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(562) 570 5555 | district5@longbeach.gov | | Weekly Updates | April 4, 2025 | | |
Happy Friday, District 5! Did you know April is National Library Month? This is a time to celebrate and highlight the valuable roles libraries, librarians, and library workers play in transforming lives, strengthening communities, and providing access to information and inspiration for all who seek it out. The Fifth District is fortunate to have two great neighborhood libraries, Dana & Ruth Bach Branches; see the info block below for more information, including on National Library Week (April 6 – April 12), and keep reading updates from city departments such as Long Beach Utilities, the Office of Sustainability, and more.
At next week’s City Council meeting, I will be bringing forth Item 18, a request to consider ways we can create an overarching, streamlined process for event permits for businesses within our established Business Improvement Associations or Business Improvement Districts (BIAs/BIDs). This would allow for increased efficiencies internally and would support small businesses in their efforts to engage with the local community and contribute to the economic growth and vitality of our small business corridors throughout the city. Review the full item to learn more.
This weekend in CD5, you can join neighbors at First Fridays in Bixby Knolls tonight, April 4th, starting at 6:30pm. This month’s theme is “Long Beach County Fair” – stroll up and down Atlantic for fair food, arcade games, live music, art, shopping, and more! While you’re at the Expo Arts Center, be sure to visit the African American Cultural Center of Long Beach (AACCLB) housed there, as they have two new exhibits opening today, April 4th! At 4pm, AACCLB will hold an opening reception for the “Josephine S. Gumbiner Foundation Gallery Exhibit,” which will honor the numerous benefits of the nonprofit foundation to the Long Beach Community. Shortly following, at 6pm, will be the opening of the “Early Long Beach Black Family Exhibits,” featuring the Davis and Booker families. If you miss them this weekend, there’ll be plenty of time to visit as both exhibits will run through April 25th. Learn more in the flyers below.
Looking ahead, save the date for the next of my bi-monthly CD5 Community Meeting series, scheduled for Thursday, April 24th at 6pm in the Wardlow Park Community Center. This time, we will be joined by city staff from the Community Development Department, to discuss their range of work from Code Enforcement, to Planning, Zoning, and more, as well as Fire Department staff to discuss local safety and emergency preparedness. Keep an eye out for more details in future newsletters!
Finally, I’d like to remind you that the next City Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at 5pm in the City Hall Chambers. The full agenda as well as a list of items of interest will be included in a future 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.
Working together,
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Megan Kerr, Councilwoman
Long Beach, District 5
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Long Beach Public Library
National Library Month & Week 2025
Celebrate National Library Month with Long Beach Public Libraries! With reading challenges, digital resources, community programs, and more, there’s something for everyone at the library. Head out to your local branch for access to all that LBPL has to offer!
CD5 Branches
o Bach Neighborhood Library – 4055 N Bellflower Blvd, 90808
o Dana Neighborhood Library – 3680 Atlantic Ave, 90807
All April long, visit any one of the 12 LBPL locations to receive a stamp passport card and LBPL lanyard, and receive a unique button for every branch that you visit. Participants who receive all 12 stamps by Wednesday, April 30th, will be entered into an opportunity drawing!
Additionally, tune in to next Tuesday’s Council Meeting for a presentation on our Long Beach Public Libraries in honor of National Library Week & Month!
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Next week, April 6 – April 12, is National Library Week! Check out these resources below from the American Library Association to learn more about ways you can celebrate and uplift the important work of libraries, librarians, and library workers in Long Beach and across the nation.
- Monday, April 7: Right to Read Day, a day for readers, advocates, and library lovers to take action to protect, defend, and celebrate the right to read. The American Library Association (ALA) kicks off National Library Week with the release of its State of America's Libraries Report, including the list of Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2024.
- Tuesday, April 8: National Library Workers Day, a day for library staff, users, administrators, and Friends groups to recognize the valuable contributions made by all library workers.
- Wednesday, April 9: National Library Outreach Day (formerly National Bookmobile Day), a day to celebrate library outreach and the dedicated library professionals who are meeting their patrons where they are.
- Thursday, April 10: Take Action for Libraries Day, a day to rally advocates to support libraries.
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Office of Sustainability
Earth Month Calendar
The City of Long Beach is celebrating Earth Month this April by hosting a series of fun, free, and family-friendly events, workshops, and volunteer opportunities for residents throughout the month. Festivities will highlight a rand of sustainable topics such as supporting local wildlife, reducing waste, and stewarding community spaces. Check out the new Earth Month Calendar to find local cleanups, workshops, and activities near you, and save the dates for such events as the upcoming City Nature Challenge at Willow Springs Park on Saturday, April 26th from 9am – 12pm. Explore trails, help identify wildlife, and take part in fun activities that celebrate Long Beach’s native habitat at District 5’s recently dedicated park! Review the recent press release or visit lbcity.info/lbem to learn more.
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Long Beach Utilities
Work Near Spring & Bellflower to Begin Week of April 21
As part of Long Beach Utilities’ ongoing maintenance and replacement program, construction has been scheduled to renew portions of the buried natural gas piping system in the area of Spring & Bellflower. The system upgrades are anticipated to begin around the week of April 21, 2025, and will continue for approximately 2 months. Project locations will include the intersection of Spring St & Charlemagne Ave, and the alley north of Spring St, between Montair Ave & Bellflower Blvd. Keep an eye out for posted no parking signs in the area. For additional information, please contact the LBU Manager of Gas Construction, Paul DeYoung at (562) 570 2074.
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CD5 Office
Dump Day Recap
Last Saturday, my office hosted our District 5 Dump Day, during which we provided residents with a time and place to bring bulky, difficult-to-get-rid-of items to dispose of for free. Thank you to everyone who stopped by and brought items to dump!
