Image courtesy of the City of Long Beach.
The City of Long Beach has counted down its Top 10 stories of 2015 and subsequently issued a release to share some of its greatest accomplishments and accolades of the year. The news items were released one per day on the city’s Facebook page beginning Monday, December 21, with the number one story posted on Wednesday, December 31.
“The City of Long Beach does outstanding work, and this year is no exception,” Mayor Robert Garcia said in a statement. “These 10 stories highlight just how much we’ve accomplished on behalf of the community in 2015.”
From the inaugural Beach Streets Uptown event, which transformed Atlantic Avenue into a celebration of carless space for people to the city’s unemployment rate hitting a seven-year low, the City of Long Beach certainly deserves a pat on the back.
The full list of stories, with the city’s summary for each, is below.
Story No. 10
Top 10 Digital City Five Years in a Row [Story]
For the fifth time in as many years, the City of Long Beach has been named a Top 10 Digital City, surpassing numerous other cities in a national survey that spotlights municipalities best demonstrating how information and communication technologies are used to enhance public service.
Story No. 9
100 Percent “A” Grades for Water Quality [Story]
The City of Long Beach received 100 percent “A” grades for water quality, including seven “A+” grades, according to Heal the Bay’s 2015 Beach Report Card.
Story No. 8
Perfect Score in Municipal Equality Index [Story]
For four years in a row, the City of Long Beach has been named one of the best cities in the nation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) inclusion in municipal law and policy. Long Beach was one of only 47 cities nationwide to achieve a perfect score in the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index (MEI).
Story No. 7
First Park in U.S. Named after NAACP Opens in Long Beach [Story]
The first park in the United States named after the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) opened in Long Beach. The 2.8-acre park along a bicycle path provides much-needed open space in Central Long Beach, where residents can relax at benches and picnic tables.
Story No. 6
Significant Infrastructure Projects Throughout Long Beach
The City invested in significant infrastructure projects throughout Long Beach, including the Beach Pedestrian Path; Naples Seawall; LED Streetlight Program; Pine Avenue project; decoupling of Sixth and Seventh Streets in Downtown; DeForest Wetlands Restoration; Houghton Park Master Plan; Terminal Island Freeway; Wrigley Greenbelt; Whaley Park concessions buildings; El Dorado Dog Park; and Nature Center improvements.
Story No. 5
Innovation and Economic Development Initiatives [Story]
The City’s Innovation Team (i-team) has developed five new innovation and economic development initiatives to be implemented by the City and community partners over the next year: Economic Development Blue Print; StartupLB Tools for Business; High Tech Infrastructure Plan; Branding for Business; and Long Beach Center for Innovation.
Story No. 4
Unemployment Rate Hits Seven-Year Low; Major Economic Activity Underway [Story]
The unemployment rate in Long Beach continued to decline and reached a seven-year low, dropping to 7.6 percent as of August 2015. This rate was nearly the same as the May 2008 rate of 7.4 percent, just before the global financial crisis.
Story No. 3
Beach Streets Uptown Transforms Atlantic Avenue [Story]
More than 25,000 people got out of their cars and transformed Atlantic Avenue by walking, bicycling, and skating during the Beach Streets Uptown “Open Street” event in June.
Story No. 2
City, Army Corps of Engineers Agree to Study Ecosystem Restoration [Story]
Mayor Robert Garcia and Brig. Gen. Mark Toy recently met to discuss the East San Pedro Bay Ecosystem Restoration Study at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ South Pacific Division Headquarters in San Francisco. The financial cost share agreement for this study will be signed at a special ceremony in Long Beach in coming weeks.
Story No. 1
Brand New Civic Center & Port Headquarters Approved [Story]
Earlier this month, the City Council and the Board of Harbor Commissioners both unanimously approved the Civic Center Project. This Project, including a new seismically superior City Hall and Port Headquarters, a New Main Library and a revitalized Lincoln Park, is both monumental and transformational.