Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson delivers his second State of the City address at the Terrace Theater on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach will aim to have zero folks who are homeless within five years, will increase tech and financial support for investors launching micro-businesses and will build a temporary 10,000 seat amphitheater near the Queen Mary — as a prelude to a permanent venue.
That’s according to Mayor Rex Richardson, who listed those initiatives, and multiple others, during his second State of the City address at the Long Beach Terrace Theater on Tuesday evening, Jan. 9. The hourlong address, in front of about 800 to 900 people, looked back on last year’s successes and presented the goals for the next year and beyond. It touched on myriad topics, including the city’s financial outlook, some new businesses coming to town and public safety.
Richardson reiterated plans, which the city initially announced last month, to create a new government structure and a long-term strategic plan to eliminate homelessness within five years.
The mayor didn’t provide many details on those efforts beyond what the city previously announced. But he did tout successes Long Beach had in 2023. Those included:
- Adding 60 new beds for unhoused children to the permanent winter shelter on Anaheim Street. The city has added 200 new beds there since Long Beach bought the facility in June.
- Becoming one of the first cities in the state to use all of its emergency vouchers by placing 582 families into permanent housing.
- Securing a more than $5 million state grant to provide shelter, housing and health services to folks who are homeless at the Billie Jean King Main Library, Lincoln Park and other facilities.
- Approving projects that will bring 878 new affordable housing units to the city. Long Beach also received applications for projects that will bring 975 more affordable housing units to the city.
- Striking partnerships with Cal State Long Beach, Long Beach City College and Long Beach Unified School District to build housing for students and their families who lack permanent shelter.
‘We are going to strengthen the impact of our homelessness plan, making it more sustainable and more successful,” Richardson said. “We want all our residents to be able to afford to live in (the city).”
And speaking of young people, Richardson also announced the first class of 20 fellows participating in the recently unveiled Long Beach Service Corps program. The fellows hail from CSULB, Cal State Dominguez Hills and LBCC.
Each corps member will make $22 an hour and be assigned to work in various city departments.
“We will help them to prepare and get skills to get full-time jobs in the city,” Richardson said as the fellows crowded the Terrace Theater stage. “That’s what is this all about.”
Public safety, as is usual, was another major topic of the address.
The city will hire 100 new police officers this year to patrol the streets, Richardson said, in response to upticks in crime in residential neighborhoods and commercial corridors. He also introduced the seven members of the Police Oversight Commission.
The Fire Department, meanwhile, will be staffed to 100% capacity for the first time in years, Richardson said. That, the mayor said, will improve the city’s response times to emergencies.
Among the biggest entertainment news was that the city will open a temporary outdoor amphitheater on a parcel adjacent to the Queen Mary — with plans to eventually develop a permanent venue there. The temporary amphitheater, which Richardson said will be styled after Irvine’s shuttered Five Point Amphitheater, is expected to open sometime in 2025.
The temporary venue will host concerts and arts events to revive the city’s music scene, Richardson said. The mayor also pledged to bring a jazz festival and a jazz club to the area. The city is also investing millions of dollars to upgrade the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center.
Those efforts, if successful, would contribute to the city’s economic rebound from the coronavirus pandemic.
And that’s key, since the city, Richardson said, will continue pushing forward with its plans to increase steady revenue sources and become independent from oil money by 2030. City Manager Tom Modica is preparing an analysis of projected revenues and shortfalls over five years to learn where the city is headed.
Richardson, during his address, also announced several corporations have committed to move to Long Beach or expand their facilities in 2024, which would increase jobs and tax revenues.
Media marketing and advertising firm Swing Set Productions, for example, will move its operations and headquarters from Huntington Beach to Long Beach. Swing Set’s portfolio includes designing and filming television commercials for electric and luxury vehicles, such as Genesis and Maserati.
Biogas Engineering, a Signal Hill company specializing in developing hydrogen and renewable energy sources, also plans to move operations to Long Beach, Richardson said — creating dozens of engineering jobs.
Aevum, an aerospace company engaged in designing and assembling a reusable launch system for space transportation powered by artificial intelligence, also plans to move to Long Beach this year, Richardson said — furthering the city’s position as, according to its own description, “Space Beach.”
Richardson also introduced Jet Zero’s chief financial officer, Mark Page, who committed to expand the company’s Long Beach Airport hub to build a cleaner prototype airplane, invest a $250 million federal grant to develop the aircraft and create hundreds of new jobs.
“Jet Zero,” Richardson said, “they are building their plane here.”
Other major efforts and accomplishments the mayor touted were:
- A new city partnership with the nonprofit ORALE and the James Irvine Foundation to support immigrant entrepreneurs in their quest to develop and start local businesses and storefronts.
- An “extreme makeover” program for micro-businesses to link tech consultants with owners to teach them how to build digital marketing strategies and campaigns, increase online commerce and expand assistance for up to $10,000 to those who complete it.
The mayor also touted the leadership of the City Council, which brought on several new members last election and is among the most diverse Long Beach has ever had. The council, he said, has changed the city’s dynamics by canvassing neighborhoods, knocking on doors, and speaking and listening to residents on issues about which they care and are concerned.
“As city officials and stewards of public trust, our job is to listen closely to the needs of our diverse communities,” Richardson said, “and turn that listening into action for our communities.”
