Office of Youth Development Announces Voting Phase of Youth Power Participatory Budgeting Long Beach

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PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA - The City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) Office of Youth Development, in partnership with The Nonprofit Partnership (TNP), Invest in Youth Coalition anchored by Khmer Girls in Action, California State University of Long Beach, and Leadership Long Beach is announcing the voting sites for the Youth Power PB Long Beach participatory budgeting process, where Long Beach youth are invited to vote on how to spend public dollars on youth projects. A total of $400,000 will be funded through this process and projects, with budgets ranging from $10,000 to $50,000.

"Inviting youth to engage in the civic process is a valuable way to empower youth and foster the future leaders of our city," said Mayor Rex Richardson. "I encourage Long Beach youth to take advantage of this opportunity, share their voice and vote."

To kick off the voting period, a voting fair will be held at Long Beach Polytechnic High School (1600 Atlantic Ave.) on Wednesday, April 24 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. During this event, youth can talk to community organizations who have projects on the ballot and learn more about them before they cast their vote. Voting will last for 10 days, concluding on Saturday, May 4 at the inaugural Youth Day in the LBC event, which will be held at Cabrillo High School from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Youth ages 13 to 26 who live, work or play in Long Beach are encouraged to share their voice by voting at one of the following sites during regular business hours:

• Parks, Recreation & Marine Teen Centers:
  • Houghton Park
  • Silverado Park
  • Cesar Chavez Park
  • Admiral Kidd Park
  • McBride Park
• Long Beach Public Libraries:
  • Bret Harte
  • Billie Jean King Main
  • Michelle Obama
  • Burnett
  • Dana
  • Alamitos
  • Mark Twain

Questions about voting sites can be sent to [email protected].

Earlier this year, the City announced the second year of the Youth Power PB Long Beach program. Last year's program included 60 initial ideas submitted, with 19 selected by youth budget delegates and placed on the ballot. On the first day of voting, a voter fair was held at Long Beach City College, and voting locations were placed at high schools, teen centers and public libraries throughout the voting period. A total of 823 votes were validated, and the programs prioritized by youth voters centered on community care, housing, health and wellness and transportation - aligning with four of the six goals in the Long Beach Youth & Emerging Adults Strategic Plan. For more information about last year's funded projects, visit longbeach.gov/youthfund.

Youth Power PB Long Beach is the first citywide participatory budget pilot process that provides funding to nonprofit organizations undertaking work aligned with the goals of the Youth and Emerging Adults Strategic Plan. Funding for the Youth Power PB Long Beach program is provided by Measure US.

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