred percent finance privately.
and in order to be able to attract the kind of private financing that's necessary, they
will need to be able to show that level of control, uh, of the site through
a long-term lease with the city. So now let's turn to, um,
considering the 600 hours of priority use. Um,
one of the things that I have been looking at or considering is that
I, what about the fact that if we've got 600 hours, how do we make
sure that we don't have one group that monopolizes
uh, the use of the, uh, facility? So is there some
way to make sure that there isn't one group that's going to get, you know, know 500 hours
and not give other groups an opportunity to participate?
yeah, I can try to address that. I think, um, adding onto what councilwoman duggan said,
I think, uh, the priority over the next, uh, year or so while the construction is taking place,
is coming up with those guidelines and the, and the process for,
uh, reserving the space and how that gets approved and, and
the usage to ensure that it is equitable. So, uh,
as the maker of the motion, um, councilwoman duggan, one matter that I might
come back to, and I don't know if it's needed as a friendly, um, is that much
like some of the other city resources that we have, where there are council
district specific opportunities to engage with that asset to ensure
that all of the city is able to participate with that asset.
we might consider, as we put forward the, um, regulations
and the guardrails around the 600 hours that there might be some district specific opportunities,
um, carved out for, uh, the entire city
district specific is, um, I mean
that would be fine. I think this is more about, um,
getting input from all of you. I really, I, I think
it's important that we do take the next year to make
sure that there are accessible ways for everyone
to, to use the yacht club and to bring,
like between jordan cabrillo.
um, we have so many high schools that there are opportunities
that council members can be the point person to really round up
a program and round up kids to bring them there. And that's what
I imagine each of the council members being able to
do. Okay. Um, so I, I don't, I mean, I'm fine with guardrails,
but frankly, I, I use the yacht club sometimes for community
meetings and we, in the third district, there are a
lot of, um, programs that, that kids use.
I'm, I'm happy to, to talk about that the next year is gonna be key in those guidelines.
so that will be a recommendation that I, I'll make publicly here and continue to monitor
as we continue to put forward those recommendations. Uh, then
there's the issue of accountability. Um, so it appears that
based on what we have in the agreement so far, there'll be an annual
review of the use of the hours, um, to ensure that we meet
or the yacht club meets the 600 hours and, and use in terms of
community benefit. Um, and if that isn't met, that there is a cash payment,
is that what I understand to make up for, uh, the difference if that community
benefit does not equal the 600 hours? No.
to clarify the 600 hours is, is the equivalent. That
is what the $120,000 credit is for that they get. And the 600 hours
is for the city to advertise plan schedule, and
it's a use it or lose it. The 80, the 90% rent credit for
the additional 80,000 or 60,000 that they would be,
um, 'cause 20,000 will be cash, 120 will be credited. So there'll be 60,000
left that they'll have to true up. And so they will have to provide a report of the
programs and what they've provided in that amount of the $60,000.
and if they don't, then they will need to pay the difference. They pay the difference in
cash to the city. And does that roll over, let's say if the
city decides to waive it and allow it to roll over the next year, would that be allowed?
no, we're not allowing it. They have to spend it in that year. They have to either take their
credit in the year or, um, or pay the cash. Okay. Great.
all right. So then, um, my final area, or second to last area
is related to outreach and accessibility. I was really, really pleased at
the number of yacht club members who came up and shared, uh, the importance
of ensuring that all of long beach has access, uh, to this resource.
but I have to admit, with the list of the organizations that you listed,
I worry that not very many of them have enough outreach and
relationships across the entire city. So with
that, um, as we look at, you know, the plans for how do we make
sure that sailing the stem programs and other recreational programs
that have been mentioned, if you are not associated with one of those
nonprofit organizations, which is its own sort of, you
know, distance from many folks in our community, how can we make
sure that we have a strategy that includes, uh, various different
kinds of organizations and connections, uh, so that everyone can access
the yacht club? Excellent. Could I speak to that because
I have suggestions? Yes. Yeah. Um, if you don't mind,
um, this is where it's important. Every council member comes
up with a nonprofit that can help with this.
I personally started a nonprofit in 2014 and I went
to poly, I went to korea, I went to jordan
to get kids to come and learn to be on the water.
I wanted to extend, um, the wetlands program,
the classroom program to different council members. And I know I had mentioned
it to council member joni zody. And
what needs to happen is you all need to be educated on
what is offered and then give input. Because
the club, I believe that part of what the work that they're gonna do is
reach out if you can connect them with other nonprofits, it's
part of what they wanna do to offer their community benefits.
so I think we're on the same page in terms of offering the input, which is what I was
doing here today. Um, and suggesting that we wanna have a, a wider
array of organizations that, um, are able to participate,
uh, with the yacht club accordingly. And so some of the traditional,
uh, terms around if you, if your organization is not already a water
organization, how do you get connected? So that'll be the next step
I think, in putting together that outreach plan. Absolutely. Input
from council members is what I'm saying. I think that they can take input
from each of you for nonprofits also and council member thrash and took,
um, through these negotiations. We've had these conversations with the yacht club
and I can tell you that they've been very open to making sure that it's not
only diverse but equitable throughout the city when it comes to the myriad of
and diverse menu of options that they have from a community benefit perspective. And
it's really, uh, upon us to make sure that we're working in partnership every
district throughout the city, every organization throughout the city, nonprofit, and
educate and inform them on what those amenities and those benefits are to
the community. And I'm sure the yacht yacht club will definitely be open to hearing those
suggestions and ideas as well as we move forward. Yeah, and I would suggest that as we do this, we
talk about kind of the areas of focus we'd like to, to look at rather
than creating very specific metrics. 'cause today we're talking about this, but this is gonna be
a lease that we have until 2091. So we need to be thoughtful about that. We might have different
districts in the future. We might look completely different. So, uh, just to be mindful of that, I think
the goal, and we hear it very clearly, is that if there are nonprofits or groups
that want to come down to the yacht club and be a part of that, then we, uh, that it really should be open
to the entire city and find some compromise on, on that. Yeah. And we even
had a conversation we had of a, the long, long beach workforce innovation
youth career services center, and a lot of those youth have not access
to water access to organizations like the yacht club. And
when I've sat down and spoke with them about that opportunities, they've all, they all said is, yes,
let's, let's pursue that partnership. Wonderful. Well thank you for that.
uh, and I just wanna say that I appreciate, uh, all of the workers who were out today.
um, I'm pleased to know that the, uh, building will be built by unionized,
uh, workers and that the building will be serviced by unionized workers,
um, and look forward to ensuring that there is an opportunity for living
wages and opportunities for workers within our city. Thank you.
gotcha. Alright, thank you. Just, just a note,
and I, I love the spirit of where this part of the conversation is going.
