Monday, January 20, 2020

Small Business in Long Beach


What specific proposals do you have to strengthen the business climate of Long Beach and the council district you are seeking/representing?

If these proposals cost money, how would you pay for them? How do you plan to attract new businesses that would create additional jobs? 

     First I want to implement a program to help small businesses that are struggling to get clients, or to even get the word out about their business and then keeping those clients engaged. That is what Small Business Long Beach Initiative comes in. This is where they can come to help the businesses. I want to make sure we are really business friendly. Right now I do not see it or feel it and I know of 8 businesses that have closed or are about to close because they think that Long Beach is not a friendly business place even though we say we are. By catering to more diverse businesses we can create more jobs, more opportunities and more revenue. The program will look at the storefronts that are empty, connect with the property owners and find or headhunt the businesses that will fit within our community. The programs will be free for the first year and then afterwards it depends on the growth, revenue and how the program/s has helped the business. We will implement an $50 fee then assess the business. The money that is collected will go back into the program to help other businesses. I also know that parking is an issue and have sought out a plan to create additional parking and car service for our local community. 

We do need a parking structure that would be 2 levels, the fee would be $5.00 then after hours (9pm) open to the community for free. I used to park 3 blocks down and walk to my apartment on magnolia ave in the dark which is not safe to do alone. People do struggle to find parking to shop on Willow or Wardlow. By creating this structure with an open green space would attract more shoppers and easy the community in finding a parking spot. I am  creating a  Car pickup service that is for locals that will cost $25 every 2 weeks. This car service will take you to your destination, pick you up and everything in between. Say if you need to go to the store but you have to go get groceries and or do errands. This service will take you or help with the errands. This will create more jobs and bring more a unity in the community. We will vet everyone, make sure the get their fingers prints processed and have a badge created by the Long Beach Police Department. Unlike Uber and Lyft they only take you to one spot, then you have to get another driver to go back or to somewhere else and if you need to stop that is an additional fee. You will have a time limit of 3 to 4 hours after that there will be an additional fee of $20 per 30 mins applied if you go over your allocated time. This will be Long Beach Local Car Service. This Car service will also be able to help local businesses with deliveries. Like a clothing store, or a place that has non perishable items. We do have Door Dash, Uber Eats and Postmates but none of these services or driving apps has this particular service. 




What do you perceive to be the major challenges in your district? If elected, or re-elected, how do you plan to address these challenges? 

The major issues challenging my district is the gangs, the homelessness, the empty storefronts and the lack of leadership.
Work with several non Profit organizations to acquire property to build a Dormitory setting for the Homelessness. It will have workshops for skilled trades, educational programs & courses, counseling and so forth. 

To make sure Everyone is heard will create a Collation of Community Members, Community Organizations and Small Business Owners. Everyone has the right for their voice to be heard and say what goes into the Community that we live and work in. Bring back in full force the gang unit. We need this ever more with the shootings, the crimes and the gangs that are increasing. In my district alone we have 14 gangs with 4 new ones that recently popped up. In order to bring down crime we need more community involvement, more events, more outlets for the kids, more businesses and transparency. 

By also creating the Cleanup and Safety Team this will bring in jobs, hiring of veterans and accountability to 6th District Office. I believe that partnering with local non profits and surrounding organizations we can create a more stable place for people to live, work, play and buy from.