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Dust off your holiday decorations, District 5; December is here! I want to take a moment to thank everyone who helped us kick off the holiday season at last night’s first ever Cal Heights Tree Lighting. It was a great turnout, we had lots of fun, and I look forward to this local celebration becoming a local tradition! I hope you’ll keep the holiday spirit rolling with tonight’s First Fridays Holiday Village in Bixby Knolls, and then get your holiday shopping underway at Parkview Village’s Second Saturdays Holiday Fest on Saturday December 9th.
As the City continues to work diligently on resolving the cybersecurity incident, they have begun the process of bringing City services back online. As of November 27th, most website content, including general information, department webpages and the majority of online services, is now publicly accessible on the City’s main website, and the few remaining online services will be available soon. The investigation remains in early stages and specifics remain confidential. At this time the City can confirm there was no evidence of encryption activity, however it was determined an unauthorized party acquired some of the City’s data, the nature and scope of which is still under investigation. The City has great concern for the security of resident, customer and employee personal information. Should it be determined that personal information was compromised, the City will notify any affected individuals via U.S. mail as soon as reasonably possible. To learn more, you can review the City’s most recent press release, the FAQ sheet regarding the incident, or information found at longbeach.gov/networksecurityincident. Please keep in mind that our District 5 office is still experiencing some connectivity issues with our phone’s voicemail system. If we miss your call, please don’t hesitate to reach out via email at district5@longbeach.gov.
Looking forward, we have a couple of notable events and meetings in the near future. Tomorrow, Saturday December 2nd, I hope you’ll join the informational Tiny Homes Community Meeting at 10am onsite at the lot on the corner of E Spring St and California Ave. There you can learn the answers to any questions you may have regarding the Tiny Home Community program, one of the City’s several approaches to working on the current homelessness crisis. To learn more, view these Tiny Home FAQs and be sure to RSVP.
'Tis the season to get into the holiday spirit all over the city this month, especially here in CD5! Tomorrow, December 2nd, stop by SteelCraft Long Beach to meet Storybook Santa and his pal, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer from 2pm - 4pm, and stick around for an Ornament Workshop at 4pm. Next weekend, you can enjoy a cross-cultural celebration at the Long Beach International Tamale Festival at LBCC on Saturday December 9th. Then, you can dress up and join Bixby Knoll’s Santa Con on Sunday December 10th. And on December 16th, stop by LBCC from 12pm - 3pm for the 11th Annual Love in the Mirror Toy Giveaway. This free event will have resources, music, activities, and more for the whole family to enjoy. Find more information about these events and more in the flyers below.
Finally, I’d like to remind you that the next Council Meeting will be held on Tuesday December 5, 2023 at 5pm, and our next Housing and Public Health Committee meeting will occur earlier in the day at 12:30pm. A list of items of interest can be found at the bottom of this newsletter; I encourage you to attend or watch online.
As always, I am grateful for your continued engagement with me and my office, and I look forward to seeing you out in the community.
Let's get to work,
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Megan Kerr, Councilwoman
Long Beach, District 5
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Upcoming Events &
Community Meetings
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Long Beach Chamber of Commerce News & Events
Shop Long Beach This Holiday Season!
The Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce reminds us to shop local this holiday season. But don’t stop there; there is an ongoing need to support small enterprises throughout the year. The Chamber of Commerce invites you to join in championing their cause and promoting the culture of shopping small and investing in our local Long Beach communities. Use hashtags #ShopSmallEveryDay and #ShopLongBeach to show your support!
To further encourage year-round small business shopping, the City of Long Beach is launching the Shop Long Beach program, an initiative funded by the Long Beach Recovery Act focused on supporting small businesses and rewarding customers for shopping in Long Beach. ShopLB will allow customers to earn valuable rewards as they support their favorite small businesses and provide incentives to discover new places with an accumulation of reward points to be spent like cash at a wide range of establishments throughout the City. To participate, small businesses and shoppers can sign up at shoplb.org.
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Long Beach Police Department
News & Events
Apply To Serve on the Long Beach Police Oversight Commission
Long Beach is leading the way with the creation of a new Police Oversight Commission, and the Mayor is calling for the best and brightest from all across Long Beach to serve! In 2022, voters adopted Measure E to create this body as a replacement for the former Citizen’s Police Complaint Commission. This commission has broader oversight powers and will work closely with the Director of Police Oversight, the City Manager, the Long Beach Police Department Chief, the Mayor, and the City Council.
Applications for this 7-person Commission are now open until December 6th. The application is open to all Long Beach residents who can meet the responsibilities of the Commission. Further details on the requirements and application process can be found online here.
Questions? Please contact readytoserve@longbeach.gov or call (562) 570-6801.
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Upcoming Job & Career Fairs!
Parks, Recreation & Marine Job Fairs to Showcase Recreation Leader Employment Opportunities
The Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine (PRM) has planned a series of job fairs to share information on current and upcoming job openings for part-time, non-career positions. Job seekers interested in learning more about these employment opportunities are encouraged to attend.
