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From the Desk of Councilmember Al Austin II
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Dear Friends,
We had a great turnout of residents and volunteers at a number of events these past few weeks to help improve our environment.
Whether it was picking up trash along the LA River, helping to plant trees in the neighborhood around Dooley Elementary, learning about the Growing Experience urban farm, marching for science, or recycling old electronics, clothes and household items to keep them out of the waste stream, Long Beach continues to show we are a leader in promoting a healthy and sustainable community.
As a member of the Lower Los Angeles River Working Group, I also encourage you to participate in the community engagement phase now underway, as part of the effort to develop a long-range revitalization plan for the river. You can take an online community survey through the link below in the newsletter.
I would also like to invite you to help celebrate Long Beach's diversity, as we honor Asian Pacific Islander American Heritage Month at City Hall this Tuesday, May 9. There will be some great exhibits, performances, special attractions prior to the start of the City Council meeting, and a special presentation at the beginning of the meeting. More information is below.
Always working for a better Long Beach!
Sincerely,
AL AUSTIN II
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Upcoming Events
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First Fridays - Spring Awakening
Friday, May 5
6:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Atlantic Avenue b/w Bixby Road and San Antonio Dr.
Spring has sprung in Bixby Knolls and we are ringing in the new season during First Fridays Spring Awakening with art, music, and plenty of community.
The Expo Art Center will be taken over by the bi-annual crafters event, Uptown Village Market. From locally made goods to Mother's Day gifts, there is a little something for everyone.
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Tuttle Cameras Parking Lot Sale
Saturday, May 6
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Tuttle Cameras
4019 Atlantic Avenue
Tuttle Cameras has been serving the photographic community for 70 years at 4019 Atlantic Ave, and has has been a part of Long Beach's history for the past 71 years.
Due to unforseen circumstances, Tuttle Cameras has to leave its current location, and will be moving to a new location at 5467 E. Carson St., in the Parkview Village Shops, located at the intersection of Bellflower Blvd. and Carson St.
Their last business day at the Bixby Knolls location will be May 25th, and will be open at the new location starting May 30th.
Tuttle Cameras will be having a parking lot sale to prepare for the move, with everything from new and used items, flashes, light stands, tripods, antique cameras, and over stocked items, old displays and much more.
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Little Owl Community Open House
Saturday, May 6
9:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Little Owl Preschool
3426 Linden Avenue
Little Owl Preschool is hosting a community open house to invite the community, families and friends to visit their space.
Little Owl Preschool is a small school with large purposes; it is a school that ultimately will change the way young children interact with the world.
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The Brain Hub Grand Opening
Saturday, May 6
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
The Brain Hub
3701 Long Beach Blvd., Suite 303A
Eighth District residents Antonie and Angela van der Baan invite the community to the grand opening of their new business, The Brain Hub. The learning and brain exercise center features workshops, puzzle rooms, homework help and tutoring.
There will be fun activities, giveaways and refreshments at the grand opening.
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City Ventures Community Meeting on Updated Plans for 4800 and 5100 Long Beach Blvd.
Monday, May 8
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Word of God Ministries
4801 Long Beach Blvd.
City Ventures, a California homebuilder, entered into a purchase and sale agreement with the City of Long Beach last year to redevelop vacant properties with new for-sale housing communities at 4800 Long Beach Boulevard and 5100 Long Beach Boulevard. These sites are former Redevelopment Agency properties.
City Ventures is in the planning stages for the properties. After a community information session in January, they have made some adjustments to the projects. Now, City Ventures is having a second community meeting to share the updated plans with local residents and get feedback.
There is no specific presentation time, so residents can arrive anytime between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. City Ventures representatives will be there to answer questions and speak with residents one-on-one, to meet and discuss ideas. Comment cards will be available for residents to also write down their thoughts.
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Long Beach Celebrates Asian Pacific Islander American Heritage Month
Tuesday, May 9
3:30 p.m. - Reception and Exhibits
5:00 p.m. - City Council Presentation
Long Beach City Hall lobby
333 W. Ocean Blvd.
Parking availaible in structure at Broadway and Chestnut
The community is invited to attend the official City of Long Beach Asian Pacific Islander American Heritage Month Celebration.
An exhibit featuring pieces from the Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum and United Cambodian Community will take place in the lobby of City Hall beginning at 3:30 p.m.
Also featured will be local Asian Pacific Islander community resource tables, a photo opportunity with Chico McRooster to celebrate the Year of the Rooster and a sampling of cultural treats. The California State University Long Beach South Asian Student Association will be providing henna tattoos for a nominal fee.
The reception program will begin at 4 p.m. with musical performances from the National Pacific Islander Education Network and Cambodian artist Phanith Sovann Yaletchko.
This will be followed at 5 p.m. by a special presentation during the City Council meeting commemorating Asian Pacific Islander American Heritage Month.
