City of Long Beach Business Brief
December 17, 2021
Welcome to the Economic Development Department's Business Brief! We are continuing to ensure you are updated on the latest business resources and news.
Watch Accelerate Long Beach 
 In case you missed last weeks Accelerate Long Beach you can now access a recording of the free virtual conference on YouTube!

The program features city leaders, company CEOs, and economists from the Cal State University, Long Beach Office of Economic Research who understand the local economy overall and how the real estate industry is breaking new ground in Long Beach. The experts provide insight on projects recently completed, under construction and in the pipeline.

Other Accelerate Long Beach speakers include: Ryan Altoon, Executive Vice President of Anderson Pacific; Jean Paul Wardy, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of CenterCal Properties; City Ventures Division President Natasha Zabaneh; Laserfiche CEO Chris Wacker; Jason Silver, Vice President of Development for Ledcor; Alan Pullman, Senior Principal and Founder of Studio One Eleven; Marty Borko, Executive Director of the Urban Land Institute Los Angeles; Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia; Vice Mayor Rex Richardson; Third District Councilmember Suzie Price; and Long Beach Economic Development Director John Keisler. 

The information and data shared during this free, recorded economic forum is useful to anyone interested in finding out more about Long Beach's overall economic picture and the opportunities available in the local real estate sector.
Economic Development Commission Meeting
The Economic Development Commission Meeting recording from Monday, December 13 can now be accessed! Find out how you can be a part of planning the City’s Blueprint for Economic Development! The Blueprint focuses on advancing a 10-year vision of making Long Beach a City of opportunity for workers, investors, and entrepreneurs.
City of Long Beach Recognized by Bloomberg Philanthropies for Using Data and Evidence to Improve Residents’ Lives
The City of Long Beach announced it is one of 10 new cities to have achieved What Works Cities Certification for its exceptional use of data to guide decision-making and improve residents’ lives. What Works Cities Certification - the national standard of excellence in data-driven city governance - evaluates how well cities are managed by measuring the extent to which city leaders incorporate data and evidence in their decision-making. The City achieved a Silver Certification level in 2021. 

Over the past year, the City has demonstrated measurable progress on various foundational data practices. Notable examples include: 
  • Used a variety of geospatial and economic development data through the City’s BizCare Program to determine the small businesses most critically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in effort to connect business owners to important resources provided by the City’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. This microtargeting program was a success at finding the smaller businesses typically unaware of these types of programs, providing assistance to over 700 businesses through the pop-up events. 
  • Used data to support the COVID-19 response and recovery efforts by continuing to enhance the City’s data dashboard to inform the community and track the  progress with vaccine distribution.  
  • Enhanced the City’s Open Data portal so that more data sets could be automatically updated. This change improved the quality and usefulness of publicly available data that can be used to improve decision making and outcomes for communities of color.  
  • Launched the Smart Cities Strategy to collaboratively explore and implement new technology and harness the benefits of Artificial Intelligence while balancing the privacy of community members. 
Launch LongBeach
Launch LongBeach support's entrepreneurs and small businesses in under-resourced communities in the City of Long Beach, by providing access to culturally appropriate education, community-centered mentorship, matching grant funds, business loans, business development services, community/business-building opportunities and on-going community-centered technical assistance.

The Launch LongBeach program is currently accepting applications on a rolling basis. Join the upcoming information session next Tuesday, Dec 21st at 7 pm. Click here to sign up.
Whimsical Charm KIVA Campaign is Live
The KIVA campaign for Rosie's business Whimsical Charm of a $9,500 loan is still live! The business is a line of uniquely handmade and personalized embroidered baby blankets, fun robes, and quality apparel designed for parents who desire to provide their children with warmth, comfort, and style all locally made in the USA. Currently, the campaign is 27% funded. The KIVA loan will allow Rosie to create jobs and hire cyclical staff members including three youth from underserved disadvantaged communities. These resources will assist in creating a happy and healthy environment for everyone involved while creating and maintaining an ongoing network of creatives.

Check out Rosie's KIVA campaign:

Long Beach entrepreneurs can access 0% interest rates, no-fee loans, and up to $15,000 through KIVA (www.kiva.org), a nonprofit organization focused on expanding financial opportunities to small businesses in the community. The City of Long Beach has partnered with LISC-LA to ensure that the business owners, that may be unable to access traditional commercial loans from a bank, can find KIVA loans to be a successful tool to sustain or grow their business.

KIVA Requirements for to business owners:
  • Must be 18 years and older
  • Business must be based in the United States
  • Food, farming, social services, fashion, or retail-based businesses are ideal

The City of Long Beach is now accepting applicants to endorse through the KIVA process. To learn more, please contact [email protected] or call (562) 570-4249.

To learn more about other City of Long Beach loan programs click here.
The City, through its contract with “on-call” property management consultants, will conduct work related to the removal, haul away, and disposal of window/storefront coverings (plywood). Work will be paid for by the City and contracted directly with the property management consultants.  The estimated value of each grant is estimated between $100 and $600 (maximum) per location, subject to the size of the storefront. Maximum pieces of plywood to be removed, 30 pieces. 

We will be accepting applications from July 28, 2021, to January 31, 2022. The SRBR program will assist applicants on a first-come-first-served basis for the removal of plywood boards only. Any applicants that may require additional storefront repairs in addition to plywood removal may require additional review and experience longer application processing times.
Contact the City of Long Beach BizCare Hotline for Immediate Assistance:

Phone number: 562-570-4BIZ (4249)
Days: Monday - Friday
Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m.

City staff will respond to voicemails made after business hours within 24 hours.