Speaker 9: Thank you very much. I know. We just did. Thank you. Thank you, Vice Mayor. I know we just did the consent calendar where we actually did pull item 14 from the consent calendar, which has been a request. We're going to do a I know a short staff report, a little staff report on item 14, and then we will hear the item. So, Madam Clerk.
Speaker 0: Item 14 is a report from Fire recommendation to enter into a reimbursement agreement with Lomita Unified School District to reimburse the Fire Department 21,000 to provide a junior lifeguard repertory course at Cabrillo and Jordan high schools, and $30,000 for tuitions for LBE USD students to participate in the summer Long Beach Junior Lifeguard Program Citywide.
Speaker 1: On fire. Chief Gonzalo Medina is going to talk about this very cool program.
Speaker 10: Good afternoon. Honorable your city council members. I'm here to provide a short staff report. I'd like to thank the school board and board school board member Megan Curr as well, and Superintendent Chris Steinhauser for their partnership with the City of Long Beach on the Junior Lifeguard Preparation program for kids who are interested and motivated to prepare starting in middle school. This $51,000 will help develop a pathway into into public safety careers in Long Beach. This program offers instruction during the winter months at both Cabrillo and Jordan High to meet the requirements to participate in the fire department, summer junior lifeguard program and further covers transportation and chaperon costs for Long Beach Unified School District students to participate in the Junior Lifeguard program during the summer. The Junior Lifeguard Prep program is currently operating out of Silverado, Parks and Rec pool, and I want to thank the director of Parks and Rec, Sharon Moment, for his continuing partnership and support with Long Beach Fire. We're now excited to see this program branch out into the school district. Speaking for the Long Beach Fire, this public safety education partnership with our school district gives us the capacity to support our city's economic development blueprint, the Everyone Initiative and the Long Beach College Promise Plan. It is also a component of Chief Espinoza three year strategic plan for creating a strong workforce reflective of the community. That concludes my report, and I am available to answer questions.
Speaker 9: Thank you. There is a motion any second to approve. I know there's public comment. I think our superintendent and and school board member occurs here, so please come up to the mic.
Speaker 4: Good evening, Honorable Mayor and City Council. I'm delighted to be here with you tonight with another opportunity to strengthen the partnership between the city and our school district and to expand access to a wonderful program to students throughout the city and throughout the district. We give special thanks to Chief Espino, Marine Safety Chief Medina, Mr. Gerardo Mowat, Janice Kiser, Tracy Kilonzo, the entire junior lifeguards team and staff for this opportunity. This has been a program that's been in existence that I a personal experience for decades. I don't have to go into the details of the Junior Lifeguard program, but it offers instruction in lifeguard safety, rescue techniques, first aid. Ocean sports participants have the opportunity to become CPR certified. Each summer ends with the annual Iron Guard event, the run swim run event. And we know across our district that students are interested in swimming. We have competitive aquatic sports at every comprehensive high school. Capralos water polo team just last fall made history by reaching the CIF Southern Section Division seven semifinals, and two of our students there added to the legend of the season by becoming the first players from that school to earn all CIF awards. This partnership helps to expand the reach and participation of students who might not otherwise have the opportunity and ability to participate in this program. By opening our pools at Cabrillo in Jordan, we give access to students to help meet the benchmark requirement for junior guards. By doing this, we give pool access at a critical time for them to begin and to prepare for their summer program. For District one, District seven and District nine combined last year by the city's own records. 11 students from those three districts combined participated in the junior guard program. I know it's a high quality program. My daughter is a former junior guard who did the Iron Guard challenge. She was sidelined by surgery after a couple of years. But when you ask her now, a college freshman, about the experience, she says it's one of the formative experiences of her teenage years. It pushed her in physical ways and mental ways that she didn't think that she could things doing things she could do. To this day, she loves open water, swimming, she lifeguards and she teaches swimming two little ones at Long Beach City College in the summer. We intend to do very rigorous outreach to middle school and high school students in the area to get them in the water and in the program. As you heard, our next steps will be to provide scholarships and roundtrip transportation for these students to the beach this summer. We will also recruit our high school swimmers and water polo players to participate in the cadet program, which can be a direct entry into the high paying jobs in marine safety. This keeps our very talented swimmers in our city doing work for our city. So we really thank you for the opportunity tonight.
