Part five of a series.
The Seal Beach City Council will form a Business First Committee, apparently focused on Main Street. Two council members, District One’s Joe Kalmick and District Two’s Ben Wong, will represent the city. A Chamber board member offered to participate during the November 2025 Strategic Planning meeting. Other members of the committee will be determined at a future date.
The working group, or committee, is part of the city’s Business First Initiative that was announced during that meeting.
Seal Beach Police Chief Michael Henderson moderated the meeting.
The focus of the 2025 Strategic Planning meeting was largely focused on the Main Street area.
Management Analyst Jennifer Robles gave the staff presentation for the discussion of the Business First Working Group (as the agenda described it).
Discussion
Robles said some of her earliest memories were visiting the local Blockbuster on Friday. Nights and picking up a pizza from their favorite pizza place. She dscribed them as part of the community she grew up with. She said the feeling of loss resonated when she saw a vacant store lot. She cited the Old Town Café as one example.
“The good news is that not everything has changed. Something that we as a society continue to treasure is that connection, that community, something that Seal does so well preserving,” she said.
“With that, the moment we’ve all be anxiously waiting for, we want to present to you our Business First Initiative,” she said.
“The Business First initiative focuses on two components. The first component is the creation of a Business First concierge program. We’ve been talking to our colleagues in other cities because we’re obviously not the only city facing those challenges and we wanted to find out what’s actually being successful in attracting businesses and retaining businesses,” she said.
Robles said staff is implementing this one-on-one approach to support existing businesses and pairing incoming businesses with a team member that can help them find a location or site development best suited for their business.
One of the ideas she brought up was a business resources guide which would include the permitting process, a zoning map, and other resources with partnering agencies at the local, county or federal level.
“Our second component is the creation of our economic development committee, which is a council goal that has been set under city manager goals,” she said.
The committee would be called “Business First”.
“So who should be serving in this committee and what are the outcomes that are most important for this committee?” Robles asked.
Someone suggested the Seal Beach Chamber of Commerce.
Police chief Henderson asked if there were council members who wanted to be part of the group.
District One Councilman Joe Kalmick held up his hand. District Two Councilman Ben Wong also expressed an interest.
District Four Councilwoman Patty Senecal asked if the committee members would be selected by district or would they be citywide.
“I love the fact that it’s fostering business outreach and engagement because that’s what I would like to see in Seal Beach. I would like us to be more proactive,” Wong said.
“We have these vacancies right now. Instead of passively waiting for the right store to join us, we could be seeking those stores or those franchises to come join Main Street,” Wong said.
Senecal suggested looking at the owners of business properties.
In response to a comment about the Chamber of Commerce, Senecal said, “No. No. No. The Chamber does not represent everybody on Main Street.”
“And represents very few,” Kalmick said.
Senecal suggested having restaurants and apparel stores in the mix. “The other one I think you’re going to need: The homeowners in that area because whatever we design, there’s a lot of people that are in close proximity,” she said.
Chief Henderson suggested having an at large member on the business committee.
Senecal preferred having the council define what they wanted. She suggested three property owners, three different kinds of businesses, as well as homeowners and renters in the area.
None of the council members or city staff members could think of another business group besides the Chamber.
City Manager Patrick Gallegos said it was important to get consensus on the two council members who would be part of the committee. “We can come back to what those other categories are because we’ll have to find out what the interest is,” Gallegos said.
“I know that some of our property owners are out of state,” Patrick said.
He said they might not have a direct representative. “But you make a good point with the community members as well being downtown and being affected by some of the changes,” Gallegos said.
“I would very much like to see the Bay Theatre on this,” Senecal said.
Chief Henderson suggested council members Kalmick and Wong as members of the business committee.
Chamber Board Member Peter Magalhaes expressed an interest in participating.
Henderson asked if there was council consensus to appoint Magalhaes to the group.
No one objected. Some applause followed the suggestion.
The council then took a five minute break before the next item on the Strategic Planning agenda.
Next week: Special events and the Olympics.
