TITLE
Recommendation to direct City Manager to work with the Long Beach Health and Human Services Department Office of Youth Development to establish the Long Beach Youth Fund, utilizing Measure US revenue and additional revenue sources.
DISCUSSION
On November 3rd the city of Long Beach passed Measure US by a margin of 57.02% to 42.92%. This action increases the city’s local general purpose Barrel Tax from 15 cents to 30 cent per barrel beginning in October of 2021 generating an estimated $1.6 million in additional revenue.
On September 15th 2020, the Long Beach City Council unanimously passed a resolution dedicating the funding of the then proposed Measure US. This resolution identified three priorities for funding; Climate Change and the Environment, Community Health, and Children and Youth Service Programs. Specifically, funding was approved to prioritize funding youth programing, youth equity opportunities, youth job training, and implementing youth-focused strategic plans.
Long Beach has, in recent years, heard from the Long Beach community regarding the need to prioritize funding for youth programming citywide. In 2018, the City Council received and filed The Invest in Youth Report where youth leaders across Long Beach spoke to the multiple challenges they face and their vision for youth in the city to live their best lives. As a part of the Fiscal Year 2019 adopted budget, the Long Beach City Council took action and allocated $200,000 for the development of a Strategic Plan for Youth and Emerging Adults including a five-year blueprint focused on the development of young people ages 10 to 24. On February 8th 2021, the City Council was presented with the proposed citywide Strategic Plan for Youth and Emerging Adults which included five goals. The first goal, youth development, contains two objectives; supporting the implementation of the City’s Racial Equity and Reconciliation Initiative, and leveraging CARES act funding to support COVID-19 youth-focused response. One of the proposed medium-term actions proposed is the establishment direct funding for youth through Measure US.
The Strategic Plan for Youth and Emerging Adults outlines key steps in the development of an Office of Youth Development, a key office that will be responsible for the implementation of the plan through public and private partnerships. The office will serve as a space for youth to engage as peer navigators and support the implementation of the Youth Strategic Plan by working with various city commissions, departments and community partners. City Council allocated funding in FY 21 to launch the Office of Youth Development by providing funds to hire a full-time Project Manager and Project Coordinator. Additional funding will need to be identified for the Youth Strategic Plan to be fully implemented.
As Long Beach continues the important work of youth development it is critical that it creates a dedicated youth fund focused improving the outcomes of young people across the City of Long Beach.
FISCAL IMPACT
Due to time constraints no fiscal analysis was conducted.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
BODY
[Enter Body Here]
Respectfully Submitted,
REX RICHARDSON
VICE MAYOR, NINTH DISTRIC
SUELY SARO
COUNCILWOMAN, SIXTH DISTRICT
ROBERTO URANGA
COUNCILMEMBER, SEVENTH DISTRICT