By the end of the event, across the 3 locations, we filled a total of 4 dumpsters (the one at Wardlow Park was filled twice!) and 3 Packer Trucks for a combined total of 14.59 tons of waste, or more than 32,000 pounds! Additionally, we collected 19 mattresses, as well as a significant amount of e-waste that did not contribute to this weight—we are still waiting for those weigh-in results.
Check out the video from the event! (Note, due to technical difficulties, the video could not be linked here with audio, but you can also see the reel on our socials @CWMeganKerr!)
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Even without those last numbers, I am impressed by the incredible turnout from the community, and grateful to Public Works, the Conservation Corps, and our community volunteers who helped make this day such a success, resulting in keeping thousands of pounds of waste from the risk of being dumped in our streets, gutters, and alleyways.
In case you missed it, don’t forget that you can utilize a special pickup! All Long Beach Refuse customers are entitled to 12 special pickups per year at no additional cost. Visit the Public Works Special Collections 101 webpage or call the Refuse Hotline at 562-570-2876 for questions or assistance.
Additionally, see the flyer below for a similar event this weekend – “Humpty Dumpster” – hosted by the Ridgewood Triangle Neighborhood Clean Team, on Saturday, April 5th from 8am – 12pm at the corner of San Antonio & Goldfield.
Thanks again for your investment in keeping our district and our city clean!
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Public Works
Skylinks Regional Stormwater Capture Project Meeting Info
On Saturday, March 29, the Public Works Department hosted a community meeting to update the public on the status of the Skylinks Regional Stormwater Capture Project. The project aims to improve stormwater quality, contribute to the water supply, and to create usable open space for all to enjoy at the municipally owned Skylinks Golf Course. In case you missed the meeting, you can find the presentation and more information about the project at longbeach.gov/srscp. For questions, email stormwater@longbeach.gov and include “Skylinks” in the subject line.
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CD5 Office
Where We Were This Week
It’s been a busy couple of weeks for me and my team! From community meetings to events, we stay active across the district—alongside many of you! See below for a brief recap of some of the places and meetings we attended over the last few weeks. Be sure to stop by and say hello next time you see us out in the community!
- 3/25 – Orange Ave Residents & Businesses Meeting at Cal Heights Methodist Church
- 3/27 – WomenShelter of Long Beach's Leading with Love Gala
- 3/29 - Community Cat Project Grand Opening
- 3/29 – Skylinks Regional Stormwater Capture Project Meeting
- 3/29 - CD5 Dump Day
- 4/3 – South of Conant Neighborhood Watch Meeting at St. Luke’s Church
- 3 different Department Head Briefings as well as a Briefing with the City Manager
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Marine Mammal Care Center
Continued Marine Mammal Stranding throughout County
The Marine Mammal Care Center continues to see high levels of marine mammal strandings as levels of the toxic algae that produces domoic acid continue to increase.
While it is always dangerous to approach a marine mammal on the beach, sea lions affected by domoic acid can be especially aggressive, often awaking from a seizure with little notice. This is a safety issue for people and their pets as much as it is for the marine mammals.
Please see the following reminders for What to Do If You Encounter a Live-Stranded Marine Mammal:
o Stay Back – Keep at least 50 feet away to minimize stress and prevent unintentional harm.
o Call for Help Immediately – Contact Marine Mammal Care Center at 1-800-39-WHALE (94253).
o Do Not Push the Animal Back into the Water – Stranded animals often come ashore due to illness or injury. The best thing we can do is reduce the animal’s stress and suffering and wait for rescuers to arrive.
o Minimize Noise & Disturbance – Avoid loud sounds, keep dogs and crowds away, and speak in hushed tones.
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It is unknown at this time how long the toxic algal bloom will continue to affect local marine life. Please exercise caution and remember to call the MMCC immediately if you observe a stranded marine mammal.
Learn more about this ongoing event in the informational graphic below, or find more resources at marinemammalcare.org, or the Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System site, sccoos.org.
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American Red Cross
Blood Drives in District 5! May 16 & May 30
In partnership with the American Red Cross, Councilwoman Kerr will be sponsoring two Blood Drives in CD5 this May! Donating your blood can help support patients in need of surgery, cancer treatment, and transfusions for blood loss from traumatic injuries. Check out this short video to learn more about how your blood can have a significant impact. Additionally, maintaining diversity in the blood supply is essential! Some blood types are quite rare and are likeliest to be found among people with shared ancestral origins. Join us to make a difference for those in need!
Learn more about your eligibility to donate, then visit this site to sign up for one of our May blood drives today!
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Friday, May 16 | 9am – 3pm
Expo Arts Center – Main Room
4321 Atlantic Ave
Friday, May 30 | 9am – 3pm
Wardlow Park Community Center – Social Hall
3457 Stanbridge Ave
| | | | | Upcoming Meetings & Events | | | Long Beach Publishes Technology Planning and Partnerships 2024 Annual Report | |  | City to Host Outreach Events in April for National Community Development Week | | | Health Department Announces Voting Phase of Youth Power Participatory Budgeting Long Beach | | | City Announces Operator for Long Beach Amphitheater | | |
Memos to the Mayor & Council
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Upcoming
City Council Meeting
Tues. April 8, 2025, 5:00pm
411 W Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90802
FULL AGENDA
Item 18 Recommendation to request City Manager to collaborate with Health & Human Services Department, Business Licensing, and other appropriate departments to develop a more streamlined and overarching event permitting process for established Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) and Business Improvement Associations (BIAs) and report back to the Council within 90 days. (Item Details)
Item 23 Recommendation to adopt ordinance amending the Long Beach Municipal Code by amending and restating Chapter 16.43 related to Airport Noise Compatibility, read and adopted as read. (Item Details)
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