DLBAs eight committees offer Downtown stakeholders a chance to make their voices heard and to help shape the direction of Downtown Long Beach. As part of our monthly series, DLBA would like you to meet two new committee members, Rhonda Love and Michael Gold, whose professions keep them in close contact with the daily workings of Downtown.
Love, who has lived in Long Beach for almost four decades, serves on DLBA’s Board of Directors representing East Village businesses and was recently named to also serve on its Special Events & Sponsorship Committee. She has acquired years of management, production, and marketing skills, including time as an Executive Assistant for Mayor Robert Garcia. She is Executive Director and Producer for her own digital media company, DreamKreator Studio, which operates out of Downtown’s East Village.
“At Dreamkreator, we are social butterflies,” said Love. “We love people and we love the community. We have made lots of friends locally over the years, and we anticipate the day when we can see each other out and about, enjoying the town. We are looking forward to the return of nights like the East Village Art Walk and other community events.”
Love brings a solid educational background to her profession; She graduated from California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) in 1997 with a degree in Film
and Media, and returned to school years later, graduating from the Entertainment Management Executive Director’s Program at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2019.
“It is very important to document City events in all forms of media,” said Love. “These are the records of the City’s history and its vitality. They are also sources of accurate and correct information. Through both traditional and digital documenting, the City maintains and shapes its narrative.”
Inspired by the Downtown community and the events DLBA has produced and sponsored over the years, Love decided to join our Special Events Committee last month. “I hope to contribute to the continuous work of keeping Downtown Long Beach a great place to live, work, eat, and shop,” she said.
Love doesn’t have to travel far to enjoy a day off. “A good time for me is enjoying the Downtown Waterfront,” she said. “I love restaurants, filming, watching movies, and being near water.”
Gold, who joined DLBA’s Board of Directors in January, also serves on the Marketing and Communications Committee. He is the Executive Director and Vice President of Customer Relations and Communications for Long Beach Transit (LBT). “I joined the DLBA Board because Long Beach Transit has a strong presence in the Downtown community and I want to deepen that connection,” Gold said.
“Starting at the LBT’s First Street Transit Gallery in the heart of Downtown,” Gold continued, “people can travel all over the City and beyond with connections to regional service such as the A (Blue) Line. By strengthening the connection between LBT and DLBA, I hope to encourage people to take public transit to Downtown to shop, dine and visit other parts of Long Beach as well.”
Born in Los Angeles, Gold has spent most of his life in Southern California. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Urban Studies from the University of California, San Diego and went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning from Florida State University.
Big on traveling, he made several family trips to Mexico before the pandemic, and is looking forward to traveling there again, and taking more pictures, when it is safe. Meanwhile, he will continue working with DLBA to market LBT’s programs and services to visitors, residents and businesses in Downtown and beyond.
Gold encourages Downtown stakeholders to connect with DLBA; “Read DLBA publications, follow us on social media and, if possible, join a committee,” he said.
To learn more about DLBA’s committees and about other ways to get involved with Downtown Long Beach through DLBA, click here.