Why Long Beach Needs A Local Hiring Policy

Jul. 29, 2015 / By

Imagine if Long Beach jobs were offered to local residents first.

That’s the idea behind Long Beach First, an initiative to have a local hire policy in place for Long Beach.

Pacific Gateway, a local employment agency, is now holding community sessions asking residents to chime in on what a local hire policy should look like.

The idea was spurred when councilmembers Lena Gonzalez, Rex Richardson, Roberto Uranga, and Dee Andrews asked Pacific Gateway to compile a report that considers community input.

Pacific Gateway has looked at best practices done by six other cities to see what can be replicated here.

The agency is presenting its report to City Council on Aug. 18.

In the video above, VoiceWaves asks residents how a local hire policy would impact their communities.

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Michael Lozano

Michael is an editor and multimedia journalist born to Mexican parents who started their own Domestic Violence counseling center in Southeast Los Angeles. His mentorship has provided youth opportunities to share their stories online on NPR, KCET, the Long Beach Post, and other national websites. His articles have been syndicated and translated into multiple languages via New America Media and ImpreMedia, the nation’s largest Spanish-language news publisher. He was a fellow with UCLA's Laboratory for Environmental Narrative Strategies, and has recently been a Votebeat Reporter for CalMatters and the Long Beach Post. Michael graduated from CSULB in 2011 with research honors in Sociology and a Journalism minor. Follow his work @chicanochico on Twitter and @thechicanochicoreport on Instagram.