March is Women’s History Month and this year’s theme is ‘Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories’. Throughout the month, we look forward to and encourage the recognition of women, past and present, who have been active in all forms of media and storytelling including print, radio, TV, stage, screen, blogs, podcasts, and more. The timely theme honors women in every community who have devoted their lives and talents to producing art, pursuing truth, and reflecting the human condition decade after decade. From the earliest storytellers through pioneering journalists, our experiences have been captured by a wide variety of artists and teachers. These include authors, songwriters, scholars, playwrights, performers, and grandmothers throughout time. Women have long been instrumental in passing on our heritage in word and in print to communicate the lessons of those who came before us. Women’s stories, and the larger human story, expand our understanding and strengthen our connections with each other. In recognition of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, here are some of the women of Long Beach who have made "herstory." 

Commission on Women and Girls - On March 7th, the Office of Equity provided updates to the City Council regarding the Commission on Women and Girls. You can view the presentation HERE and view the report HERE.

Please e-mail Tony Viramontes at Tony.Viramontes@Longbeach.gov and Alanah Grant at Alanah.Grant@longbeach.gov for more information.

15th Annual Cambodia Town Parade

Go to the Website: www.cambodiatown.org for parade entry applications and/or Culture Festival booth rentals. For more information, please contact Event Coordinator Linda Reach at 562-394-5515, lindareach2016@gmail.com, or inquire online at Facebook www.facebook.com/cambodiatown/. 

The City of Long Beach has launched a new tab on its Homelessness Services and Information Hub website detailing the City’s response efforts for the homelessness state of emergency. The new tab, available at longbeach.gov/homelessness, will offer a one-stop-shop for City news, data and resources surrounding the homelessness crisis and will also support the City’s efforts to provide timely, transparent information to the public. The Emergency Response tab will be updated regularly and includes the following information: 

For more information on the City’s efforts to reduce homelessness in Long Beach, people may visit longbeach.gov/homelessness and follow @lbhealthdept and @longbeachcity on social media and follow the hashtag #EveryoneHomeLB.    

To better understand the interest, opportunities and concerns with food trucks, the City of Long Beach seeks your input. The following survey is anonymous unless you choose to share your contact information. We are gathering community feedback regarding food trucks to inform the development of rules and regulations. 

The Food Truck Survey will capture your thoughts on food trucks and the frequency and location of food truck operations seen in Long Beach. To understand who is taking the survey, demographic questions are also included. The survey will be open now until Sunday, April 2nd at midnight. The survey is available at www.longbeach.gov/foodtrucks and print-versions are available at all open Long Beach Public Libraries. The survey is available in Spanish, English, Khmer and Tagalog.

The 7th Annual Ms. Single Mom Empowerment Forum will be held on April 22nd from 10am to 3pm at the Long Beach Airport Marriott Hotel Grand Ballroom. Speaker topics include Building Small Business Skills, Financial Literacy, Family Law and more! Admission is free with online registration at www.speakupempowermentfoundation.org.

Learn about budgeting, checking vs. savings, Credit, Investing, and more! Register at https://TheSixLBFinance.eventbrite.com. 

Connect with a community of fathers today. Learn more at longbeach.gov/fatherhood. Call Arles today! 562-570-3285. 

Long Beach Expands LB Resource Line, a City Hotline Connecting Residents with Local Community Resources - 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.   

The City of Long Beach will open the application process for qualified residents on March 15, 2023, for its First-Time Homebuyer Assistance Program (Program), which will provide approximately 100 eligible families with up to $20,000 in down payment and closing cost assistance. Prior to that, during the month of February, the City will host a series of orientation sessions to help residents verify if they meet the eligibility requirements. Prior to signing up to attend an orientation session, residents are encouraged to confirm they are eligible to apply for the Program by completing a pre-application self-screening form. Full eligibility requirements and guidelines are listed on the Program website. The meetings will be held virtually and in person, as listed below, and will feature an overview of the eligibility criteria and application process. Interpretation services will be available in Spanish and Khmer during the presentations.

The City of Long Beach has launched updates to the Recovery Data Dashboard, a tool for Long Beach community members to track spending and key performance and equity metrics related to the Long Beach Recovery Act. The Recovery Data Dashboard is part of the City’s efforts towards enhancing transparency for the Long Beach Recovery Act to ensure a results-driven, equitable and transparent approach to Recovery funding. The dashboard shows an overview of all LB Recovery Act budget and spending and showcases key performance data for 29 highlighted Recovery Programs, with additional updates on other Recovery Programs to be shared upon the next dashboard update. The dashboard also includes a new community impact story tool to show qualitative data on the progress toward equity and collective impact goals and includes a Recovery and Equity Index where areas of the city are assessed based on their ability to recover from the health, economic and social costs of the pandemic so that the City can evaluate the positive impact of the Recovery efforts. The dashboard offers interactive features allowing the public to explore various data elements including the ability to disaggregate data by program, race/ethnicity and program status. Additional information about the Long Beach Recovery Act is available at longbeach.gov/recovery.  

The City of Long Beach announced the availability of grant funds through the Visual Improvement Grant program, which will support local businesses impacted by crime and vandalism on or after Oct. 1, 2022. This program aims to ease the burden of property crimes and vandalism for small businesses throughout the city, with property crimes as a whole increasing from 2021 to 2022. A total of $350,000 will be available, repurposed from Long Beach Recovery Act funds. Applications will open on Feb. 22, with more information and online application available at longbeach.gov/smallbizgrants. Applications will remain open until funding is exhausted. Grant awards will be issued on a rolling basis to eligible applicants. Visual Improvement Grant activities will be tracked through, reported on, and communicated via the Long Beach Recovery Act website. For more information, visit the Long Beach Recovery Act website at longbeach.gov/recovery/reporting-data/.

Inclusive Business Navigators Program 

The City of Long Beach launched the Inclusive Business Navigators Program to provide outreach, workshops, education and direct technical assistance for local small businesses and nonprofits to support their economic recovery from financial hardships and disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Inclusive Business Navigators Program will begin conducting services including inclusive business outreach, increased access to small business grants and loans, marketing and the delivery of free business advising. The program is intended to serve all small businesses in the city of Long Beach with a focus on reaching businesses owned or led by diverse business owners, such as Black, Latinx, Cambodian, and Asian and Pacific Islanders. Investments of time and energy are also expected to be prioritized in low-and-moderate income areas of the city and businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Small Business owners are encouraged to visit longbeach.gov/biznavigators for more information and details on participating with the Inclusive Business Navigators program.

Meeting ID: 960 1062 0488 

Dial In: 1-213-338-8477 

Passcode: 562372 

To learn more about the latest news regarding COVID-19, please visit the City's website at https://www.longbeach.gov/health/diseases-and-condition/information-on/coronavirus/

To learn more about the latest news regarding monkey pox, please visit the City's website at https://www.longbeach.gov/health/diseases-and-condition/information-on/mpox/