The East Bay EDA team just returned from the 2026 California Economic Summit in Long Beach, energized by the ideas and partnerships that emerged. The annual event hosted by California Forward (CA FWD) convenes 900+ regional leaders from around the state in business, community, government, philanthropy, labor, and more. It was a dynamic conference filled with immersive tours, insightful conversations, and meaningful networking.
Ahead of the summit kickoff, our team had the opportunity to participate in two exceptional tours showcasing the City of Long Beach and the greater Los Angeles region. On the Visit Port of the Future tour, our team got an up-close look at the Port of Long Beach, one of the busiest in the world, moving nearly 10 million shipping containers with cargo valued at $300 billion each year, supporting 2.7 million jobs across the nation. We also participated in a tour of the La Kretz Innovation Campus with the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), which works with startups to accelerate the commercialization of clean technologies.
Day one of the summit brought together leaders for conversations on Shared Investment and Prosperity in the City of Long Beach, the Future of Infrastructure, and the Geopolitics of Freight. The featured fireside chat of the day was a conversation with California Governors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gavin Newsom, speaking about the 20th Anniversary of AB 32 and the state’s longstanding bipartisan record on environmental protection. Breakout sessions for the day covered energy, workforce development, immigration, and investment.
A highlight of day two of the summit was a conversation with Isabel Casillas Guzman and Gina Schaefer. Guzman, who served as the 27th Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) under President Biden, spoke with Schaefer, Founder of The Cool Hardware Company, an innovative model bringing ownership opportunities to workers and communities. Additional conversations on the final day of the summit included topics such as higher education, civic engagement, and the next generation of California’s workforce.
Thank you to the City of Long Beach, the Port of Long Beach, Kate Gordon and CA FWD, and all representatives from the greater Los Angeles region for an inspiring conference and for welcoming the East Bay to Vibe City. We look forward to building off the conversations and partnerships we made. We also look forward to participating in the 2027 summit when it comes to the Bay Area next year!
