District 5 Office

District 5 Dump Day | September 6



Join us for the next District 5 Dump Day! On Saturday, September 6th from 8am - 12pm, residents are invited to visit Wardlow Park, Pan Am Park, or the corner of Roosevelt & Cerritos (near Hughes Middle School) to drop off unwanted household items! This is a great opportunity to get rid of any bulky items that don't fit in your regular bin, such as furniture, mattresses, and e-waste. Dispose of them for free and help keep often-dumped items out of our streets, alleys, and waterways!

*The following items will not be accepted: paint, aerosol cans, household cleaners, batteries (car or household), hazardous waste, fluorescent lights.*

On that same day, the Lakewood Village Neighborhood Association will be hosting a Donation Drive event at Pan Am Park as well, should you have any gently used items you wish to donate rather than dump! See their flyer below for more details.

CD5 + Utilities Community Meeting Recap

Thanks to all who joined us at last night’s CD5 Community Meeting, where we heard from Long Beach Utilities about their services, resources, and programs. It was an informative and engaging presentation, with lots of great questions asked and answered. Great info was shared regarding Utility Assistance Programs, Climate Friendly Landscaping, and the Direct Install Appliance program, which can help conserve gas and water and reduce monthly costs. See the links below to learn more!

• Utility Assistance Programs
• Flexible Payment Plans can help pay off accumulated debt or help with handling new high utility bills
• Low Income Gas Discount Program - qualified residents can receive a 20% discount on their monthly natural gas bill
• Climate Friendly Landscaping
• Lawn to Garden Program – replace water-thirsty lawns with a drought-friendly garden to reduce demand on water, improve air quality, and increase biodiversity, with incentives and reimbursements available
• Native Plant Parkway Program – provides you with the resources and materials to transform the turf in your parkway to a native landscape – at no cost!
• Direct Install Gardens Program – helps income-qualified residents replace water-intensive lawns with drought-tolerant vegetation
• Direct Install Appliances Program – apply to see if you qualify to receive more efficient and resource-conserving appliances at no cost, such as toilets, shower heads, faucet aerators, water heater pipe insulation, and more! 
• Gas Rebates & Incentives – home energy-efficiency rebates on natural gas products for residential customers to save money and energy

Save the date for next month’s meeting, being held on Thursday, Sept. 25th, at Wardlow Park Community Center starting at 6pm, featuring City Manager Modica. We hope to see you there! 

Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Cycle

FY26 Budget Conversations Continue

Fifth District Budget Recommendations

Late last week, I submitted my Budget Recommendations to the Budget Oversight Committee (BOC) for their consideration, highlighting a few key asks for District 5. My recommendations include increased focus and attention on park improvements, urban forestry, infrastructure improvements, and continuing the subsidization of unleaded aviation fuel – all of which align with our goals to improve health, safety, and quality of life within the Fifth District and citywide. The BOC received and filed these asks during their meeting on Tuesday afternoon, and while final decisions on what may be included in their recommendations to Council will come later, it sounded as though there may be opportunity to allocate funding for some of these requests in the FY26 Budget. If you would like to share your support for any of my budget recommendations, you can do so by submitting public comment or a letter of support to cityclerk@longbeach.gov, or by attending and providing public comment at any of the BOC meetings still to come! 

Continued Budget Hearings

Later on Tuesday, we continued the Budget Hearings with presentations from the Community Development (CD) Department and the Health & Human Services (HHS) Department. These departments often work hand-in-hand, as their vital services help promote the livability, resilience, equity, health, and safety for our city as a whole.

• Community Development Director Koontz began with his overview by, highlighting last year’s successes, such as entitling more than 1,700 housing units, supporting neighborhood programs and community needs, and active efforts to streamline processes for residents and customers; and challenges, such as enforcement and management of the Short Term Rental (STR) Ordinance and other internal inefficiencies. Their proposed budget continues to build on those successes and address challenges, with focused efforts to reorganize roles, increase access to digital services, and furthering community outreach and engagement.
• Health and Human Services Director King shared the Health Department’s report, during which she highlighted the department’s commitment and dedication to a well-rounded, full-lifetime approach towards identifying key services and community needs. HHS saw success last year in promoting community health and safety from sidewalk vending enforcement, to emergency response during the tuberculosis and measles outbreaks, as well as increased participation in youth-focused programs. I look forward to their continued focus on emergency preparedness and response, violence and substance abuse reduction strategies, mental health resources, strategies to address homelessness, and continuation of youth engagement and development programs. Although the Health Department is not cutting any funding from the City budget, it is becoming increasingly important to consider the impacts of lost funding from federal grants and programs as a result of the federal administration’s goals and restrictions.

