Recommendation to request City Manager to work with Technology and Innovation (TI) Department, I-Team, Library Services Department, Office of Equity and community stakeholders on a Digital Inclusion Master Plan and return to the City Council, within 120 days, including but not limited to: Connectivity · Identify "Digital Divide" communities in Long Beach where the number of households and businesses without reliable internet access is the greatest in the city; · Overview of programs that currently exist through our local internet service providers (Spectrum, Verizon, Frontier etc.) for low and modest income households and incentives that may be provided to expand and promote these programs; · Locations of all free, public wi-fi available to Long Beach residents and feasibility of rebranding the various existing networks emanating from City facilities or City funded networks as 'LB Wi-Fi'. Provide recommendation of strategic locations (business corridors, community centers, public facilities, bus stops, metro stops) to prioritize for 24/7 free, public Wi-Fi; · Identify large 
Thank you. We're going to go up to item 1330. I think we have a series of of items. I believe it's 13, 14 and 15, I believe, by Councilmember Gonzales and another author. So why don't I turn this over to Councilmember Gonzales and we'll start with item 13. Item 13 Report from Councilwoman Gonzalez, Councilman Andres, Councilmember Oranga Recommendation to Request City Manager to Work with Technology and Innovation 18 Library Services, Office of Equity and Community Stakeholders on a Digital Inclusion Master Plan. Thank you, Councilwoman Gonzales. Yes. Thank you. I'd like to think my council colleagues, council member Muranga and Council Member Andrews for joining me on this item. I think it's very important, as we've talked in the larger scope of our technology masterplan, I know inclusive of that was a bullet point related to digital inclusion, but I wanted to make sure we brought this forward to really talk about it in depth. So now cities across America and the nation are experiencing a digital divide for various reasons. Whether it's technology as a whole, computer skills, affordable Internet service hardware for students. So many different things are being addressed. And any solution towards digital inclusion must involve connectivity, capacity, digital literacy and technology affordable, accessible computers. And so my office and I, we've been working we've been researching a package of items. This one is the first that will include a masterplan for digital inclusion overall. It's going to be a road map, and it'll request that the city manager work with various city departments. Much of what was already mentioned by our city clerk's team and a few of the stats here, according to the 2015 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, 28.7% of households in language do not have a fixed broadband subscription. And that is about roughly 120,000 residents, or the amount of people in the two council districts together who cannot reliably access the Web. So about 30 to 50000 households, if you can imagine, are off the grid. And these recommendations that we've included are important. And it doesn't just address seniors and children and individuals and households, but also small businesses that we know can increase sales and revenue with just an online platform, social media presence and of course, a Yelp page. This is the type of technical assistance and business improvement district that businessmen improvement districts excuse me can do on behalf of business owners in these areas. So as we know, we are in an age of Postmates and Uber eats and all of these different food delivery services. We know that it can be a great deal of help to these small businesses. And in the 908, when three we know that there's very high unemployment rates, we know that there's very high poverty levels, and that we know that many parents need jobs. So we must do a better job. And this will absolutely help that, I believe. So we've been working and I know there's so many different private partners as well as city entities like Library Services and the foundation that I see here today, our Parks Department, Long Beach Unified School District, many nonprofits and businesses that would like to join us in this road map to digital inclusion. And I've also had many private partners like charter and laser fish, that have weighed in on this as well. So with that said, I hope my colleagues will support me today. It's a very comprehensive plan. We're asking the city team to come back in 120 days and we realize that that's a short time. So again, if we can get a two from four, that would include an update. If we're not able to meet that 120 days, that would be great. And thank you very much. I look forward to seeing where this goes. Thank you, Councilmember Barringer. Thank you, Mayor. And I want to thank Councilwoman Gonzales for bringing this forward. My community in the West Palm Beach area is one of those communities that the lack of Internet service and and the digital divide would greatly impact. When you look at the unemployment rates and their access to computers, so bringing this forward to make sure that we are as equally connected as the rest of the city is is a tremendous help to the West Palm Beach community. And I want to thank you for bringing this forward. Thank you, Councilmember Pearce. I, too, want to thank my colleague for being thoughtful and having a whole holistic view to the digital divide. And I just want to make some comments. And, you know, you referenced them in your comments. Just recognizing that nearly 10% of our nation is immigrants. And that's particularly important whenever we consider that if someone doesn't have legal status, it's very difficult for them to get Internet because they don't have a Social Security number or ID or utility bill. And so making sure that we are finding new ways to connect all of those that deserve to have Internet access so they can find jobs or work on paperwork, any of those needs. I also would like to ask that we include connecting with some of the schools as we