PRESS RELEASE

Updated on Dec. 13, 2022: The below press release was updated to reflect the extension of the community survey to Jan. 30, 2023 (original deadline was Dec. 19, 2022).

Long Beach, CA – The City of Long Beach invites women and girls to help shape the mission of the Long Beach Commission for Women and Girls (LBCWG) by completing a survey, available now through Monday, Jan. 30, 2023. Information collected through the survey will help inform the development of the City’s first-of-its-kind commission specifically designed for women and girls, which will provide a space for specific education, outreach and advocacy for the advancement and equity of all women and girls.

"Our City Commissions play a vital role and help guide the services we offer our community,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “This new commission will provide a framework for how we address critical issues impacting women and girls now and into the future.”

The survey, available in English, Spanish, Khmer and Tagalog, inquires about the aspirations and needs of Long Beach women and girls, and is available online and in person. Those without computer or smart phone access can visit a public computer lab at any open Long Beach Public Library (LBPL) location. Paper surveys are also available at LBPL locations and at the following Long Beach park community centers: Houghton, Chavez, McBride, El Dorado, Admiral Kidd Park, Pan American Park Gym, Expo Center Senior Program, Homeland/MacArthur, Long Beach Senior Center, Bixby Park and King Park.Community members who complete the survey will be eligible to receive an incentive, while supplies last.

The LBCWG will create leadership roles for cis, trans and all who identify as female to discuss women-specific issues, and it will pursue the elimination of gender-based inequities across the city. While participation in the survey is anonymous and voluntary, outreach participants will qualify for incentives for giving their time to this effort.

Gender-based inequities persist locally, as, among all full-time workers in Long Beach, White men earn nearly twice as much as Latina women, and 63 percent of Black women heads of household are considered rent-burdened, compared to 52 percent of White women heads of household.

The recommendation to create a plan for a Commission on Women and Girls, as recommended by the Equity and Human Relations Commission, was originally brought to the Long Beach City Council in September 2021 by Second District Councilwoman Cindy Allen, co-sponsored by Third District Councilwoman Suzie Price, and was approved by the City Council with a nine to zero vote. After nearly 50 years of advocacy towards this effort, the City Council recently allocated funding to take the next steps in creating a Commission. Additionally, the City’s Office of Equity received a Capacity Building Grant from the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls to further support the development of a local Commission on Women and Girls.

“I am so excited that the development of a commission for women and girls is finally coming together,” said Second District Councilwoman Cindy Allen. “This commission will provide valuable support, guidance and representation for women and girls in Long Beach. I encourage women and girls to share their recommendations through this survey.”

Using the Long Beach Equity Toolkit for City Leaders and Staff, the City will facilitate an inclusive and intersectional community engagement process focusing on economic and educational equity, access to health care, violence against women and girls, safety and other key issues. The Office of Equity worked with an Ad-Hoc Community Advisory Team comprised of community members – including women, mothers, advocates and industry leaders interested in shaping the Commission – to design the LBCWG Survey.

Next, City staff will collate the survey findings and present recommendations to the City Council to ensure that the Commission’s priorities align with the input provided by Long Beach women and girls.