Council Updates & Community Events | |
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At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, we received a presentation on the Long Beach City Charter which covered the history; the roles of the Mayor, City Council, and City Manager; an overview of the process required to make amendments to the Charter; and a summary of the City Manager form of government. To learn more, view the presentation deck here.
At the meeting, my colleagues and I passed Item 22, requesting the relevant City departments investigate the feasibility of developing a Long Beach AIDS Memorial. I was proud to sign onto this Item, as an AIDS Memorial in Long Beach will show our community members affected by HIV/AIDS that their city stands with them through their pain and loss. It will also stand to remind our future generations of the struggles faced by marginalized communities and the empowering results when we combine our voices and act for social justice.
Another big update on Tuesday: the Belmont Pool! The new, approved plans include a 50m lap pool, an instructional pool, as well as some recreational areas and elements. The next step is to present the updated plan to the Coastal Commission. We will keep you posted as more details develop, but construction could begin as soon as the spring of 2025.
We have another busy weekend coming up! I invite you all to attend the Parkview/Lakewood Village Second Saturdays for an outdoor fair-trade festival and neighborhood expo, this Saturday October 14th from 12 – 4pm. Then on Sunday October 15th, you can ride the Big Red Bus to experience “Brewery Knolls” and visit great local restaurants during Bixby Knolls’ Walktoberfest from 3 – 7pm. Keep in mind that this Sunday is also the Long Beach Marathon! Please be aware that the race will result in road closures, no-parking zones, and major detours on multiple Long Beach Transit bus routes. Expect traffic delays and adjustments to detours throughout the race. See the flyer below for a list of impacted bus routes. Be sure to check out our other flyers for even more upcoming events.
I'd like to remind everyone that our next Council Meeting will be Tuesday, October 17, 2023 at 5pm. A list of the items of interest are at the bottom of this newsletter; I encourage you to attend, or watch online.
The events of violence around the globe this week have left many of us, including me, deeply saddened, and without the words to appropriately express our condolences and solidarity. My heartfelt sympathies extend to all the families affected by the violence in Israel, Gaza, and the entire region.
The terrorist attack and devastating loss of life is incomprehensible; I wholeheartedly condemn the violence perpetrated against children, families, the elderly, and civilians. I offer my support and condolences to our community members here in Long Beach, which I know are deeply impacted by these events and ongoing threats.
I hope there can be a quick solution that brings all hostages safely home, and that can lead to a lasting peace for all people in Israel, Gaza, and the entire region.
In Solidarity,
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Megan Kerr, Councilwoman
Long Beach, District 5
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Upcoming Events &
Community Meetings
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City of Long Beach
News & Events
Citizens' Advisory Commission on Disability's Inaugural Disability Advocate of the Year Awards
Thursday, October 12, 2023 was the Citizens' Advisory Commission on Disability (CACoD)'s inaugural Disability Advocate of the Year Awards. This year we honored two leaders of community-based organizations in our City:
• Dr. Elisa Nicholas, CEO of TCC Family Health, recognized for her hard work and dedication to advancing equitable access to healthcare to children with chronic illness and disabilities in Long Beach.
• Patricia Dixon, Executive Director of Pools of Hope, recognized for her hard work and dedication in sustaining and advancing the needs of people with disabilities and seniors, with therapeutic and wellness programs in the North Long Beach area.
Congratulations to both of you and thank you for all you do!
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Health & Human Services
News & Events
Free Flu Vaccinations
The Department of Health and Human Services is offering free flu vaccinations throughout the month of October, including at all City-run vaccination sites and community clinics, while supplies last. Residents are strongly encouraged to get a flu vaccine in preparation of the coming flu season, which generally runs from mid-fall to mid-spring.
The largest clinic of the year will take place from 2 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023, at Main Health (2525 Grand Ave). This clinic will offer a walk-up option. People who cannot use the walk-up area are encouraged to drive in and request a mobile vaccination. People may also book appointments to receive a flu vaccine through their medical provider or by visiting MyTurn.ca.gov.
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Long Beach Airport
News & Events
Festival of Flight Celebrates 100 Years of LGB
The Long Beach Airport's Festival of Flight returns on Saturday October 21st! Thousands of attendees are expected at the Airport’s signature annual event, which will be bigger than ever in celebration of LGB’s 100th anniversary. The popular free event is returning with aircraft on static display, live music, activities for kids, food and beer trucks and helicopter rides for purchase.