PRM Community Recreation Services Bureau staff will provide information on a wide range of recreation programs that are currently hiring or will start hiring in the near future. Folks are encouraged to come by and meet supervisors and current staff and learn what a day in the life of a Long Beach Recreation Leader is like. Participants are encouraged to view more information about the current open positions and are welcome to apply on the Job Opportunities webpage at LBParks.org. For additional information about the PRM Job Fair visit LBParks.org, or call 562.570.3150.
A job fair will be held on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, at the Doris Topsy-Elvord Community Center Houghton Park (6301 Myrtle Ave.) where, in addition to the informational component, attendees can apply to currently open positions and may have the opportunity to participate in interviews onsite. The job fair will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with interviews beginning at 10 a.m.
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Long Beach Public Works
News & Events
Improvement on E 36th St (Long Beach Blvd to Atlantic Ave)
All over Long Beach, the Public Works team is working hard to improve our city's critical infrastructure. Utilizing designated funding per Measure A, improvements to streets and sidewalks, including ADA improvements, are in the works across the whole city.
In CD5, road improvements on E 36th St have begun! The work will include the removal of damaged concrete curb and gutter, sidewalks, driveways, alley entrance and access ramps, and their new constructions, as well as cold milling existing asphalt pavement roadway and installing new asphalt pavement, restriping, and traffic calming measures. Keep an eye out for posted notices and no parking signs, and keep in mind the following dates:
- Starting Removals and Grading – November 27 – December 8
- Concrete Work – December 4 – 11
- Restoration – December 11 - 15
- Post No Parking Signs – December 14 (Southside of the street / East bound)
- Saw cutting / Potholing / Root Pruning – December 18 – 21
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Homelessness Emergency Declaration
Long Beach Winter Shelter Program Update
The Long Beach Winter Shelter is open early this year! Beds were made available as of Tuesday, November 14th. This is the first time in 10 years that the program has opened this early in November. We have been a host city for LAHSA’s Winter Shelter program for years, and every year we have had challenges finding a suitable location that could support 50-120 Winter Shelter beds. Now that we have acquired a permanent location, 702 E Anaheim, our Winter Shelter crisis is over. Open now through March 31st, we are able to support over 120 beds this winter. Inclement weather dictating, the shelter may remain open later into spring as well.
Long Beach Launches ‘Season of Giving’ Donation Series to Support People Experiencing Homelessness During the Fall and Winter Seasons
Long Beach is launching its “Season of Giving” donation series to encourage the local community to make someone’s holiday season bright by volunteering their time or contributing physical or monetary donations to support people experiencing homelessness in Long Beach. Donations received during “Season of Giving” will help support the City’s ongoing efforts in providing critical, everyday essentials for people experiencing homelessness. Items will be distributed throughout the holiday and winter seasons.
This holiday season and beyond, community members are invited to participate in a variety of volunteer opportunities taking place throughout Long Beach. Those interested in contributing physical donations are encouraged to participate in one of the upcoming donation drive thru events, where people can drop off a variety of essential items that will be distributed to people experiencing homelessness.
The next drive thru will take place on Saturday, Dec. 16, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) Main Facilities Center, located at 2525 Grand Ave.
The City kindly requests donations of cold weather items like men’s and women’s sweatshirts, pants, coats, socks, blankets, umbrellas and shoes. Read here for more information.
Long Beach Tiny Home Shelter Program Update
In 2022, the City of Long Beach was awarded a grant towards the purchase, construction, and operation of 33 modular shelter units at the Long Beach Multi-Service Center, to support the City’s goals of ending our homelessness crisis. However, due to unforeseen challenges over the course of development, it was determined that the Multi-Service Center was not a viable location for this project. Since then, City Staff have been working tirelessly to identify a suitable replacement location. As of the City Manager’s update yesterday, the City Team has identified the vacant commercial lot on the southeast corner of E Spring St and California Ave as the final proposed location for the Long Beach Tiny Homes.
This location has been identified as the best available location for several reasons, including its current underutilized state, its proximity to public transportation and other affordable resources, and its minimal impact on the existing surrounding community.
City Increases Homeless Service Outreach with Mobile Access Centers
The MAC significantly lowers barriers to providing case management services and other resources for people experiencing homelessness. The schedule below reflects the current schedule, inclusive of both MAC vehicles.
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South Coast Air Quality
Management District (AQMD)
Check Before You Burn: A Message from South Coast AQMD
November marks the start of the South Coast AQMD’s annual Check Before You Burn season. From November through the end of February, residents are asked to check whether a No-Burn Day has been declared before burning wood fireplaces to limit emissions of fine particulate matter (PM2.5).
A No-Burn Day is a 24-hour ban on wood-burning in residential fireplaces, stoves, or outdoor fire pits in the South Coast Air Basin. South Coast AQMD forecasters call for residential No-Burn Days when PM2.5 is expected to reach Unhealthy levels due to air emissions and stagnant weather conditions.