Tidelands Overview

After hearing from CD and HHS, City Manager Modica also provided us with an important overview of Tidelands, and how funding in the Long Beach Tidelands Trust is collected and used. In short, the Long Beach Tidelands are held in trust for the people of California. Oil extracted from the Tidelands area and the revenue it generates are part of that trust. Trust resources must support public trust purposes (such as navigation, fishing, commerce, recreations, habitat protection and restoration, water quality, and coastal access. The City and State share a continuing non-delegable duty to protect these resources and ensure that trust needs are met. At present, revenues from Tidelands Oil is split among the City (8.5%), the State (42.5%), and ARCO, the Field Contractor operating the THUMS Oil Islands (49%). For more context and information, I encourage you to review the presentation and discussion in the recent meeting’s video, as this presentation provides important context for an additional Item heard on Tuesday, Item 18.

• Item 18 at the 8/22 Council Meeting represents the initiation of intergovernmental advocacy and review of the Tidelands Trust, to explore options to increase the City of Long Beach’s percentage of the revenue split. I support these efforts especially as projected oil revenues continue to decline. It is increasingly important to keep our existing oil dollars local, and reinvest those funds back into the Long Beach community. Approved by Council, this item also came before the Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA) Committee at yesterday’s meeting. As Vice Chair of the IGA Committee, I look forward to being a part of this advocacy work, continuing the conversations, and working towards negotiations with the State to increase our access to these limited funds.

The Budget Oversight Committee meetings and Budget Hearings will continue throughout the month of August until the Budget Adoption Hearing on Sept. 9, 2025, at 5pm. Learn more at longbeach.gov/FY26 or longbeach.gov/budget.

Health & Human Services

Excessive Heat Advisory - Stay Cool & Stay Safe!

As excessive temperatures continue to be forecasted through this weekend, City Health Officer Dr. Anissa Davis has issued a heat advisory alert and is advising residents to take precautions against the heat.

All City Parks, Recreation, & Marine Community Centers and Long Beach Public Library locations are available as designated cooling centers during their normal business hours. Please contact Community Centers and Libraries ahead of time to confirm they are open in the case of unexpected closures.

People are encouraged to check on friends, family, and neighbors who are home-bound to make sure they are not affected by the heat. Older adults, those with chronic illnesses, infants and young children are at greater risk for heat-related illnesses. However, anyone can suffer heat illness and should take precautions to reduce the risk of heat-related illness and injury.

• Stay Cool with lightweight, loose-fitting clothing; limited activities to mornings and evenings where possible; and spend peak heat hours (noon to 6pm) in air-conditioning, or take a cool shower or bath.
• Hydrate with plenty of fluids, and don’t just wait until you’re thirsty! Stay away from alcohol, caffeine, and very sugary drinks, which can be dehydrating; and replace salt and minerals lost from sweating with sports drinks or salty snacks. Those with chronic health conditions, on water pills, or advised to limit water by your doctor should check in with your health provider for guidance.
• Protect against heat-related illness with sunscreen (SPF15 or higher, 30 minutes before going outside, and every two-hours!), a wide brimmed hat, and sunglasses with 100% UVA & UVB protection.
• Never leave a child or pet in a parked car or asleep in direct sunlight, and ensure adult supervision of children near water, if choosing to cool off by swimming in pools, spas, or at the beach. Make sure pets also have access to shade and plenty of water, and be aware that hot asphalt can burn a pet’s paws!
• Keep an eye out for signs of heat-related illness including heavy sweating; cold, pale, clammy skin; nausea and vomiting; or dizziness, headaches, and confusion. Get medical help right away if a person has body temperature of 103 or higher; loses consciousness; has a fast, strong pulse; or has symptoms lasting longer than an hour or worsening over time.

