Living in Southern California, we've all felt those tremors, and it is important to me to ensure that our community is as ready as possible. This event is an opportunity for us to come together, learn, and be proactive in protecting our families, neighbors, seniors, and children.

Highlights of the event include an earthquake simulator to feel the power of an earthquake in a safe, controlled environment, Quake Heroes movie showings and panel discussions at 10:30 am and 1:00 pm (registration required), and expert-led booths to gather essential preparedness tips to ensure you’re quake ready. Food will be available for purchase by Taco Shore and Dominos. 

Congratulations to the five new Senior Police Partner volunteers who graduated from the 2024 SPP Training Academy! Thank you for your dedication to our City.

Construction at the Colorado Lagoon Open Channel project has hit a key milestone as tidal flow has been successfully rerouted through the new Eliot Street Bridge channel. Ongoing work continues at the Colorado Street Bridge and Marina Vista Park. Road closures and a temporary pedestrian path are expected to continue through early 2025.

Congratulations to Wild Fork on their grand opening in District 3!

The Belmont Shore Book Fair on 2nd Street provided a great opportunity for local writers to connect with readers and the community through book sales, signings, poetry readings, panel discussions, and live music. Thank you to Heather Kern, Executive Director of the Belmont Shore Business Association, and it was great to visit with one of our Long Beach Writers, Max Evans.

Sunday, October 6, the marathon and bike event will begin at 6:00 am, starting in Downtown Long Beach and ending on Ocean Boulevard. The half marathon starts at 7:00 am. Road closures will be in place from 5:00 am to 2:00 pm. Impacted roads include, but are not limited to, East Livingston Drive, Park Avenue, East Anaheim Street, Clark Avenue, East Atherton Street, Shoreline Drive, Queensway Bridge, and Queensway Drive.

District 3 staff and I toured Alamitos Bay with Lenny Arkinstall, Founder and Executive Director of Los Cerritos Wetlands Stewards. Thank you for your continued dedication to the Los Cerritos Wetlands, the waterways of the City of Long Beach, and educating the public while highlighting the native habitats in our community.

The Long Beach Reuses coalition is excited to announce BYO Month in Long Beach from October 1-31! All month long, we will be celebrating local sustainably minded businesses by encouraging the community to BYO (Bring Your Own) and help reduce our environmental footprint and reliance on single-use plastics. 

Emergency Evacuation Action Day at Billie Jean King Main Library was educational featuring a panel discussion with voices from the disability community and subject matter experts, along with a resource fair and opportunities for the public to create individualized evacuation plans. Thank you to Councilmember Mary Zendejas for hosting this great event!

The City has received final design documents for the Studebaker Corridor Complete Street project, which are currently under review. This project contains federal-aid funding which requires an Authorization from Caltrans for the City of Long Beach to administer this project. This Authorization is required prior to advertising and is pending Caltrans review. The project team anticipates receiving Authorization from Caltrans in the next couple months. If the bidding process is successful, the project award will follow and construction would be estimated to begin in early 2025.

I had the privilege of attending the annual St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Walk / Run for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month at Shoreline Aquatic Park. It was a heartwarming event where our community united to raise awareness and support for the brave children and their families battling childhood cancer. Thank you to the St. Jude staff for hosting this event. It was great to meet the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated, Long Beach Sigma Eta Zeta Chapter volunteering their time.

I was so glad to attend the Groove is in the Arts: State of the Arts Reception 2024 at Altar Society Brewing and Coffee Co., to celebrate creativity and community through live music, art, and good vibes. Thank you to Griselda Suarez, Executive Director of the Arts Council for Long Beach, for hosting this event!