Weekly Updates | September 5, 2025 | | |
Happy Friday, District 5! I hope everyone is having a great start to their September. Did you know that all zip codes in Long Beach begin with 908? Monday is 9/08, a day to celebrate all things Long Beach, see below on ways to enjoy the day! This week’s updates include information and news regarding the City FY 26 Budget, Long Beach Gives and our office.
If you’re looking for local events this weekend, there’s tons to do here in District 5! Start tonight, Sept. 5th at BKBIA’s First Fridays on Atlantic Ave from 6:30 – 9:30pm to support local artists, restaurants, and small businesses. Then tomorrow, Sept. 6th, I hope to see you at any one of our three locations for our next District 5 Dump Day! Find us at Wardlow Park, Pan American Park, or at Roosevelt & Cerritos (near Hughes Middle School), from 8am – 12pm to dump your large, bulky items for free. For those headed to Pan Am Park, consider bringing some smaller, gently used items to the Lakewood Village Neighborhood Association’s Clean Up Day/Donation Drive Event happening at the same time! Later on Sept. 6th, you can also choose to spend the afternoon at the “Field Goal Pop-Up” market at LBX from 12 – 6pm; or head over to Rancho Los Cerritos for their 3rd Annual LB Sake Day from 1 – 5pm. Learn more about these and other upcoming events in the flyers below.
Looking ahead, save the date for our next CD5 Community Meeting on Sept. 25th at 6pm at the Wardlow Park Community Center, featuring City Manager Tom Modica. We hope you’ll join us to learn more about the City Manager and his team’s roles and responsibilities and to ask any questions you may have. See below for more info.
Finally, I’d like to remind you that the next City Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025, at 5pm in the City Hall Chambers. The full agenda and 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.
Working together,
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Megan Kerr, Councilwoman
Long Beach, District 5
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District 5 Dump Day | TOMMORROW Sept. 6
Join us for the next District 5 Dump Day! TOMORROW, 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.
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Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Cycle
FY26 Budget Conversations Continue
We continued Budget Hearings at Council this week, with presentations from the departments of Public Works, Economic Development, Parks, Recreation and Marine, Library, Arts, and Culture, and Technology and Innovation.
Each department shared their priorities for each department and how they will continue investing in our infrastructure, small businesses, local parks, neighborhood libraries, and technology. Next week, is the final Budget Oversight Committee meeting and final Budget Hearing at City Council with Budget Adoption following. Learn more at longbeach.gov/FY26 or longbeach.gov/budget.
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908 Day
Monday, September 8th is 908 Day! A Citywide celebration of Long Beach! Join the annual celebration of hometown pride all over Long Beach and participate by wearing something that says "Long Beach" and shopping and dining locally on September 8th. Many local shops across Long Beach are offering special deals for those wearing "Long Beach" attire!
As we say in CD5, “From Los Cerritos to Lakewood Village; From Cal Heights to South of Conant; From Willow Springs to Heartwell; From Bixby Knolls to McBride High; We have Pride in CD5! Happy 908 Day!”
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Long Beach Baseball Club
Do you want to help build the future of minor league baseball in Long Beach?
Long Beach is making baseball history and marking a new era of professional baseball at Blair Field. The Long Beach Baseball Club (LBBC) wants your help in choosing the team name and they have launched a team naming contest that will accept submissions through Sept. 12, 2025.
The LBBC is hoping to connect with the community and create a memorable identity for the team that they can also create a cool logo around. Help them find a name for the team by sharing your ideas. They are looking forward to choosing this name with you.
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Long Beach Gives
September 18, 2025
Long Beach Gives is back for the 7th year this September! The annual Giving Day in Long Beach helps to raise awareness and inspire community giving for Long Beach nonprofits. On Thursday, September 18th, 2025, more than 275 nonprofits will inspire the community to give local and support impact right in their own neighborhoods.
Join in supporting the incredible work of the nonprofit organizations serving our city. Long Beach Gives creates new connections between community members and local nonprofits; increases organizational support, collaboration, volunteerism; and builds a better, more resilient city for all!
From taking care of our children, families, and parents with safety net services, to caring for animals and the environment, along with our fine arts and culture organizations, the nonprofit sector works passionately to make Long Beach a more kind and beautiful place to live, work, and play.
Get involved today! Visit www.longbeachgives.org to be a part of the big day and discover all the non-profits in the Fifth District who are making a difference.
Nonprofits truly make our city the best place to live, work, and play. Join us in celebrating and supporting nonprofits during Long Beach Gives!
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Rancho Los Cerritos Presents, Water Ways
The Water/Ways Exhibition at Rancho Los Cerritos offers a unique opportunity for the Fifth District, and visitors from surrounding cities, to experience the Smithsonian in Southern California. Visitors will experience interactives that encourage exploration of the deep connections between water, work, traditions, and faith. “Water/Ways” also includes two multimedia kiosks that provide a variety of short videos about water as a natural resource and its influence on the environment and human culture. Great for all ages and interests.” Please visit the website for more info.
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Summer Essay Contest Winners
This summer, the Friends of the Long Beach Public Library hosted an essay contest that brought together young writers from across our community. The contest was a great success, and we are very proud of all the students who participated—especially the winners, who demonstrated exceptional creativity and effort.
We gladly honor these students who underscore the importance of literacy, civic engagement, and community support for our public libraries!
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Don't Miss Out - Go Solar in 2025!
The City of Long Beach Development Permit Center makes the transition to solar simple and accessible. By installing solar panels, you can save on monthly energy costs, increase the value of your home, and take advantage of federal tax incentives before they expire on December 31, 2025.
The easy online permit process and expert staff are here to guide you every step of the way. Apply early to lock in your savings and join your neighbors in building a cleaner, greener Long Beach. For assistance, please contact us at 562.570.7648 or email Michael.Carrera@longbeach.gov.
Start your solar journey today! For more information visit: longbeach.gov/solarpermit."
| | | | Upcoming Meetings & Events | | |
Memos to the Mayor & Council
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Upcoming
City Council Meeting
Tues. September 9, 2025, 5:00pm
411 W Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90802
FULL AGENDA
Item 14 Recommendation to receive supporting documentation into the record, conclude the public hearing, and take the actions necessary to adopt the Fiscal Year 2026 budget as listed in Attachment A. (Item Details)
Item 15 Recommendation to request City Council to approve the application of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea as a new Sister City with the City of Long Beach, and authorize Mayor of Long Beach to take necessary actions and execute any and all documents to accomplish the establishment of such a relationship; and Request City Attorney to prepare resolution authorizing a sister city relationship with Port Moresby to memorialize this partnership, and return the resolution to council. (Item Details)
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