Recommendation to request City Manager to provide a report on the progress towards establishing an African American Cultural Center in Long Beach.
All right. Thank you very much. Moving on to the rest of the agenda, we're going to we're going to jump to item item 16, which is a report on the African-American Cultural Center, which is is is very exciting. And then we're going to go back to the regular agenda and started item 14. Mr. Vice Mayor, I'll be. Item six in his communication from Councilman Austin, Vice Mayor Andrews and Council Member Richardson. Recommendation to request City Manager to provide a report on the progress towards establishing an African American cultural center in Long Beach. Can we get a second person? Anita? Oh, fine. Thank you, Vice Mayor. So this is a effort that the city council was previously given direction on back in 2018. And so we've been doing a number of work over the last two years. It's been led by our deputy city manager, Kevin Jackson, and he's prepared to give a brief report of the activities that we have been working on. Okay, great. Thank you, Tom. Good evening, Mayor and Council. It's our pleasure to provide an update on the city's work on the African-American Culture Center of Long Beach Initiative. I would first like, if we're getting into presentation, I first like to acknowledge the city managers team that have been dedicated to working on this project for the last 18 months. We have Tracy Willunga, our chief innovation officer, and Alvin Tang, planning and analyst in Development Services, who is a management assistant in the city manager's office at the time that he spent working on this project. They did significant work throughout this 18 month project process, spanning, investing, a lot of technical expertize, but as well as relating to the community in a very impactful way. So just a little bit of background. On February 20th, 2018, City Council directed the city manager to work with community stakeholders to identify potential sites for an African-American cultural center. Three months later, city staff provided an inventory of potential sites, but also recommended further exploration, with a subject matter expert experience in the development of cultural center facilities, as well as some robust community outreach to engage the community. On September 4th, 2018, as part of the Fy19 budget process, the City Council allocated $50,000 in one time funds to support planning and outreach efforts for an African-American cultural center. So in response to the authorization of the funding, city staff implemented a community visioning process in partnership with two consultants and community stakeholders spanning from January, January to November 2019. The process had two parallel components supported by the contracted consultants. One was a comprehensive and inclusive community engagement process to gather and synthesize input from the African-American community and all of its supporters in Long Beach. This process was facilitated by environment, architecture, a local architectural firm and with the support of Tasha Hunter of Hunter Wiggins Consulting and president of the Long Beach Arts Council. The other contracting consultant supported the institutional development process and this was the second component where the Community Advisory Committee was convened to develop an operating vision for the cultural center informed by the community input and subject matter experts. This process was facilitated by Lord Cultural Resources, an international organization with experience in developing African-American cultural centers and museums across the United States. From February to June 2019, the Community Engagement Team of Environment Architecture, Wiggins, Wiggins, Hunter Consulting Group worked with city staff to solicit input from community members. Over 250 individuals participated in this process through three community roundtables in north, central and west Long Beach. Seven focus groups with the civic organizations, and 18 stakeholder interviews with prominent members of the community. Surveys were also distributed and made available online and for additional input. Participants were asked for ideas on locations, exhibits, programs and classes, facilities and as well as cost of entry. The more details on the methods and findings of the community engagement process could be found in the community. The Full Community Engagement Report, which is available online. The city's website. From January to November of 2019, the city manager's office convened a facilitated monthly meetings of the African-American Cultural Center Community Advisory Committee. This committee was comprised of key African-American leaders and stakeholders and was co-chaired by Ms.. Max Wiltz of Village Treasures and Earl Parker of Success and Challenges. There were 38 committee members that participated, including 22 voting members. Lower Cultural Resources conducted an informal informational sessions on museum creation, curation and operations and case studies of African-American museums and cultural centers across the world, as well as best practices for organizational development. On June 25th, Lower Cultural Resources facilitated a final workshop, which was a vision confirmation workshop, where the committee members synthesize input from the community engagement process to inform the development of a preliminary institutional business plan. This plan, drawing from a study of market and demographic realities of Long Beach, recommends a site at a maximum of 40,000 square feet, and with space a 40,000 square feet of space, an annual operating budget of $2.2 million, and a staff of 17 full time employees to serve an estimated 60,000 visitors annually. The full preliminary institutional business plan can be found on the city's website as well. So some key milestones throughout the process. Throughout this past year, the advisory committee worked to develop an independent organization that will carry on the work of creating an African-American cultural center. This was one of the challenges at at the beginning of the process we did there was not an actual organization for us as a city staff to work with. And so the process itself worked to build the capacity to achieve this result. City staff worked with the Committee to learn from other cultural institutions as well, such as the Museum of Latin American Art, the Long Beach Museum of Art, Aquarium