Speaker 9: Thank you very much. Now to our superintendent.
Speaker 1: Yes, thank you, honorable mayor and members of the council. I just want to echo what's been said. I can't thank you enough for your support of this program. The city is a great partner in everything we do. We see this not only as a wonderful opportunity and an equity issue for our students, because, as you know, Long Beach Unified is going to be replacing all of our natatorium with outdoor pools just like Korea, and they will be open to everyone to swim. And we partner with you throughout the school year to provide free swim for our students throughout the city. And I can't tell you how appreciative our parents are for this. But I want to thank the fire department and the Parks Department, because when they came to us about this idea, we jumped on it right away. Our board of Education's 100% behind this. And this is just a small piece of a larger puzzle that's going to come out. And we are so thankful for this, because this is another great example of the Long Beach College promise when it takes everyone working together to to provide these wonderful opportunities for our young people. So we appreciate everything you do for our students. And we. Are so thankful for the support of this program.
Speaker 9: Thank you, Mr. Steinhauser. And I see no other public comment. I want to go ahead, of course, and thank the school district for their partnership on this and most importantly, our team at the fire department and Marine Safety. Councilman Richardson, you have the motion.
Speaker 3: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. And I want to take a moment. I've had. You know, I remember when Megan first mentioned this, he was really excited about it. I'm really proud to see that you've really championed this issue. This program. I look forward to helping launch it and support it as you move forward. It aligns with a great many priorities for the city. I remember sitting down with with Chief Espino and discussing, you know, conversations about pipelines into these careers, as in the fire department and how we have to be really creative about intentional diversity within our , our, our, our programs. And so I think this is yet another opportunity to really blend the lines and deepen our partnership between the school district and the city of Long Beach. So thank you so much. Board member Curt and Superintendent Steinhauser, entire board and our local firefighters and everyone involved in this program. Thank you.
Speaker 9: Councilmember Pearce.
Speaker 8: Yes. I also wanted to applaud you guys. I know several years ago we had a lot of conversations around swimming and making sure that our kids across the city all have access to pools. And so it's really awesome to see the work that you guys have done and as well as making sure that that pipeline into our lifeguards is strong. So I just want to say how much I appreciate this and I'm glad to see that we could use these funds in a creative way to go to something like building that infrastructure. Thank you.
Speaker 9: Thank you. And Councilman Austin.
Speaker 11: I just like to point out also the the funding noticing that it is coming from our talents fund. This is a creative use of of of a fund that typically doesn't get utilized in the west side and north parts of the city. And so this this is is is great and creative use of of talents funds that are go toward a great public benefit, particularly for our students. So thank you.
Speaker 9: Thank you for that. And we have a motion and a second member. Please go and cast your votes.
Speaker 0: Vice we Andrews. Motion carries.
Speaker 9: And Vice Chair Andrews had to recuse himself for this item because of his employment. So I wanted to just to announce that. Which is why he's not voting. And so there's. There's been a vote. Director go up. Okay. We are now doing the Long Beach Community Hospital Foundation, which is item 21. So, Mr. West, we can get the staff report.
Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute all documents necessary to enter into a Reimbursement Agreement, and any subsequent amendments, with the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) to reimburse the City of Long Beach, Fire Department (LBFD) $21,000 to provide a Junior Lifeguard Preparatory Course at Cabrillo and Jordan High Schools for LBUSD students; 

Authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute all documents necessary to enter into a Reimbursement Agreement, and any subsequent amendments, with the LBUSD to reimburse LBFD $30,000 for tuition for LBUSD students to participate in the summer Long Beach Junior Lifeguard Program; and 

Increase appropriations in the Tidelands Operating Fund (TF 401) by $51,000 in Long Beach Fire Department (FD), offset by reimbursement revenue.  (Citywide)