City Council Directs staff to explore funding for a Latino designated micro-business hub near Downtown and the waterfront.
POLITICS With Black History Month in the rear view, Tuesday's City Council agenda item #22, was a startling wake up call to Black residents in Long Beach.
Tonight, Councilperson Mary Zendejas successfully pitched a request for a designated Latino cultural district. The vision is that it would serve as a destination close enough to Downtown and the waterfront to benefit from tourist dollars.
Four years ago, a similar vision was brought before Council but failed to materialize beyond concept. At the time, it was called El Mercado de Long Beach. Now the vision is more robust and includes social justice rationales such as addressing food insecurity and stimulating COVID-19 economic recovery.
Council members unanimously supported the recommendation.
The Politics of Who Gets Credit
In politics there is the unfortunate question of who is credited with an accomplishment. Last week it appeared that Councilwoman Stacy Mungo was to be credited with spearheading this agenda item. Her colorful political logo branded the right corner of the item.
However, over the weekend the item was withdrawn and resurfaced under “New Business”. The only discernible difference between the withdrawn item and the new item was that Councilwoman Mungo’s logo had been swapped out for Councilwoman Mary Zendejas’ logo.
Despite the logo swapping between councilwomen Mungo and Zendejas, neither Councilman Rex Richardson or Al Austin have partnered to lead a substantive or comparative project from Black residents.
Both Councilmen have campaign logos but seem to lack the political will to move past rhetoric.
Why Aren’t Minority Groups Working Together for Change?
The solidarity between Long Beach residents of all backgrounds was incredible during the protests following the 2020 murder of George Floyd. Regardless of race, a melting pot of whites, Latino’s, Asians, Pacific Islanders, Cambodians and more chanted the mantra “Black Lives Matter.”
Even our Mayor joined the trending movement as he delivered his prerecorded State of the City Address beside a BLM graphic at the start of the New Year.
Now, just days after Black History Month and only months following community engagement around the reconciliation framework, El Mercado de Long Beach is presented as an inclusionary vision although it does not include blacks and other residents of color facing similar harms.
But make no mistake, it is unfair to challenge Latino City leaders for not being more inclusive when our own Black leaders have failed to show a demonstrative interest in Black wealth building.
To make matters worse, both men are two of the most senior on Council and possess the requisite political savvy to not only win third term elections but to move successful council agendas as well as a tax ballot measure.
Looking to Measure US for a More Inclusive Path Forward
The only specific funding source that Councilpersons’ directed City staff to “explore” to fund El Mercado de Long Beach were Measure US dollars.
Vice Mayor Rex Richardson authored Measure US. The Measure was a political response to the 2020 protests in Long Beach. An oil tax, Measure US was successful at the ballot box, in part, because it included a diverse chorus of voices such as a prominent Black pastor, a Cambodian and female led community group, as well as Latino civic leaders.
Imagine if this year's equity centered agenda items were as diverse as the campaign and legislation that may lead to funding El Mercado de Long Beach.
What Council Members are Saying?
At the close of Council's meeting, Vice Mayor Rex Richardson proclaimed this article's headline was "false". He suggested that our aim was to be "provocative" and the we intended to "confuse, anger or mislead".
In a galant defense of his record, Vice Mayor Richardson proceeded to "straighten" me out. He presented a laundry list of recent accomplishments. He wrote the following:
Additionally, in terms of “no word from Black council members” since the reconciliation, let’s straighten that out.
The Reconciliation plan called for an office of Youth Development - Done.
The Reconciliation plan calls for an inclusive Project Labor Agreement - Done
The Reconciliation Plan called for a youth fund - Done
The reconciliation plan called a health equity center- funded and under construction.
The plan called for reform of the cannabis equity policy to expand opportunity for ownership - phase 1 with shared use and delivery done.
The Vice Mayor is well within his right to defend his record but he is wrong on the merits.
In fact, Dr. Alex Norman, co-author of the State of Black long Beach responded to the Councilman's criticism this way:
"Don't fall for it Franklin, he told the same run around story to me on the equity issue. Look at what he does, not what he says."
Actions do speak louder than words. Dr. Norman knows a lot about inaction since little was done after the City commissioned him to study the quality of life among Blacks in Long Beach nearly a decade ago.
Speaking of action, Councilwoman Zendejas' agenda item calls for a designated Latino economic hub. While important, none of the Vice Mayor's list of accomplishments are specifically designated for Black residents. One of the Vice Mayor's listed accomplishments , such as an expanded shared use cannabis equity policy is in the works but incomplete.
While the provided list would serve well on a glossy campaign mailer it hardly responds to the question of why it is that our Black representatives have failed to do what our City's Latino representatives have.
I too believe this is a "provocative" question. And perhaps the Vice Mayor is right to conclude that such questions would "confuse" or even "anger" Black residents who marched alongside residents of all backgrounds shouting "Black Lives Matter!"
Economic Freedom from the Food Deserts
Today’s agenda item smartly references the Black and Brown food deserts prevalent throughout Long Beach’s working and poor communities.
Notably, the same local Districts disproportionately impacted by food insecurity consist of not only Latino but also our Cambodian, Black and Pacific Island brothers and sisters in the 7th, 6th, 1st, 8th and 9th Districts.
For communities of color, the realities of a food desert is a shared plight.
The heart of Long Beach’s economic activity centers around the coastline. No matter what your racial or cultural background if you’re not participating in the downtown and waterfront economies then you’re not wholly participating in our City’s economy. For this reason it is understandable that our Latino community would want a seat at the coastal table.
And, they should have a seat at the table.
Black History Month, however, only comes around once a year. If equity is still on the table next year, I hope Black City leaders might pull up a chair for their own Black residents to dine along the Downtown coast we call home.
Revised March 4, 3:43AM