On July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed to protect people with disabilities from discrimination. Following the ADA, Massachusetts hosted the first ever Disability Pride Day event, and Disability Pride Month was born. Disability is a natural part of human diversity, and July provides space to recognize, celebrate and take pride in living with disabilities. This Disability Pride Month, we encourage you to uplift and amplify the voices of people with disabilities who are severely underrepresented and shine a spotlight on those who often are marginalized, forgotten, and discriminated. Use this month to uplift your friends, family members, acquaintances and all others living with visible and non-visible disabilities. |
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Office of Equity & City Updates |
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Long Beach Technology & Data Community Survey |
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Looking to learn more about Long Beach’s use of technology & data? Want to give feedback to the City? Fill out this anonymous survey today to share your input for a chance to win a $100 gift card! |
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Every month, our newsletter will introduce you to the incredible people and innovative programs that are advancing equity across the City. This month, we are highlighting Sherlyn Beatty and David McGill-Soriano from the Office of Youth Development in the City of Long Beach Health and Human Services Department. |
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Sherlyn Beatty
Youth Development Program Manager
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Sherlyn Beatty (She/her/hers), Youth Development Program Manager with the Office of Youth Development. Sherlyn has over 20 years of experience in various youth development leadership roles, including six and a half years here with the City of Long Beach in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine prior to working in the Office of Youth Development. In her various roles, Sherlyn has formed collaborative partnerships to strengthen the program offerings and oversaw a variety of programs including staff development, youth sports, senior programs, after school programs, and teen programming. She has also held various other youth development and volunteer development positions throughout the Long Beach community including Long Beach Unified School District, Long Beach City College, and Girl Scouts. Sherlyn received her bachelor’s degree in Recreation and Leisure Studies with a Certificate of Nonprofit Management from California State University, Long Beach.
Sherlyn has a passion for working with youth of all ages, helping them to discover their true potential and encouraging them to believe in the power of their dreams. You can often find her spending time with her husband and thirteen-year-old daughter creating memories, listening to music or crafting.
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David McGill-Soriano
Youth Development Coordinator
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David McGill-Soriano (He/Him/Él), Youth Development Coordinator with the Office of Youth Development. David was born and raised in Long Beach and grew up in the Washington and Westside Neighborhoods. He graduated from Long Beach Cabrillo High School and received a Bachelor of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Long Beach State. David's experience includes working in educational equity for the ACLU, running successful organizing campaigns in Long Beach, supporting an equitable, systems change initiative in Central Long Beach and Wilmington, Best Start, and bringing youth development programs to his own neighborhood.
He loves to play basketball, and you can find him playing at the local 14th St basketball courts in his free time. He is the son of a mother who is an immigrant from Jerez, Zacatecas, Mexico and a Father who was an LA County foster kid.
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Programs, Announcements, & Upcoming Events |
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LGBTQ+ Pride Parade and Festival |
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The annual Long Beach Pride festival and parade will be happening this weekend! It is the third largest Pride festival and parade in California. The festivities will be taking place Saturday, July 9 from 11am to 10pm, and July 10th from 10:30am to 10pm. Visit longbeachpride.com for tickets and event details.
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Unveiling of City Beach Access Mats |
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Join Long Beach Public Works and Long Beach Parks, Recreation & Marine to celebrate the installation of our first-ever beach access mats! The access mats make it possible for people of all abilities to more easily access Alamitos, Mother’s, and Granada beaches this summer.
The public is invited to an unveiling of the new, wheel-friendly beach infrastructure at Granada Beach at 2 p.m. on July 15, 2022, taking place on the sand near Ocean Boulevard and Granada Avenue (public parking available at Granada Beach Parking lot at 5098 E. Ocean Blvd.).
The durable, anchored ground coverings by AccessMat® are made of 100% recycled material. The non-slip synthetic rubber is designed to support wheeled pedestrian assistance vehicles such as wheelchairs, beach access chairs, walkers, and strollers. It can also withstand the weight of utility vehicle traffic. The mats are ADA-compliant. Details: https://bit.ly/3R3G51V .
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Willow Springs Mural Project |
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Join the Long Beach Office of Sustainability and Arts Council for Long Beach on Saturday, July 16th from 8am-1pm for a community paint-by-number mural project at Willow Springs Park! Enjoy the beauty of your local park while bringing to life a beautiful mural.
