In an email to supporters, Mayor Robert Garcia announces his ambitious goal to complete 8 large scale projects by the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics where Long Beach will be the host of a number of Olympic events.
He stated:
“Long Beach will play a significant role in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Our City has been awarded key events including Water Polo, Open Water Swimming, the Triathlon, Handball, Sailing, and BMX Racing. The Long Beach Sports Park will be the second largest sports park outside of Downtown Los Angeles. The events in Long Beach are expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to our city and millions of viewers from around the world. As we look ahead to these games, we must immediately begin planning and preparing for infrastructure needs and investments. ”
A list of the 8 by 28 projects include:
- Belmont/Veterans Pier Rebuild – project will be rebuilt as the centerpiece and viewing center for sailing.
- Belmont Pool – new Belmont Pool would showcase Olympic history and is expected to be widely used for city exhibitions and events.
- Lifeguard Towers – rebuild and construct new lifeguard towers across the Long Beach coast to ensure safety and beach accessibility.
- Beach Concession Stands – reconstruction of three beach concession areas for use by visitors and residents traveling between Pier and Downtown events.
- Arena Rebuild – refurbishment and needed investment of the structure to improve functionality for handball events.
- Convention Center Hotel – construction of new Pine & Ocean Convention Center hotel that would provide needed rooms for Olympic events.
- Airport Improvements – completion of Airport improvements including reconstruction of rental car area, baggage claim, and amenities for Olympic travelers.
- Metro Blue Line Improvements – infrastructure improvements along the Metro Blue Line to ensure connection between other sports parks across LA County.
Mayor Robert Garcia is up for re-election this year 2018 facing just one challenger, James Henry “Henk” Conn, who is an advocate for rent control. Garcia has since come out publicly against rent control. If re-elected Garcia’s second term would end 2022 but he could run for a third term as a write in candidate. The last Mayor who ran as a write in mayoral candidate was Beverly O’Neil who won her third term.