The 3rd District news & updates |
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Free Holiday Treecycling
December 26th, 2020 - January 8th, 2021
Smart Cities and Data Privacy:
Upcoming Virtual Community Meeting
January 20th, 2021 from 5:30PM-6:30PM
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I know that 2020 has been a very challenging and unpredictable year for all of us. This year has included news, realities, and long term impacts that none of us could have imagined. Although, there have been some personal silver linings for all of us along the way, the anxiety of not knowing what the future will hold for our community, our families, and our nation in terms of financial impacts, availability of vaccines, and the long-term recovery has made most of this year unsettling. At least that is how I have felt. |
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As a city we will continue to put our focus, as we enter 2021, on three main areas:
- Health and protecting people from the virus. With the vaccine becoming available to more and more people there is a growing ability for people to be better protected.
- Providing a safety net for our local business economy to ensure once we are allowed to reopen we can do so with a strong and resilient economy.
- Providing the essential daily services to residents we all expect from our city. Things like street repair, police response, parks programming, trash collection, and the thousands of other responsibilities shouldered by our fantastic Long Beach city staff every day.
2020 has been difficult but I believe we can all look to 2021 with renewed positivity for the world and our lives in it. And for me this positivity comes from the community. For months we’ve seen everyone facing enormous challenges, but time and time again individuals and groups in our community worked together finding creative ways to help and give of themselves for others in need. So many people have reached out to our office this year, to thank us for our communications and to assure me and my team that we will get through this together. This optimism gives me faith in the future. The strength of our community and the love we have for everyone around us throughout our beautiful city will be what helps us move forward.
I hope you will join me as we enter 2021 and place a priority on helping others and on making our city a more loving and positive place than we have ever seen before. We can set aside divisiveness and anger, and choose to focus our energies on bringing one another closer together and rebuilding our hard-hit businesses and economy. We have lots of work to do, so let’s get to it!
Sincerely,
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Suzie Price
3rd District Councilwoman
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3rd District Community News And Events |
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The year of 2020 was unlike any other! As we prepare for 2021, we look back at all our office has accomplished amidst a tumultuous year. In January and February, we started the year strong, piloting a free bus to city council initiative, as well as saw updates to the Belmont pool approved by City Council. Members of our team participated in the annual homeless count and hosted a District Three community meeting to discuss revisions to the Belmont Pier. Then in March, as a community we went into a Safer at Home order to protect ourselves and others from the novel COVID-19 Pandemic. Through April as a City we were able to achieve some relief for struggling members of our community through the CARES Act as well as a relief fund for the City of Long Beach. In May we shifted our focus to planning how to transition out of lockdowns through a series of community surveys and focus groups, as well as held a community discussion on how to improve mental health amidst these challenging times. The month of June saw the reopening of many sectors in the community including restaurants, hair salons, in-store retail, and places of worship. As a community we experienced the protests in response to the tragedy of George Floyd, and looked inward as to how we improve locally to improve the relationship between our police officers and the community.
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In July we celebrated the 4th of July safely at home, and participated in a discussion on race to discuss implicit bias. August brought the beginning of Budget Season in the City of Long Beach, the creation of a Council District 3 Community Garden, and progress on the disabled drivers initiative throughout the city. The Long Beach City Budget was passed in September, and our team was able to resume Third District Community meetings. In October we were able to initiate the homeless jobs program, and celebrate Halloween safely at home. November saw the Presidential election, a celebration of the new Channel View Playground, and one of our final community meeting of the year. As the holiday season has come to an end and we start a year, our team looks forward to all the next year has to offer, and more incredible accomplishments for Council District 3!
Mollie Wilson
3rd District Scheduler/Legislative Assistant
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Long Beach Vaccines Update |
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The City is in the early stages of providing vaccines based on a series of tiers as we prioritize frontline and essential workers. In the past two weeks the City has begun providing vaccines to frontline healthcare workers as the first phase in the vaccine rollout. In addition to the 3,900 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, the City expects to receive up to 11,600 doses of the Moderna vaccine in the weeks ahead. Critical populations, like hospital workers, will have access to the vaccine initially.
The Health Department is managing the vaccine distribution process and will be following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the State. The City has the infrastructure to receive, store, distribute and dispense the vaccine.
Long Beach residents should expect that they will be able to receive the vaccine at no charge because it will be paid for by the federal government or through one’s insurance company.
Vaccine Administration Overview
There will be several phases to the overall vaccination plan. Phases are determined by the CDC and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The ACIP has given guidance on prioritizing those who are at highest risk of infection, like our hospital workers and other frontline workers, and later expanding to other essential workers, adults over the age of 65 and those with underlying health conditions. This prioritization, established to benefit the entire community, is organized into a set of phases, sub phases and tiers.
