Video: Grow Long Beach 2023!
From the Desk of Mayor Rex Richardson
Dear neighbor,
Yesterday, I brought together business and industry leaders, city officials, and leaders from around the world for the inaugural Grow Long Beach kickoff event. At the Aquarium of the Pacific’s beautiful Pacific Visions Theater, we presented major updates about the Grow Long Beach Initiative and the many exciting developments coming to our city.
Through the Grow Long Beach Initiative, Long Beach has set in motion a citywide transition towards a more climate-sustainable economy and away from dwindling revenue sources by investing in five strategic industry sectors that show promise for continued growth: Aerospace and Aviation; Healthcare; Ports and Logistics; Housing and Education; and Arts, Culture and Tourism.
| Here are just a few of the highlights from yesterday’s event: Space Beach is continuing to grow—Rocket Lab and ExLabs have both acquired big new manufacturing spaces. Among them is RocketLab’s new 140,000 square foot Engine Development Complex, which we’ll be cutting the ribbon on next week. Toyota’s oldest plant in North America, Toyota Auto Body Company, just completed a $27 million investment into their North Long Beach facility. That means more good-paying union jobs to support local families. Ta Chen International Inc., a billion-dollar, 2nd generation, family-owned metal manufacturing business, is opening their 120,000 square foot international HQ right here in the City of Long Beach. Long Beach boasts more than 20,000 jobs in the healthcare sector. Now, with Blue Shield of California setting down roots and Molina Healthcare increasing operations at their Long Beach HQ, we have more than 1,500 new jobs coming to our local workforce. USA Diving, the official governing body managing our Olympic and Pan American games, has selected Long Beach to host their signature annual high diving spectacular—the first of its kind on the entire West Coast. The Fairmont Breakers Hotel will be reopening in early 2024 and will feature a rooftop pool, patio, and more. And our Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau and Convention Center won the prestigious Stella Awards’ “Best in the West” designation for the 8th year in a row! Earlier this month, the City Council unanimously approved my proposal to create a 5-year redevelopment plan for Queen Mary Island, which would be anchored by a new signature public amphitheater. We have also been dedicating significant resources to build more housing for the community. Since Summer 2022, we have completed more than $400 million in development projects, with $507 million currently under construction and $2.1 billion in new projects approved. In just the first two quarters of this year, we have completed, begun building, or approved nearly 2,000 new units of housing—and more than 750 of those are either affordable units or dedicated for people previously experiencing homelessness. I am thrilled to share these incredible developments with you. By collaborating with leaders from our local government, these key growth sectors, and beyond, we will continue to grow Long Beach into a cutting-edge city of the future. You can watch the entire presentation below: |
Best,
Rex Richardson
Mayor of Long Beach
