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(562) 570 5555 | district5@longbeach.gov | | Weekly Updates | Mar. 28, 2025 | | |
Happy Friday, District 5! As March comes to a close, it’s hard to believe how quickly the month has flown by. I hope the transitional weather continues to warm up over the next few days, especially as there are plenty of ways to get out and engage with the city and the community this weekend.
First of all, I hope as many of you as are able to will take advantage of tomorrow’s District 5 Dump Day! With the spring season inspiring many to clean, I know how difficult it can be to actually get rid of those large items taking up space in your home, garage, or yard. Tomorrow, March 29th, from 8am – 12pm, you can find my team, Public Works’ Clean Team, and the Conservation Corps of Long Beach, at any one of three locations across CD5 (the Expo Arts Center, Pan Am Park, and Wardlow Park) to drop off and dispose of your large, bulky items for free! See the information block below for more details.
As you may already know, this Saturday, March 29th, is certainly a busy one for city-sponsored meetings and events! Starting at 9am from Steelcraft Long Beach, the Community Development Department will be holding a Walk Audit as the next opportunity to discuss the city’s Zone In Program and how it relates to Bixby Knolls. Then, at 11am, the Public Works Department will hold a meeting at the Wardlow Park Community Center to discuss updates to the Skylinks Regional Stormwater Capture Project. Lastly, at 1pm, Animal Care Services and the Little Lion Foundation will be celebrating the grand opening of the new Community Cat Project, a program focused on reducing the overpopulation and improving the lives of free-roaming cats in our community. Find more details in the information blocks below!
To round out the weekend of local activities, on Sunday, March 30th, I hope you’ll join me and my team at our CD5 Day at a Dirtbags Game! The CSULB Dirtbags will play USCB’s Gauchos at Blair Field at 1pm. Though they study and play outside of our district boundaries, it’s always great to have the community come together in support of our local student athletes. Grab your discounted tickets through our CD5 link today!
Finally, I’d like to remind you that the next City Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 1, 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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District 5 Office
CD5 Dump Day | March 29th
Tomorrow, March 29th, is District 5 Dump Day! Find us at any of three locations throughout CD5 (Expo Arts Center, Pan Am Park, and Wardlow Park) from 8am - 12pm so you can get rid of large, bulky, difficult-to-dispose-of items for free!
E-waste will also be collected at each site, however hazardous waste such as batteries, paint, or household cleaners will not be accepted.
For seniors or residents that have difficulty with transportation or mobility, please reach out to us at district5@longbeach.gov or (562) 570 5555 to schedule a curbside pick-up of your items.
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CSULB Dirtbags Baseball Program
CD5 Day at Dirtbags Game | March 30th
On Sunday, March 30th, Councilwoman Kerr invites you to bring your friends and family to support the Dirtbags Baseball Program!
At 1pm, join us and neighbors for a District 5 Day at Blair Field (4700 Deukmejian Dr) to watch our CSULB baseball team play UC Santa Barbara!
Community members can purchase discounted tickets at longbeachstate.com/CD5.
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Community Development Department
Zone In: Bixby Knolls Walk Audit | March 29th
The City of Long Beach is hosting a community walk audit for the Zone In: Bixby Knolls Project. This Zoning Update is part of the broader Zone In Program, a systematic rezoning of areas throughout Long Beach to implement the General Plan Land Use Element and the 6th Cycle Housing Element, and to ensure the City’s compliance with state planning and housing laws. The rezoning will help the City establish sufficient zoned capacity to meet existing and future housing needs as required by state law.
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We invite you to attend the community walk audit as the next opportunity to learn more about the project and provide feedback on the types of uses and buildings that you want to see in your community. Click to RSVP for the first walk audit.
Zone In: Bixby Knolls Project Community Walk Audit
Saturday, March 29, 2025 at 9:00-10:30 AM
Departing from the Long Beach Blvd frontage of SteelCraft Long Beach,
3768 Long Beach Blvd, 90807
After a brief introduction to the project, we will walk together for roughly 5-6 blocks (1 hour), as we discuss observations and ideas for the neighborhood.
For more information about this event, please contact Alejandro Sánchez-López at alejandro.sanchez-lopez@longbeach.gov.
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Long Beach Public Works
Skylinks Regional Stormwater Capture Project | March 29th
The Public Works Department will host a community meeting to provide an update and overview of the Skylinks Regional Stormwater Capture Project on Saturday, March 29th from 11am to 12:30pm at the Wardlow Park Community Center (3457 Stanbridge). The meeting will provide updates on the project, including current timeline and unveiling of the facility’s design. Members of the project team will also be available to answer questions. Learn more at longbeach.gov/srscp.
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Long Beach Animal Care Services
Community Cat Project Grand Opening | March 29th
The City of Long Beach Animal Care Services, in partnership with The Little Lion Foundation, is launching the Long Beach Community Cat Project. This project, a first of its kind in the city, is focused on significantly reducing the overpopulation of free-roaming community cats in Long Beach and its service cities of Cerritos, Los Alamitos, and Signal Hill by providing free and accessible sterilization surgeries and animal care resources to community cats.
Community members and animal serving organizations with community cats are encouraged to participate in this program to help support the City’s goal of drastically reducing community cat overpopulation. Those interested may submit an application at The Little Lion Foundation website or call LBACS at 562.570.7387 for more information.
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To celebrate the project launch, the City and The Little Lion Foundation invite the community to a Grand Opening event and ribbon-cutting ceremony, taking place from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 29, 2025, at The Little Lion Foundation headquarters (1179 E. Wardlow Rd.).