I think of, you know, I kinda like the district districts being
involved in the district knights idea. Uh, I wanna remind folks, none of this goes into effect
until after it's built, right? So you have a little bit of a runway to shape some of this,
right? Once you get the certificate right, that is, that it's
complete, then these programs are going to effect, that's the way the lease is structured. The other piece,
um, you know, we do district nights at the aquarium. We do district nights,
you know, harbor cruises. It may not necessarily
be a district night at the yacht club, but to be able to say,
uh, to a nonprofit in your district or a school or, you know, I remember we
were raising money to send the kids from jordan to carnegie hall, right?
hey, we can put in a chit a free city use stay or something like that.
uh, put in a request so that you can host your event, your fundraiser,
whatever it is here, uh, at, at no cost. And it works toward their credit.
those are the types of things that I think the council would like to be able to offer to their
communities and ensure there is some engagement in all nine council
districts. Absolutely. But I think the structure, the structure here allows for that.
and so I think this is really about making sure we get that input staff
gets that input and works with the yacht club to make sure that that's, that's included. Yeah, that's
consistent. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. Council member sorrow. Yes, thank you, mayor.
um, I do wanna thank councilwoman duggan for ensuring that,
um, there is a community benefits agreement in this
lease. Um, you know, renewal. I, I did
wanna, uh, first just kind of go and also my colleagues for your
questions. It's helped me answer some of the ones that I was gonna ask as well.
and obviously wanna thank all of you, labor members of yacht club,
supporters of yacht club for being here to share your comments. Uh, I think
it's adding to, I think, a really good conversation about exactly how
do we, um, define public benefit or
community benefits. And that's actually where I wanna go back to the basics
because I hear community benefits thrown out there, public benefits
thrown out there. Um, in the end of the day, this item is on a
lease agreement. Is that correct? Correct.
so when we're talking about lease agreement, what is the correct term?
um, because this has been added at the request of councilwoman
duggan, including the community benefit agreement in this new lease agreement, right?
this is part of what the city requires for leases. Can someone
find that that wasn't my request? Yeah. So this, this is something we started about
probably 10 years ago, was, um, where we have hundreds of these leases that have been negotiated
over the years. And so as they come up, we're looking at a different model where we
say, instead of an old $1 a year lease, we actually memorialize that and
say, here is what the full market value is. And then if we wanna negotiate
community benefits into that, that is how we were doing it. So this is pretty standard with
how we do our, uh, renewals of leases. Thanks for clarifying. But you
were, were you made sure that it, I just wanted to clarify that you wanted to make sure to, uh,
open the lease agreement discussion earlier that that was,
uh, what you led on. Yes. Okay. I wanted to be part, I wanted to
be part of that. I wanted to see what community benefit was offered.
okay. And understand it a little more. Thank you for clarifying. So with that said,
when we talk about public benefits, uh, when we talk about community
benefits with respect to public lands, um, can
you clarify what is generally included in that? Do we see
wages and benefit as an item traditionally in
contract contracts? No. Uh uh, we have never done that in
any of our agreements in, in, because that really is kind of more of the private business operation
of the entity that it is doing. So we don't normally interfere with what it is that
it takes that nonprofit or business, uh, whatever it is to run their
business. What we look for are things that we can offer the general public, not necessarily
the, the business part of it. But then, uh, a lot of it comes in the form of, um,
meeting space or, uh, for example, we've done a number of agreements with, you
know, central cha, for example, on, uh, uh, or united cambodian community
or different ones where we say, hey, if you provide, uh, this or conservation
corps is a good one too, if you provide, uh, uh, uh, low or no
cost, uh, um, programs to the community at large, then uh,
you can get a rent credit as well. So, but we don't really deal with actual wages or
benefits in any of the agreements that I'm aware of. Have you seen it in any other municipality
you like me to? I, I'm happy to, uh, speak on that. Uh, council member adam jacobs,
deputy city attorney, uh, typically that is not included. Um, it's, it's a legal
issue under federal law. Um, city's municipalities are
precluded from interfering with the, uh, bargaining of two private parties,
uh, bargaining negotiations. So, uh, by dictating certain
terms or, uh, wage requirements that would constitute interfering. So,
um, cities and other municipalities are generally precluded from doing so.
thank you for clarifying, because that's my next question is,
um, there's been requests or consideration to,
rather than doing rental offset for wages and benefit
offset even if we wanted to as a council who have been very supportive
of workers because we do believe that they are the backbone of our economy,
even if we wanted to legally. Could we do that?
uh, it's a great question. Council member. Um, go back to my initial
response. It would put us a foul with, uh, federal law. The, uh, and
I I do wanna clarify, there's nothing in the lease or the extension
that prevents the yacht club from negotiating or entering into an agreement
with its workers. They're completely free to do that. But as they are two private
parties, uh, the city is prohibited from interfering with those,
uh, bargaining negotiations. And it's a little bit different than when we
have done this type of agreement that the council has supported of, of a labor peace agreement
at major city facilities where city or their city run facilities,
the airport and the convention center. And the argument there is that those are such
huge ar um, um, you know, generators for the economy that if
there were to be a, a labor strife, if those were not to be, uh, able to be working,
then uh, there would be a huge, uh, economic impact to the city. That is not the
case in this case with the yacht club. This is a private transaction that's there, there's not, it's
not part of our economic underpinning. Uh, and so it is different and
adam can talk to that if there's more questions. Thanks. That's actually was gonna be my next
question, tom. I appreciate you answering it because I did want it to go back
to, because we have done it, um, and I wanted to know what made it different. So thanks for
answering that. Um, I have no further question.
I, I think then, you know, I encourage, uh, the
yacht club as well as, um, unite here to continue bargaining and good
faith to ensuring that, um, you know, for the
best outcome for workers. So thank you very much.
council member kerr? Yes. Uh, thank you to the city team.
um, so if this started four years ago, that was before I was on council. And so three years.
