It was great to see all of the residents who came out for the opening of the Eliot Street pedestrian path at the Open Channel project! The view of Marine Stadium from the new bridge is beautiful. I hope that you will take a walk this weekend to get a feel for the project as it nears completion in early 2025. District 3 staff and I had a great time handing out donuts and coffee to kids, parents and early morning walkers. Be sure to check it out!

The gravel path will be closing next week.

Last weekend, the Naples Island Collegiate Challenge - Pancake Regatta took place at Marine Stadium, the future rowing venue for LA28. Councilmember Supernaw and I were glad to sponsor this event.

The first event, the Naples Island Collegiate Rowing Challenge (NICRC), was a 4k head race around Naples Island, where medals were awarded to the top men’s and women’s crews, and the Queen Mary Trophy went to the school with the most points. The second event, the Novice Sprints, was an 850-meter race for novice eights, offering crews a side-by-side sprint racing experience, though no official times or finishes were recorded. The event ended with a free pancake breakfast which was provided to all participants. Schools including CSULB, OCC, SDSU, UCLA, UCSB, Cal Poly SLO, and UCI took part in the race.

The LA Public Works Pump Station projects are progressing, with an expected completion date by the end of November 2024. The Alamitos Bay Pump Station Discharge Line Replacement project, located at 5425 East Ocean Boulevard, involves replacing and upgrading the discharge pipe and outlet structure, enhancing the control house, and installing additional pump station equipment to improve capacity. Additionally, the Naples Island Pump Stations Rehabilitation (Phase I) focuses on rehabilitating the East Toledo, West Toledo, and West Neapolitan Pump Stations by removing existing pumps and motors, installing new submersible pumps, discharge pipes, and electrical systems, along with making building improvements.

It was a pleasure to present Lenny Arkinstall, Executive Director of Los Cerritos Wetlands Stewards, with a Certificate of Recognition at the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority meeting last week. Thank you, Lenny, for your outstanding dedication and hard work in preserving the natural beauty our City.

The office of the Mayor and City Council would like to engage local youth artists in designing an art piece that captures our city’s beauty and essence through 2D visual art or photography. The contest is intended for youth in grades 1 to 8. Each City Council District will have two winners: one for grades 1 to 5 and one for grades 6 to 8.

Winners will be honored with a monetary stipend and will have a high-resolution printed image of their work displayed in the City Legislative offices and honored before the City Council.

2024 Kiwanis Kids and Cops event was hosted at the Jefferson Leadership Academy, where middle school youth learned about the various roles of Long Beach Police Officers and participated in engaging activities. Thank you to the Kiwanis Club of Long Beach, LBPD, and Long Beach Unified for this informative event for our youth community!

Parks, Recreation and Marine will offer their annual California Native Plant Sale beginning Tuesday, November 5 through Tuesday, November 26, 2024, at El Dorado Nature Center (7550 E. Spring Street). The plant sale will feature hundreds of beautiful and beneficial native plants to enhance gardens, patios or balconies and increase habitat for wildlife. Be sure to check it out!

I am excited to announce the launch of the Lights, Camera, No Action Pilot Program, designed to enhance safety in our community with a rebate of up to $100 per address to purchase a camera and / or lighting. Applications are now open for 3rd District residents, businesses, nonprofits, and religious institutions. Through increasing effective lighting and security measures, we aim dissuade criminal activity and assist law enforcement.

For questions on the program, please contact the District 3 Neighborhood Watch volunteer at LightsCameraNoActionLB@gmail.com.