Stephanie Raygoza
Staff Writer
Ninth District Councilmember Steve Neal has overseen North Long Beach for well over a year now, and he took the time this past Tuesday to discuss his experience so far, along with sharing some of his future focuses and projects planned for the district.
The Good Neighbors of North Long Beach, which includes longtime community leader Val Lerch, coordinated the Oct. 11 breakfast at Spires Restaurant that opened with community updates and event announcements such as the Veterans Day Parade and the “Getting Back To Work: A Summit on Job Creation in Long Beach” event.
Neal’s address focused on three key items: workforce development, how to work with and maintain local businesses in North Long Beach, and how to attract more businesses to the area. He expressed that, while this year has been challenging for him, it was also very enjoyable.
The job summit, taking place at the Hotel Maya, 700 Queensway Dr., on Nov. 12 at 12:30pm, will initiate his first focus of job growth, which he said is an effort by the council office to help facilitate job growth not only in North Long Beach, but also in the overall city. The councilmember said he would be working closely with the Long Beach Ministers Alliance and the Port to try to put together a strategy session on what can be done to attract jobs to the local area, ways to achieve these goals, and how the district can help move the city forward.
“Long Beach has the highest unemployment rate in the county,” Neal said. “We’re going to be working with all our community partners in trying to address this issue because over the next couple of years, as the economy is starting to turn around, we want to make sure that we’re positioned to help the citizens of this city.”
Along with helping to facilitate job growth, over the next 12 months Neal will be visiting local businesses outside of the area, including those in Torrance, Carson, Lomita and West Covina, which are looking to expand, and trying to attract them into the North Long Beach area.
“As an industrial area, we have a lot of opportunity for businesses to be based here, and I think that’s another way that we can address the issue of unemployment, of job growth, [that] is to reach out to other businesses,” Neal said.
He also recognized Mayor Bob Foster and the fire and police departments for their work on pension reform and cited the actions as an important way for the city to help address some of its budget challenges.
A Stop-N-Go restaurant located on 61st Street and Harding Street will be opening in the next couple of weeks, and Applebee’s restaurant has expressed interest in expanding into the North Long Beach area. Neal said most sit-down restaurants are not in expansion mode right now and that they’re continuing to hold out on a major restaurant to come to the area. Manufacturing businesses are ideally what the councilmember hopes to see move to the area.
Over the next 24 to 36 months, Neal will also be working with business owners to create a business improvement district, particularly along Atlantic Avenue, that would stretch from 56th Street toward Artesia Boulevard. His goal is to rally business leaders to be that charge that is needed and provide them with information on services available to them from the city.
“It’s an opportunity for us as a city, particularly in the north, to looking into attracting other businesses in this area,” he said. “That’s going to be my focus as councilmember. We have something that a lot of cities don’t offer, and that’s our location.”
The feedback and input from residents through the area’s community assembly are still the administration’s primary source to building a better community. “I think the beauty with particularly working with the community and different groups is that it’s very helpful and important that you know everyone’s voice is heard. Then you come up with the best ideas and policies and move forward,” Neal said.
Neal will be joining 8th District Councilmember Rae Gabelich for the upcoming North Long Beach Community Meeting on Saturday, Oct. 22 at Dooley Elementary School, 5075 Long Beach Blvd., to discuss public safety, gang enforcement, development and other topics.
