https://greenlining.org/our-work/overview/a-just-response-to-covid-19/

https://forms.gle/3jpLqyGg8CUn8c8d6

Here’s that link again!

Info on the homeless count from 2020: http://www.longbeach.gov/globalassets/health/homeless-services-divsion/homeless-count/clb-homeless-count-infographic-06-16

All these recently developed luxury condos but we have a 7% INCREASE in homelessness

Instead of creating affordable housing and stipulating any new housing include a percentage of affordable housing, the city of LB has indiscriminately allowed luxury condos to be built all over downtown that are too expensive for the average resident to afford, which has also caused an increase in market value in homes in the surrounding areas and city as a whole.

Our Community Agreements:-Center Black voices-Keep your phone or device muted if you’re not talking-If you’re able to, please turn your camera on-Step up, step back-One mic, one voice-Not a debate - we’re here to share and listenOur Community Agreements:-Center Black voices-Keep your phone or device muted if you’re not talking-If you’re able to, please turn your camera on-Step up, step back-One mic, one voice

You are invited to share your stories, ideas, recommendations and reflections to any of these questions, or whatever else you’d like to share about housing and homelessness here in Long Beach.1. Why do you believe the Black people in Long Beach are disproportionately experiencing housing challenges?2. Covid-19 has caused spikes of underemployment and unemployment, and people were struggling before that. Black people are most likely to experience homelessness, and Black Women are most likely to be rent-burdened. As a response there have been national movements around Cancelling Rent & Rent Repayment or assistance plans.2a. What are your thoughts about this for residents of Long Beach?2b. What are some innovations you have heard of or know about that have helped people stay in their homes or get housing?3. Home is more than 4 walls and a roof. Where we call “home” includes your neighborhood and your neighbors. What makes a neighborhood safe, stable, peaceful, beautiful, and vibrant?

We need guarantees that any and all new housing developments be affordable. Additionally, we need to address the fact that the city has given millions of dollars in subsidies and tax breaks to developers to build these sky scrapers that have ruined our skyline and devastated low-income renters across the city

inclusionary housing policy is coming up and the outreach or community input has not been heard and the percentage being offered won’t house many who need it. as a tenant rights organization we are seeing the statistics being mentioned as a reality. we need to offer real affordable housing not luxury condos. the city should engage and educate the community about inclusionary housing before approving the policy.

Tiffany Davy will be next speaker.

Specifically, Long Beach granted a $13 million dollar tax break to Molina for the Breaker’s Hotel. Molina is a millionaire who does not need tax breaks. That is money that could have been used to address the affordable housing crisis here in Long Beach, as well as fund other welfare services to assist our homeless community.

https://nhslacounty.org/compton-csc/

Within the last 5 years, the city published a study that put us at a 28,000 unit DEFICIT of affordable housing, at the same time that it was allowing luxury condos and sky scrapers to be built in our downtown region.

In order to stay on schedule to address the affordable housing crisis, the city would need to build some 1,200 units of affordable housing every year.

At the time, Lena Gonzalez (former D1 council member - DT region) claimed to have created 2,000 units of affordable housing in her district alone, which was completely false

Meanwhile, during her tenure as council member, the overwhelming majority of housing built in the downtown area is luxury housing. $2,400 for a studio unit to start

https://forms.gle/3jpLqyGg8CUn8c8d6

Lack of affordable housing compounded with gentrification is an integral part of systemic racism

how do I raise my hand?

There is an icon for you to press

If you don’t see it, you can indicate you want to talk in the chat

I would like to speak if possible I want to be respectful on the purpose of this listening session

i have a question too

Long Beach Residents Empowered Next

Great, Chrysta is aware you’d like to speak and she’ll let you know when you can unmute yourself.

Then Allison Kripp

This city should not allow any racist provisions in housing association or neighborhood association covenants or agreements - these sessions have already included at least one description of actually existing provisions in extant convenants.

