The Long Beach City Council is considering two vital policy decisions on how our fire and paramedic services are funded and staffed. They are considering the implementation of an Alternative Paramedic Deployment Model and also considering the policy on the use of Ground Emergency Medical Transportation funding to restore fire fighter staffing levels.

Free concert benefiting the North Long Beach Education Fund is back for the third year at Beach Streets Uptown

Long Beach Vice Mayor Rex Richardson is excited to announce that legendary reggae artist, Barrington Levy, is the surprise headliner at Village Fest at Beach Streets Uptown on Saturday, October 28th, at Houghton Park. This is the third year that Vice Mayor Richardson has hosted Village Fest, a free concert benefiting the North Long Beach Education Fund.

Over the past two years, Village Fest has been a key ingredient to the success of open street events like Beach Streets and Activate Uptown, helping to draw attendees and build civic engagement. Thousands have been on hand to enjoy amazing musicians, such as Talib Kweli, MURS, and the Pharcyde.

“Village Fest is a unique and fun special event, celebrating art, diversity and youth engagement," said Vice Mayor Richardson. "Whether you're a local Uptown resident, or visiting us for Beach Streets, we hope you join us at Houghton Park for a great community experience."

This year will recreate that feel and success of the last two years, featuring fan favorite the Pharcyde returning for the third year, new headliner Barrington Levy, and vendors, like the widely popular “Beat Swap Meet.”

“It’s always a beautiful thing when we can bring our energy to the beautiful city of Long Beach and become one with the people,” said Imani of Pharcyde.

In February of this year, the City Council approved my motion to restore Paramedic Rescue 12 after almost seven years of North Long Beach being without one. This restoration was made possible by voters passing Measure A, and your support and partnership.

Prior to the restoration of Rescue 12, the average emergency response time in North Long Beach was 8 minutes 40 seconds. I am proud to announce that since the restoration of Rescue 12, the average response times are now 5 minutes 36 seconds. That means we have shortened emergency response times by 3 whole minutes in North Long Beach! In addition, there has also been a 30 second reduction in response time citywide!

Vice Mayor Rex Richardson is proud to announce the launch of a new monthly “pop-up” gathering, #PopUPTown Social, in partnership with the Uptown Business Improvement District and Roxanne’s Events. #PopUPTown Social celebrates local artists and music, local residents, local food, and local Uptown pride.

#PopUPTown will launch on Thursday, May 25^th, from 5:30-8:30 PM in the Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library Learning Garden, and will continue the 4^th Thursday of each month. The events will feature live local entertainment, Roxanne’s beer and wine garden, fresh produce, an array of food, dessert, and goods vendors, and a kids' activity. Residents are encouraged to bring their own lawn chair and come have a good time with the community.

“Based on the success of other signature programming like the Uptown Jazz Festival, #ActivateUptown, and Village Fest, we are proud to bring these #PopUPTown monthly micro-socials to North Long Beach,” said Vice Mayor Richardson. “By using place-making as a means to activate space along the North Atlantic Avenue business corridor, we are setting the stage for new developments and improvements coming to our community very soon.”

I'm proud to announce, in partnership with LBUSD Board Vice President, Megan Kerr, the launch of the Allen Alevy Student Empowerment Scholarship Program! The scholarship program was made possible by a generous donation from the Alevy family to the North Long Beach Education Fund.

The “Allen Alevy Student Empowerment Scholarships” will recognize upcoming high school graduates for their scholastic achievements, aptitude for leadership, and their pursuit of higher education.

College bound Jordan High School seniors will be eligible to receive scholarship awards, ranging in amounts of $500 to $1,000. Three categories of scholarships will be available in order to promote diversity in higher learning, while also acknowledging the various contributions North Long Beach youth have to offer. These categories include:

1. The Future Entrepreneurs Award for students interested in the pursuit of business-related studies or real estate
2. The Community Leaders Award for those who are committed to service and volunteer work in their local neighborhoods
3. The My Brother’s Keeper Award for university-bound, young men of color who have overcome adversity

Since February, we have been actively discussing with the community how to best re-envision the Veterans Day Parade and Festival.

Over the course of the #LBHonorsVets process, we have engaged in 5 focus groups with over 20 veteran services organization representatives, 22 neighborhood leaders, the entire Veterans Affairs Commission, and an online campaign that engaged hundreds and generated over 3 dozen ideas.

Special thanks to City Fabrick for leading a smart, open, and engaging process. We are proud to share the findings of this report with you today.

To view the full #LBHonorsVets report, click here.

We'd like to share some exciting progress on urban agriculture in Long Beach that we have led and collaborated on this year with community advocates, city departments, and community organizations.

Last May at City Council, I asked staff to explore the feasibility of implementing California's Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone Program in Long Beach. This program would give tax breaks to property owners that allow vacant properties to be used as community gardens or urban farms, as well as enhance Long Beach's emerging local food system.

That report is in! In order to create an Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone Program, once the program is reviewed by the Planning Commission, the City Council must pass a resolution that designates a lead agency to establish a local approval and administrative process.

We are now accepting vendor/exhibitor applications for the Green Prize Festival! In celebration of Earth Day and in partnership with our office, Green Education Inc. presents the 4th Annual Green Prize Festival!

Join us on Saturday, April 22nd at Houghton Park (6301 Myrtle Ave.) for this, FREE, one-day event celebrating and highlighting more than 75 green entrepreneurs in green building, renewable energy, urban farmers, green chefs, green technology, and environmental organizations.

A Reshuffling of Funds Helps to Restore Services to Long Beach Fire and Police Departments

Written by: Jason Ruiz - Long Beach Post

It’s been seven years since North Long Beach has had its own paramedic rescue unit, but after Tuesday night’s Long Beach City Council meeting, those days are numbered. The council voted unanimously to restore Rescue 12 as well as resume police academy activity, delivering on its promise to revamp the city’s public safety infrastructure after the passage of Measure A in November.

Vice Mayor Rex Richardson recounted his days as the chief of staff to his predecessor, then Ninth District Councilman Steven Neal, when the word came down that Rescue 12 would be part of the city’s budget cuts in 2010. The vice mayor said that it led to some uncomfortable conversations with constituents about the loss of a vital public safety asset and how it would impact response times.

Those response times increased nearly a full minute over a decade, rising from five minutes and 29 seconds on all calls in 2005 to six minutes and 16 seconds in 2015. As of last year the city’s fire department was only meeting the national average for response times on 44 percent of calls leading to a number of his constituents appearing before the council in November to detail the sometimes agonizing waits they’ve endured while waiting for emergency responders to show up in North Long Beach.