I wanna thank councilman duggan for engaging in the process, uh, early.
I wanna thank the lem, the members of the labor community who are here after a long day of work
and before another long day of work in the morning. I'm really, um,
grateful that you continue to be here to advocate and inform, um,
this body on the work, um, that is important to you.
um, I just wanna talk a little bit about community benefit. And we know, um,
that community benefit takes real work. It isn't just about saying something is open
or accessible to the public. It takes intentionality.
um, I can speak to a program that I, um, helped start and support on
the school board that had to do with getting young people who don't traditionally have access to
the store and to the water. To the water. And that's the work that we did with the junior lifeguard program.
and so for as much as we say we want students from all over the city to participate
in these programs, that doesn't happen on accident. That happens with real intentionality.
and it oftentimes happens with more than just a subsidy for tuition. It
has to come sometimes with transportation. We realize that students wanted to participate,
but they couldn't get there. So how do we provide a bus that gets in there to and from
that they wanted extra sweatshirts that came in addition to the uniform. So in addition to the uniform, we
paid for an extra sweatshirt that there has to be real work done. And I would encourage
the community at the yacht club, um, to really, um, speak into
the values that you talked about tonight with actions that will support that work.
and so when you find students who want to be engaged because you happened
to come across them somewhere in the community, that you follow up and you find out what
the real barriers are to their participation in the excellent programming
that you have for them, um, is it transportation? Is it more than
just a subsidy? Um, it, it could be lots of things. And,
and one of the things as we build this out over the next year, I would ask you to do, is to really
keep data on it. One of the ways with the junior lifeguard program we looked at
was participation across diverse zip codes. And so when we can
say that some zip codes had zero and some zip codes had one, how five
years later did that turn into seven or 15 or 23,
what was the work that got that diverse group actually out to be engaged?
and so I would ask you to take, to take care with the data you collect
about our students too, that after a year or two or three, if it's
not looking like you're reaching out to the community or that you're
actually engaging the community, you say you wanna reach out to, you work with council offices,
you work with the school district, work with the junior lifeguard program, and ask them how they
did it. How did they build up that work? Because we know that there's models that work very
specifically in here in long beach. And very specifically to students who don't always have access
to the water, who desperately want access to the water. And I think you are all a great
community vehicle to get them there. Um, and I look forward with my office to helping
you do that, um, in any way that we can. Um,
I urge the yacht club member, uh, management to bargain in
very good faith. Your workers are here tonight, um, to express
things that are important to them. So I urge you to bargaining, good faith to listen to your
workers and work towards a just contract as you're actively working on your contract
negotiations. Thank you. Alright,
well, that concludes council discussion. Really good. Uh, discussion.
good questions, good responses. Thank you. Um, to our, our economic development
team, our city manager, our, uh, city attorney, uh, there's
work to do. Um, over the next year, there's more shaping to
do on the community benefits. We had some great ideas tonight. Uh, to the labor groups
who have feedback on those community benefits, bring 'em to the table. Uh,
feel free to engage with the yacht club, engage with the council members if you have ideas there.
uh, but most importantly, as we head into 2028,
this will be a moment for our city. And we're, we're taking a lot
of steps, uh, to make sure that we show up the right way in our city.
uh, we were the first city to establish an olympic wage at our convention center
in our hotels, in our airport. We were the first to do so. Um,
and, and while the yacht club legally is a very different structure
than what we have, we encourage you work together both sides of the table
and make sure that what you bring forward is consistent with the experience that we've put forward in long beach. Because
we're, we're going out, we're attracting the world, and we are trying to leverage this to create
as much of an economic impact and a lasting legacy for our community.
and I think a big part of it's how we do it together. Labor, community,
business, all at the same table, uh, make setting an example for the world.
and so, I wanna thank all of you, and now it's time for the council to make a decision. Uh, roll
call. Vote please. Council, district two.
aye. Council district three. Aye. District four. Aye.
district five. Aye. District six. Aye. District seven.
aye. District eight. Aye. District nine. Aye. Motion is
carried. Alright, thank you.
alright, so now it is time for general public
comment. Number one, general public comment. I'm gonna call the names.
okay. I, I, uh, I have william parker. We're gonna give it a moment for the room
to clear. Let's give it a moment for the room to clear for everyone leaving for public
comment. Good job.
hang on, hang on, hang on. It's not going yet. We gonna let let it
quiet down a bit.
mm-hmm .
steal our money. Stealing.
stealing a great time.
get outta there. Alright, we're gonna go ahead and proceed. I'm gonna read all,
all six names, five or six names and then you can get started. Lillian. Thank you. So lillian
parker, michelle spears, brookins. Laura. Richard guzman.
uh, m-I-c-h-e-l. Michelle and rachel. W
so lillian, you're up. Thank you. Good evening mayor and members of the city
council. Um, my name is lillian parker and I'm here on behalf of, we
got this long beach cares at community organization,
committed to strengthening long beach through collaboration, youth
opportunity and healing centered agree
engagement. Uh, I'm here tonight,
uh, to invite your support,
uh, for our peace and unity walk. It's scheduled for this
saturday at 9:00 am in the shoreline area in district one.
it's a community gathering designed as a precursor to the annual
mlk celebration, creating intentional space for reflection,
unity, action in and action in the days leading up to
the mlk parade. This work is deeply rooted in the
local legacy of dr. King.
this work began in district six, um, with the
late d my life partner darryl smith, um, who has left
in 2022. And we are continue to move his legacy forward
in the efforts of engagement and collaboration.
our vision is to grow this into a citywide tradition that where each
council district supports or host an mlk inspired event during
the pre week of mlk day, reflecting the legacy
and the values of dr. Martin luther king so that all
constituents can participate close to the home.
then as one city, we can all come together and celebrate
on the day itself. We appreciate the council
members who have supported this work. And although they're not here,
council members and deha and allen, their acknowledgement
and support last year, um, I truly respect
them for that. And, um, tonight
I'm here to ensure that I invite each and every one of you to give that same support
and effort for this entire city. It is not
just a district support, a district celebration, it is a city celebration
and it's really integral that our leaders show their their
support in moving this forward. I look forward to working with all of you
and I'm grateful, um, for the ears and the eyes that we
have been able to capture. Thank you.
