Congratulations to Councilmembers Allen, Supernaw, and Saro on being sworn in for another term. Welcome and congratulations to Councilmember Thrash-Ntuk, representing District 8, and congratulations to Vice Mayor Uranga on his appointment. Wishing everyone success in serving our City!

Residents can drop off their Christmas trees for free at 12 locations throughout Long Beach from Thursday, December 26 to Friday, January 10.

I am excited to announce that the Bay Shore Library's Grand Opening will be Saturday, January 11! Stay tuned for updates on the celebration time, which will be shared on our social media channels and in our newsletter. Thank you to the Department of Public Works for making this renovation possible.

This week, I heard from our new District Attorney, Nathan Hochman, about the changes he is bringing to the office to restore accountability for crimes. The system didn’t fall apart overnight and it will take some time to fix, but we are righting the ship!

Two months ago, we launched the Lights, Camera, No Action Pilot Program to help District 3 residents install publicly facing lights and cameras with up to $100 in rebates. So far, we’ve approved over 50 locations, and 10 applicants have completed the entire process. Thank you to the District 3 Neighborhood Watch Volunteers for running the program and thank you to Community Development's Neighborhood Services for their support!

Installing lights and cameras is a quick and effective way to improve safety in your neighborhood. The application takes about 5 minutes, and most applicants have all costs covered.

Funding is still available, so apply before the end of the year!

This holiday season, we received calls, texts, and emails about large, noncompliant food vending businesses taking advantage of the changes in State law intended to encourage entrepreneurship in low-income communities of color. We have also seen posts on Facebook, Nextdoor, Instagram, and other social media sites asking what the City is doing about it. These complaints are not logged into the system.

The intention of showing this map is to encourage people to report noncompliant vending businesses through the proper channels. We are operating on a complaint-driven system, and there are no proactive patrols, so these reports help staff identify hotspots.

To report violations of the Health and Safety Code or the Long Beach Municipal Code, please submit the complaint through the Go Long Beach App. Or you can contact the appropriate department directly.

To reach the Business License Division, call (562)570-6211 or email FMSidewalkVEnding@longbeach.gov. To reach the Health Department, call (562)570-4132 or email HE-SidewalkVEnding@longbeach.gov.