To learn more, review the recent heat advisory or visit longbeach.gov/extremeheat.

Long Beach Transit

Museum Express Final Weekend!

Long Beach Transit's 2025 Museum Express offerings are coming to an end with two final field trips this weekend! Get $15 round trip tickets to join community members at the museums listed below. Note, this does not include entrance fees at destinations.

Ronald Reagan Library - Sat. Aug. 23, 9am - 4pm

The Getty Center (Brentwood) - Sun. Aug. 24, 10:30 am - 5pm

Learn more at ridelbt.com/museumexpress

Long Beach Public Library

Lucky Day Collections

As of this past Monday, August 18, select Long Beach Public Library locations will offer “Lucky Day Collections” to provide residents the opportunity to check out the most popular titles, with no waits and no holds. Titles are available to check out at the branch they are physically located at, are non-renewable, and can be checked out for a total of seven days. Make today your Lucky Day and take home the most in-demand titles immediately! Visit or call the participating locations below to learn more.

• BJK Main Library
• Bay Shore Neighborhood Library
• Harte Neighborhood Library
• El Dorado Neighborhood Library
• Mark Twain Neighborhood Library
• Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library

Animal Care Services

Long Beach Joins "Clear the Shelters" Campaign

Long Beach Animal Care Services (LBACS) has joined NBCUniversal’s 2025 Clear the Shelters national pet adoption and donation campaign. Since its inception in 2015, Clear The Shelters has helped more than one million pets across the country find new homes.

Through August 31st, to encourage the responsible, mindful adoption of animals in need of a home, LBACS is offering $25 adoption specials for dogs 25 lbs. and over, and $9 adoption specials for kittens. Those interested in adopting can visit LBACS (7700 E. Spring St.) Wednesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Potential adopters can also search for adoptable pets in the shelter by breed, gender, and size, and apply online. Residents can also get involved by making a monetary donation, fostering, volunteering, donating supplies and spreading the word about local adoptable animals on social media. LBACS' Clear the Shelters will culminate on the last weekend of the month with waived adoption fees from Aug. 29-31.

For more information, review the recent press release, or read more and find adoptable animals at cleartheshelters.com or longbeach.gov/acs. 

Flea Medications for Long Beach Pets

Earlier this month, the Health & Human Services Department shared that they are reporting higher-than-usual numbers of flea-borne typhus so far this year along with a localized outbreak, compared to other years. Typhus is a bacterial disease spread to people by infected fleas typically carried by rats, opossums, community cats, pets, and other animals. Review the recent press release to learn more.

Reducing or eliminating fleas on pets can help reduce the risk of flea-borne typhus infection, such as with anti-flea medications, whether topical or oral. However, fleas are becoming resistant to some common over-the-counter topical medications, thus veterinarians are now recommending oral medications, which require a vet consultation for prescription.

To help increase access to this prescription medication to the community, the Community Animal Medicine Project (CAMP) offers vet consultations at some of their mobile clinics for only $26, after which the pet can be prescribed the oral medication – note: vet availability is noted on CAMP’s online calendar by a pawprint next to the time. After a mobile clinic consult, pet owners can receive up to a year’s worth of flea medication at once, or can come back to pick up additional flea medications at no additional consultation fee. Visit campla.org to learn more and find an upcoming mobile clinic.

Additionally, the Little Lion Foundation, a non-profit based in CD5, holds Affordable Wellness Clinics for Owned Cats, during which they will begin to offer the oral flea medications for cats for around $22, with no additional vet consultation fee. Learn more and make an appointment at littlelionfoundation.org. 

Cal State University, Long Beach

CSULB Alum Andrew Jones Named Acting President

Earlier this week, Cal State University, Long Beach announced the appointment of Andrew Jones as acting President. Jones, who graduated from CSULB in 1982, will lead the campus effective August 25, 2025, pending the appointment of a permanent successor for President Jane Close Conoley, who is retiring after more than a decade of service. Jones’ exemplary service as Executive Vice Chancellor and General Counsel for CSULB has made him the perfect fit to take the helm during this transitional period. Learn more in the recent announcement. Congratulations acting President Jones, wishing you the best of luck from District 5!