This event is free and open to the public between 10 am and 4 pm at the west end of the airfield at 3590 East Wardlow Road. Attendees are advised to bring water, wear sensible shoes, and be prepared to be outdoors, rain or shine.
For information about parking and answers to other FAQs, visit the event page or click the flyer below.
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Homelessness Emergency Declaration
At the City Council Meeting on Tuesday, October 10, we were updated on the state of the Homelessness Emergency in Long Beach. We remain in a state of emergency, but continue our efforts in increasing access to services, engaging with the community, building the capacity to address the crisis, and increasing interim and long-term housing.
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Long Beach Hosting Donation Drive Thru Event Saturday, October 21, to Support People Experiencing Homelessness
Long Beach will host its eighth consecutive monthly donation drive thru event on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, to collect essential items to distribute to people experiencing homelessness in Long Beach. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) Main Facilities Center (2525 Grand Ave.). Donations received during the event will be distributed at the Multi-Service Center (MSC) to people experiencing homelessness and will also be available to local partner organizations to distribute.
For this month’s donation drive, the City encourages donations of hygiene kits and/or travel size hygiene products, which will be distributed during the 2024 Homeless Point in Time (PIT) Count taking place in early 2024, in addition through standard outreach. More information about the 2024 PIT Count will be available in the coming weeks.
The City is also seeking cold weather clothing items and items from the below list for contribution:
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Hygiene kits or house-warming gift kits from the Multi-Service Center Amazon Wish List.
- Backpacks filled with needed items such as hand warmers, flashlights, battery packs, batteries (especially D batteries), emergency blankets and charging cables.
- Pet care kits with things like pet food, treats, collars, leashes, pet toys or collapsible pet bowls.
- S, M, L, XL or XXL sweatpants, shirts, socks and men’s and women’s underwear, beanies, scarves, caps, hoodies, towels or blankets. Gently used items are appreciated, too.
- Welcome home kits with some of the suggested items above and a special hand-written motivating message to go in the kit.
- Food items like canned food (and small, manual can openers), bottled drinks like juices or water, and snacks such as granola bars or power bars, instant oatmeal and instant soup.
While gift cards will not be accepted at the drive thru event, they can be donated at the MSC. To schedule a drop-off time, people can call 562.570.4586.
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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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Long Beach Public Works
News & Events
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Grid 8 Tree Trimming
We have been informed by Public Works that the parkway tree trimming in Grid 8 began on Monday Oct 9th. Click here for a map of the Parkway Grids. Please note that when scheduling their work, the City Public Works Contractors divide the Grid into quadrants.
The first quadrant will be from Studebaker Rd. to Stevely, E Spring St. to E Wardlow Rd., and the contractors will be starting the trimming process south of E Wardlow Rd on Roxanne Ave. We are aware that this quadrant is in another Council District, but we will keep you updated as we receive more information regarding what quadrant will be next and when. Please note that there are roughly 3,000 trees to be trimmed in Grid 8.
Volunteer for the 16th Annual Bike & Pedestrian Count
The City is looking for volunteers to assist with the 16th Annual Bike and Pedestrian Count. Every October, volunteers and City employees work together to manually count the number of bicyclists, pedestrians and electric scooter riders across dozens of key intersections in Long Beach – and the more volunteers who sign up, the more locations the city can observe during the count.
Those interested in volunteering can sign up online now through Oct. 18, 2023.
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Save the Date! Long Beach Veterans Day Celebration Returns November 11
The City of Long Beach proudly presents the 2023 Veterans Day Celebration to honor those who have served and are currently serving in the United States military. The free, family-friendly festival will take place on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Houghton Park (6301 Myrtle Avenue).
This year’s Veterans Day Celebration will feature a welcome ceremony with local elected officials and community leaders, a veterans recognition ceremony and a veterans and community resources fair.
Additional details regarding this year’s Veterans Day Celebration will be available closer to the event date at longbeach.gov/veteransday.