of the Pacific, Queens Historical Society and the Universal Hip Hop Museum. The committee worked with city staff to receive updates on potential properties from the city's potential properties that are available that could be available for the effort from city staff as well. As part of the organization's development effort. Throughout the process, the committee developed the perspective that they needed to form a develop a mission statement. And this was a significant milestone for the group. It reflected the cohesion that was built over the course of several months for the group to independently decide that they were ready to create an organization. And they started with establishing a the mission statement that's reflected on the screen. And they also pursued the development of a nonprofit organization by executed in IMO Youth with the Long Beach Education Foundation, adoption of organizational bylaws, election of a board of Directors and officers and successful applications for nonprofit status. Going forward. The African-American Culture Center of Long Beach Organization is committed to pursuing institutional, continued institutional, programmatic and fund development, as well as the identification of appropriate sites for the establishment of the center. As of January 2020, the City of Long Beach has transitioned from a leadership and a facilitation role to more of an advisory role. We look forward to continue to support this community driven organization in any way we can. And to conclude my remarks, I'd like to thank the Mayor and City Council for your ongoing support for this effort. Also, I'd like to thank the city managers team that invested a lot of time and effort to ensure the success of this work. I'd also like to thank the African-American Community Center Steering Committee members for their hard work and significant civic commitment to attend countless meetings to move the project forward. I'd like to also express my appreciation to Alan Burke and Tasha Hunter for leading the community engagement strategy and final report. And again, I'd like to acknowledge Lord Cultural Services for working closely with our committee and the community to develop the preliminary business plan that will offer foundational support for the future efforts of the African-American Cultural Center in Long Beach. This concludes my report, and we'll be happy to take any questions you may have. Thank you. Thank you, Councilman Austin. Thank you. And thank you, Mr. Jackson, in the city manager's office for your great report. I think this is very comprehensive. Certainly, you took a lot of my talking points. Thank you very much. But it did did really take us back the last over the last, particularly in the year and a half of work, great work, great collaborative and inclusive work by members of the community who I certainly feel a lot closer to today. I know a lot better. And and I appreciate this this effort was is not something that we take lightly, because for several decades now that I've been in Long Beach, there's been a lot of discussion about the creation of for a center or place or space that recognizes and honors the significant contributions of of blacks and African-Americans in our city and country. And so in 2018, as was mentioned, we brought this issue forward and it was received with great support and enthusiasm from the community, the task force, the many folks who contributed to that task force. It should not be taken lightly. They came from every corner of the city. And the results tonight, I think, represent a lot of their great input and vision. The the focus on this project is, and I believe it is, a legacy project, not only for me personally, but many people in the audience who are participating in this , but also for this council, because it will will be a significant step forward. As we spoke earlier about our great appreciation for art and culture here in the city, this is just one extra piece that will certainly recognize a significant portion and bring a level of pride to a significant population of our city. 13% of our city is identifies as black or African-American. I want to also just just emphasize the the work toward developing that foundation and organization. I think it's very important to recognize that this group recognized some shortfalls. We we we had great consultants. We had great data. We we got a lot of good information. But to recognize and realize this vision, we needed to put together a real organization, a nonprofit status that could go out and do the development work. And that has been done. And I wonder, want to salute those who stepped up in our community, pillars in our community who are leading this process as we speak and as we move forward. And so, that said, I want to recognize the new chair of the AA LCB, as we call the LCB, African-American Cultural Center of Long Beach, where newly elected chair Dr. Felton Williams. But I also want to thank Max Bills and Errol Parker for leading and co-chairing our task force and really leading a a difficult process for the last year and a half. They really put their hearts, but they were the right people for the job at the time because it required steady hands and steady minds and and individuals who were respected and command respect of of everyone in our community. And so their work should not be taken for granted. And obviously, Tasha Hunter and everyone did a great job of helping to facilitate the community outreach portion. So I look forward to continuing this work and actually making this vision a reality. As you mentioned, a 40,000 square foot facility with a operating budget of $2.2 million is going to take a lot of development work and their commitments are already coming in and an aggressive plan to get us there. And so with that, thank you for the report and I look forward to hearing from the public as well. My colleagues. Thank you, councilman. Councilman in the house. I just want to say a big congratulations. It's so awesome to have a center like this in our city. I think it's been well overdue. But I'm very happy that it's coming to us. And just congratulations to all of you who worked very, very, very hard to to make this happen. And I'm super proud to be supporting this. Thank you, Councilman Mongo. I am so proud of my colleagues. I remember when Councilmember Austin and Councilmember of Vice Mayor Andrews at the time, Councilmember brought this forward for budget