People Post is a space for opinion pieces, letters to the editor and guest submissions from members of the Long Beach community. The following is an op-ed submitted by Víctor Sánchez, the director of the Long Beach Coalition for Good Jobs and a Healthy Community, a project of the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE), and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Long Beach Post.
The news surrounding Long Beach’s interest in being the new home of the Angels baseball franchise has been met with a lot of excitement. And why not? From an economic development perspective, this is a huge opportunity to attract a new driver for tourism and, most importantly, jobs.
Attracting such an opportunity however, should be an exchange and not a giveaway.
New stadiums pose tough questions regarding public financing and other incentive package deals in order to entice companies to “choose us.” Creating these deals can be messy, especially if leaders say there is no money for things like housing and transportation and then turn around to offer massive tax deferments.
What does that mean for Long Beach and the Angels? Well, if we’re going to bring in a stadium, let’s ensure that we’re doing it in a way that addresses some of our most pressing issues. A few of note: 18 percent of African-Americans with just a high school diploma in our city are unemployed; the number of low-wage jobs in Long Beach is growing; and more than half of our city’s renter households pay more than 30 percent of their income in rent.
There’s an opportunity for a high-road approach with a new stadium development in Downtown Long Beach. Our city should be mindful of how public assets are being used or given in any deal. And leaders should push developers to meet with community members to come to an agreement on benefit standards that meet the needs of our most vulnerable.
This approach isn’t impossible; it’s been done before.
Community Benefit Agreements (CBA) have been successfully implemented in other large cities such as Atlanta, Milwaukee, New York, San Jose, and in neighboring Los Angeles. How? By building broad-base coalitions and power in order to effectively negotiate with companies. Forbes recently uplifted the work of our sister organization, The Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE), who helped pioneer CBAs, starting with the historic Staples Center CBA that included funding for parks, strong local hire provisions, and investments in affordable housing to name a few. We can make Community Benefit Agreements part of the Long Beach way. And we’re ready to help.
Let’s not give away public assets without expecting meaningful return or benefit to our community. So let’s be ambitious in how we create economic development opportunities in Long Beach. And as discussions progress, let us also be strategic in our pursuit of the Angels—using Community Benefit Agreements as a tool to create good jobs and a healthier community.
How the Angels and Long Beach can really hit a home run
People Post is a space for opinion pieces, letters to the editor and guest submissions from members of the Long Beach community. The following is an op-ed submitted by Víctor Sánchez, the director of the Long Beach Coalition for Good Jobs and a Healthy Community, a project of the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE), and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Long Beach Post.
The news surrounding Long Beach’s interest in being the new home of the Angels baseball franchise has been met with a lot of excitement. And why not? From an economic development perspective, this is a huge opportunity to attract a new driver for tourism and, most importantly, jobs.
Attracting such an opportunity however, should be an exchange and not a giveaway.
New stadiums pose tough questions regarding public financing and other incentive package deals in order to entice companies to “choose us.” Creating these deals can be messy, especially if leaders say there is no money for things like housing and transportation and then turn around to offer massive tax deferments.
What does that mean for Long Beach and the Angels? Well, if we’re going to bring in a stadium, let’s ensure that we’re doing it in a way that addresses some of our most pressing issues. A few of note: 18 percent of African-Americans with just a high school diploma in our city are unemployed; the number of low-wage jobs in Long Beach is growing; and more than half of our city’s renter households pay more than 30 percent of their income in rent.
There’s an opportunity for a high-road approach with a new stadium development in Downtown Long Beach. Our city should be mindful of how public assets are being used or given in any deal. And leaders should push developers to meet with community members to come to an agreement on benefit standards that meet the needs of our most vulnerable.
This approach isn’t impossible; it’s been done before.
Community Benefit Agreements (CBA) have been successfully implemented in other large cities such as Atlanta, Milwaukee, New York, San Jose, and in neighboring Los Angeles. How? By building broad-base coalitions and power in order to effectively negotiate with companies. Forbes recently uplifted the work of our sister organization, The Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE), who helped pioneer CBAs, starting with the historic Staples Center CBA that included funding for parks, strong local hire provisions, and investments in affordable housing to name a few. We can make Community Benefit Agreements part of the Long Beach way. And we’re ready to help.
Let’s not give away public assets without expecting meaningful return or benefit to our community. So let’s be ambitious in how we create economic development opportunities in Long Beach. And as discussions progress, let us also be strategic in our pursuit of the Angels—using Community Benefit Agreements as a tool to create good jobs and a healthier community.