Phase 1a will be the first group to have access to the vaccine. The number of people in this group is larger than the quantity of doses in the first shipment, therefore Phase 1a is divided into three tiers. The City expects everyone in Phase 1a to be vaccinated within the first three months of this year.
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- Tier 1 of Phase 1a includes acute care and skilled nursing facilities, paramedics and EMTs and dialysis centers.
- Tier 2 includes intermediate and home health care, community/public health field staff and primary care clinics.
- Most other healthcare settings including laboratories, dentist offices and pharmacies will be in Tier 3.
In Phase 1b, as more vaccine allotments are received, they will be offered to other essential workers which includes refuse workers, grocery workers and those who have been working during the pandemic in an essential job function. The City anticipates this phase will begin in March or April of 2021. Phase 1c includes high-risk populations of adults over age 65 and adults with high-risk medical conditions.
During Phase 2, the vaccine will be available to the general public. Administration of the vaccine to the general public is expected in early summer.
Over the next few months, the Health Department will be distributing vaccines to City partners to ensure those in Phase 1 can receive the vaccination. Then City-led dispensing operations will begin. The Health Department will hold dispensing clinics, known as PODs (Point of Dispensing) initially for essential workers and later for the general public.
As positive COVID-19 cases continue to increase, the City strongly urges residents to:
- Stay at home as much as possible - leave your home only as necessary to access and provide essential services.
- Wear a face covering whenever you leave your home.
- Avoid close contact with anyone outside your household.
- Wash your hands and disinfect frequently touched surfaces.
Jack Cunningham
3rd District Chief of Staff
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Community Hospital Granted License |
I am incredibly glad to announce that Community Hospital Long Beach has finally reopened. Community Hospital is absolutely essential to the safety and health of Long Beach residents and particularly those in east Long Beach. Now as we see enormous stress on our hospital systems due to COVID-19 getting this hospital open again is great news. The incredible work of Long Beach City staff, the Community Hospital Foundation, Councilman Supernaw, and the new operator, Molina Wu Network (MWN) along with Pacific6 have gotten us to this point where Community Hospital's doors are open again helping Long Beach residents.
This is an effort I have been closely involved in because this hospital is an important service to residents needing emergency medical care in the immediate area which includes the Third Council District. Many of the members of the Community Hospital Foundation are Third District residents who have worked tirelessly with me and Councilman Supernaw to make this effort a reality. I want to thank them, and especially Chairman Ray Burton and Executive Director, Matthew Faulkner, for their service.
Although, this has been a long process which began in March of 2018 when the previous operator announced they would stop all operations at Community Hospital, at every turn the City has worked to prioritize the urgent reopening of this hospital and moved as quickly as possible to help the new operators reopen their doors. And now, I am very glad that it has been granted a license from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and is now accepting patient transfers.
Community Hospital has initially opened with 11 much-needed ICU beds and space for 40 other patients with the ability to add additional capacity later in 2021. Beds are being used for pre-arranged physician-directed transfers of patients from local hospitals and nursing facilities in order to relieve stress from overwhelmed healthcare providers operating at or near capacity.
No walk-in patients will be accepted at the current time and CHLB will not be accepting COVID-19 patients; the additional beds at CHLB are intended to free up beds at other hospitals for the care of COVID-19 patients.
Over the past 18 months, more than $6 million has been put toward the reopening of the hospital, including deferred maintenance, replacement of equipment, supplies, utility systems and refurbishments to both the exterior façade and interior rooms. In the coming months, CHLB will expand the services offered, including the opening of the emergency department in March of 2021.
Community Hospital’s license allows the hospital to operate up to 158-beds in the acute care facility. The building meets all current seismic requirements and the operator is currently working with state regulators to ensure compliance with the latest standards by 2025.
This is great news for all of Long Beach and a welcome piece of good news as our healthcare systems work hard to manage the extreme impacts we are seeing currently.
Suzie Price
3rd District Councilwoman
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Colorado Lagoon Open Channel Update on Trees |
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Monday, November 30th 2020 Councilwoman Price hosted a community meeting per the request of several neighbors who wanted to have traffic evaluations in Belmont Heights. Residents that live by the intersection of Ximeno Ave. and Shaw St. have shared their concerns about the speeding that occurs, like many in the different neighborhoods have requested a traffic study. Our Traffic Engineers conducted their study and found a reasonable concern about the volume of vehicles traveling on Ximeno Ave. between Broadway to 2nd St. which presented a pilot project for speed cushions.
Here is Carl Hickman’s take on the pilot project: “In response to traffic related concerns expressed by residents who live on Ximeno Ave, from Broadway to 2nd St, the Transportation and Mobility staff conducted multiple investigations over the past six months in 2020 that led to the exploration of additional traffic mitigation efforts.
Staff discussed a variety of traffic calming options with the residents and we have decided to move forward with a Pilot Project to install a pair of speed cushions on Ximeno Ave.