oversight committee consideration. And I think it was very thoughtful and methodical. And you guys have continued to be a champion for this. And I think that it is meaningful. I've heard excitement in the community from members who have taken part in a process that was very transparent and inclusive. Congratulations on a process. Will be on. Thank you. Councilmember Pierce. Thank you. I want to congratulate everybody that's worked on this, particularly the community members that really put their heart and soul into it. I know as a community organizer trying to get to a destination that you haven't yet defined fully with, the group of people that share varied interests can be tough, but it also is what builds the fabric of our community. And so I, I know that when the center is finally open, that it will be a place that you really feel the soul of Long Beach. So thank you guys for your commitment. Thank you. Vice Mayor Andrews. Yes, thank you, Mayor. This is one time that I look at this and say, how long that long? But this is one time. I think this is something that's been long, long overdue. And the individuals who have kind of spearheaded this is just letting everyone know that this will come to fruition. And I just want to thank everyone who's put all their effort, you know, energy into this. And it's going to be a wonderful thing for, I think, not only for African-Americans, but for everyone to know that we have an African-American culture here in the city of Long Beach. And I think it's going to just resonate all over the country. And again, I want to thank those individuals who've gotten so much time and energy put into this. And again, I want to thank also Kevin, Evan and Tracy, because this has been a long, long process. But, Mr. Austin, I think you guys have really we've hit it on the nail this time, so get ready for this project we're getting ready to put together and everyone better come and see it and put your money. And that's what it's all about. We got to have money. So thank you guys again so much for being a part of this project. Thank you. And Councilman Price. Thank you. I too want to congratulate staff for getting us this far. This is excellent. And to my colleagues who have been championing this effort and I think this is a fantastic development, I look forward to the next steps and the partnerships and collaborations that will be had in that process and really elevating the city even further in terms of all our cultural diversity. Thank you. Thank you, Councilor Marengo. Thank you. And I, too, want to lend my congratulations to the staff and to all the community representatives that were working on this very worthwhile project. Congratulations to a board member Williams and to Felton and to Max. You're individuals that I have had many years of being able to work with, with you, looking forward to working further with you. I did go to two or three of these workshops that you that you had where I participated in with you. But I also want to let you know that if not maybe present when major bypasses, I'm sure that this item will be on the radar for funding as well. So I'm sure that while you kick off your capital program as a council member and vice chair, Andrew said, it's you know, you've got to get some money and I know you're going to start building your capital program for that. And I'm sure that once Measure B is in place that there will be another avenue by which we can find this program and get it going. And as any city see is based on not only its abilities to keep its people safe and moving, but also by the arts and what it has to offer for its citizens . So thank you very much putting this forward. Thank you. With that, we have two members of the public. As soon I can fee and trust 100, please come forward. You got something to say, Larry, about this? No. Okay. I didn't think so. My name is and I can't fake two string. I just want to say that it's been an honor and privilege to attend the meetings in regards to the formation of the We'll be the African-American Cultural Center. It was great to see a lot of the elders of my community come from a spectrum of perspectives and ideologies coming together and, you know, communing for a common need, which is something that is lacking in the city, which is the center. And I'm just very fortunate to have been able to attend some of these meetings, and primarily thanks to Mr. Hundred behind me and hit me up to, you know, show up. And so here I am showing up. And when this was first introduced to the city council, I told my councilman, I think Councilman I know Vice Mayor , the Andrews. I think that there was a five, $5,000 pledge. Okay. Well, I don't know if you guys paying attention to the news, but, you know, Tesla stock has gone up. I was a very early investor in it. So and it is Black History Month. So let's make it ten. I got $10,000 is being held in the walk by the walkers right now. So you got to go farmers immersion if you want to get to it. But I'll give $10,000 with one. Can I put a little, uh, what do you guys call it? A friendly if it's in the sixth, otherwise it's going to say five. But if it's in the sixth, I'll put ten out 10,000. That's. I think you. Thank you, Tosh. Good evening, Mayor and Council members office of the city manager staff and those present this evening. My name is Tasha Hunter environ and we intend to consulting group are very proud to present this report and I'd like to give a very special heartfelt thank you for to Councilman Austin for initiating this process and for bringing this important item forward for the support and the support of your esteemed colleagues on the dais to Deputy City Manager Kevin Jackson and Traci Kailangan. Alvin, for your tireless efforts, insight and passion for this project every step along the way. And you're not just amazing people. You're good. And I appreciate your passion behind this project. Thank you to my partner Allen and the team for all the work you've done in Griselda Suarez and everyone with the Arts Council for your ongoing help and support with everything from promotion to input, getting the word out to the community. This report gives an overview of numerous people who we engaged to outreach and get the word out about what the city of Long Beach is doing. And though we engaged about 250 people, we probably touched about a thousand. We handed out fliers. I flew to Oakland for an event to meet someone to pass out