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City to Celebrate Grand Opening of Future LB Youth Employment Center
Long Beach will commemorate the official grand opening of Pacific Gateway Workforce Innovation Network’s new youth employment center, Future LB, with a celebratory community event on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, at 1 p.m. The event will take place at the new facility (508 W. Willow St.) and will feature a commemorative ribbon cutting ceremony with Mayor Rex Richardson and Seventh District Councilmember Roberto Uranga as well as vendors, food, music and resource tables.
Youth interested in receiving services may visit the center during normal operating hours, weekdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. or call 562. 570.4700 for more information. More information about Future LB programs and services will be available at futurelb.org.
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Transition of City's Meeting Management System Beginning October 16th
The City of Long Beach will soon begin the transition of its agenda and meeting management system to a new platform, OneMeeting (formerly PrimeGov). The transition will begin on Monday, Oct. 16, 2023, with the launch of the City’s public online portal and posted agenda for the Oct. 24, 2023, City Council meeting.
OneMeeting will include a new Online Public Comment feature to replace the current eComment feature that allows everyone to leave comments on agenda items. The platform will also improve language access equity, as community members will be able to translate agendas to Spanish, Khmer, Tagalog and many other languages powered by Google Translate.
During the transition, video tutorials and instructional materials will be available on the City Clerk website for members of the public to learn about the new platform and how to access the new features.
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City Street Closures Due to Long Beach Marathon
The Long Beach Marathon is returning for its 39th year on Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023, with a weekend of events beginning Friday, Oct. 13.
People traveling through Long Beach should plan to avoid street closures and map out access routes and should allow extra time for travel due to road closures and traffic delays.
Most road closures and detours will be in place at various times on a rolling basis between 5 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Oct. 15, unless otherwise noted. The closures generally include both sides of the street, unless otherwise noted.
A route map for events related to the Long Beach Marathon can be found here. For more details about the marathon, go to runlongbeach.com/community-relations/.
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City Seeks Local Businesses and Community Groups to Participate in Eighth Annual Día de Los Muertos Parade
Long Beach is seeking participants for its upcoming Día de los Muertos Parade, taking place Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. Local businesses, nonprofit organizations and community groups interested in participating may submit a parade application now through Friday, Oct. 13, 2023.
The City is seeking entries ranging from floats and decorated vehicles to marching bands, equestrians, bicycles and motorcycles to join in the festive street cavalcade set to take place in Downtown Long Beach. Applications and all required documentation must be submitted by Oct. 13, 2023, to be considered. Questions regarding the parade application may be submitted to gpddlm@gmail.com.
Additional details regarding the Día del los Muertos Grand Parade will be available at a later date at longbeach.gov/diadelosmuertos.
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El Dorado Nature Center & LB Animal Care Services to Host Howl-o-ween Festival
The City's Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine’s El Dorado Nature Center and Long Beach Animal Care Services (LBACS) will host a family-friendly Howl-o-ween Festival on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, from 2 to 6 p.m. at the El Dorado Nature Center (7550 E. Spring St.).
Festivities will also take place across the parking lot at Long Beach Animal Care Services (7700 E. Spring St.), where people can participate in spooktacular activities such as the animal education village, “Bark-o-Treat,” and a Día de los Muertos pet memorial in remembrance of the spirits of pets passed.
While this is a family-friendly event where costumes are encouraged, four-legged furry friends should be left at home. The last Nature Center trail and Animal Shelter entries will be at 5 p.m. For more information call 562.570.1745.
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Upcoming
City Council Agenda
Tues. October 17, 2023, 5:00pm
411 W Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90802
FULL AGENDA
Item 1 Recommendation to suspend Council rule contained in Municipal Code Section 2.03.020 (B) relating to the meeting schedule of the City Council in order to cancel the City Council meetings of November 7th and November 21st. (Item Details)
Item 11 Recommendation to adopt resolution recognizing the week of October 1st through October 7th of 2023 as National Banned Books Week, a time of celebration in the City of Long Beach. (Item Details)
Item 12 Recommendation to adopt resolution recognizing the 7th day of October of every year as Ageism Awareness Day, a day of celebration in the City of Long Beach. (Item Details)
Item 19 Recommendation to receive the supporting documentation into the record, conclude the public hearing, and grant an Entertainment Permit with conditions for entertainment with dancing to Mericas Tap Room, LLC, dba B’s Cocktails & Entertainment, at 5456 East Del Amo. (Item Details)
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