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Historical Society of Long Beach Hosts an Oral History with State Senator Betty Karnette (ret.) and Congressman Alan Lowenthal
Wednesday, May 10
5:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Keesal, Young & Logan
400 Oceangate
$80/$70 for HSLB Members
Join the Historical Society of Long Beach for a conversation exploring the groundbreaking life and career of retired Assembly Member and State Senator, the Honorable Betty Karnette.
Congressman Alan Lowenthal, Senator Karnette's longtime friend and colleague, will conduct this public oral history.
Senator Karnette's story is one you won't want to miss. From her early days in Kentucky to fighting in the trenches of Southern California labor and party politics; she has been immersed in six decades of profound change in her adopted hometown of Long Beach.
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Free Monthly Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event
Saturday, May 13
9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
EDCO Recycling and Transfer Collection Center
2755 California Avenue, Signal Hill
(enter on 28th Street)
The City of Long Beach partnered with public/private agencies to open a local and permanent Environmental Collection Center for disposing of household, universal and electronic wastes. The free collection events take place the second Saturday of every month.
Items accepted at the drop-off include paint, batteries, used motor oil, cleaning supplies, expired prescription medicines, electronics and used tires. See the
attached flyer for more information.
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History Comes Alive: An Evening with Will Rogers and John Muir at Rancho Los Cerritos
Saturday, May 20
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Rancho Los Cerritos
4600 Virginia Road
$25/person, $55 VIP ticket (w/ dinner)
Get ready to go back in time and meet some of history's most important figures with
History Comes Alive: An Evening With Will Rogers and John Muir.
Two extraordinary men who blazed the trail for today's way of life -- one in comedy and the other in wilderness preservation -- will leap out of the pages of history books and come to life at Rancho Los Cerritos on
Saturday, May 20.
For the first half of the show, actor Chuck Kovacic will embody America's most popular humorist, Will Rogers. Rogers' illustrious career included both Cactus Jack's Wild West Show and the Ziegfeld Follies.
Next, actor and conservationist Michael Oates will dive into the life of John Muir, the naturalist, author and environmental philosopher behind the preservation of Yosemite Valley, Sequoia National Park and more.
Tickets start at $25 for general admission; VIP tickets, which includes a boxed dinner, a complimentary glass of wine, and priority seating, are available for $55. Advance registration is required. Buy
tickets here .
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In the News
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Lower LA River Working Group Enters Community Engagement Phase
In 2015, Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 530 by Assemblymember Anthony Rendon, authorizing the creation of a local "Working Group" to develop a Lower LA River Revitalization Plan (LLARRP).
This plan will be part of an update to LA County's Master Plan by addressing the unique and diverse needs of the Lower LA River. It will also start a conversation about how the entire 51-mile river can be managed collaboratively.
The Working Group's goal is to create a robust restoration plan that lays the groundwork for a revitalized Lower LA River that connects residents to the river that flows through their communities.
Almost half of the 19 miles of the Lower Los Angeles River runs through Long Beach. The City of Long Beach is represented on the Working Group by Mayor Garcia and Councilmember Austin. There are 39 members of the working group, including the 12 cities along the stretch of the River from Long Beach north to Vernon.
As the working group completes its first year on the revitalization plan, it is now entering the community engagement phase, which will include additional community outreach events.
The working group is currently conducting an on-line community survey for residents to share how you use the LA River today and changes you would like to see for the LA River in the future. The exercise takes about 5-15 minutes and includes an interactive mapping tool. You can stop and return to provide more feedback at any time.
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Police Department Reminds Residents to Take Steps to Prevent Burglaries
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The North Division of the Long Beach Police Department wants to remind residents about the facts regarding residential burglary in North Division:
- Most occurred on a weekday.
- Most occurred between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.
- Nearly half of the people arrested for residential burglary have been juveniles.
- Burglars often work in teams of two or three, using one as a lookout.
- Many burglars go into the backyard and enter the house by prying or breaking a rear window or door.
- Most burglars do NOT want to encounter a resident while engaging in their crime.
Frequently, burglars will knock on a potential victim's door to determine whether anyone is home. They tend to be quite persistent in their knocking; then, if no one answers, they move to the backyard area to break in. If someone does answer, they will act like they are trying to find their friend's house and move on to a different house or area.
Prevention tips:
- Lock your doors and windows.
- Walk the perimeter of your house---viewing it as a burglar would. Are valuable items such as flat screen TVs, computers, etc. visible from outside? Would untrimmed hedges provide cover for someone removing your window screen? Do you have motion sensor lights?
- Consider getting a dog.
- Know your children's friends and screen cleaning crews appropriately.
- Video or photograph valuables, especially jewelry, and record the serial numbers. Store videos and photographs separately---not on your computer or camera, as these items will likely be taken during a residential burglary.