fliers. Leimert Park just all over town to let them know that Long Beach is engaged with its community. In the African-American community, we were told many stories. A lot of these stories were told with a sense of pride and some filled with pain. All in all, the voices were heard and documented. We heard story about elders migrating to Long Beach for opportunities unavailable to them as African-Americans in other parts of the state and country. And during the engagement process, we held focus groups with many organizations that are detailed in the report African-American Heritage Society of Long Beach, 100 Black Men, Ministers Alliance, the coalition of Involved African-American parents and students, young, gifted and talented and more. Like I said, you can see all the information and the detailed reports. And we had community roundtables in historically African-American communities. So thank you to Councilman Turanga for letting us hosting your city to and also Vice Mayor Dean Andrews, as well as in District nine, Councilman Rex Richardson in our monthly ongoing meetings in District eight with Councilman Austin. So as you see, there were paper surveys, one on one interviews, and we ask some very important questions. And those questions are, what do you want? People want music and arts classes. Youth mentorship. Healthy living, financial literacy. Another important thing that came across in the report was the asset inventory. We got to document who the people events are in the city that were very important and you have access to that as well. So this report is directly influence the data at court. Lord Cultural Resources. I see my time is up, but I will say we have a website, a CLB morgue where you can get your updates and information and this sun so much. I'll finish up this last sentence. Thank you. This Sunday we are hosting an event at Mola. It is for Afro Latin Next Festival and there will be a panel called The Visioning of the African-American Cultural Center from 2 to 3. Thank you so much. And thank you. And then I believe I don't see you on the list, Dr. Williams, but I understand that you wanted to say a few words and you are our leader at the school board, so please come forward. Thank you, Mayor. Mayor Garcia, members of the city council staff. Thanks to all the folks who have worked to bring this project to fruition. I just wanted to emphasize a few things. And Mayor, we really appreciate all the branding that you've been doing on our behalf out in the community. With respect to the memorandum of understanding, we do have as our fiscal agent along with Unified School District Foundation, and that's for a very specific reason. Within that, working with the foundation, we wanted to make sure that we keyed in on the educational mission of Long Beach Unified School District to include the college promise, part of that . So that we are now, as in moving forward with this project, also connected with the college promise that gives us a partnership with Long Beach, Long Beach Unified School District Lobby, City College, Cal State, Long Beach, and also the city of Long Beach. So that was very important to us. The other thing that I wanted to just mention very quickly is that we will be having a presentation this Friday, and I would hope that the mayor's calendar can be freed up for that Friday event, because at that event, we are inviting some key folks to help us do a few things. One, to look at generating funding in other resources for this facility. And I just want to mention some of those folks very quickly. Jane Connelly, Reagan, Ramarley Jean Bixby Smith, Chris Steinhauser, Terry Geiling, Randi Gordon, Roberta Jenkins, Steve Goodling, just to name a few of the folks that have agreed to be there this Friday. So it would be very nice for the mayor to come in and say a few words. And in closing, my thanks to Earl Parker and Max Weevils for initially moving this project forward in the fashion that brought us to where we are today and to our outstanding council people, the Andrews Ellington, Rex Richardson, for for their support of this project and moving this project forward. But we are working we are working diligently. We're working very hard. And we really do appreciate the support of the city council in helping with this project. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. That concludes public comment. Before we go to the vote, I just want to add, I think I had a chance to speak to a little bit to this project with Councilman Austin and some of our Black History Month celebration events. And I'm a I'm a very strong supporter of this project. I've committed to Councilman Austin that will ensure that we support the community's vision. We ensure that the funding will be in place. And I'll personally make sure that that the location work the city is fully in to ensure that we establish this center. I will add also that, as you all know and as I was with earlier this today, a group of about maybe 25 or 30 young, young black educators are here from the Cal State system. And they came to see our black history media exhibit that is out here at City Hall. And they were so proud of the city, they were proud of of this project with many of them knew about and are excited about the city's commitment to this project as well. And so the history of of the black movement in Long Beach is not just about education, but it's about civil rights, and it's about the work that's happened in culture and the arts and of course, in government and politics as well, and in the community and community activism. So that story should be told and it should be told in a much, much bolder way that has the ability to act to reach more people across the community. And so I'm really excited about uplifting those stories. This is absolutely the type of facility that we should have in Long Beach, particularly with our history and support of our people and our our, I think, commitment to inclusion. So I'm very supportive. I want to thank especially Councilman Austin, I think has worked very hard and really led this project with with the rest of the council members. But I know it's been a labor of love to him and we look forward to continuing that support. And so thank you to everyone involved and members. Please cast your votes on this presentation. Bush Kerry's. Great. Thank you. We're going to go ahead. And I think we have some folks here for item 24. So let's hear item 24.