thank you. Alright, next is michelle. Hi. Hi.
happy new year to everybody. My name is michelle spears
bricken and I'm here today to thank
christina duggan and dr. Oti
for being in my family's life during a tragic
situation that happened last year. I'm sure everybody has heard about it.
and I just wanted to come here to say if it wasn't
for you guys placing my nephew jeremy spears
on your agenda when he was murdered in belmont shore,
I don't know what my family would've done. So on behalf of the spears family,
I'm here today to thank you. Or tonight I was
determined I was not gonna leave until I had a chance to tell you guys.
um, we have been in long beach for over 60
years. I went to long beach poly 45 years
ago, and I've been a part of the community. I don't live here any longer,
but after seeing what's going on today that's going on in long beach, I may
have to sell my house in downey and come back here. , I mean,
a lot of great things going back, going on in long beach, but I personally
came here to thank you councilwoman,
the, to thank the police department who swiftly
caught the perpetrator, and also to thank that your
community who supported my family throughout this
entire situation. So I'm here tonight to say
thank you guys. Thank you.
alright, next is laura, then ricardo. Uh, she'll go in front of me. That's
fine. Okay. Uh, what's your name? Rachel? Um, uh, michel.
michel. Okay. Hi, uh, good evening everyone. Um, I just wanted
to take a few seconds to acknowledge, kind of tie in the, um,
intersectionality between the topics tonight, including the yacht club and,
um, the vip records. The vip records. I couldn't help but thinking,
you know, when they were mentioning the notoriety of the, uh, mlk
and pch intersection of how a couple months ago,
there were two men that were ambushed by ice there in their vehicle, uh, racially
profiled and dragged outta their car, um, right across the street from the seven 11. And
that's, that's what I think about when I think about mlk and pch. And when I think about the yacht
club and I see the, um, number of white people that just left, um, I can't
help but think, you know, how is a group of white people know what's in the best
interest of, of black and brown community? Um,
so I, all that said, I hope you enjoyed your holiday break. Um,
I gave my parents, uh, the air tags, apple
air tags so that I know, um, that they're gonna be okay in case ice
racially profiles them and decides to take them. Um, I want
to start off by extending my gratitude to, um, dr. Sorrow, uh, for
taking the time to come with me and senator lena gonzalez to visit one of
the families victimized by ice and, um, mary sinha
district. I'm here to get again, yet again to bring public awareness and demand action
that community members have been demanding for months now, approximately
16 ice kidnappings have been documented in long beach since june of last year.
this doesn't include the people who have been racially profiled and released. So
I'm very confident this, that this number is grossly underestimated because
every single time I speak to a community member, I learn about someone else
that has been kidnapped. Like yesterday when I heard that somebody, somebody told me,
they disclosed that their brother who's a us citizen had been taken after being, being
racially profiled. Same. Uh, we are a year into this targeted ethnic
cleansing and there has been a consistent lack to protect our community. We
have not had zero, we have had zero legal support funding for
any of the families that I've spoken to. Unless you've spoken with people who have
direct experience with these detention centers, you cannot honestly tell me that it's
not a case of ethnic cleansing. Back in september, back
in december, a father was ambushed in front of his family and on his, on his way
to work. Uh, his 12-year-old son was assaulted while trying to capture an incident from
his phone. Uh, the family called the police to report the incident and the police did nothing. But
the officer did mention that he knew that ice had plans to be in the area that
day. Someone ended up calling me a stranger. I'm just a person, I don't
get paid for this. I visited the family and found the father with his partner and his newborn baby
in his arms. His face and neck were completely brutalized, um, red and
purple. The family now is living in constant fear today.
ice ambushed. Uh, ice agents who were staying at the residence inn, uh,
brutalized a number of people. One of those people was a legal resident, a senior citizen who's
beloved of santa ada community member and a permanent vendor. He was
sent to the hospital because ice refused to take his paperwork to confirm his residency.
ma'am concluded handcuffs on him so tight that they cut his wrist and blood circulation.
an ambulance had to be called to take the cuffs off and he was taken into the hospital
many times. Same man that's staying at the residence in hilton. You let complete her. She waited a long time.
let her complete her statement. The very sim agents that then brutalized another man
racially profiled him, they tackled him, punched him, this is
all on video, grabbed him by his ankle, spun him on the ground while his
ankle was still facing up. So it's very likely that he either sprained, he both
probably sprained his ankle and broke his knee. Um, I demand immediate and immediate requests
in an investigation to pursue individual civil suits against these ice agents
who are in violation of the recently enacted no secret police act.
as you know, the code that exists within the police act, um, gives way
to personal civil suits. And I really do think that it's time to make an example out of them,
specifically these guys that are staying in our hotels here. Thank you. Thank
you. Alright, next speaker please.
alright, here we go. Uh, ola. Ola.
I'm back. Wake you guys up.
I just wanna say happy new year or is it as ice is
still kidnapping our family, our neighbors disappearing them off the streets. The genocide
in palestine continues using our tax dollars to do so. And bonus, our
tyrannical regime that's in the white house just invaded
venezuela, a sovereign country and kidnap their democratically elected leader to steal
their oil and other resources, you know, the
american way. And of course, you up there still
don't do anything for us, your constituents that we've asked you
to do. Let me ask you, what's it gonna take for you to get up off your
asses and actually do what we want you to do? Now, someone
just mentioned that, um, you know, long beach police,
something about long beach police, I'm gonna mention this. So
a lot of you have said, oh, long beach police department doesn't know what's going on, you told me
yesterday.
so this right here is an officer at lbpd
ua officer that is saying,
told me yesterday that they were going to be out there, quote unquote. The audio comes
from a police response to families nine one one call to long beach police department
following an attempted ice kidnapping in their neighborhood. The call was made after
fa the fa the father, excuse me, the call was made after a father was
ambushed, injured after his child was reportedly assaulted while filming the encounter.
same. The city of long beach must adopt a written policy.
and this is not me, but I am making this known. At
minimum, the council should require one disclose when a, um,
excuse me, disclose when advanced notice is refe is received by local police.
two, a prohibition on the use of city resources to facilitate
ice activity beyond what is legally required. Three, mandatory
reporting to the city council advance when advance
notice is given four clear protections when children
are involved. Now, you know what,
it's so interesting because I see you guys up here and you know what you have
your seats for right now, but let me tell you, there are a lot of people ready to take your
seats. So when you think about it,
think about stop being feckless leaders. Do what your constituents
want you to do. And I just wanna say,
free palestine in closing, free venezuela.
free the congo, free the sudan, f**k
igra, and make goddess bless me and all other immigrants
and us citizens stuck in cages and concentration camps here in the us as
well as abroad. And those murdered by ice and those
families we will never forget. Best believe, but
happy, happy 26 unified to amplify.
thank you for your testimony. Richard.