- Familiarize yourself with the people and cars in your neighborhood. If someone seems suspicious, CALL THE POLICE. Most residential burglary arrests are a result of a witness reporting suspicious activity to the police. Examples of suspicious activity range from the extreme (seeing an unfamiliar person carrying items out of your neighbor's home) to the more mundane (an unfamiliar car circling the block).
- Use your cell phone to take a picture of the suspicious person or vehicle, including the license plate, if is safe to do so.
If you are a victim of a residential burglary:
- CALL THE POLICE to report it.
- Do NOT touch anything. The Police Department Forensic Specialists will likely respond and attempt to gather fingerprints---many burglars are arrested based on fingerprint results.
- Provide police with a complete listing of missing items, INCLUDING SERIAL NUMBERS. Without serial numbers, the likelihood of having your stolen items returned to you is slim. If the burglar tries to pawn your property, serial numbers will be helpful.
You can also watch an informative video on how to protect your home at this link.
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Kevin J. Jackson Appointed Deputy City Manager
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City Manager Patrick H. West this week named Kevin J. Jackson, as Deputy City Manager for the City of Long Beach, effective June 26.
Mr. Jackson is currently the Neighborhood Services Director for the City of Champaign, Illinois, where he is responsible for overseeing community engagement, affordable housing services, grants administration, economic development, capital improvement and more. He previously held the positions of Neighborhood Partnership Administrator and Senior Management Assistant with the City of Glendale, Arizona; and Project Management Assistant, Neighborhood Preservation Inspector, and Case Worker for the City of Phoenix.
Mr. Jackson received his Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Psychology and Sociology and his Master of Public Administration Degree from Arizona State University.
Over the past months, Anitra Dempsey has been serving as Interim Deputy City Manager. She
will return to her position as the Executive Director of the Citizen Police Complaint Commission (CPCC), which investigates allegations of police misconduct and reviews the service provided by members of the Long Beach Police Department.
The Deputy City Manager is an externally-focused position responsible for ensuring that policies and programs approved by the City Council are implemented throughout the organization in a collaborative and consistent manner. The position oversees the Office of Governmental Affairs, the Office of Public Affairs, the Citizen's Police Complaint Commission, and initiatives such as water quality, transportation, regional planning, grant development, violence prevention initiatives, and state and regional funding issues. This position is also responsible for various special projects and the City's administrative efforts in the licensing and regulation of medical marijuana.
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Photos From Around the Eighth District
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More than 240 volunteers gathered to plant almost 100 trees in the neighborhood around Dooley Elementary School at the Earth Day Tree Planting on April 22.
Volunteers happily pose with their newly planted tree.
A special thanks to our gracious host, the Mirage Mediterranean Cafe located at 539 E. Bixby Road for April's Monthly Monday Meet Up on April 24.
Many residents turned out for the first community watch meeting on Banner Drive on April 27.
Councilmember Austin at the Friends of the Los Angeles River (FoLAR) annual river clean up on April 29, with Councilmember Roberto Uranga, Assemblymember Patrick O'Donnell and staff Allison Gallagher and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon. (Photo courtesy of FOLAR)
A large number of residents took advantage of the Annual 8th District Shed and Shred event at Scherer Park on April 29. Our office partnered with Goodwill this year to collect clothes, shoes, and e-waste, and provide free shredding of documents.
Councilmember Austin met with neighborhood residents at Council On Your Corner on May 1 at Silva and Gardenia.
Congratulations to The Better Half Boutique located at 3974 Atlantic Avenue for celebrating its two year anniversary.
Councilmember Austin spoke with participants in the Leadership Long Beach Executive Leadership Series class on May 4 at F&M Bank.
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| Nearly 1,000 participants attended the March for Science in Long Beach on April 22, starting with a rally at Atlantic and San Antonio Dr. |
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Did You Know?
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Great Los Angeles River Clean-up: By the Numbers
Approximately 1,600 volunteers picked up an estimated 14 tons of trash at four cleanup sites along the Lower Los Angeles River in Long Beach on Saturday, April 29.
Overall, there were a total of 10,000 volunteers, who picked up over 100 tons of trash along the entire River during the month of April, as part of the Great Los Angeles River Clean-up, which is an annual event organized by the Friends of the Los Angeles River (FoLAR).
This year saw record breaking numbers for this year's cleanup. Thank you to all of the volunteers who came out and helped.
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Contact Your 8th District Council Office
City Of Long Beach
Councilmember AL AUSTIN II
Monique
Kosal
- Legislative Aide / Scheduler
City Hall:
333 West Ocean Blvd, 14th Floor- 8th District
Long Beach, CA 90802
(562) 570-6685
District Office:
4321 Atlantic Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90807
(562) 570-1326
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