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Each speed cushion is planned for installation both North and South of Shaw St. The speed cushions will be strategically placed and have been discussed with the property owners to ensure everyone is on-board. We want to minimize impacts to the residents and maximize the probability of achieving traffic calming goals that include vehicular speed and volume reductions.
After the Pilot Project is in place for one year, another study will be conducted to see if the traffic calming goals were achieved and there will be a discussion with residents to see if they will support making the speed cushions permanent.”
There has also been community outreach with the residents and Belmont Heights neighborhood association president to help move forward with this decision. When the speed cushions will be installed there will be prior notification in advance through Councilwoman Price’s email communications.
Gabriela Yates
3rd District Field Deputy
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2020 Roundup Public Works and PRM |
Councilwoman Price’s motto has always been “Service Over Politics” and as the Field Deputy responding to the 3rd District constituent’s requests, you can imagine the increase we’ve received during this unforgettable year. While we couldn’t permit gatherings in person to have with the community in-person, we have seriously seen an increase in our digital capabilities. We have literally Zoomed into 2021. It happened so quickly yet what was amazing to see was the outpouring of community spirit and city efforts to prevail.
There is definitely more work to tackle this year and it will be challenging meeting all the requests after the recent budget cuts, but we are going to overcome this moment. We are looking forward to completing as many requests as each budgeted department can complete. I’m waiting for some of those same requests too but in good spirits, there has been a lot of good work, and there is still more good work to do. Here is the roundup for 2020 from Public Works and Parks, Recreation and Marine.
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Parks, Recreation, and Marine Roundup for 2020 |
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Public Safety
Maintenance staff responded to over 1,899 park inspections to assess the safety of facilities, equipment and amenities throughout the City.
The Community Ambassador Program has been helping in our nearby parks and beaches to provide a positive presence in public spaces by educating the public about COVID-19 preventative measures. The team responds citywide Thursday – Sundays including the 3rd District beach paths, Bixby/Bluff Park, Colorado Lagoon, Marina Vista Park and Naples Islands especially during the recent holidays.
In addition, the Marine Bureau provided commercial partners and restaurants in the marinas with financial resources and business opportunities to help provide any assistance during the closures.
Innovation and Efficiency
Park irrigation controllers were upgraded to a centrally managed computerized system that allows staff to access controllers via tablets, locate broken components, and do irrigation system audits.
Parks & Open Space
The Colorado Lagoon Open Channel Project will restore 3.5 acres of coastal wetland habitat and naturally reconnect the Colorado Lagoon to Marine Stadium and allow full tidal exchange to further improve water quality. The project will remove and replace 74 trees with California native trees. The open channel construction is scheduled to start in spring 2021.
A renovation of the north section of Bixby Park along Broadway Avenue was completed in October. The project included new pathways and ADA compliant crosswalks, lighting bollards, landscaping and planters, a new irrigation system, dog park drinking fountains and a new center area planter fountain, The project cost was approximately $500,000 with funding source from Long Beach Measure A.
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The Channel View Park Playground opened in November. Located at 7th Street to Loynes Drive at Los Cerritos Channel, this newly opened playground provides a neighborhood amenity within walking distance from the adjacent University Park Estates community. The playground was financially supported by the Alamitos Energy Center.
At Alamitos Bay all swim lines were replaced and the Leeway Sailing Center and restroom planters were beautified. New striping was painted in the boat owner parking lots and back flows in Basin 1, 2, and 3.
Reimagined Recreation Programs
PRM reconfigured in-person youth programs. After School Day Camps were held at 22 parks for ages 5-12 during fall and winter, and El Dorado Nature Center offered nature themed After School Camps for ages 5-8. During the LBUSD fall and winter breaks, camps were offered for extended hours during the week.
Community Learning Hubs for Long Beach Unified School District students ages 5-14 to attend on-line school day in a safe environment with staff supervision were opened in four locations.
A free Mobile Recess program brings recreation activities to ten neighborhoods.
A free Virtual Day Camp is being offered for youth to participate in recreation activities from their homes and enjoy fun interaction with peers and PRM staff counselors.
All in-person programs require registration to ensure an appropriate number of participates for each site’s capacity, and all activities are conducted according to COVID-19 safety protocols.
-Gabriela Yates
3rd District Field Deputy
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Smart Cities and Data Privacy: Upcoming Virtual Community Meeting |
Hosted by The City of Long Beach Technology and Innovation Services Department
Data privacy and security are core values at the City of Long Beach. As new civic technologies become more commonplace, the City and its vendors will inevitably collect data that, if not managed properly, may put certain communities and individuals at risk.
The City has worked with the resident-led Technology & Innovation Commission to develop a set of draft Data Privacy Guidelines (available here) which assert our values on protecting the privacy and information security of our constituents.
