City of Long Beach
Public Information Office
411 W. Ocean Blvd,
Long Beach, CA 90802
www.longbeach.gov
Today, the City of Long Beach hosted an event to celebrate the local, First Place 2018 CommunityWINS® (Working/Investing in Neighborhood Stabilization) grant recipient for large cities (250,000+ population). Mayor Robert Garcia, the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) and Wells Fargo presented a $300,000 award to Pacific Gateway Workforce Partnership, Inc. (Pacific Gateway), to be used for the Citywide Market for Hourly Labor Program.
During the USCM’s 86th annual meeting in Boston in June 2018, Wells Fargo announced that Mayor Robert Garcia received a $300,000 grant on behalf of Pacific Gateway. The award is part of a nationwide CommunityWINS® Program made possible by a grant in collaboration by USCM and the Wells Fargo Foundation.
“Seventy percent of those with irregular work schedules in the area are disabled or caregivers who work uncertain hours, often for multiple employers,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “With this grant, Pacific Gateway will utilize software to create a healthy marketplace for hourly labor built around protections, progress, individual control and alignment with employers’ needs. This is going to benefit many in Long Beach.”
The 2018 CommunityWINS® awards include monetary grants to city-based nonprofit organizations and recognize mayors for exemplary leadership in developing local programs that promote long-term economic prosperity and improve the quality of life for residents in three categories: neighborhood stabilization, economic development and job creation. An independent panel of judges, selected by USCM, determined the six winning cities from a pool of 185 applicants in three population groups - small, medium and large.
“Gig workers are invisible when it comes to core workforce services. Official data sources aren’t configured to capture the current granularity of employment. Our federal performance metrics are rooted in traditional job-creation. Consider this passivity from the perspective of a taxpayer who has chosen, or been forced into, uncertain gig work. How do we explain why the public sector is ignoring any entitlement to employment support?” said Nick Schultz, Executive Director of Pacific Gateway Workforce Partnership, Inc. “The Partnership is grateful for Wells Fargo supporting a team in Long Beach to work through these issues. In conjunction with employers, colleges and unions, our Pacific Gateway workforce network is leading the nation toward the launch of locally-run markets for all types of hourly labor. These markets can be built around stability, protections, progression, workforce quality and alignment with employer needs.”
“The Conference and Wells Fargo share similar values focused on helping communities across the country succeed, and the 2018 CommunityWINS Grant Program is an opportunity to honor productive neighborhood revitalization efforts that are making a difference,” said Tom Cochran, CEO and executive director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. “We appreciate Wells Fargo and the Wells Fargo Foundation for their support of the CommunityWINS® Program, which also highlights the leadership of mayors and city governments.”
“We care deeply about our communities and their success,” said Natasha Mata, Wells Fargo Regional Bank President. “Our CommunityWINS collaboration with the U.S. Conference of Mayors is a great example of our commitment to community and demonstrates how we can accomplish so much by working together. We are very excited about the Citywide Market for Hourly Labor Program and what it means to the residents of Long Beach.”
Others who received top honors for the 2018 CommunityWINS® grant program were Mayor Nan Whaley of Dayton, Ohio and Mayor Jamael Tito Brown of Youngstown, Ohio. Outstanding Achievement awards were presented to Mayor Martin J. Walsh of Boston, Massachusetts; Mayor Peter Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana; and Mayor Bryan K. Barnett Rochester Hills, Michigan.
About the City of Long Beach
Home to approximately 470,000 people, the multiple award-winning and innovative City of Long Beach offers all the world-class amenities of a large metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods nestled together along the California coast. As a full-service charter city, Long Beach is home to the Queen Mary, Aquarium of the Pacific, several museums and theaters, a highly-rated school district, Long Beach Airport, the Port of Long Beach, as well as many award-winning City departments such as Health, Parks, Recreation and Marine, Development Services and more. The City also has a highly-respected university and city college, two historic ranchos, five hospitals, five golf courses, 171 parks, miles of beaches, marinas, bike paths, and a Bike Share program.
For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit http://longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Pacific Gateway Workforce Partnership, Inc.
Pacific Gateway Workforce Partnership, Inc. mission is to support the Pacific Gateway Workforce Development Board’s focus on workforce competitiveness and support strategies for our communities and neighborhoods most in need. Activities occur through the planning and provision of workforce and economic development projects to meet the needs of under- and unemployed adults and youth, and the specialized needs of the Region’s business and economic corridors.
About USCM
The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 1,400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Find us on facebook.com/usmayors, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/usmayors
About Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.9 trillion in assets. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through 7,800 locations, more than 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 37 countries and territories to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 259,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 26 on Fortune’s 2018 rankings of America’s largest corporations. News, insights and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories.