File photo.

The community is invited to join Councilwoman Lena Gonzalez who will be kicking off the summer festivities in the First District by hosting the Washington Neighborhood Summer BBQ and Participatory Budget Vote Day on Saturday, June 20 at Seaside Park from 11:00AM to 2:00PM.

Guests can enjoy the free hot dogs, popsicles, face painting, bounce house fun and a kid’s fun zone, sponsored by Long Beach Fire Fighters Local 372, Port of Long Beach and Parks, Recreation and Marine. Several City of Long Beach booths will provide information on a variety of topics, while First District residents as young as 14 years of age will be given the opportunity to vote on the first Participatory Budget project at the event.

In April 2015, Councilwoman Gonzalez launched a demonstration Participatory Budgeting (PB) process to decide how to spend $50,000 of her discretionary funds to support community improvement projects. Through this demo process, residents have brainstormed project ideas, reviewed and prioritized top projects, and will now get to vote on which ones will be funded, according to the release.

Those enthusiastic about spreading the word about about Participatory Budgeting in the First District can use the #PBLongBeach and #CD1 hashtags on social media.

The process is overseen by a volunteer committee of leaders who have worked with district staff to develop ideas from their initial brainstorming phase into concrete proposals for the ballot. All First District residents ages 14 and over can vote. You do not need to be a registered voter or U.S. citizen. In order to vote, bring proof of residency, which can be an ID, a utility bill, a student record, or any piece of mail with your name and an address in the district.

For more information about PB, click here.