September 2020 an edition of the Long Beach Post lbbusinessjournal.com Cerritos Auto In This Issue On the Job: A Long Beach bus Square bouncing back after car driver’s route through the pandemic sales plummeted during the second quarter By BRANDON RICHARDSON Senior Reporter Auto sales account for a third of sales tax revenue gen- Building A Better Long erated in the city of Cerritos, Beach with the Cerritos Auto Square (Page 20) bringing in $10.9 million in 2019. The city’s fiscal year 2020-21 budget—which went into effect July 1—is $124.4 million, which accounts for any anticipated impacts by COVID-19, meaning auto sales account for nearly 9% of the city’s annual budget. “The Cerritos Auto Square Shellee Franks, 41, Long Beach Transit bus driver, makes her way through Downtown Long Beach. Photo by Thomas is the single largest sales tax R. Cordova. generator for the city, and a Alternative transportation pivotal part of our communi- booms amid pandemic On the Job is a standing fea- California’s population that bus program, the agency is ty,” Cerritos Mayor Naresh ture in the Long Beach Business is often forgotten: those who responsible for transporting Solanki said. (Page 13) Journal, where we spend a day don’t drive, be it for financial students to and from schools. Cerritos dealerships began with workers in different profes- or other reasons. Under normal circumstanc- 2020 with sales on par with sions throughout the city. If you But this morning, Line es, those students account for the previous year. According have a suggestion, please email 173 is fairly empty. A few 40% of the agency’s overall to city data, tax revenue gen- [email protected]. passengers who boarded at ridership. erated by car sales in the first the Downtown Transit Center Because of the dramatic quarter of this year totaled By ALENA MASCHKE have all exited by the time the decline in ridership during the $2.5 million, down slightly Senior Reporter bus swings around the Traffic pandemic, Long Beach Transit from $2.55 million during the Circle. It cruises by the Wal- operates on a reduced “Sun- same period last year. Shellee Franks has been ter Pyramid, presiding over an day” schedule, with most bus- But the impacts of the driving buses across Long eerily empty Cal State Long es running on a once-per-hour coronavirus pandemic were Southwest doubles Long Beach and beyond for 15 years. Beach campus, unnoticed. or less frequent tact. not truly felt until late March On this chilly, overcast morn- Normally a busy portion To fill in any gaps, the Beach presence when state and local leaders ing—a moment of relief after of the route, Franks passes by agency sends out “tripper” announced business closures (Page 10) a relentlessly hot Labor Day the campus bus shelters with- buses like the one Franks is that resulted in mass layoffs weekend—Franks is on the out picking up any passengers. driving this Tuesday morning, statewide and historic unem- 173 Line, Studebaker to Down- With school moved online as a meant to pick up any overflow ployment claims. While car town. result of the pandemic, there from the bus that departed 15 dealerships were deemed es- The longest bus line in the are no students to pick up or minutes before her. Franks sential and remained open, Long Beach transit system, it drop off. adds up the number of pas- the widespread impacts on the covers over 30 miles worth of Students, especially those sengers in her head and writes general public naturally were pavement and stops in six cit- attending the city’s public them down on a clipboard. passed on to the auto industry. ies: Long Beach, Lakewood, schools, make up a significant “They’re trying to see how “Sales in March and April Hawaiian Gardens, Artesia, portion of Long Beach Tran- many buses they really need were way down,” said Marc Cerritos and Norwalk. sit’s ridership. out here,” she said. Cannon, chief marketing offi- Bus drivers, or operators Operator applied for Because the Long Beach Long Beach Transit’s driv- cer for AutoNation, the parent as the agency prefers to call Unified School District, the ers have been working three company of AutoNation Toyo- unauthorized loans them, provide an essential ser- third largest in the state, days per week instead of the ta Cerritos. While sales have (Page 10) vice for a section of Southern doesn’t have its own yellow (Please Continue to Page 12) (Please Continue to Page 17) Long Beach Business Journal PRSRT STD 211 E. Ocean Blvd., Ste. 400 U.S. POSTAGE No prepayment penalties on our Long Beach, CA 90802 PAID www.lbbusinessjournal.com Los Angeles, CA PERMIT NO. 447 COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE LOANS. Just another reason we’re CALIFORNIA’S STRONGEST. Call us today at (844) 956-3542 or visit FMB.com/CRE for more information. Subject to credit and property approval. Member FDIC. NEWSWATCH 2 • Long Beach Business Journal • September 2020 Southwest awarded all 17 Vol. XXXIII No. 08 • September 2020 flight