There will be music, games, crafts and more! This a family friendly event, all ages are welcome to participate. Materials will be provided. No art experience necessary! Sign up at the link here. (limited capacity).
For the safety of our staff and all participants, we will be taking COVID precautions, allowing only 5-10 painting at once.
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Long Beach Recovery Act Program Updates |
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Creative Economy Grants Launched |
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The application deadline for the City of Long Beach’s Creative Economy Grants program has been extended through July 7, 2022. The program funded by the Long Beach Recovery Act provides financial support to local nonprofits and professional artists to be utilized for operational recovery, public art, community projects and artist fellowships. The Creative Economy Grants program includes the following three grant opportunities administered through Arts Council for Long Beach (ArtsLB): Organizational Recovery Grants, Community Project Grants, and Artist Fellowships. With this deadline extension, the application period for the three grant opportunities will now close at 11:59 p.m. on July 7, 2022. A separate Public Mural grant, which is also currently accepting applications, will close Aug. 5, 2022. Additional information regarding the application process and eligibility requirements for all Creative Economy Grants can be found on the ArtsLB website.
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The City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services has launched the program My Hood, My City to engage youth through civics education and leadership development. The program, led by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Youth Development in partnership with the Youth Leadership Institute, provides youth-led storytelling through neighborhood tours that raise awareness, pride and knowledge regarding the cultural and structural makeup of neighborhoods in north, west and central Long Beach. Application instructions and eligibility requirements are available through the Youth Leadership Institute’s My Hood, My City webpage. Those who are eligible are encouraged to apply by 7 p.m. on July 12, 2022. The first orientation and launch meeting will be held Wednesday, July 13, 2022, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. via Zoom. Once an application is submitted, Youth Leadership Orientation staff will respond and provide the orientation information, so applicants can submit their interest form right up to the last minute. Questions may be directed to mbedolla@yli.org or comar@yli.org.
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Applications are being accepted for the City of Long Beach’s recently announced ActivateLB grants, providing Long Beach Recovery Act funding to support neighborhood cultural events and activate small businesses. The application period is open through July 21, 2022. ActivateLB is offering the following grant opportunities: Neighborhood Activation Seed Grants: Twelve seed grants of $5,000 each are available for small-scale, neighborhood and first-time cultural events. Business Activation Grants: $100,000 will be distributed in $5,000 and $10,000 grants to support local events and promotions that increase consumer spending at small businesses in Long Beach. Events and promotions, which must be free and open to the public, must focus on commercial corridors that are not supported by a Business Improvement District and must measure impact on consumer spending and/or foot traffic. Additional information regarding the application process and eligibility requirements can be found on the Recovery Act Grant Opportunities webpage at longbeach.gov/ActivateLB.
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Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine to Offer Free Recreation Programs |
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Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine (PRM) will offer a variety of popular, free recreation programs for families, teens and older adults beginning June 20. Residents can call or visit their neighborhood park for schedules and to register for activities. Locations are available on the Summer Fun Days webpage. More information, including the list of Be S.A.F.E. locations and the movie schedule, is available on the Be S.A.F.E. webpage. Visit the Movies in the Park webpage for the complete list of locations and movie titles. Visit the Mobile Recess Program webpage for days, times and locations.
