Latinx and Hispanic Heritage Month

What started as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968 has expanded to National Hispanic Heritage Month, from September 15-October 15. National Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of ethos living in America with ancestral lineage from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America. September 15th is the starting point of the commemoration because it marks the anniversary of independence from Spain for 5 Latin American countries. 

International Day of Sign Language - September 23

Established in 1951, International Day of Sign Languages aims to recognize and raise awareness of the importance of sign language to over 70 million people who ae deaf around the globe. More than 80% of them live in developing countries. Collectively, they use more than 300 different sign languages. It recognizes the importance of preserving sign languages as part of linguistic and cultural diversity.

Healing Through Policy

This week, our Reconciliation Team was one of 8 jurisdictions selected to participate in a three-day virtual learning institute, "Healing Through Policy," hosted by the American Public Health Association, de Beaumont Foundation, National Collaborative for Health Equity, and Results for America. Over the three days, we learned about the Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) Framework. We also reviewed case study examples relating to the pillars for the TRHT Framework, and we spent time visioning and action planning some of our racial equity work.  

We look forward to integrating these lessons learned into our implementation of the Racial Equity and Reconciliation Initiative.

Nonprofit organizations are invited to apply in September for a Port of Long Beach Sponsorship, to fund community events and programs that in turn help inform residents about the Port. 

Community groups may submit sponsorship applications online starting Thursday, Sept. 1, through 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30. For more information on the Port’s Community Sponsorship Program and how to apply, go to www.polb.com/sponsorship. 

The City of Long Beach is currently accepting applications for the Management Assistant Program, a one-year apprenticeship filled with challenge, excitement, and tremendous opportunities for career and personal growth.  

Every month, our newsletter will introduce you to the incredible people and innovative programs that are advancing equity across the City. This month, we are highlighting the Neighborhood Leadership Program and the Language Access Team!

The Neighborhood Leadership Program is offered by the City of Long Beach Housing and Neighborhood Services Bureau. This five month multilingual program assists grassroots residents and provides you with the skills, knowledge and resources you need to make a difference in the quality of life in our community. This program is free to participants and is partially funded through the Federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program.  

Learn more about the Neighborhood Leadership Program by viewing the brochure below: 

For more information, visit longbeach.gov/lbds/hn/leadership or contact the Housing and Neighborhood Services Bureau at (562) 570-1010 or via e-mail to Francisco.Rodriguez@longbeach.gov.

At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, the Language Access Policy (LAP) team had the opportunity to implement their new model for delivering Language Access in the council chambers. LAP services that evening were a resounding success and evaluated positively by community members.

The new model relies on close coordination with the City Clerk, Technology & Innovation, and our community partners to identify high attendance meetings and allocate a higher number of interpreters accordingly. Furthermore, the LAP team was able to utilize their new full-time staff to greet and consult with community members requiring interpretation prior to delivering their public comment. This strategy helped to put non-English-speaking community members at ease and resulted in improved accuracy of interpretation.

On Saturday, September 10th, take a walk through history and follow a high ridge trail that links Rancho Los Alamitos and Rancho Los Cerritos. The 9.4-mile scenic walking route will start near the entrance to Rancho Los Alamitos and then connect the CSULB campus, Reservoir Hill, Hilltop Park in Signal Hill, Willow Springs Park and finish with a celebration at Rancho Los Cerritos. 

The Long Beach Public Library (LBPL) will host its fourth annual Vida Latina, a series of events in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, taking place Sept. 10 through Nov. 2, 2022, at various LBPL locations. This year’s celebration will present a mix of in-person and virtual activities for adults, teens and kids, including annual favorites such as Lotería and Cuentos y Cantos Storytime and exciting new events like the Resistencia Poetry Club, Día de Muertos and Mercadito Literario, a literary fair fun for the whole family, on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022. 

Celebrating the wellness, resilience, and empowerment of youth in Long Beach. The Interactive resource fair features art, music, games, sports, and more.

The City of Long Beach has expanded its LB Resource Line, an informational hotline that provides free and confidential support to anyone who lives, works, learns or plays in Long Beach and needs assistance finding and accessing local community resources and social services. The LB Resource Line launched in March 2020 during the COVID-19 Safer-At-Home health orders to connect older adults to critical pandemic-related information, resources and services. The line has now expanded its services to provide support to all Long Beach residents, and callers can now connect in real time with a professionally trained Resource Navigator for support. The LB Resource Line is available by calling 562.570.4246 weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Callers who are unable to connect to a Resource Navigator during normal business hours may leave a voicemail and their call will be returned within 24 hours. Residents can also submit an Assistance Request Form online to connect with a Resource Navigator and receive information and assistance in topics such as: Housing, Food access, Physical and mental health, Utilities, Transportation, and Legal Aid. 

Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine (PRM) will offer a variety of popular, free recreation programs for families, teens and older adults beginning June 20. Residents can call or visit their neighborhood park for schedules and to register for activities. Locations are available on the Summer Fun Days webpage. More information, including the list of Be S.A.F.E. locations and the movie schedule, is available on the Be S.A.F.E. webpage. Visit the Movies in the Park webpage for the complete list of locations and movie titles. Visit the Mobile Recess Program webpage for days, times and locations.

