PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA - On Tuesday, March 16, the Long Beach City Council voted to adopt the Long Beach Recovery Act to fund economic, public health and fiscal initiatives for Long Beach residents, business owners and workers critically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The adopted $234 million plan includes additional funding provided by the American Rescue Act, including $15 million for the Long Beach Airport and $12.35 million for additional programs for businesses and residents.

“This plan allows us to take on the devastating economic, public health and social challenges Long Beach continues to face as a result of this pandemic,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “The additional funding from our federal partners makes this plan even stronger, and I look forward to getting to work and helping our residents and business owners."

The proposed plan was discussed by the City Council during Tuesday night’s Council meeting. After several clarifications were made regarding specific initiatives within the major focus areas, the Council ultimately approved the plan. If changes to the adopted plan need to be made in the future, those proposed changes will be presented to the City Council for review and discussion.

“The City is committed to an equitable, sustainable recovery,” said City Manager Tom Modica. “I am proud to see the incredible work by our City staff to listen to the community, engage our business sectors, and address Mayor and Council priorities. I thank the City Council for their input and approval of this feasible recovery plan.”

The final plan includes recommendations from Mayor Garcia, and adopted by the City Council, for how the additional funds will be utilized to further support initiatives under the focus areas, including:

• Economic Recovery
  • $2 million for a Micro and Public Transit Pilot Program to support economic recovery.
  • $2 million for Direct Income Pilot Programs to help our community meet basic needs and increase the potential for economic stability and advancement.
  • An additional $1.25 million for Economic Empowerment Zones.
  • An additional $1 million for Childcare and Early Childhood Education.
• Healthy and Safe Community
  • $5 million for Housing Support, including: $3 million for down payment assistance for first-time home buyers, $1 million for rental housing navigation and $1 million to start a public land trust.
  • $500,000 in additional funding for Language Access translation.
  • $300,000 to waive Library Fees for a year.
  • $300,000 in additional support for the Long Beach Justice Fund.

The adopted plan also includes funded allotments, provided from the federal, state and county levels, to allow for the implementation of the following key initiatives:

• Economic Recovery ($51 million), including COVID-19 protection for businesses and nonprofits; direct funding relief for businesses critically-impacted by the pandemic; funding to address historic economic inequities exacerbated by the pandemic; and funding to keep commercial corridors clean and to reduce illegal dumping. 
• Healthy and Safe Community ($72.8 million), including programs to support public health; ongoing support for basic needs such as food security, housing and case management for older adults; ongoing support for people experiencing homelessness; programs focusing on physical and mental health equity and other social services; and tenant assistance through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
• Securing Our City’s Future ($83.2 million), including funding to replenish City reserves to maintain structural balance in the City’s budget; funding to eliminate City furloughs to allow the restoration of critical City services; and funding to balance the 2022 City budget to maintain City services for residents and businesses.

Addressing new and historic inequities was critical to the development of the Long Beach Recovery Act. As a result, the plan emphasizes high-risk populations and the hardest-hit business sectors and workers, and incorporates key goals and objectives from the City’s Economic Development Blueprint, Everyone In, Digital Inclusion Roadmap, and the Framework for Reconciliation to ensure a racially equitable economic recovery.

The entire Long Beach Recovery Act, as it was proposed to Council, can be found here.

For the latest information on COVID-19, with details on all that the City of Long Beach is doing to keep our residents safe, visit longbeach.gov/COVID19 and follow @LongBeachCity on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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