slots vacated by JetBlue PUBLISHER The Long Beach Business Journal is a David Sommers publication of Pacific Community Media. The journal premiered in 1987 as the MANAGING EDITOR Long Beach Airport Business Journal. Melissa Evans The Business Journal is published every other Tuesday, except between Dec. ADVERTISING DIRECTOR 25 and mid-January. Distribution is Andrea Estrada approximately 22,000. Reproduction in whole or in part without written DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS permission is strictly prohibited unless Dennis Dean otherwise stated. Opinions expressed by perspective writers and guest columnists SENIOR REPORTER & PHOTOGRAPHER are not necessarily the views of the Long Brandon Richardson Beach Business Journal. SENIOR REPORTER ADVERTISING/EDITORIAL DEADLINES Alena Maschke Ads: Tuesday prior to publication. Press releases: two weeks prior to GRAPHIC DESIGNER publication. E-mail press releases to KDA Consulting [email protected]. The editorial calendar is available at lbbusinessjournal.com. PUBLISHER EMERITUS George Economides Southwest is doubling its Long Beach presence up to 34 daily flights per day. Photo by Brandon Follow us Richardson. LONG BEACH BUSINESS JOURNAL @LongBeachBusinessJournal 211 E. Ocean Blvd., Ste. 400 Long Beach, CA 90802 Follow us @LBBizJourn By BRANDON RICHARDSON tional slots. News tips: (562) 437-5814 Senior Reporter The allocation doubles Southwest’s Advertising: (562) 912-0161 presence in Long Beach from 17 to 34 Editorial: [email protected] Follow us @LBBusinessJournal Southwest Airlines has been award- daily flights. The airline has not an- Advertising: [email protected] ed all 17 flight slots at Long Beach Air- nounced the destinations of its new SUBSCRIPTIONS: port soon to be vacated by JetBlue, the slots but is expected to increase its To subscribe, please call (562)912-0161 city announced Wednesday, Sept. 2. current offering of nonstop flights from or visit lbbusinessjournal.com/subscribe “Southwest picking up all available Long Beach. flight slots at the Long Beach Airport “This is a vote of confidence in the lbbusinessjournal.com so quickly is a testament to the strength boutique travel experience we offer at of our airport and their commitment to our airport,” airport Director Cynthia succeeding here in Long Beach,” said Guidry said. “We are thrilled to see Mayor Robert Garcia in the announce- Southwest increase their presence at ment. LGB and grateful for their ongoing MONDAY JetBlue, the largest air carrier at partnership.” Long Beach Airport for nearly two de- Southwest began service in Long MORNING cades, announced that it was pulling Beach in 2016 with four daily flights out of the municipal airport in July. The and has steadily increased service as COFFEE and airline’s final flight out of Long Beach JetBlue has relinquished slots over the is slated for Oct. 6. last several years. BIZBRIEF Following the JetBlue announce- Long Beach Airport has one of the ment, airport staff reached out to air strictest noise controls in the country, carriers to update the waiting list for which limits daily flights to 53. Sign up at lbbusinessjournal.com for MONDAY MORNING COFFEE and BIZBRIEF, FREE email subscriptions about issues, events and meetings for additional flight slots. While multiple The remaining daily flight allo- the week. Monday Morning Coffee is sent out at 6 a.m., and BizBrief is news of carriers expressed interest, they said cations include 12 by Delta Airlines, the day, sent out periodically around 4 p.m. weekdays as needed. the timing—in the midst of a pandem- three by American Airlines, two from ic that has decimated passenger num- Hawaiian Airlines and one each by Fe- bers—was not ideal for taking on addi- dEx and UPS. IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO BECOME A VIKING! Hundreds of online classes to choose from Transfer general ed classes to university Expert faculty Fall late-start classes begins Sept. 28 (12-week) and Oct. 28 (8-week) www.LBCC.edu Happy 90th CONGRATS, GEORGEBeverly! – YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION TO US ALL. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU’VE DONE. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BEVERLY O’NEILL – CELEBRATING 90 YEARS. As Long Beach’s only three-term mayor, a long time educator and volunteer in our community, you’ve helped guide this city’s prominance in tourism, arts, culture, and education. You gave us the foundation to become what we are today. The CVB Board thanks you for your thoughtful leadership and dedication to help make Long Beach a thriving community and congratulates you on 90 years strong. 800.452.7829 | VisitLongBeach.com @VisitLB Beverly O’Neill Photo: Caught in the Moment Photography NEWSWATCH 4 • Long Beach Business Journal • September 2020 an officer with LBPD, I know that not -ev Would you change anything re- ery service needs an armed police officer garding the way the city has handled to respond.