Library Expanded Teen Programs

Summer 2022

The Long Beach Public Library (LBPL) is expanding its programming for teens at several branch locations. The summer and after-school programs will add a variety of enrichment activities for youth ages 12 and older with a strong focus on wellbeing, creativity, STEAM learning and collaborative interaction. Library branches that will feature expanded teen programming starting this summer include Billie Jean King Main Library, Burnett, Harte, Los Altos, Mark Twain and Michelle Obama. The new programs include the following: Read Beyond the Beaten Path is the LBPL’s Summer Reading Program, SEED STEAM Community, and Teen Advisory Groups (TAG). Expanded programming for teens at the neighborhood libraries is made possible by the Long Beach Recovery Act (Recovery Act), a plan to fund economic and public health initiatives for residents, workers and businesses critically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The City of Long Beach Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine (PRM), in partnership with California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) LifeFit Center @ The Beach, is launching a new exercise class program to provide evidence-based physical activity programming for older adults. The exercise class program supports the City’s Age-Friendly Initiative and emphasizes helping seniors maintain their independence and aging well at home. The program, funded by the Long Beach Recovery Act to support older adults impacted during the pandemic, will be held Thursdays at the McBride Park Senior Center and Tuesdays at the Chavez Park Senior Center from 11 to11:50 a.m. starting July 19 and July 21, respectively. Pre-registration is not required, and classes will be available on a first-come, first-served basis until capacity is reached. Additional information about the CSULB LifeFit Center is available on its website. More details regarding the City’s Age Friendly Initiative are available here.

Beginning Sept. 19, 2022, the City of Long Beach will offer a nine-month Teen Academy for 100 teens ages 13 to 18. The Teen Academy program, offered through the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine (PRM), is designed to provide teens with experiences, activities and resources that support their wellness and future success. Participants of the program will engage in recreational and social activities to help mitigate the negative effects of isolation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and will also have increased access to resources in areas such as mental health, financial literacy, educational opportunities and job pathways. Applications and waivers to be signed by parents will be available during normal hours at all six PRM Teen Centers beginning Tuesday, Sept. 6. Registration will remain open until all spots are filled. More information about teen center programming is available on the PRM Youth and Teen Center Programs webpage.

The City of Long Beach has soft launched the Recovery Data Dashboard, a new tool for Long Beach community members to track spending and key performance metrics related to the Long Beach Recovery Act. The Recovery Data Dashboard is part of the City’s efforts in enhancing transparency in the Long Beach Recovery Act to ensure a results-driven, equitable, and transparent approach in Recovery funding.   

In this soft launch iteration, the dashboard shows an overview of all LB Recovery Act budget and spending, as well as represents key performance data for 8 out of 77 Recovery Programs. The dashboard also includes community impact stories to show qualitative data on the progress toward equity and collective impact goals. Feedback on this soft launch version is welcome at LBrecovery@longbeach.gov. The dashboard is intended to be iterative and it will be updated in November 2022.

The City of Long Beach is seeking to partner with community organizations to expand existing or launch new Promotora/Community Health Champion (P/CHC) programs that promote education and wellness opportunities across Long Beach communities. P/CHC are community navigators, care coordinators and community engagement champions who focus on increasing community access and connection to health screenings, health education, and mental health and well-being resources. Eligible organizations are encouraged to submit proposals through the City’s procurement platform, Long Beach Buys by 11 a.m. (PST) on Sept. 20, 2022. Specific details related to this Request for Proposal (RFP), including project scope, eligibility requirements, and submission instructions are available through Long Beach Buys.

The City of Long Beach, in partnership with the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD), recently launched its Space Beach Teacher Externship Program, a professional development program for K-12 educators to create streamlined, easy-to-navigate career pathways for students interested in aerospace and related industries. The Space Beach Teacher Externship Program kicked off on Aug. 9 with a three-day workshop held across multiple employer sites in Long Beach including special visits to Boeing, Relativity Space, Rocket Lab, SpinLaunch and Virgin Orbit. There were 16 LBUSD educators selected to collaborate with Pacific Gateway and Long Beach aerospace employers to participate in the program and raise awareness of aerospace industry knowledge and trends. This three-day opportunity provided teachers with extended exposure to aerospace manufacturing, rocket launch trends, work environments and types of careers their students may want to pursue in aerospace. Teachers participated in workshops with industry leaders, engaged in discussions on workforce and existing needs, and had the opportunity to gain hands-on experience that will help educators contextualize the academic content they teach.

The City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) has launched a new monkeypox (MPX) dashboard to provide the public with information on MPX cases and vaccinations in the City. The new MPX dashboard, available as a button feature on the Health Department’s MPX website, will offer a user-friendly experience and real-time access to increased data transparency.

Beginning Wednesday, Sept. 7, the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) will begin offering the bivalent Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 boosters. The bivalent boosters, also known as “updated boosters,” will provide increased protection against the omicron variant that is currently circulating. Appointments will be made available on MyTurn beginning Wednesday, Sept. 21.

The Long Beach Health Department is now offering non-appointment options to those who are eligible for the monkeypox (MPX) vaccine at the Long Beach City College, Pacific Coast Campus (PCC) vaccination site. This is in effort to provide equitable distribution and increase access of the MPX vaccine, as well as make it easier for people to get vaccinated and protected quickly.

The Long Beach Health Department COVID-19 vaccine clinic for children ages 6 months to 5 years old has relocated all operations to Cabrillo High School, located at 2100-2198 Monitor Ave. Vaccines are being offered to this age group on Fridays, 10 am-1 pm and 2-5 pm, and Saturdays, 10 am-1 pm. Vaccines for this young age group will not be offered at any other City-run COVID-19 vaccination site.

  

To view the most up-to-date vaccine clinic schedule and to schedule an appointment, visit longbeach.gov/vaxLB or call 562.570.4636. People also can visit MyTurn.ca.gov to find vaccine appointments for the whole family. Families that include people with disabilities, access or functional needs, or underlying health conditions who are not able to travel to this vaccination site can request mobile vaccination at longbeach.gov/COVID19MobileVaccination or by calling 562.570.4636.