I am honored to announce that the United States Department of Labor has chosen to award Long Beach a $1 million Pathways to Justice Careers grant to support the Promising Adults, Tomorrow’s Hope (PATH) Program. This funding is significant as it is one of the final grants to be awarded under President Obama's Administration. In addition, the City was one of only five organizations nationwide to receive the Pathways to Justice Careers grant.

In March 2016, my team, in collaboration with the Long Beach City Prosecutor’s Office and Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network (Pacific Gateway) launched PATH, an innovative youth diversion program aimed at giving young people the second chances they deserve.

MBK Communities: Infrastructure and Impact

Panel Host: Linda Gibbs, Principal, Bloomberg Associates

Other Panel Members:

Mayor Betsy Hodges, Minneapolis, MN

Assemblyman Michael Blake, Bronx, NY

Sarah Eagle Heart (Oglala Lakota), Native Americans in Philanthropy

Transcript of Vice Mayor Rex Richardson's Remarks

Linda Gibbs: “…Vice Mayor Richardson, the Assemblymember raises the big challenge of implementation. I had the great pleasure of working with Long Beach and helping them put together their MBK plan – and then there’s the big party, and the press conference, and the Mayor and the Councilmember all show up, and everybody’s happy, and then the next day somebody’s got to come back and do the work. And it’s hard work – it’s really hard work. So, can you share with us the structure, how you’re making all this happen on the ground in Long Beach? And what’s going well, and what are the challenges?”

Rex Richardson: “Sure, and thank you so much, and I think you hit the nail on the head. Commonly we think these things are easy – there are challenges, particularly in large cities. Long Beach has half a million residents; we’re the second largest city in the county, 36^th largest city in the nation.

And it has to be personal, you need to take personal leadership there – I took personal interest in the My Brother’s Keeper initiative. I was the free lunch kid that my brother here was talking about, you know, single working mother. And so, when I was in a direct position to take leadership on the issue, on the city council of a major city, I made it a personal mission to engage there. So what did that mean?

Vice Mayor Richardson at White House My Brother’s Keeper Summit: ‘It Has to Be Personal’

By: Stephanie Rivera, Long Beach Post

Long Beach Vice Mayor Rex Richardson participated in the White House’s final My Brother’s Keeper National Summit on Wednesday, highlighting the city’s efforts in helping its boys and young men of color as part of its answer to President Barack Obama’s call to action, which challenged communities across the U.S. to focus resources to that specific portion of the population.

Richardson, who led the charge in implementing MBK in Long Beach in 2015, discussed the city’s Promising Adults Tomorrow’s Hope (PATH) young adult diversion program, and the creation of the Long Beach Office of Equity.

“It forced us to, rather than have this as some plan to put in our pocket or sit on a shelf, it forced us to add staff and build capacity and actually implement that plan,” Richardson said during a panel discussion with other local leaders who have implemented MBK in their districts.

Thursday morning, Vice Mayor Rex Richardson unveiled "UpLink", a smart corridor project. UpLink expands public Wi-Fi access, with free internet service and security cameras along Atlantic Avenue between Jordan High School and the new Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library. It is the first step in using technology as an economic development tool to activate a corridor with students, pedestrians, and business patrons, and further strengthens the connection between Jordan High School and the library.

UpLink is the direct result of the 2015 Participatory Budgeting initiative, which gave 9th District residents the power to decide how to spend a one-time infrastructure funds.

Along the Atlantic Corridor, there are five new Wi-Fi access points, which are capable of supporting up to 200 simultaneous users. Users can connect for up to 60 minutes of the Wi-Fi service, and can continue their usage indie the Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library using the Library's Wi-Fi service.

To access the UpLink Wi-Fi, simply:

• Activate Wi-Fi on your mobile device
• Choose "LongBeachParks" from the list of Wi-Fi networks
• Read and accept the Terms of Use

Join us this Thursday, November 3rd, at the Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library for our State of the 9th District! Come out and celebrate what we've accomplished together over the last year, and look ahead at what's to come.