Click here to learn more and to access public resources for daily forecast information.
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City to Host Virtual Community Meeting on the Colorado Lagoon Open Channel Project
The City of Long Beach is hosting a virtual community meeting to provide recent updates on the Colorado Lagoon Open Channel Project. The meeting will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023, at 5:30 p.m.
Notable project updates will be provided including a current construction schedule, shoring installation, bridge construction and demolition work. There will be an opportunity for community members to ask questions and share feedback at the end of the presentation. Meeting registration is required: https://bit.ly/clbcolorado. Requests for interpretation services must be submitted by Dec. 8, 2023, and can be submitted to contactlbpw@longbeach.gov.
LEARN MORE...
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City to Host Community Meeting for Shoemaker Bridge Replacement Project
Long Beach is hosting an in-person community meeting to provide a comprehensive overview of the Shoemaker Bridge Replacement Project. The meeting will be held on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Jenny Oropeza Community Center at Cesar Chavez Park (401 Golden Ave.).
The Shoemaker Bridge Replacement Project aims to improve existing traffic safety and operations, increase multi-modal connectivity within the project limits and surrounding area, enhance safety elements by providing bicycle, pedestrian and streetscape improvements on major thoroughfares, and address non-standard features and bridge design to enhance structural integrity.
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Long Beach to Conduct Bikeway Improvements on Alamitos Avenue
The City’s contractor, All American Asphalt, is scheduled to begin construction along Alamitos Avenue in the downtown area during the week of Dec. 4, 2023, with an estimated completion date, barring weather or other unforeseen delays, by early January 2024.
Alamitos Avenue will be slurry sealed from East Ocean Boulevard to East 7th Street to extend the serviceable life of the street. Improvements will also include the installation of painted buffered bike lanes on both sides of Alamitos Avenue, new thermoplastic traffic striping, continental crosswalk markings, and traffic signage. This project is one of several projects aimed to increase bike lane connectivity across the City’s bike lane network.
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City Launches Application Period for New Public Service Corps Program
The City of Long Beach, in partnership with California State University, Long Beach; California State University, Dominguez Hills; and Long Beach City College, has launched a new fellowship placement program for college students interested in pursuing careers in local government, nonprofit management and public service. The Public Service Corps program will provide paid fellowship opportunities across City departments, allowing participants to gain practical experience and develop the skills necessary for various in-demand occupations.
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Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine Launches Series of Monthly Family Events at Lincoln Park in Downtown Long Beach
The City of Long Beach Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine is launching a new series of free, family events at Downtown Long Beach’s Lincoln Park for families, teens and older adults. The monthly event series kicks off with the first event on Nov. 30, 2023.
Complimentary parking for event goers will be available in the West Broadway Parking Structure, located on the corner of Broadway and Chestnut Avenue adjacent to the Billie Jean King Main Library.
For additional information about the Lincoln Park event series, call 562.570.3150.
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Long Beach Airport Unveils “A Flight to History” Centennial Commemoration Mural
Long Beach Airport (LGB) is commemorating its centennial year with the addition of a new, public art installation. The large vinyl mural, "A Flight to History," by renowned Southern California-based artist Marconi, is now on display on the façade of one of the Airport’s parking structures.
The colorful mural on Parking Structure A, closest to the Historic Terminal, was officially unveiled Wednesday, Nov. 29, days after the Airport’s official anniversary on Sunday, Nov. 26. It is 60 feet by 30 feet, providing visual delight for travelers entering and exiting the Ticketing Lobby.
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Upcoming
City Council Meeting
Tues. December 5, 2023, 5:00pm
411 W Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90802
FULL AGENDA
Item #6 Recommendation to provide contributions to:
• African American Cultural Center of Long Beach in support of their annual Kwanza Celebration;
• Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association in support of their SantaCon Event. (Item Details)
Item #7 Recommendation to adopt resolution recognizing November 16, 2023, as World Pancreatic Cancer Day in the City of Long Beach. (Item Details)
Item #21 Recommendation to amend Contract No. 36385 with Amadeus Airport IT Americas, Inc. of Orlando, FL, for software licensing, maintenance and support services of the Common Use Passenger Processing System at the Long Beach Airport. (Item Details)
Item #27 Recommendation to receive supporting documentation into the record, conclude the public hearing, and adopt resolution continuing the Long Beach Tourism Business Improvement Area assessment levy for the period of October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2024; and, authorize City Manager, or designee, to extend the agreement with the Long Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau for a one-year term. (Item Details)
Item #40 Recommendation to declare the attached Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Long Beach (City) amending the Long Beach Municipal Code (LBMC) by amending and restating Chapter 1.15 and Section 2.01.1030; amending sections 2.01.320, 2.01.410, 2.01.630, and 2.01.1110.B; adding section 2.01.1010; and repealing Chapters 1.21, 1.22, 1.24, 1.25, 1.26, and 2.02, all relating to municipal elections, read and adopted as read. (Item Details)
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