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Welcome to the Long Beach
Economic Development Department Newsletter!
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In This Edition:
- City of Long Beach Awarded $1.2 Million in State Funding for Cannabis Equity Program
- Long Beach Hosts Space Beach Workforce, Education and Training Symposium
- Beach Streets Open Streets to Take Place in West Long Beach May 10
- The Queen Mary's Chelsea Chowder House named a 2025 OpenTable Diners' Choice Award Winner
- Tariff Resource Guide available for California Businesses through Go-Biz
| | City of Long Beach Awarded $1.2 Million in State Funding for Cannabis Equity Program | | |
The City of Long Beach has been awarded $1.2 million in grant funding for its Cannabis Equity Program (Program) from the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz). Approved by the Long Beach City Council with an 8 to 0 vote at its March 11, 2025, meeting, the funding will promote equity within the cannabis industry by assisting under-resourced communities affected by past cannabis-related policies.
Facilitated by the Economic Development Department, in partnership with the City’s Office of Cannabis Oversight, the goal of the Program is to recognize and address the long-term impact that federal and state cannabis enforcement policies have had on low-income communities of color in Long Beach. Eligible applicants can qualify for up to $350,000 in grant funding, based on license type and business size. Funding can be utilized for startup costs, including rent/lease payments, local licensing and regulatory fees, legal assistance, regulatory compliance, capital improvements, fixtures, equipment and more.
| | Long Beach Hosts Space Beach Workforce, Education and Training Symposium | | |
On Friday, April 4, 2025, the City of Long Beach Economic Development Department (Department), in collaboration with California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach City College and Long Beach Unified School District, hosted the inaugural Space Beach Workforce, Education and Training Symposium (Symposium) to continue advancing workforce development efforts in the city’s rapidly growing space and aerospace industry.
Hosted by the Department’s Workforce Development Bureau, the event brought together local space and aerospace companies, education partners and workforce leaders to explore strategies for strengthening talent pipelines and creating career pathways for both youth and adults in Long Beach. The event highlighted the progress of Space Beach and the City’s vision for continued industry growth and featured engaging panel discussions centered around shaping the future of Long Beach’s education and workforce systems and aligning existing programs and resources with the specific workforce needs of the space and aerospace sectors.
| | Beach Streets Open Streets to Take Place in West Long Beach May 10 | | |
Beach Streets Open Streets is set to take place in West Long Beach on Saturday, May 10, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hosted by the City of Long Beach and presented by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), Beach Streets embraces the active commuting lifestyle by opening the streets and transforming them into safe, open areas for people to bike, walk and explore their neighborhoods. This year’s event will uplift the City’s Westside Promise Initiative, a 10-year community investment plan that aligns existing City efforts and leverages partnerships to address current and historic challenges facing West Long Beach.
Beach Streets promotes sustainable transportation, supports local businesses and allows its thousands of annual participants to get to know their neighbors in a comfortable, family-oriented environment. By bringing together different roadway users, Beach Streets also promotes commuting safety and supports the City’s climate goals by encouraging zero-emission transportation options.
| | The Queen Mary's Chelsea Chowder House named a 2025 OpenTable Diners' Choice Award Winner | | The Queen Mary's dining room, Chelsea Chowder House, has been named a 2025 OpenTable Diners' Choice Award Winner. Chelsea Chowder House provides an intimate atmosphere with breathtaking ocean views and specializes in exquisite chowder and fresh seafood. | | Tariff Resource Guide Available for California Businesses Through Go-Biz | | GO-Biz has launched a tariff resource guide that provides recommendations to businesses on how to navigate the impact of tariffs on their operations. GO-Biz encourages California businesses to stay informed and proactively plan for tariff-related challenges. On the webpage, you will find a collection of resources to help your business minimize tariff impacts, optimize operations, and remain competitive in the global marketplace. | | Small Biz Spotlight: Tiptoe Sustainability | | |
In honor of Earth Month, we’re recognizing a local sustainability company helping to reduce plastic waste. Tiptoe is like the milkman, but for your shower -- they collect, wash, and reuse the personal care bottles they sell to keep packaging in the loop and out of the landfill.
Tiptoe also provides bottle and tableware washing services to breweries, wineries, restaurants, entertainment venues, and corporate offices. Their mission is to help these businesses shrink their waste footprint by switching from single-use disposables to reusable options.
Tiptoe was started in 2024 by Will Bravante and their products can be found at BYO Long Beach and online.
| | City of Long Beach Announces Operator for Long Beach Amphitheater | | |
The Long Beach City Council (Council) has approved the selection of Legends / ASM Global for the operation and management of the city’s first-ever amphitheater, which will also be the second-largest outdoor amphitheater in Los Angeles County, strategically situated on the Long Beach waterfront. Additionally, the Council has approved $14 million in funding for the design and development of the open-air venue, which will further propel the city as a premier national and international destination for music, entertainment and special events of all scales.
As part of the agreement with Legends / ASM Global, a portion of operating profits for the amphitheater will be paid to the City, including ticket sales, revenue from concessions and a percentage of the sale of the naming rights or sponsorships at the amphitheater. The project will be funded by the City’s Tidelands Area Fund Group. These are restricted funds that can only be used for development and services on the coast and cannot, by law, be used for other municipal services or projects.
| | City of Long Beach Provides Additional $250,000 in Grant Funding to Support Small Businesses | | |
The Long Beach City Council has approved an additional $250,000 in grant funding for the Visual Improvement Program (VIP), which provides direct financial assistance to local businesses impacted by crime and vandalism. Businesses and nonprofits should apply if they meet the following criteria:
• Must be able to prove that damages were sustained on or after Oct. 1, 2023.