At 5:30 pm we will begin with a Garden Reception Honoring the following Empower Uptown Award Winners:

• City Partner Award: Department of Public Works
• Youth Award: Adah Perez, Jordan High School Student & District 9 Intern
• Resident Award: Hilda Gaytan, Co-Chair Hamilton Neighborhood Association
• Clergy Award: Pastor Larry Walkemeyer, Light and Life Church
• Nonprofit Partner Award: YMCA of Greater Long Beach's Youth Institute
• District 9 Small Business Award: Expressions Hair Lounge
• Corporate Partner Award: Kaiser Permanente

Immediately following at 6:00 pm, we encourage you to go check out the Roadmap to the Renaissance Exhibits located throughout the library.

Finally, at 6:30 pm, the State of the 9th District Program will begin.

RSVP TODAY by calling our office at (562) 570-6137 or visiting our Facebook Event Page here.

This past Saturday we were joined by over 10,000 community members for the biggest block party Uptown has ever seen.#ActivateUptown was a huge success!

From 10 am-5 pm, we shut down Artesia Boulevard from Atlantic Avenue to Orange Avenue to vehicular traffic and opened the streets up to walking, cycling, and skateboarding. We had live music on three different stages, a live mural installation, sidewalk chalk art, a basketball showcase and more!

We were honored to have social activist and rapper Talib Kweli, American Hip Hop legend MURS, and 90's alternative Hip Hop pioneers The Pharcyde headline our premiere music festival, Village Fest!

Join us tomorrow, Saturday, October 1st for the biggest block party Uptown has ever seen!

We're kicking off #ActivateUptown with an opening ceremony at 10:00 a.m. in front of Fire Station 12, located on the corner of Artesia Bouelvard and Orange Avenue, followed by a bike ride down Artesia. We invite you to bring your bike and join us!

#ActivateUptown will feature three stages of live music, two beer & wine gardens, a live mural installation, sidewalk chalk art, two Children's Zones, a celebrity basketball game, a slam dunk contest, a classic 50’s car display, a custom Harley motorcycle display, food, free activities, giveaways, and more!

Below you will find more details about parking and transportation, the stage set times for Village Fest, the Uptown Rock & Soul Stage, and the New Blue Stage, as well as the schedule for the all-day Street Hoops Showcase.

For those attending Village Fest, please feel free to bring low chairs, and blankets to sit on, however canopies and gazebos will not be permitted.

Long Beach Vice Mayor Rex Richardson is proud to reveal the lineup for the New Blues Stage at #ActivateUptown on Saturday, October 1^st. This stage will be located near the corner of Artesia Boulevard and Cerritos Avenue.

The New Blues Stage is presented by New Blues Revolution front-man Bill Grisolia, and will showcase the best in local blues bands, including:

• The New Blues Revolution- The New Blues Revolution is made up of regional artists playing from San Francisco to San Diego and internationally. The band is based in Long Beach, and plays festivals, concerts and top nightclubs around the nation. They seek to further the reach and progression of the blues idiom in modern music.

• The Brophy Dale Band- Brophy Dale has a long distinguished career across the United States and internationally as the principal guitarist for the Stray Cat Lee Rocker. The band plays a variety of music from blues, rockabilly to rock 'n' roll.

• DEBi & the GrooveMakers- DEBi & the GrooveMakers became a hit of the Golden Groove Stage and have performed at the prestigious NAMM convention in Anaheim, California. They have also been selected as Artist of the Week for a Spotlight featured artist special in the Edge newspaper in Long Beach.

Uptown Business District Launching Co-Working Space September 26th!

North Long Beach's first Co-working Space & Community Design Studio

On the heels of the Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library, North Long Beach's Renaissance is taking another big leap. On September 26^th at 11:00 am, Uptown is celebrating the launch of UpLAB, a new co-working space and studio serving local entrepreneurs, creatives and nonprofits. UpLAB is an affordable solution to a private office, with perks that a solo office just can't supply. Unique among co-working spaces, UpLAB is housed inside the office of the business district, the Uptown Property and Community Association (UPCA), on Atlantic Avenue.

Launch Party Details

When: Monday, September 26, 2016

Time​: 11am-1pm (Short Program starts at 11:30am)

Where: 6082 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach, CA 90805

RVSP at: http://longbeachuplab.weebly.com/launch.html or e-mail [email protected]