Join us via Zoom on Wednesday, January 20 from 5:30 – 6:30 PM for an interactive conversation with City staff and members of the Technology & Innovation Commission about these Guidelines and how they can be improved! Register here!
Lea D. Eriksen
Director / CIO
Technology & Innovation
Office: 562.570.6234
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Despite the pandemic and the lack of in-person dining, two new restaurants have opened in Belmont Shore with rave reviews. They are both great take-out restaurants so please support them and all businesses as often as you can. |
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Rakkan Ramen, located next door to Legends on 2nd Street is known for it's healthy and tasty ramen. Rakkan’s Founder and CEO, Ryohei Ito started his business in Tokyo in 2011 with only four seats and a common philosophy, “Authentic Japanese food for the world.” With aspirations of taking his cuisine to America, he opened locations in Downtown Los Angeles in 2017, Redondo Beach in 2018, Santa Monica in 2019 , and now in Belmont Shore in 2020. We are excited Rakkan is in CD3. The menu offers ramen, salad and greens, crispy gyoza, pork buns, sushi and rice bowls.
5242 E. 2nd Street
(562) 588-9318
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The Chicken Bodega located next to Riley’s on 2nd Street is a straightforward concept of fire grilled chicken with the intention of simplicity made great. Owner and Chef Rob White had a lifelong passion to open up a restaurant, and in 2019 the first Chicken Bodega opened in Whittier, and now in Belmont Shore. The Chicken Bodega specializes in grilled chicken, fried or grilled chicken sandwiches with garlic aioli and cabbage coleslaw, hand breaded chicken strips and sides such as fresh cut fries, street corn, salad and seasonal vegetables
5327 E. 2nd Street
(562) 343-2285
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Lisa West
3rd District Director of Business
Relations, Programming and Outreach
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Together We Are Long Beach Strong! |
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We stopped to smell the roses, |
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We stopped to say Thank You, And we stopped to ask more questions. |
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There were many moments during the year when we had to stop and ask, where did my mask go?
There were times we washed our hands more than 4 times a day. We stopped to take care of ourselves, and we stopped to take care of others.
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That community spirit is in the 3rd District, and it is strong. Remember when there were self-isolation cards and name tags going around to help your neighbors?
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We stopped to help build the first community garden in the 3rd District with Long Beach Organics and collected over 3000 pounds of produce to give to CSULB Students.
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Remember when putting your stuffed animals out wasn’t weird because it helped the neighborhood go out on safari hunts? We celebrated the holidays differently too, the easter egg hunt wasn’t spoiled rotten either! |
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We as a community pulled together to make it through a challenging year. Of course, there were changes on the road! There were some fun and positive traffic signs added too. |
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There were so many new street signs replaced, graffitis removed, and even a new park was installed too! Channel View Park is where it's at!! |
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Wow, we zoomed through the year. We did what we could to stay as connected on Zoom through community meetings on important topics, and the community neighborhood organizations hopped on zoom too!
It wasn’t an easy year, but here is a salute to the community, small businesses, and all the neighbors around who stopped to help. Stopped to say thank you and look out for their community. Here’s to more positive reminders that our strong community can prevail, & cheers to the new year!
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Did You Catch Suzie In December? |
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Long Beach City Council Meeting |
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Belmont Shore Parklets Community Meeting |
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Community Meeting with Congressman Lowenthal |
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Parking, Traffic, and Engineering Meeting |
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3rd District Neighborhood And Association Meetings |
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Alamitos Heights Improvement Association - AHIA
Meetings calendared Quarterly. Please visit their website for more information.
Belmont Heights Community Association
2nd Wednesday of each month
7:00 - 8:30 PM
Belmont Heights United Methodist Church
Belmont Shore Residents Association
2nd Thursday of each month
6:00 - 8:00 PM
Bay Shore Library
Bluff Park Community Meeting
Please check their website for meeting details
Friends of Belmont Shore
First Thursday of each month, 6:00 - 8:00 PM via Zoom
Visit their web site for the zoom link
Friends of Bixby Park
Please check their website
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Greenbelt Heights Neighborhood Association
All neighbors welcome
Regular meeting: 3rd Tuesday at 8pm-9pm
917 Bennett Ave., LB
2nd Sunday neighborhood clean-up at 9am
NW Belmont Park Community Watch
Approximately every 3 months as determined
Third District Field Office
Peninsula Neighborhood Association
Alamitos Bay Yacht Club
Stoneybrook Villas Association Meeting
3rd Wednesday of each month
7:00 PM - Clubhouse at 500 Bellflower Blvd
Do you have a community or neighborhood meeting that you would like to add to the 3rd District calendar? Email: District3@longbeach.gov
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Other Events In Long Beach |
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Drop off your Christmas Tree to be recycled at one of the 12 drop-off locations near you.
This event is FREE!
Stop by anytime before January 8th, 2021.
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