outline how we are finding new opportunities for people to have access to the Internet. In the meantime, we know that a lot of parents, particularly in our central Long Beach, don't have access to Internet. And if there's a computer lab or computer time that parents can use at school, that might be an additional opportunity outside of library. So again, I just want to thank you for your leadership on this and really looking forward to hearing from staff when it comes back. Thank you. Thank you, Councilman Andrews. Yes, thank you. You know. I find that it digital inclusion has been in recruiting topic here in Long Beach for quite some time because we have spoken of infrastructural improvements, you know, such as fiber optics and neighborhood corridors, wi fi to enhance the city connected connectivity, you know, as an access and affordability, you know, pose challenges to low income community. Many sixth District households are directly affected. And thank you, Councilwoman Gonzalez, for putting this together in a legislative package that addresses these technological hurdles I hit on and I'm looking forward to seeing and the result of the needs and access to the detailed account of free and affordable Internet available throughout the city of Long Beach. And thank you again, Councilwoman Gonzalez. Thank you, Vice Mayor Richardson. Good job, Councilwoman. Good issue and good job to the Lowndes. Media Collaborative as well for raising raising the digital inclusion issue. So I'm in support. Thanks. Thank you. Let me I just want to thank Councilman Gonzalez and the cooperation. This is a really great item and really thoughtful about all the the issues that we have around the digital divide. I just want to also just include Mr. Rush as part of when this comes back to the council, I know that the Technology Innovation Commission is also working on doing an assessment and and survey and survey work on this topic. And so when when this comes back, I just want to make sure that we also hear from the the commission who I know is doing a, I believe, a survey just to get some more feedback on how we're doing in some of the neighborhoods. So if we can just if the report can be inclusive of their work, I think we'd have a better overall picture. And if that's okay with the councilwoman to add to them to the motion, we'll do that. Okay. Any public comment on this item? Good evening. Thank you. Mayor Garcia and City Council we. My name is Kate Huizar. I'm the executive director of the Long Beach Public Library Foundation, a nonprofit that raises funds and has raised over $21 million for our libraries. I really appreciate the leadership that the council's bringing. Specifically, thank you, Councilwoman Gonzalez and the coauthors for supporting this initiative with the focus on them. One in four families in Long Beach households who do not have an adequate portal to the Internet. It's clear that our Long Beach public libraries are the strongest tool this city has in bridging bridging the digital divide. Last year, more than 1 million patrons visited our libraries. More than 7 million resources were access, and more than 80,000 youth attended library programs, proving that our nationally award winning libraries are more relevant in the digital age than they ever have been. Our foundation's sole mission is to bolster library services and expand access to them, ensuring that they serve the thousands of children and families who need them. With the help of our donors, we are committed to advancing innovation and improvements in our libraries to meet the 21st century needs of the patrons who use them. Our libraries offer a number of programs and services that address the digital divide, including access to computers, laptops, tablets, the Internet and training to use this technology. In addition to being the biggest funder of the digital studio program, the funds we raise make the mobile studio possible, which brings library services, technology and STEM training out into the community and communities that face this digital divide. We know that Long Beach students need computers, Internet to do their homework. We know that families require email and computers to apply for jobs, even non-technical positions. And that's why we fund programs like the Family Learning Centers in the digital studio. But we know that properly funding our libraries so that they may offer this technology and training to the entire Long Beach community is critical to Long Beach's economic success. We know that libraries can transform lives, but only if they are well-funded, well-resourced and accessible to all. Libraries are the best investment we can make in the city's economy, but we can't do this alone. So we look forward to working with you all and our amazing library staff and community partners to bridge this digital divide. Thank you. Thank you so much. Next speaker. Hi. Can we say resident of District one? Thank you, Councilwoman Gonzales, for bringing this issue forward. I live in a low income senior building. When things get tough financially for the seniors, the first thing to go is their Internet and cable service, which creates social isolation conditions. And as we try to mobilize the senior community to be more active and engaged in our community and to advocate for themselves, we need access to digital communication. In my building, you can only get it if you're in a certain part of the building. You don't have any digital access at all. And a lot of the seniors, particularly the low income seniors, have flip phones still the pre flipped plans. So they don't have any access to the Internet at all. And I'm so glad you mentioned net neutrality because that's a huge issue. You know, I'm already experiencing Internet slowdowns at my work depending on the amount that I consume of Internet time. So this is a critical issue for our seniors, and we hope that you will consider them strongly in whatever reporting comes forward. Thank you. Thanks so much. Next speaker, please. Yes. Hello. Good evening. My name is Sam Hall and I'm representing laser fish tonight. Laser fish is located in the seventh District and we're actually