I have richard and I have rachel. I mean, excuse me, I have ricardo and I have rachel.
good evening. Uh, I can't see anyone here. Forgot who I am. My name is
ricardo guzman and I'm the captain of the long beach chapter of the brown berets.
and you'll be seeing more of me and more of us because we're committed to showing up
for this community. I want to ground this on what I stand on. I
earn the pin I wear through discipline, military service, long hours,
high standards and accountability when it mattered. And I earn
laa patch through commitment to community defense and chicano
resistance. Those symbols come from different worlds, but they both represent discipline,
service, and integrity. They're earned not given.
and that's why what happened tonight matters. Public comment is normally sooner
and moving it to the end of the night when the community showed up with urgency, sends
a clear message. It tells people their voices can be delayed, managed,
or pushed aside. To talk about kiosks and yachts, it shows a willingness
to use procedure to avoid accountability. And I'll be honest, when you've earned what I've
earned, when you've stood where I've stood, you recognize when
people in power are avoiding the responsibility that comes with their position.
and you all clearly lack it. Amen. This past saturday, our long
beach chapter worked along our fellow berets in bakersfield at salon juarez
working alongside the black panthers. Together we created
a safe haven for families, free dental screenings, food activities
for kids. In a space where people could breathe without fear. Brown
and black unity, serving shoulder to shoulder something, those yacht yuppies
fear. That's what real republic, that's what real public safety looks like.
and that's the kind of environment I want to help build here in long beach, because it
seems like you can't. But right now we're facing something very different.
ice agents and other federal law enforcement personnel are being quietly housed in hotels
across the city. No public notice, no community input, no oversight.
meanwhile, immigrant, immigrant families, workers and volunteers are sharing
space with federal agents without even knowing it. That's not what
a welcoming city looks like. And today, today
one of our rapid response volunteers was assaulted and brought daylight at a home depot,
nearly run over, physically confronted her property, knocked out
of her hands. This behavior is emboldened by ice presence. We
have the images, we have the vehicle, and we still don't have the answers. Volunteers
who show up for the community should not be put in danger. When you put all of this
together, it shows a pattern, secrecy, intimidation, and
a lack of oversight around federal enforcement activity in our region. And the people who
feel it first are the same people who already live with fear and detention, separation
or harassment. People who work hard and don't own fancy yachts. So I'm
asking for three things. Transparency, transparency, accountability,
and community voice. The brown berets show up with discipline and calm. We're
not here to escalate anything. We're here because our community deserves dignity, clarity, and protection.
we've shown what real community safety looks like in bakersfield, in our neighborhoods. And
everywhere we serve, long beach has an opportunity to lead with integrity. So
I'm asking you to take that seriously, raa
and power to the people. Woo. Thank you for your testimony.
alright, is rachel here? Okay. Rachel,
you're up. And sir, you weren't on the list, but we'll let you speak. All right. Thank you. All right. Hi.
good evening. Um, happy new year. Thank you for allowing me to speak.
um, I'm specific hold. Oh, sorry. Thank you.
um, I'm sorry. Uh, mr. Super na is not here I am his
constituent. Um, I was here two months ago, early november.
and what I spoke with you about that kind of then was the fact that I
had contacted long beach pd, the chief's office chief haage, to ask
what would happen to me, a white us citizen
with my 4-year-old in the backseat of my car if I was
kidnapped by ice after they crashed into my vehicle in like a
target parking lot. We had seen this happening across the country
two days before that we saw us citizen, infant child,
child of another us citizen be driven away from the cypress park
home depot. I never received an answer or a response,
even though I was told I was the day that that meeting I was here.
I did meet with long beach pd officers at a coffee meet and greet.
those officers at the time were wonderful. I have to say they
had not been briefed on any such sort of a situation.
they literally could not tell me if they had just spoken to me in target
and if I walked to my car and turns out there was actually ice
at that farmer's merchant base bank in that very day.
and if they watched my car get
ramped in by, by mask men, that they did
not have an answer as to what they would do if they saw me be
pulled out and them get in my car and drive off with my child.
it's been two months. There are still no answers. So I,
I am the least person that's being affected by this, but
it does affect my family. My family is mixed.
so I do have fears that are beyond just, but I'm using my
voice as a white lady that lives on that side of town to let you know that
we are not just ignoring this. And I honestly
would really, really, really like to have a town hall
that includes long beach pd. Um, so that answers
can and community in, in a place that isn't so difficult to
get to and at a time that isn't as difficult to get to. 'cause I know
there are a lot more people in the community who
want questions answered, especially with the law, law, the mask. There's
so much confusion at that. Oh, well, it's not, you can't enforce that. Well, technically
we have every one of our legislature on social media telling us
the mask law is in effect. So tell me
why are masked men who beat? I was gonna show you the, the
images of the men that were beating those men up to in santa
ana and costa mesa today. Because guess what, they live right here
across the street on december 7th. They
tried to drive a community member off the road as he entered the, um,
off of gaffey as he got onto the bridge, his car, their car
that they were driving, parked right here. This is all on
video. So I don't understand, and this is not a condemnation
of, of the police department. I have never had anything but respect for police.
and I'm a military brat. I am,
I am shocked and I do not understand why
men today, right now, with a mask, with masks, that we know who
they are. We know some of their names. We know where
they are more than likely right now. Why are they free?
