The Californer - City of Long Beach Announces Awardees for Love Your Block Mini-Grant Program

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Long Beach, CA ~ Long Beach, CA - The City of Long Beach Office of Civic Innovation has announced the recipients of the Love Your Block mini-grant program, a community-driven initiative aimed at empowering residents to improve their neighborhoods. The program, which focuses on West Long Beach for its inaugural year, has selected five awardees who will each receive up to $2,500 in grant funding to support projects addressing air quality and transportation efficiency for residents in the 90810 zip code.

At a Love Your Block Mini-Grant Kickoff Meeting held at Silverado Park Community Center in December 2025, City staff and community partners welcomed the awardees and officially kicked off the project cycle. This meeting provided an opportunity for staff and community partners to connect with the grantees and offer support for their projects.

Mayor Rex Richardson expressed his enthusiasm for the program, stating that "the Love Your Block program puts residents in the driver's seat of neighborhood change." He believes that by investing in resident-led ideas, they are building solutions that reflect the lived experience of West Long Beach and strengthening community connections in meaningful ways.

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The Love Your Block program aligns with the City's Westside Promise Initiative, a 10-year community investment plan aimed at addressing current and historic challenges facing West Long Beach. Through strategic partnerships and investments, this initiative aims to improve the overall quality of life for residents.

The five selected resident-led initiatives cover a range of projects that support the goals of both Love Your Block and Westside Promise. These include Legacy in Bloom, a youth-led tree planting and clean-up initiative; Breath of Fresh Air, which promotes cleaner air through educational sessions on diesel awareness; Community Bee Apiary, a bee sanctuary focused on supporting plant health and promoting cleaner air; Westside Clean & Green, a neighborhood clean-up project; and Community Garden, which will provide fresh produce and wellness programming for local residents.

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Lea Eriksen, Director of the Technology and Innovation Department, believes that these initiatives not only enhance the environment but also foster community engagement and pride. "By promoting cleaner air and addressing safety and quality of life outcomes, we are paving the way for a brighter, healthier future for all residents," she stated.

The Love Your Block team will work closely with each awardee to support project implementation, connect them with appropriate City departments and resources, and ensure alignment with City policies and community goals. The program is a partnership between the City of Long Beach and the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University.

Residents who are interested in applying for future rounds of Love Your Block mini-grants are encouraged to follow updates on the Office of Civic Innovation webpage. More information about the Westside Promise can be found at longbeach.gov/wsp.

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