• Must have a business storefront.
• Must be located and operating within the boundaries of Long Beach, California (address cannot be a P.O. Box or an address that leads to a shipping center as their physical location).
• May be a private for-profit business, including sole proprietorships, or nonprofit organization.
• Must have a City of Long Beach business license.
• Must be an independently owned and operated business (not publicly traded).
• Must have fewer than 200 employees.
• Must gross no more than $2 million annually.
• Corporations, limited liability companies and limited partnerships must have an active status with the California Secretary of State.
Applications will remain open until funding is exhausted. For additional information about the VIP or assistance with completing an application, those interested can call the City’s BizCare Hotline at 562.570.4BIZ (4249) or email 4Biz@longbeach.gov.
| | Hire Uptown Job Summit at Houghton Park | | On Saturday, April 19, District 9 will be hosting a free job summit at Houghton Park Community Center that is open to adults, college students, and high school youth. This is an opportunity for job seekers to meet multiple potential employers for internships and local jobs. There will also be free headshots available. Please register below if you are interested in attending. | | The Economic Development Department's BizCare Program provides support and resources to small businesses and nonprofits in Long Beach. Our dedicated staff is available to connect you with helpful information regarding grants, loans, technical assistance and more to help your small business thrive. For assistance, call the BizCare Hotline at 562.570.4BIZ (4249), email 4Biz@longbeach.gov, or submit an online form. | | The City of Long Beach continues to expand its innovative business resources with the launch of its Business Insights Tool, a free online resource for local businesses that makes big data accessible for small businesses, allowing them to benchmark performance, optimize marketing; and analyze competitors, suppliers and underserved markets. The Business Insights Tool is available for entrepreneurs and businesses at longbeach.gov/businessinsights. | | |
The Economic Development Department is now certifying businesses for the Green Business Program. Started in Long Beach in 2018 under the Office of Sustainability, the Green Business Program allows businesses to demonstrate their commitment to creating healthier communities and environments. The Program provides free technical assistance to businesses to help them implement more sustainable practices. Our staff will support you through the process and connect you with all the resources you'll need to get certified.
This Program is available to all Long Beach businesses and nonprofits and is free of charge. Businesses that complete the required measures will receive their Green Business Certification good for three years. Businesses can save on utility costs and create a workplace culture that values sustainability. In addition, businesses will have access to marketing materials and gain recognition through the City of Long Beach and California Green Business Network as a Certified Green Business. Become a green business today! Visit greenbusinessca.org/cityoflongbeach for more information.
| | Take your business to the next level with free online courses, entrepreneurship training and marketing tools from the Long Beach Public Library. Offering notable and distinguished resources such as Udemy and LinkedIn Learning, the Library offers digital resources to help business owners (and their employees) upskill and lead a successful business. The digital resources are completely free with your library card. Visit the LBPL Digital Library page to get started! | | The Certified Blue Restaurant (CBR) program supports and recognizes the outstanding Long Beach restaurants that achieve exceptional water efficiency in our community. Interested restaurants can enroll below to receive a no-cost, on-site efficiency survey, free water-efficient devices (if eligible), and an assessment for other possible rebates. Enroll your restaurant for the Certified Blue Restaurant Program. | | The City of Long Beach has launched Long Beach Buys, a new purchasing platform and marketplace that is free for all businesses and organizations seeking to do business with the City. Long Beach Buys is part of the City’s Extreme Procurement Makeover initiative, which aims to enhance the City’s procurement process to be more efficient, results-driven, equitable and sustainable. | | |
Every year, the Port of Long Beach needs small businesses to partner with to build, maintain and service the 2nd largest Port in the United States. Small businesses earn millions of dollars as primes and/or sub-contractors on Port contracts.
Small business opportunities are available for a variety of contract types, such as construction, supplies, landscaping, recycling services, technology hardware, software, and even food services. Visit the Port’s Business Opportunities Overview webpage to download a sampling of products/services procured by each Port division.
The main goal of the Small Business Enterprise (SBE)/Very Small Business Enterprise Program (VSBE) is to promote the participation of SBEs and VSBEs on Port contracts and procurements via prime and subcontracting opportunities. The Port has a 27% annual department-wide goal which is achieved by setting minimum SBE and VSBE participation goals for applicable construction and professional services contracts, and bureau-wide and/or division-wide SBE/VSBE goals on applicable purchases. Learn more about the Port’s SBE/VSBE Program at polb.com/sbe.
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The Long Beach Resource Line is a hotline that supports anyone in Long Beach who needs help finding local, City and community resources. Calls are answered Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can also submit your contact information through an Assistance Request Form.
Connect with trained Resource Navigators for assistance with:
- Housing
- Food Access
- Utilities
- Transportation
- Legal Aid
- Mental and Physical Health
- and more!
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For questions and support, contact our BizCare Team!
562.570.4BIZ (4249)
Monday – Friday
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Calls received after normal business hours will be responded to within 24 business hours.
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