the world's largest privately held developer of software that digitizes content and business processes. And really here tonight to express our full support for this council item and the others as well. We believe this is very important for our community, one, because we create the digital pathways that engage citizens better engage citizens to their government. But we're also a company that hires a lot of people in this city. Over a third of our domestic workforce is located in Long Beach, and we understand the importance of having a digital workforce. So we're very supportive. Please let us know. What we can do. But essentially we're here to support, so please reach out to us. So thank you very much. Hello. My name is Eileen Harris, and I'm the development director at Humanity, where 523 nonprofit located here in downtown Long Beach. And it's our mission to bridge the digital divide. We do so by taking in unwanted technology from corporations or individuals and repurposing it and then donating it back out to low income families. And what we do is create a platform for diverting unwanted technology out of landfills and into the hands of someone who can use it to better their own life. Since we started in 2012, we've been able to serve over 4000 low income households with computers, internet and digital training. We work with businesses like the City of Los Angeles, USC, as well as Disney Animation Studios. All of these to leverage the resources that they have to connect people who could use an Internet connection. And throughout the process, we're able to provide this vocational training to volunteers in the community who are interested in learning how to refurbish and repurpose computer hardware. We are very ecstatic to hear that this is being taken so seriously by the council, and we sincerely appreciate Councilwoman Gonzalez's efforts, as well as the vice mayor, Richard Rex Richardson, as well. And we're also hearing support to say that in any way we can partner and business to the city in this fight against the digital divide. We would love to be on the front line with you and we look forward to the roadmap as well. Thank you for all the work you're doing in the community and we really appreciate that. So thank you so much. Next speaker, please. Any other speakers? Okay, Mr. Pete, come down, please. I repeat, speaking for. Jesus again, because somebody's got to speak for him. Hey, I wouldn't have come up with him. Somebody mentioned the library. And you know what I'm going to say about the libraries? Mr. Mayor? No drag queens. Drag race in Long Beach. No drag queens in libraries. That's for. That's for a club somewhere. I mean, we do whatever we want. We do whatever we want away from the kids. That's the only thing. This is a free country. I'm not for beating anybody back for what they want to do. The item actually, this is item. They mentioned libraries I'm talking about today. Library services department. When I found out, you name warned me that a drag queen was coming. So she mostly or whatever. Maybe that's cute to you, but it ain't to me because I've got grandkids that go there without me. I don't want to see some drag queen twerking and talking about homosexual stuff. I want my kids to have a chance, okay. If they want to be that, they could be that on their own. But they're not going to have your friend in there twerking. Okay. So that's what I'm saying. Don't try to shut me up. Yeah. And we got to get rid of Ginny Pierce. Got to go. No communism in America. I had to say that. Now, hey, back to that library. Hey, drag racing. No drag queens. So you always look in a way you don't look. Why? I'm surprised Stacey ain't talking to you this time. You know, she. She bails you out sometimes, helps you. But the thing is, listen, I'm saying it over and over. I'm using all my 21 minute, 21, 20. No drag queens in the libraries. We need to get this item. This item is actually about. I don't care. Digital. See, it's about digital inclusion. Okay, well, you know what? I want to make. Sure you know. Okay, well, check this out. I'm going to say this over. You have to keep speaking on digital inclusion. I'll misspeak digital inclusions. I was talking to somebody on this digital phone and they told me they were Democrat too. They said they didn't like drag queens in library. I talked on my digital phone to Republicans. They don't like drag queens. A So you got to stick to the topic. Which. Actually it's not. The topic is actually a recommendation to do it. Yeah, you're trying to find my time now. No drag queens, you might remind me. No recommendation, no question. I don't even know what that's about. I know they said libraries and I'm taking the last 35 seconds. No drag queens in the library. I'm making this my personal issue. You should've never did it. And I'm going to grind this today. And no drag queens. We let our kids go. No, we're not finished. We're not. Well, you're not speaking to the top. You in 20. Say, Mr. City Attorney. Yes. Repeats not so. You don't want your grandkids going in the library with it. He needs to stay on the topic of the digital income. There's nothing to the library. Okay. You guys don't know about alcohol. Liberal. Somebody is didn't want they kill you. Just you need to. You need to stay on topic, sir. I don't need to stay on nothing. Thank you, sir. You're actually. Your time is up. Yeah, your time. Thank you, sir. Your time is up. Your time is up, sir. So, Mr. City Attorney, do you want to repeat if someone continues to be off topic? What the. Well, sir, if you continue to do that, I'll ask you to leave. Mr. City Attorney. Yes, they need to respond to and talk on the subject matter unless it's open during the public comment period at the beginning of the meeting or at the end of the meeting, they need to talk. And if they're repetitive or off topic, they can be asked to stop talking. They can't be escorted out. They're they're allowed to remain. Right. And to try to make sure that they're minded of all of us. And so we will continue to read, to remind you what to say on topic. Mr. Pete next. So there's a motion and a second. Please cast your votes.