the same man held a woman at gunpoint in santa ana. That is not in
october. This guy, we know who we know one who one
of it is, they broke the law in costa mesa today with
masks vi in with a violent de, uh, detention that
violates constitutional rights. And they're wearing masks according
to state law. They are supposed to not have immunity. So,
and even if they did, it's still a violation of federal law. So
why are they being allowed to just stay there? That's
what I just don't understand. And that's what I'd really, really like to know. I wanna
feel safe and if I don't feel safe going to a store
with my son, how is anybody else
supposed to? That doesn't look like me. Amen. In this
city. And so I thank you. And I do want one more thing. I just wanted to mention that,
just so you guys know, I I haven't harassed the police department about
this. 'cause quite honestly, I don't wanna be looking like I'm some
troublemaker or something like that. . And it was
really, really sad state of affairs to when senator alex
vidia today pro, um, proposed a legislation
in on the house floor as to whether they were or senate floor to,
um, honor our capitol police
as, as heroes because that's what they were. And they are, and all first responders.
mm-hmm. And the republican sent under her, said, no,
he objected to that. So please, I just want to know
long beach pd I, who are you working for? Because
if that's the people you're, you are following the rules of they don't like you,
they don't respect you anyways, okay. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank
you. Alright sir, just give your name and you can, uh,
go ahead and proceed. My name is, uh, joshua blackstone,
and I'm gonna keep it short. I know a lot of elected officials
swear in on a bible and not the constitution. So I wanted to
remind you that in the constitution, it specifically states that
all persons not citizens have the right to
due process. Amen. That's it.
so simple. Thank you. Thank you guys. So I wanna thank all of you for coming out. Um,
these are atrocities that are, that are happening. Some of these questions are
good, fair questions. That's what this platform is for. Raise those questions. I know
they're heated emotional questions, but no, we're grappling with the same
questions. When we have answers, we, we give them, we take the actions we have clarity
on. And sometimes when you push us, we learn. And there's, you
know, we find we, you know, that's how we've updated our, our values act twice this
year. So let's, the way we move forward is by
communicating clearly with each other and it's, and figuring out what we can do, uh,
to best protect our community. So I wanna thank you. Keep coming out, uh, because
we do process these, these questions. We talk with our attorneys, we talk
with our police chief, and we ask the, some of the very same questions that have been raised
because we, I know what it feels like to be pro racially profiled.
I know that, that nobody should, no matter, you know, what your background is,
it is unfair. It doesn't feel good, and it's unconstitutional whether the supreme court
says it is or not. So thank you so much, uh, for, uh, speaking up. We still
have, uh, I think six or eight more council agenda items, and then we have another public comment
period. So we're gonna go item item 33, please report from
economic development and opportunity recommendation to approve the downtown long beach
property and business improvement district annual report and assessment, automatically
extending the current agreement with the downtown long beach alliance and authorized
payment in city property assessments of $615,561.
district one. All right. I see, uh, one member of the public signed up to speak. Is he
still here? Austin. Austin, come on up. Can we get a mover
and a, we don't need a staff report. Let's just five. And she
needs a second. All right. We need a motion. And second five
and eight. All right. Eight and six. Motion second.
you got, that's a lot you handing off. We could save a tree, man. You could have emailed us.
.
alright, I know we have two items. Oh, good to go. Perfect.
uh, I know we have two items tonight. We have both the property based improvement district, as well as the downtown
parking improvement area. I wanna thank you all again for your time this evening. I will,
uh, keep my remarks brief. Um, but what has been handed out is
our annual report, as well as our mid-year update, um, as the,
uh, task with managing the downtown improvement district. Um,
we look at four to five key areas, economic development, marketing,
communications and promotions, placemaking activations, safety,
security, and public safety. Um, and over the last year, we've done a lot of great work
to continue the recovery of downtown. Um, and,
uh, we look forward to 2026 as an opportunity to build on that momentum. I wanna
thank this body for helping to approve the entertainment zone. In the past year,
uh, we were able to kick off with a very successful launch event on the promenade, where we
saw over 3000 folks attend that event. And then another very successful halloween
event where we saw more than 5,000 people show up for that event. Um, and we're looking to
2026 to bring down downtown, back to its musical roots by bringing back
a monthly event called downtown live, which will happen on the promenade and also take advantage
of the entertainment zone. Uh, we're also looking forward to fifa in the world
cup and how we begin to activate pine avenue as a watch party central. Um,
we know that we still need to work on areas of retail vacancy,
uh, and attracting new businesses to the downtown and creating pathways
for businesses to get there. Our economic development programs, like our, uh,
food series, which was done in both english and spanish, was developed to help create
pathways for those food vendor entrepreneurs, uh, who'd ultimately like to be in a brick
and mortar space. So we're really excited for 2026.
uh, we will be hosting our colleagues across the western region, uh,
from downtowns up and down the state, uh, here in march, uh,
to check out all the right work that we're doing here in the city of long beach and in downtown long beach.
we'd extend that invitation to you all. Uh, and, uh, I know it's been a long evening,
so thank you for your time. Thanks, austin. You know,
I'll, I'll tell you, uh, the doba, I mean, you, you guys
are, are doing an incredible job. And there are challenges every
downtown across the state, uh, uh, faces. But I love that you, you're
a peer to the other downtowns. You're a leader in the california downtown
group. You've convened the heads of the bids from all the
downtowns in the state here in long beach. You're sharing ideas. That
collaborative spirit is how we will ensure that our downtown will recover.
and you have constituents just like we have constituents. As you can see, it's
not always easy, but, uh, downtown, um,
you are, we're gonna be okay if we continue our spirit of working together. And I look forward, uh,
to, uh, some of the, the incredible exciting opportunities we have next
year, um, coming to our downtown. So keep up the good work, uh, to you and
to your board, uh, and you have our support. Thank you. Thank you.
alright, we have a motion and a second roll call. Vote plea roll call. Vote please.
district two aye. District three. Aye.
district four, district five. Aye. District six. Aye.
district seven, aye. District eight. Aye. District nine. Aye.
motion is carried. All right, thank you. We're gonna go to 35
report from economic development and opportunity recommendation to approve the
downtown long beach parking and business improvement area annual report. Continue the
annual business license assessment and authorize to extend the agreement
with the downtown long beach alliance for a one year term district one.
all right, we need a vo vocal mo motion and second motion. All
right. Here, six second, and five is the second. Uh, public
comment. Seeing none. Roll call, vote please.
district two aye. District three. Aye. District
five. Aye. District six. Aye. District seven. Aye.
district eight. Aye. District nine. Aye. Motion is carried.
