Phase II - January 12, 2011 - December 31, 2011

The Program: Discover, Design, Develop

Discover:

"The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes."
- Marcel Proust

In order to create meaningful change in the lives of Ninth District residents and inspire pride in our community, we will embark on a process of "community self-discovery". We will work to discover the best in ourselves by creating opportunities to highlight the history, diversity, strength, and progress of our community.

How we' ll measure success in our Phase II "discovery" process:

• Host a "Discover the Ninth District" community symposium and showcase, demonstrating interactive and educational exhibits, showcasing the unique neighborhoods, history, developments and initiatives in the Ninth District
• Develop a "Discover the Ninth District" community pamphlet, highlighting the unique history, neighborhoods, demographics, opportunities and developments of the Ninth District
• Utilize public space and advertising to attract attention to improvements in the Ninth District
• Launch the Ninth District "Community Outreach" website - a useful communication tool to assist in our "community discovery" process
• Host a monthly, "Community Walk with Councilmember Neal", to highlight our unique neighborhoods, while providing an opportunity for neighbors to meet one another
• Utilize LBTV, the Inside District 9 Newsletter, facebook, youtube, and blogtalk radio to highlight local businesses, new businesses, families, developments and improvements to our community.

Design:

"You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality."
- Walt Disney

We will work to address the significant the challenges of the future and the tests of the present, through effective and proactive design and planning. This means working to establish a common plan on behalf of the City and the administration, while assisting in the coordination of other groups and municipalities within our community to work in concert with one another.

How we will facilitate better planning and coordination in Phase II:

Planning focus areas:

• Physical Infrastructure
  • Streets
  • Trees
  • Sidewalks
  • Pedestrian and bike accessibility
• Developments
  • "Restaurant Row" - Atlantic Ave. & Artesia Blvd.
  • North Village Center - Atlantic Ave. and South St.
  • North Branch Library
  • Atlantic Ave. and 61st St.
  • Fire Station 12
  • Various neighborhood development programs
• Policy
  • Initiate the Ninth District Research and Policy Steering Committee
  • Increased participation in the FY12 Long Beach City Budget proces
• Initiatives
  • Assist in the coordination and support of the following community initiatives:
    • Proposed I-710 Freeway expansion community outreach
    • Homeownership/Foreclosure outreach
    • LBUSD - North Long Beach Initiative
    • Long Beach Community Action Partnership - Hamilton Neighborhood Study
    • Habitat for Humanity
    • Various other community initiatives
• Issues
  • Jobs/ Job Training
  • Neighborhood parking
  • Various community issues

Develop:

"The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership."
- Harvey S. Firestone

The essential function of the "community empowerment model" for governing is to build on free development of public opinion and stakeholder-ship, by providing opportunities for personal and organizational development. Therefore, we will work to ensure that those opportunities are available to our community.

How we'll gauge successful development in Phase II:

Community Development

• Community Development
  • Host Semi-Annual Neighborhood Conference
  • Neighborhood beautification and marquee dedication
  • Training and support for neighborhood association leaders
• Leadership Development
  • Training for District Captains on grassroots organizing, communication, etc.
  • Recruit 50 District Captains by end of Phase II
• Community Building
  • Utilize new "District9Builder" database
  • Continue District Outreach
    • 1on1 conversations w/ Ninth District Families
    • Monthly House Meetings
    • Recruit 50 District Captains by end of Phase II

Staff Development

• Skill Development
• Leadership Development
  • Focus on development of community leaders, issue organizing teams and task forces
• Training
  • Host Phase II Staff Planning Meeting
  • Host Mid-Year Staff Planning Meeting
  • Facilitate Research and Policy Training
  • Facilitate Advanced Issue Organizing Training

What we want to learn from this community building process:

A) How to improve so more residents participate in the next phases toward building a better community

B) Tangible long-term community goals that contribute to a greater society

C) A)How to make a safer, prouder, more efficient Long Beach

Blueprint for a Better 9th District - PHASE III Preview: Use the strength and community capacity we've built to develop long-term legislative goals that secure and advance the interests of Ninth District communities

Build long-term coalitions with community partners, businesses and municipalities that will benefit the communities of the Ninth District. Continue working toward bringing sustainable public and private development to our community.