PRESS RELEASE

The City of Long Beach continues to be a leader in sustainability by finding technological solutions to existing problems. The City is implementing a partnership with Southern California Edison (SCE) to install electric vehicle (EV) charging stations throughout the city, while also exploring a partnership with the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) for shared EVs through pilot programs.

“Electric Vehicle infrastructure benefits our residents and businesses,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “We see this technology as a way to empower all levels of the community while benefiting the environment.”

On Tuesday, December 4, 2018, the City Council unanimously voted to approve the Charge Ready Program, which allows SCE to install the electric infrastructure needed for up to 300 EV charging stations at public and City fleet locations. The preliminary plan aims to install up to 100 chargers for City-owned vehicles and 200 chargers for public use. These EV charging stations furthers the City's goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by facilitating the use of alternative fuel vehicles.

“We’re excited to pilot different programs to support the use of electric vehicles,” said Craig Beck, Director of Public Works. “We want to encourage more people to adopt this sustainable technology.”

The City is also entering a partnership with LACI and its Transportation Electrification Partnership, which has received a $1.1 million grant from the Knight Foundation to support pilot projects that address transportation challenges faced by disadvantaged communities, with a focus on EV infrastructure and air quality along Anaheim Street.

“We are grateful to the Knight Foundation for this important grant that allows LACI to partner with the City of Long Beach to advance zero emissions transportation and critical last mile first mile innovations that residents want and need," said Matt Petersen, President and CEO of LACI. "Mayor Robert Garcia and the Long Beach City Council are firmly committed to innovation and community input, which is why we are so excited to partner to help clean the air, make neighborhoods quieter, and provide the best possible solutions for neighborhoods."

The Knight Foundation grant will be used to launch a community-sourced project in Long Beach involving shared EVs, to address community challenges in e-mobility. The City’s Office of Civic Innovation has recently completed work along Anaheim Street to determine residents’ barriers to mobility. The results of this community engagement will shape the project’s scope of work as LACI and the City work on next steps to identify a specific site for pilot programs.

“Both innovative EV partnerships will be a testament to the power of technological solutions that are grounded in community feedback and support,” said Tracy Colunga, Director of the Office of Civic Innovation.

The City will initially invest $3.3 million into the Charge Ready Program project, and the full costs will be offset by a combination of AB 32 Cap and Trade funds and clean transportation funding.

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 Public Works

The Long Beach Public Works Department strives to operate, preserve, and enhance the City's physical infrastructure and transportation systems, as well as preserve the upkeep of the cityscape with a robust refuse and recycling service that serves more than 120,000 residential and commercial customers. The Department provides a variety of community services including the repair, rehabilitation and general upkeep of City streets, trees, sidewalks, and City structures. Public Works also provides emergency support services throughout the City. Visit us at http://www.longbeach.gov/pw/, "Like" us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

Office of Civic Innovation

The City of Long Beach is a national leader in government innovation. The Innovation Team has delivered successful Economic Development and Public Safety Initiatives since 2015 that have tackled large local government challenges with innovation solutions.  The City of Long Beach is grateful for the $3 million three-year Bloomberg Philanthropies Innovation Team Grant received in 2015. Although the grant is coming to an end, the Innovation Team is creating an evolution of the work through the Office of Civic Innovation. The City launched the Office of Civic Innovation in the City Manager’s Office October 2018. With funding from departments and foundations, the Office of Civic Innovation will serve as in-house consultants to City departments and together co-create effective approaches that address the most pressing issues.  The Office comprised of a Director, Data Scientist, Designers, Project Managers and Graduate Interns will deploy a six-pronged approach to problems. For more information on the City of Long Beach Innovation Team, please visit www.longbeach.gov/iteam or follow them on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

About LACI

The Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) is a private non-profit organization creating an inclusive green economy by unlocking innovation (working with startups to accelerate the commercialization of clean technologies), transforming markets (through partnerships in transportation, energy and sustainable cities) and enhancing communities (through workforce development, pilots and other programs). Founded as an economic development initiative by the City of Los Angeles and its Department of Water & Power (LADWP), LACI is recognized as one of the most innovative business incubators in the world by UBI. In the past six years, LACI has helped 73 portfolio companies raise $184M in funding, $220M in revenue, create 1,700 jobs, and deliver more than $379M in long-term economic value. Learn more at laci.org.