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Library Extended Teen Programs |
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The Long Beach Public Library (LBPL) is expanding its programming for teens at several branch locations. The summer and after-school programs will add a variety of enrichment activities for youth ages 12 and older with a strong focus on wellbeing, creativity, STEAM learning and collaborative interaction. Library branches that will feature expanded teen programming starting this summer include Billie Jean King Main Library, Burnett, Harte, Los Altos, Mark Twain and Michelle Obama. The new programs include the following: Read Beyond the Beaten Path is the LBPL’s Summer Reading Program, SEED STEAM Community, and Teen Advisory Groups (TAG). Expanded programming for teens at the neighborhood libraries is made possible by the Long Beach Recovery Act (Recovery Act), a plan to fund economic and public health initiatives for residents, workers and businesses critically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Digital Inclusion Resources Hotline Relaunch |
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In alignment with the City of Long Beach’s vision to address the digital divide, the Economic Development Department, in collaboration with the Technology and Innovation Department, today will resume offering its Digital Inclusion Resources Hotline (Hotline). The Hotline connects the Long Beach community to digital inclusion resources, services and language interpretation services. A team of digital inclusion navigators will be available via email and by phone on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to direct residents and business owners to information about free and low-cost internet services, computing devices, digital literacy training, and more. One-on-one assistance and language interpretation services will be available for callers in English and Spanish through the digital inclusion navigators, with language interpretation services in Khmer and Tagalog available upon request. Hotline resources are available by calling 562.570.7000 or by emailing digitalinclusion@longbeach.gov. |
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Long Beach New Procurement Platform
"Long Beach Buys"
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The City of Long Beach has launched Long Beach Buys, a new purchasing platform and marketplace that is free for all businesses and organizations seeking to do business with the City. The new procurement software positions the City to more effectively engage with local, diverse and disadvantaged businesses and facilitates the lowering of barriers for prospective businesses to contract with the City with easy-to-use technology, a landing page and instructions available in multiple languages, and an expeditious vendor onboarding process. Long Beach Buys is part of the City’s Extreme Procurement Makeover initiative, which aims to enhance the City’s procurement process to be more efficient, results-driven, equitable and sustainable. |
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The City of Long Beach has expanded its LB Resource Line, an informational hotline that provides free and confidential support to anyone who lives, works, learns or plays in Long Beach and needs assistance finding and accessing local community resources and social services. The LB Resource Line launched in March 2020 during the COVID-19 Safer-At-Home health orders to connect older adults to critical pandemic-related information, resources and services. The line has now expanded its services to provide support to all Long Beach residents, and callers can now connect in real time with a professionally trained Resource Navigator for support. The LB Resource Line is available by calling 562.570.4246 weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Callers who are unable to connect to a Resource Navigator during normal business hours may leave a voicemail and their call will be returned within 24 hours. Residents can also submit an Assistance Request Form online to connect with a Resource Navigator and receive information and assistance in topics such as: Housing, Food access, Physical and mental health, Utilities, Transportation, and Legal Aid.
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The application period opened for the City of Long Beach’s recently announced ActivateLB Grants Program. This Program, funded by the Long Beach Recovery Act, will provide funding for large citywide cultural events, along with neighborhood event seed grants and business activation grants. The application period for Cultural Special Events Grants is open now and will remain open until funds have been exhausted. Program applications for neighborhood event seed grants and business activation grants will open later this month and funded events are planned to be rolled out starting this summer. Additional information regarding the application process and eligibility requirements can be found on the Recovery Act Grant Opportunities webpage at longbeach.gov/ActivateLB
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City of Long Beach Offers COVID-19 Vaccines for Children Ages 6 Months and Older |
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Beginning Friday, June 24, the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) will now have the ability to begin vaccinating anyone 6 months of age and older. The City will expand COVID-19 vaccine eligibility by offering the Moderna vaccine to children 6 months to 5 years of age, as well as the Pfizer vaccine to children 6 months to 4 years of age. |
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The Health Department will offer the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children ages 6 months to 4 years old. Previously, the Pfizer vaccine was only offered to those ages 5 and older. The vaccine that will be given to this new age group will be a lower dose of the Pfizer vaccine and will be administered as a three-dose primary series.The initial two doses are administered three weeks apart, followed by a third dose administered at least eight weeks after the second dose.
The Health Department will offer the Moderna vaccine for children ages 6 months to 5 years old. Previously, the Moderna vaccine was only offered to those who are 18 years of age and older. The vaccine that will be given to this new age group will be a lower dose of the Moderna vaccine and will be administered as a two-dose primary series. The initial two doses are administered one month apart. A third primary series dose, at least one month following the second dose, will be available for immunocompromised individuals.
To accommodate families and children of this age group, appointments for children ages 5 and younger will only be made available in the child-friendly clinical space at the Health Department’s Main Facility, located at 2525 Grand Ave., on the following days and times:
Fridays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 6 p.m.
Saturdays, beginning July 2, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Vaccines for this new age group will not be offered at any other City-run COVID-19 vaccination site. Families that include people with disabilities, access or functional needs, or underlying health conditions who are not able to travel to this vaccination site can request mobile vaccination at longbeach.gov/COVID19MobileVaccination or by calling 562.570.4636. For more information, click here.
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