Review the recent press release to learn more.
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Health & Human Services Department
Nominations Open for 2nd Year of Veterans Banner Program
The Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) is accepting nominations for the second year of the Long Beach Veterans Banner Program. This year, up to 60 veterans will be honored with banners displayed throughout Long Beach for one year, starting summer 2025. Nominations will be accepted through March 31, 2025. Review the recent press release or visit longbeach.gov/veteransbanners to learn more and submit your nomination!
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Upcoming Commission Item
April 3rd | Planning Commission, Item 5
At the upcoming Planning Commission meeting scheduled for April 3rd, they will hear Item 5, pertaining to the proposed development of a bowling alley at 4100 Carson St, within the Long Beach Exchange (LBX) development in the Douglas Park North Planned Development District. The proposal is to remodel a currently vacant building previously used as a hardware store with outdoor garden center to convert into a bowling alley and entertainment center. See the full item for more details.
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Office of Equity
Seeking Community Input for New Culture & Heritage Calendar
The City of Long Beach’s Office of Equity has launched a Culture & Heritage Calendar Survey, inviting community members to help shape a new calendar that will recognize and celebrate diversity in Long Beach and build stronger community connections. While the survey will be available on an ongoing basis, submissions completed by Friday, April 25th will be considered for the inaugural edition of the Culture & Heritage Calendar launching this spring.
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The Culture & Heritage Calendar will highlight significant cultural and religious observances, diversity and inclusion-related commemorative months, and key dates that reflect the City’s commitment to equity and inclusion. Once completed, the Calendar will be available on the Office of Equity’s webpage as a resource to promote awareness of the diverse groups, cultures, and causes in Long Beach.
Community members interested in participating may complete the survey online or fill out a paper copy in person at any Long Beach Public Library location or Parks, Rec., & Marine Community Center. Learn more in the recent press release, or visit bit.ly/EquityLB to stay up to date.
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CD5 Community Shout Out
In Memoriam: Carmen O. Perez
Last week, Long Beach lost one of our iconic local heroes and community activists, Carmen O. Perez, a beloved longtime Fifth District resident. Among many notable accomplishments, Ms. Perez was the Port of Long Beach’s first Latina Harbor Commissioner, as well as a founding member of the Chicano Six, and an influential figure at Long Beach’s Centro de la Raza. She mentored local youth and adults and continually sought avenues to improve conditions, to fight inequities, and to be a voice for the underrepresented or disadvantaged. She was a trailblazer who never failed to advocate for what she knew was right. In every role she held, Carmen stood as an example of diverse representation having a seat at the table, and she always extended the invitation to help uplift the voices of our community. She was an inspiration to all whose lives she touched. To learn more about Ms. Perez’s life and work, you can read the recent obituary or her feature article from the Historical Society of Long Beach.
May we all take a moment to remember and reflect on the influential life and legacy of Ms. Carmen O. Perez, for all she has done for our city and beyond, as we extend our condolences to the family, friends, and loved ones she left behind. May her passion for social justice and equity continue to inspire others for generations to come.
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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 Airport Subsidizes More Than 3,000 Gallons of Unleaded Aviation Fuel | | | Students Encouraged to Apply for Summer Internship Opportunities with City Prosecutor’s Office | | | City Provides Additional $250,000 in Grant Funding to Support Small Businesses | | | Save the Date! Long Beach Announces Youth Week May 15-17 | | | Expanded Live Music Program Welcomes Travelers at Long Beach Airport | | | Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine to Offer Summer Day Camps for Youth June 16 through August 22 | | |
Memos to the Mayor & Council
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Upcoming
City Council Meeting
Tues. April 1, 2025, 5:00pm
411 W Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90802
FULL AGENDA
Item 3 Recommendation to provide a contribution to the following organizations: to Playmakers in support of their 2nd annual Adaptive Sports Fair; to Long Beach BLAST (Better Learning for All Students Today) in support of their 25th Annual Breakfast BLAST event; to Partners of Parks in support of their Juneteenth Celebration. (Item Details)
Item 23 Recommendation to request City Manager to evaluate options for establishing labor standards requirements regarding staffing and operational standards for self-checkout operations (SCOs) in grocery retail stores and retail drug establishments in Long Beach to proactively address retail theft to advance the protection and preservation of public safety and welfare; and Request City Attorney to prepare ordinance to amend the Long Beach Municipal Code under Title 5 – Regulation of Businesses, Trades, and Professions to enact new self-checkout labor standards requirements for staffing and operations at subject grocery retail stores and retail drug establishments in Long Beach. (Item Details)
Item 26 Recommendation to approve the Fiscal Year 2025 first departmental and fund budget appropriation adjustments in accordance with existing City Council policy. (Item Details)
Item 28 Recommendation to adopt ordinance amending the Long Beach Municipal Code by amending and restating Chapter 16.43 related to Airport Noise Compatibility, read the first time and laid over to the next regular meeting of the City Council for final reading. (Item Details)
Item 29 Recommendation to declare ordinance adopting Zoning Code Amendment and the proposed findings thereto, to amend Chapter 21.67 of the Zoning Regulations to expand the existing Inclusionary Housing Ordinance applicability beyond the Downtown Plan and Mid-Town Specific Plan submarkets and apply the ordinance citywide, including sites within the coastal zone; change the affordability requirements for Inclusionary Housing Ordinance, read and adopted as read. (Item Details)
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