Hailing Long Beach as a worthy showcase for an international audience, Mayor Rex Richardson pledged Tuesday to transform the city into an entertainment juggernaut with revitalized concert venues that can attract world-class artists throughout the year. ‘year.
In his third State of the City address, Richardson told 3,000 people it starts with a new amphitheater.
Titled Long Beach Bowl, Richardson said the venue will seat up to 12,000 and offer views of the city skyline and the Queen Mary liner. For the first time, the city showed renderings of the planned construction.
It will be built on the ship’s overflow parking lot, he said, and is expected to open this fall.
Richardson said the amphitheater would be managed by ASM Global, which already operates the city’s convention center. The announcement came as workers, in a contractual dispute with ASM Global in favor of better wages, pressured the city council to intervene. Workers outside the center protested on Tuesday, handing out flyers and asking people to boycott the address.
Midway through his speech, a handful of protesters also repeatedly chanted “no evictions, rent freezes now,” prompting two brief suspensions.
“Now, how many of you want us to continue the State of the City Address? » Richardson said, calling for applause to drown out the interruption.
Richardson also tasked City Manager Tom Modica with negotiating a new public-private partnership with ASM at the Long Beach Arena, part of the convention center complex, to redirect money toward improvements at the old venue. 63 years old.
It’s part of a plan, he said, to make the Arena a “significant revenue-generating asset” that can fund its improvements and also boost the local economy.
The projects come as Richardson and the city face increasing pressure to make up for declining revenues as oil extraction rapidly dries up. He promised to fill the void with growth in areas such as high-tech manufacturing, aerospace, health care and education. But as the 2028 Olympics draw closer, Long Beach’s tourism and entertainment sector will also need to play a much bigger role.
“At every pivotal moment in our city’s 127-year history, at every major historic moment, Long Beach has relied on arts, entertainment and culture to move our city forward, to further define our identity, our culture and our global impact,” Richardson said. said.
Richardson made his point by inviting iconic local rapper Warren G on stage.
“Long Beach is a hotbed of talent and creatives,” said Warren G. “There’s something in the water, I don’t know what it is.”
Other achievements and goals were scattered throughout the speech. The city expects to receive $17 million annually under Los Angeles County’s recently passed Measure A for affordable housing development and tenant assistance. In an ode to his walkout music, Mustard and Vince Staples’ “Magic,” Richardson announced the creation of the city’s Strategic Entertainment Plan Advisory Committee, of which Staples was named honorary co-chair.
He also mentioned accomplishments in 2024. Police academies are completing work at a record pace – 100 new officers in 2024 – just in time for the completion of their new campus. The firefighters are now at full strength. And potholes are now filled six days a week, compared to five, or more than 66,000 filled since 2022.
In 2025, he wants to see more firefighters and more ambulance workers; he wants low-interest loans and shatterproof storefront windows; he wants more art installations from local artists; and he wants Long Beach to be the first city in California to hire its staff within 90 days, with a preference for local residents and college students.
He called on Modica to create several other programs, from housing for seniors and first-time home buyers to accelerating the city’s transition to zero-emission vehicles to include heavy-duty trucks.
“This critical sustainability initiative will advance the City’s climate action goals by reducing our greenhouse gas emissions — a direction we must continue to move forward together to address the very real and significant impacts of climate change and extreme weather events.
Throughout the ceremony, speakers also spoke about the fires still burning elsewhere in Los Angeles County. Speakers mentioned the early heroism of volunteers, asked for donations through the California Community Foundation and, at the start of the evening, took a moment of silence for those who died.
At the end of his speech, Richardson announced that the donation campaign had raised $569,000 to support wildfire relief efforts, and pledged to continue it during the State of the Thursday port.
“I know 2025 has started with some unexpected challenges,” Richardson said in his conclusion. “What matters most is how we finish.”