all right, thank you. 37. Please report from
economic development and opportunity recommendation to approve the midtown business improvement
district annual report and assessment automatically extending the current agreement with
the midtown property and business owners association and authorized payment of
$18,183. District six. Alright. Alright,
we have a motion cd six and a second cd five.
uh, any public comment? No. Public comment. Roll call. Vote please.
district two aye. District three.
aye. District five. Aye. District six. Aye. District seven.
aye. District eight. Aye. District nine. Aye. Motion
is carried. Thank you. 38. Please report from health and human services recommendation
to execute an agreement, all necessary documents and any subsequent amendments, including
to the award amount or term with the medi-cal managed
care plans to accept and expend funding in the amount of 2,140,587
for community health assessment and community health improvement plan citywide.
all right. Uh, is there a motion? Second eight
and second five. Alright. Uh, any public comment?
no. Public comment. Roll call. Vote please. District two aye.
district three. Aye. District five. Aye. District six. Aye.
district seven aye. District eight. Aye. District nine. Aye.
motion is carried. Item 39,
report from city attorney. Recommendation to declare ordinance, repealing ordinance, which
amended chapter 3.62 of the long beach municipal
code relating to the city's transaction and use tax to be administered by the california department
of tax and fee administration to effectuate the language from the county
of los angeles. Measure a red and adopted as red.
uh, we need a motion and a second. All right. I heard
six and eight. Uh, any public comment? No. Public comment.
roll call vote. District two. Aye.
district three?
aye. District five. Aye. District six. Aye.
district seven. Aye. District eight. Aye. District nine.
aye. Motion is carried. Item 40, report from economic development
and opportunity recommendation to adopt a resolution approving the annual report
for the belmont shore parking and business improvement area. Declaring council's intention
to levy and collect the annual business assessment and settle setting
the date of the public hearing on the levy of the proposed assessment for february 3rd, 2026.
and declare ordinance modifying the assessment to be levied with the belmont shore parking and
business improvement area. Read the first time and later in the next regular meeting for final
reading. District three. Thank you. Motion three. Is there a second?
five. Uh, any public comment? No. Public comment. Roll call. Vote please.
district two aye. District three. Aye. District five.
aye. District six. Aye. District seven. Aye. District eight. Aye.
district nine. Aye. Motion is carried. All right, thank you.
we'll now go to general public comment number two. We have three members of the public signed
up to speak. Dave shukla, kathleen adams and josh blackstone. Are you here?
a mayor? I think we need a second vote on item 40. On item 40.
okay. We need a second vote on item 40. It's not noted here, but, uh, roll call,
vote please. District two. Aye.
district three. Aye. District five. Aye. District six. Aye.
district seven. Aye. District eight. Aye. District nine. Aye.
second vote is carried. Thank you. Alright, uh, public
comment. Uh, dave, you're up.
thank you. Uh, good evening, mr. Mayor. Council members, um, happy
new year. Uh, are the seats in the back coming
back or those gone forever? Um,
can, uh, can, can we get a 66 year lease on a climate plan?
um, maybe a 66 year, uh, lease on some solar panels to call our
cover all of our, uh, inland waterways, uh, within the city boundaries?
you know, for all this talk we have of bringing the world over to show
how world class we are, um, I'd like to say some things, uh,
on the record about, uh, the us' uh, abduction of venezuela's
president and, uh, what it means, uh, for our
fair town. Uh, this is not a lawful law enforcement
operation. Um, it was a heavily signaled bit of imperial posturing
that found, uh, uh, over the past month that just this past weekend
found still kind of shocking and surprising. Bit of, uh, very
personalized, uh, bit of gangsterism, uh, ahead of a
congressional debate on a war powers resolution. Uh, there of course should be a
debate and it should be voted down. And, uh, you know, this
entire federal administration should be, uh, impeached, censured, condemned to, resisted,
defeated, and, uh, properly understood in world historical context. Uh,
should humanity persist past, uh, with the slot of playing it.
um, I agree with senator mark kelly that we, uh, need to send a message back
to these thugs that, uh, they don't get to decide what americans in this country
get to say, uh, about or to, uh, or with, uh,
or for, uh, their government. Um, I'd
go a couple of steps further, of course, and say that words no longer nor
need be, uh, the health of the state and that the physical damage and destruction unleashed
by this entire, uh, current
economic, economic system, uh, imperils a lot more things than, you know, the best laid plans
for a leader's legacy or six or six year leader leases or
along beach waterfront. I think, uh, you know,
thinking of just the, the ability from 1943
to 1945, that rate of emissions had kept going for four
to six more years. We'd already been irreversible climate change, you know, 50, 60 years
ago. Um, I just, I think the, the, the trajectory that we're on
is something that, uh, we don't, we won't, uh,
get too many more chances to do something about.
and, uh, there's a lot more I could say about, uh, being high bound to fossil fuels. But
I'd just like to close, uh, council members and mr. Mayor by saying that, uh,
I don't envy the river of troubles that this is gonna bring all of our way,
including yours in your roles. And I, I think we
are all lucky to have a history in this country of having not only
built, uh, but then also moved past, uh,
building the arsenal of democracy. Thank you.
thank you. Uh, kathleen. Hello. I'm
kathleen adams from district four. Um, I wanna let
say thank you so much because you are responding
to the horrors of the human rights abuses by
building resilience in the city. So I
count the christmas parade as bringing everyone together in pajamas,
breaking a record, and creating that community that makes us
resilient. The mlkk parade that's coming up this week, oh,
I hope it doesn't rain, but I've been there in the rain. Um, in the rain.
