Council Recap: Community Card program approved

Published on September 09, 2026

At their Tuesday, Sept. 8 meeting, the Lakewood City Council approved a new Community Card program designed to encourage local spending and support Lakewood small independent businesses.

Under the program, residents will be able to purchase the City-branded Discover Lakewood digital cards online in $25, $50 and $100 amounts and, during promotional periods, receive an additional bonus card funded by the City. A $100 purchase will include a $50 bonus card, a $50 purchase will include a $25 bonus, and a $25 purchase will include a $12.50 bonus. The cards can be used at participating local independent shops, restaurants and services only in Lakewood.

Merchants will not be charged a subscription fee or be required to purchase special equipment, making it free and easy to participate in the program. The digital gift cards operate through the Mastercard network, and customers can use the card from their digital wallet with tap-to-pay, or the card number can be entered at the register.

The City will provide an initial $40,000 investment to fund the bonus cards provided when digital cards are purchased. Based on comparable programs in other California cities, that investment is projected to generate approximately $120,000 in total Community Card value for the participating Lakewood businesses. The program will also allow the City to track card sales, redemptions and which businesses receive Community Card dollars.

"This program is a good example of the type of practical economic development tools the City can use to encourage residents to 'Shop Lakewood' and stretch their dollars further, which in turn supports our local business community," said Lakewood City Manager Thaddeus McCormack.

The city will begin outreach to Lakewood small businesses and once enough are participating, Community Card sales will open to the public with the program expected to launch this fall.

Interested independent local businesses can email EconDev@lakewoodca.gov for more information.