Thank you

Including code to outdated and discredited FHA or other credit-worthiness gradings

Lena Gonzalez, Rex Richardson are some of the biggest gentrifiers Long Beach has had

A sure sign of gentrification is renaming of neighborhoods. Richardson is attempting to change “north LB” to “uptown”

Richardson’s “Uptown” gentrification mission is so gross, he’s bringing in so much unhealthy corporate fast food to the NORTHSIDE

Thanks Long Beach Residents! So true. Everything is changing, makes us feel unwanted, and is gentrification. Making us forget about our history within the community.

Does anyone know if the Farmers Market has a day in North Long Beach already? Also, would N. LBC be considered a food desert?

The city approved a purchase of a building in NORTHSIDE Long Beach at the behest of Rex Richardson (D9). He said the existing building could be remodeled for $3 million and went through with the purchase despite being warned by experts that they could not be remodeled. This shelter is at the furthest point from the greatest need (downtown). The homeless population does not have access to it with all of their belongings. Richardson also said that this shelter would be ready for immediate occupancy but it has been a year and it is not done.

All of the homeless shelters, all the mental health facilities, all that is in the Westside, as if there were no homelessness occurring in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th districts.

This is might not be applicable or valid, but my former landlord knew he was negotiating with developers in DTLB, and that he was going to sell the property we were living at. But he knew that it was going to be a year before everything would get going on the development. For that year he was incredibly generous and kind and gave us a break on our rent so we could save enough money for a down payment on a condo because we were getting pushed out. He was equipped and kind enough to do that for us, but I've noticed rental properties stay vacant for a long time before the development breaks ground. I don't know how this could work, but had we not been given the opportunity to only pay half of our normal rent, we wouldn't have had the ability to save enough to buy.

Applicable and valid, thanks Kerry Beth. As a reminder to everyone, everything shared in the chat is recorded by staff as a part of this listening series conversation. Thanks for sharing.

Appreciate the focus on data. If we want to integrate what we know to what we can do:What powers does the Office of the City Manager have to review the affordable/inclusionary housing provisions of existing contracts for rental developments signed between 2016-2020 where construction has not yet completed and/or where new units have not yet been rented at all?What about adding new requirements - at point of sale - to all buildings with housing units in LB, henceforth, that they shall be brought into alignment with our affordable/inclusionary housing goals, along with public/environmental health audits for covid-19 transmission, energy efficiency audits, etc. ?

That item was tabled and city is looking into a seperate program aside from LB Cares Passed two weeks ago

In response to Kerry Beth, I'm curious if the city might consider a program loaning or guaranteeing loans for down payments on home ownership.

Along the lines of what LB ACE and a few other people just said, Portland Oregon has historically required new construction to actually have a specific percentage of affordable housing units to be included in their new construction. Why is it that this was not considered with the Cresent and other new construction in downtown?

A better option before the purchase of the North LB shelter is to use nuisance motels for purchase and rehabilitation

can I speak in last time?

*one

that's a great idea Pam Tam.

Evan without purchasing, a contract with the motel owners could result in better distribution of smaller facilities throughout LB

But Keisler said this would not work. This is per a conversation with the People of Long Beach in January 2019

I worry about proper oversight with those contracts though.

Year round shelters in City and County of LA costs $70,000 per bed. The North LB shelter is $96,000 per bed, likely more. AND it’s less accessible

https://forms.gle/aNtQyEVFeLxNCjzQA

YUP

yes Susanna!!

The city should’ve helped VIP rather than DISPLACE

I know your arts council of LB GOT MONEY FOR OUT OF TOWN MURALIST WHY DON’T YOU GIVE THAT MONEY TO Long Beach’s OWN CULTURAL ICONS

*raising hand*

I got Long Beach Resident Empowered up next

Pam Tan LBC. Thumbs up! Speaking truth!

City council has continually ignored the cries of their constituents.

Suzie Price cares more about landlords in her district than tenants and renters

I have one last thought but have spoken a lot.... so, if there's a chance, I'd love to say something more.

