Happy New Year!

January 2020
Long Beach Office of Equity Monthly e-Newsletter
- Highlights -
Exemplary Health Equity Practice Award

On December 3 rd , 2019 an Exemplary Health Equity Practice Award was given to the City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services which established the first municipal Office of Equity in Southern California.

The Office of Equity partnered with the Vera Institute of Justice and the Sanctuary Long Beach Coalition to establish the Long Beach Justice Fund (LBJF) to provide legal counsel for immigrants facing deportation and help families stay together. The City is home to immigrants from Mexico, the Philippines, Cambodia, El Salvador, and many other countries, making up 26% of the total population.

In addition the Long Beach Office of Equity, has worked to improve citywide language access services through a partnership with an alliance of community-based organizations known as the Language Access Coalition. Nearly half of Long Beach residents speak a language other than English. By improving access to these translation services, ALL Long Beach residents will have better access to health, human and city.


Watch Director of Department of Health and Human Services, Kelly Colopy
and Department of Health and Human Services Equity Officer Katie Balderas explain the role of Public Health, including the Long Beach Justice Fund's purpose.



(Pictured Left to Right)

Ginger Lee
Collective Impact and Operations Bureau Manager, Department of Health and Human Services 

Kelly Colopy
Director of Department of Health and Human Services

Francheska Deras
Language Access Policy Coordinator, Department of Health and Human Services 
Advancing Equity in Long Beach
Rebecca F. Kauma
Project Lead, Economic & Digital Inclusion
City of Long Beach
Rebecca is a passionate diversity, equity and inclusion professional with extensive public health, project management and community engagement expertise. Rebecca is currently the Project Lead for Economic and Digital Inclusion at The City of Long Beach. In this role, she is leading and managing the City's Economic and Digital Inclusion Initiatives to ensure that low-income communities and communities of color in Long Beach have the opportunities, resources and power they need to thrive economically. Rebecca strives to uplift and empower communities most in need through equitable, inclusive and culturally competent programs, practices, policies and systems change efforts.
Hear from Rebecca:

“We must apply an equity lens and inclusion approaches in the programs and projects we are developing and implementing. This includes ensuring that the community’s strengths, perspectives and lived experiences are uplifted in the City’s efforts.”
- News & Events -
State of The City

Join Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia
at the State of the City, January 14, 2020.
.
Free parking and bike valet provided.

Translation available upon request

People's State of the City 2020

Community. Housing. Belonging. Opportunity. Clean Air. Justice. Black Lives Matter. Health. Connection. Sanctuary For All. Safety. People Power. Love. It's all at stake and it's all up to us. Held at the First Congregational Church of Long Beach, United Church of Christ on Wednesday, February 12, 2020 at 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM.

RSVP IS NOT REQUIRED

The People's State of the City is an opportunity for working people, people of color, and people marginalized from the political process to speak about the current challenges, victories, and opportunities for health and justice in Long Beach.

The People's State of the City is organized by Long Beach Rising!, a civic engagement coalition of local organizations promoting civic participation, alliance building, voter engagement, and community organizing among communities historically marginalized from the political process.