August is Filipino Language Month. Buwan ng Wika (Filipino Language Month) is a month-long celebration that aims to uplift Filipino cultures as well as to promote, preserve and encourage the use of indigenous languages spoken in the Philippines. The celebration first began as a weeklong celebration in 1946, and in 1997, then-President Fidel V. Ramos signed a declaration making August National Language Month, to honor late President Manuel L. Quezon, the ‘Father of the Philippine National Language.’ There are over 170 languages spoken in the country, all with distinct intricacies and histories that set them apart. Filipino languages spoken in Long Beach include Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, and many more. Filipino Language Month also commemorates the various indigenous languages in the Philippines to promote and conserve native languages.
“Language is both a culmination and an expression of culture.”
To kick things off, you can check out the 3rd Annual Long Beach Filipino Festival which takes place Saturday, August 6, at St. Lucy Catholic School, 2320 Cota Ave.
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Office of Equity & City Updates |
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The Office of Equity is growing! It is our honor to introduce you to our newest team members: |
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Jennifer Kumiyama
ADA Coordinator
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Jennifer Kumiyama was born with Arthrogryposis and uses a wheelchair daily. She was cast in Disney’s “Aladdin; a Musical Spectacular” at Disney California Adventure Theme Park, where she is the first performer in a wheelchair to ever be on any Disney stage in the world. In 2010, Jennifer was crowned Ms. Wheelchair California and Ms. Wheelchair America 2011, 1st Runner Up. During her reign she spread the message of hope through her platform “Empowering Children with Disabilities to Make Their Own Dreams Come True”. For decades she's been an advocate for people with disabilities, fighting for equity and intersectionality throughout her community and has served as Chair of the Citizen's Advisory Commission on Disability, and the Long Beach Transit Board of Directors. Jennifer worked for former Long Beach Councilwoman, Senator Lena Gonzalez, Councilwoman Mary Zendejas and Long Beach Mayor Dr. Robert Garcia.
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Nareth Muong
Khmer Language Access Specialist
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Nareth Muong has over 20 years of experience in the language access field. He recently provided interpreting service for the President of the United States, Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and other distinguished officials during the U.S.-ASEAN (Leaders of the Association of South East Asian Nations) Special Summit. Before joining the Office of Equity, Nareth worked as a newscaster and webcaster for Radio Free Asia, based in D.C, for over six years. He previously served a large Cambodian community in Lowell, M.A. as a Translation Service Coordinator. Nareth also rendered simultaneous and consecutive interpretations at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal in Cambodia for nearly seven years, from 2007-2014.
Nareth believes human interpreters are essential to breaking the language barrier and enabling communication between the City and the Cambodian community.
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Jaime Ponce
Spanish Language Access Specialist
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Jaime Manuel completed his undergraduate studies at the University of San Diego and obtained his Medical Interpretation/Translation Certification through the University of California San Diego Extension Program. Jaime has worked in the Translation/Interpretation field for the last 8-10 years as an administrator, interpreter recruiter, and interpreter/translator. Jaime is well-versed in the medical, social service, and educational fields, enriching his professional development.
Jaime is excited to join the Office of Equity as part of the Language Access Team. He looks forward to providing insight and professional services to the Long Beach community. Jaime also looks forward to collaborating with other linguist professionals and City departments.
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Community Budget Meetings |
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Join the conversation and provide your feedback on The City's proposed budget at these virtual community budget meetings! |
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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 Planning Bureau in the Development Services Department.
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The Planning Bureau
Development Services
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The work the Planning Bureau does, as a whole, is very impactful and we are doing our best as a team to acknowledge past injustices, uplift traditionally under-represented community voices, and help better inform and guide future planning and land use decisions through a deeper understanding of the City’s history and evolution to help protect and appropriately convey our complete and inclusive local history.
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Programs, Announcements, & Upcoming Events |
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3rd Annual Long Beach Filipino Festival |
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Bilingual Toddler Storytime & Cuentos y Cantos Bilingual Storytime |
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Entre Las Páginas: un club de libros |
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Long Beach Recovery Act Program Updates |
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Creative Economy Grants Launched |
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The application deadline for the City of Long Beach’s Creative Economy Grants program has been extended through July 7, 2022. The program funded by the Long Beach Recovery Act provides financial support to local nonprofits and professional artists to be utilized for operational recovery, public art, community projects and artist fellowships. The Creative Economy Grants program includes the following three grant opportunities administered through Arts Council for Long Beach (ArtsLB): Organizational Recovery Grants, Community Project Grants, and Artist Fellowships. With this deadline extension, the application period for the three grant opportunities will now close at 11:59 p.m. on July 7, 2022. A separate Public Mural grant, which is also currently accepting applications, will close Aug. 5, 2022. Additional information regarding the application process and eligibility requirements for all Creative Economy Grants can be found on the ArtsLB website.