Read the comments out loud if its so quiet then sheesh

to the moderators

Not us participants lol

I could read, but I believe people are the best voice for their own words :) But I will if I have to :)

I didn't want to take a lot of time from other voices, but I was really interested in this topic due to my passion and involvement around equity and housing. I've been thinking and researching these issues for many years and sent a proposal to our city leaders a couple weeks ago: https://medium.com/@andrewkerr_27265/the-mcbride-30k-931357319fcd

It would go a long way to see an affirmative policy recommendation from the City Manager's Office to the Council in stage 4 of this Reconciliation Process that no housing or neighborhood or apartment or private community etc. covenant or agreement has racist provisions - the City of Long Beach is already going through an internal review process of Conflict of Interest statements/policies for each city department - surely there can be a similar city-wide outreach program with some of the core recommendations/conversations coming out of this process to the broader community

well some of us CAN’t read for PRIVACY reasons, thank you

the city should do an inclusionary housing presentation before voting on such policy that will affect the housing in the future

@ChingonaPicosa, thank you for that reflection and recognition.

City supporting a community land trust by giving city own land to this trust and providing access to capital to develop these properties that is led by community stakeholders vs outside developers

they were more concerned about property than people’s lives

Thank you Chrysta

by “they” I mean the city

The UCLA Luskin School's Urban Planning program did a class project on community land trusts as a way to preserve/create affordable housing in 2018 - it is highly recommended

there are an approximate 160,000 evictions coming post covid statewide what is the city going to do to protect its tenants from displacement.

if anyone needs help with renter rights please feel free to contact us via Instagram @wearelbre

and Facebook: Long Beach residents Empowered or email contact.lbre@gmail.com

This is a listening session and you are commanding 40 our of 90 minutes

we would like to speak

Every RFP for federal/state/ initiative funding should be looked at closer to have words of equity added/emphasis to encourage those organizations that have never applied for funding before

will there be townhalls/ listening sessions on the weekends? Some of us like myself are currently at work during the week and can not full participate because of that

nhslacounty.org , visit Compton CSC also

You should consider doing these at times when a lost of people are not at work or school

lot*

Sorry, can't find links to the projects I just mentioned but they were the 2018 community scholars program at UCLA and the one was the class project for LA Metro led by Prof. Marty Wachs

The city has kicked the can down the road of inclusionary housing because of the corporate developers that are some of the primary founders of the mayor and the council campaigns that oppose inclusionary housing. Corporate developers are an integral part of structural racism, along with environmental racism and police violence.

@chingonapicosa we have sessions in the evening and weekends as well. Please check the office of equity website for details on upcoming dates and times.

Here's an overview though of a local example of CLT though:https://www.uclalawreview.org/the-limits-of-land-reform-a-comment-on-community-land-trusts/

I would like to read my comment

Thanks Shreya

@ChingonaPicosa there are some evening and Sunday sessions and Town Halls coming up on a few different topics

Thank you Chrysta

Thank you Shreya

that rent repayment plan the city was proposing was shut down by community and it would’ve led to many evictions but we were able to shut it out.

@tom can the city do an inclusionary housing presentation before the city votes on such policy?

Thank you for that LIBRE

@Pam we are closing up the session, but all of your comments from the chat have been and will be reviewed by the city. I’m sorry we couldn’t get you in one more time before the session ended. There were so many long quiet pauses—I wish I could have gotten you in then.

That is unacceptable, the city consumed almost half of the time that was supposed to be dedicated to LISTENING

WHO ARE THESE “PRIVATE” SECTORS

Lowercase* sorry lol

we timed it

Rehabbing hotels/motels is a much cheaper option per bed than the North LB shelter

More homeless shelters, ACTUALLY BUILD affordable housing, less luxury condos

Put shelters where they are needed instead of tearing down perfectly good buildings at high cost (old city hall building) or allowing the construction of luxury developments

I agree with Chingona, we need to require affordable units in new construction.

If you can't contribute to our city then we don't want you here.

Yes, minimum 50% of affordable housing in any and all new developments

MINIMUM

sorry if that sounds harsh but this selfish corporatism p×sses me off.

@nathaniel and @chingona the amount they want for low income folks when it comes down to units are very low

Thank you!

Next time don’t you all talk for 40+ minutes

Stay safe everyone.

We need more speaking time, this was unacceptable