, thank you for, um,
allowing us to have the mutt run. I'll turn that in. Um, that's
coming up february 21st. It's another way to connect dogs and
people and raise the spirits of everyone and build community.
um, please give blood continue.
we have red cross right here in long beach. Fantastic. Um,
and the new ball club activities that are going. And, um,
ollie the um, lifelong lifespan education just started this week.
it's one of the best ways of building community. If you've ever gone to the current
events class, which is thursdays at noon, it's packed.
and people like here have a say. It's if
you guys ever wanna come and just check in, that's your constituents from all
over. Long beach. Come together there. It's a really good opportunity. So I invite
you to come. It's not a formal group, but it kind of is. They've
been continuing there. Another new group that I wanna highlight, they just had
their pilot class last, uh, semester at cal state long beach
education. That's the life will ambassadors class
that's starting tomorrow, uh, for the second season. And that's
dr. Hu. He had a stroke and in that epiphany
of him being slowed down and his activities,
he thought, what can I do with my life? And he is inviting people
to be a life, uh, well wisdom educator. And he's
trying to train as many people and train the trainers to train more people to have
thousands of ambassadors of goodwill for the olympics.
so please invite, I'm gonna ask him to send you the information
so you can invite your constituents to be a 2028
olympic life will ambassador. And that means, and I'm
also part of the rotary club. We believe that how we act in, um, service
above self, it ripples out. People see us doing service
and more and more people do service and take responsibility for our community. So it's
not all on you and nobody should be here seeing it's all on you. It's us.
we're in this together. Um, darn. I'm
out of, uh, please expand quality of life, uh, officers
and the crisis response team to 24 hours and add 24 hour crisis
response to the long beach go app as well. Thank you so much.
alright, thanks kathleen. Well, that concludes public comment. We're
not gonna go to closing, uh, statements and adjournment. Uh,
we next week have our annual state of the city clergy to join us at
the terrace theater. At the same time you'd normally join us for the council meeting. So,
uh, this is a requirement in our city's charter once a year, uh, prior to
january 15th. The mayor provides us comprehensive state of affairs of our city.
uh, and this is a responsibility we take very seriously. And so, uh,
we look forward to seeing you there. Um, we're gonna go through the list. Council
member sorrows first. Yes, thank you, mayor. Um, yes, speaking
of the mlk parade and fest, uh, celebration, um,
it's not until the 17th, but I thought I'd start doing, um,
a kind of countdown to it. So please join us
for the 38th annual mlk parade in celebration on january 17th.
the parade kicks off at 10:00 am on mlk avenue in anaheim.
this year's theme, if you did not know, is rise up, stand
up for his dream. And I just wanted to share that what
we're doing differently this year from last year based on
community feedback is we have a comm community advisory committee
who, and it's black led, uh, so that we're centering black
voices in how we shape this and community centered. Uh,
so I think that we have done a lot to make sure that the community is
heard and took a lot of recommendations so that,
uh, everyone across generations can enjoy this, uh, celebration. So please
join us. Thank you. And just wanna thank them for all their hard work. This is
all their time is voluntary, they volunteer their time, so I wanna thank them and also
my team for all their hard work and working with the advisory committee
and o obviously putting together, uh, the, doing the work to
put together this event. Thank you. Thank you. Council member kerr. Yes,
thank you mr. Mayor. Um, so happy new year and as we're in the second week,
or in getting into the second week of 2026, I wanna remind you of several monthly activities
throughout district five that are kicking off their regularly scheduled events. This week,
this thursday, january 8th at 8:00 am you can join the first monthly bird walk at rancho
los cerritos. The rancho opens early for a free community bird walk every second
thursday of the month, inviting neighbors to experience local wildlife throughout the historic grounds
and gardens. And then on friday, january 9th at 2:00 pm you can join fellow volunteers
at willow springs park for their monthly restoration. Fridays help tend to native plants every
second friday of the month as the community contributes to the ongoing restoration of
our city's most natural spaces. On saturday, january 10th at eight 30, you can join
bixby highlands clean team for their first monthly cleanup of 2026 every
second saturday of the month. You can choose from one of two locations, uh, 1187
carson street or 4 5 5 5 orange to help fellow volunteers in keeping our local
streets and waterways free of trash and debris supplies and donuts will be provided.
and lastly, uh, saturday, january 10th, you can support local businesses and vendors
in parkview village for their first second saturday's block party of
the year. So hope to see you out in the community. Thank you. Council member thrashing.
thank you. So it is the first council meeting of the new year. Happy new
year. I hope that everyone had warm and a joyful holiday spent with
family and friends. So as we enter this new year, january
is actually human trafficking awareness month. And in honor of this,
I invite you to join me at a community event called a conversation with
coffee next wednesday, january 14th at 6:00 pm at the wrigley
coffee house located on willow street. This event will be hosted
by forgotten children incorporated, an organization dedicated to
serving survivors across los angeles county. This evening
will include a panel discussion, survivor speakers, and a space for the community to
come together to affirm the commitment to justice for
survivors and for support. Um, I encourage you to take part in this meaningful
conversation. Uh, to close, I do want to, uh, take a
moment to reflect. Uh, one year ago, the los angeles wildfires,
uh, took out more than 12,000 facilities and our responders
here in long beach, among others across the county, were responsible for going
in and assisting. It has been a year since the fires caused that immense
damage in the pacific palisades, pasadena, altadena, and other
communities. We remember the lives affected the loss of homes
and the resilience of those who are still committed to recovering.
but even in the face of destruction, the response from southern california and
across the country and the world was remarkable. Communities came together to
provide support, relief, and hope for those impacted. Let us keep
all of those impacted, uh, in our hearts and continue to uplift and
support them as they rebuild and heal in the years to come after
the fires. Thank you. Thank you. Council member
rick sodi. Uh, thank you mayor. Um, I would like to invite everyone out to
attend, um, the district nine queen mary community day, uh, on monday, january 26th
from five to 8:00 pm guests will check in at the main entrance with a qr
code ticket and receive a guide map to freely explore the ship. Enjoy live music, onboard
exhibits, deck access, and dining options throughout the queen mary parking is
$10 for validation. I would also like to invite everybody out to
our upcoming citywide community budget meetings. The meeting serving district nine will
take place on monday, february 2nd from six to 7:30 pm
at the doris topsy elbert community center at houton park, 63 0 1
myrtle avenue. And then, uh, and lastly, I'd like to invite everybody out to
attend our annual 2026 state of the district on saturday,
february 7th from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm join us to hear about recent
progress in our community, upcoming initiatives, and a vision for district nine and to connect with your local leaders.
check in will take place from nine 30 to 10. The event also will be held at
h park at the doorstop sea over community center at 63 0 1 myrtle avenue.
we ask that if you can rsep in advance so we can get food. Uh, for more information,
please contact our office at 5 6 2 5 7 0 6 1 3 7
or district9@longbeach.gov.
all right, thank you. That concludes announcements. Happy new year. Thanks for joining.
uh, uh, we'll see you next week. Meeting adjourn.
got a lot of, though, we got a lot.