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Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine to Offer Free Recreation Programs |
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Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine (PRM) has offered a variety of popular, free recreation programs for families, teens and older adults. 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.
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Library Extended Teen Programs |
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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.
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Digital Inclusion Resources Hotline Relaunch |
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In alignment with the City of Long Beach’s vision to address the digital divide, the Economic Development Department, in collaboration with the Technology and Innovation Department, today will resume offering its Digital Inclusion Resources Hotline (Hotline). The Hotline connects the Long Beach community to digital inclusion resources, services and language interpretation services. A team of digital inclusion navigators will be available via email and by phone on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to direct residents and business owners to information about free and low-cost internet services, computing devices, digital literacy training, and more. One-on-one assistance and language interpretation services will be available for callers in English and Spanish through the digital inclusion navigators, with language interpretation services in Khmer and Tagalog available upon request. Hotline resources are available by calling 562.570.7000 or by emailing digitalinclusion@longbeach.gov.
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Long Beach New Procurement Platform
"Long Beach Buys"
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The City of Long Beach has launched Long Beach Buys, a new purchasing platform and marketplace that is free for all businesses and organizations seeking to do business with the City. The new procurement software positions the City to more effectively engage with local, diverse and disadvantaged businesses and facilitates the lowering of barriers for prospective businesses to contract with the City with easy-to-use technology, a landing page and instructions available in multiple languages, and an expeditious vendor onboarding process. Long Beach Buys is part of the City’s Extreme Procurement Makeover initiative, which aims to enhance the City’s procurement process to be more efficient, results-driven, equitable and sustainable.
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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.
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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.
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Rising COVID-19 Cases in Long Beach |
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Throughout the state, COVID-19 cases continue to rise and the most recently detected variants are more communicable. In Long Beach, over in recent weeks, cases have been in the CDC’s medium transmission level. Currently, the 7-day case rate is 476.9 per 100,000, the 7-day hospitalization rate is 9.6 per 100,000, and 7.2% of inpatient beds are occupied by COVID-19 patients. Despite rising cases, hospitalizations among Long Beach residents remain stable, area hospitals have adequate capacity and fatalities remain low. Therefore, regarding masking, the City of Long Beach will continue to align with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), which strongly urges, but does not require, masking in most circumstances.
Masks continue to be required, regardless of vaccination status, in homeless shelters, emergency shelters, heating and cooling centers, healthcare settings, correctional facilities and detention centers, long-term care facilities and adult and senior care facilities. Additionally, the City will continue to require masking in public transportation hubs and on public transportation.
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LB Health Department Partners With LGBTQ+ Groups and Expands Monkeypox Vaccine Clinic Operations |
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The Long Beach Health Department’s monkeypox vaccine clinic is now open Mondays through Thursdays from 3 to 6 p.m. This clinic will accommodate those who are currently eligible and is by appointment only. Those who sign-up and meet the eligibility criteria will be contacted with additional information on how to get vaccinated when it is their turn. The pre-registration system is available here or by visiting longbeach.gov/monkeypox. Click Here for the current eligibility requirements. As of July 22, there are nine confirmed and probable cases of monkeypox in Long Beach. None of these individuals required hospitalization and all are isolating and recovering at home. While the risk of monkeypox is low, Health officials urge community members to remain vigilant and aware of symptoms and possible exposure. Visit this Long Beach Health and Human Services webpage for more information.
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Equity and Human Relations Commission |
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The Mission of the Equity and Human Relations Commission is “to inspire and support social justice and equity in the City of Long Beach and foster mutual understanding and respect for all.” |
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This month the Commission will receive presentations on Community Oversight Commissions for Surveillance Technology and the Long Beach Race and Suburbanization Historic Context Statement. |
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When: Wednesday, August 3, at 6 pm
Where: via Zoom
TELECONFERENCE DIAL IN: +1 (213) 338-8477 / MEETING ID: 933 2171 205
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