10. CSULB picks a new mascot

The Beach. The Dirtbags. And, the Sharks. After receiving backlash over its former mascot Prospector Pete, the university picked a new mascot, the Sharks, after a months-long process that included a student vote. The term “49er” will still also be used, but only as a nickname referring to the year the university was founded—not the Gold Rush of 1849. And the Dirtbags moniker is only used for the baseball team. Following? Though one chapter has closed, it’s likely the university’s identity crisis hasn’t ended yet.

9. The breakwater will stay

After years of study and calls from environmental groups to tear down the breakwater that took waves away from Long Beach, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in late November determined removing parts of the 2.2-mile barrier was not feasible. City officials said the results of the study, more than a decade in the making, put to rest the city’s long-time question of whether tearing down the breakwater, which was built by the U.S. Navy in the 1940s, was possible. The Army Corps instead proposed a reef restoration plan that is estimated to cost $141 million.

The breakwater that protects the Port of Long Beach, Friday, May 3, 2019. Photo by Thomas R Cordova.
8. Metro completes a major renovation to the former Blue Line

Metro completed a major renovation of its busiest and oldest rail line, formerly known as the Blue Line. The southern portion of the now-named A Line from Long Beach to Compton was shuttered on Jan. 26 and reopened in late May; the northern part from Compton to Los Angeles reopened in early November. The “New Blue” project, which cost $1.2 billion, included safety and other modernization improvements.

The Metro A Line in Downtown Long Beach on Oct. 21, 2019. Photo by Brian Addison.
7. Long Beach averted 3 significant terrorist threats

Not often do stories about things that didn’t happen make this list, but a series of terrorist threats—one at Bixby Park, one at a hotel in East Long Beach, and another at Cal State Long Beach—shook the city’s nerves. In April, the FBI arrested Mark Domingo, a 26-year-old Army veteran from Reseda, on suspicion of trying to bomb a weekend rally that turned into a counter-protest of a white-nationalist demonstration that never materialized. In August, police arrested Rodolfo Montoya, 37, of Huntington Beach, after authorities said he made threats to attack his workplace at the Long Beach Marriott. And in October, CSULB police arrested Prateek Devulpally, 18, who they say confessed to sending a shooting threat from another student’s email account.

A stash of guns Long Beach police said they found in the home of Rodolfo Montoya, 37, who is accused of threatening his workplace at the Long Beach Marriott. Photo by Jeremiah Dobruck.
6. Angels flirt with Long Beach

The Post broke the news in February that the Los Angeles Angels were in talks to bring the Major League Baseball team to Long Beach and build a stadium on a 13-acre waterfront lot next to the Long Beach Arena. The City Council held a closed session in March, but the closest the two sides came to a deal was a two-page term sheet outlining a broad vision for any ballpark. In early December, the Angels announced they had reached a deal to stay in Anaheim. In response to that news, Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia said the negotiations alone had raised the profile of Long Beach, and the city looked forward to future plans for the so-called Elephant Lot in Downtown.

Fans gather outside Angel Stadium while waiting for a news conference with baseball player Shohei Ohtani, of Japan, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017, in Anaheim, Calif. Ohtani is bringing his arm and bat to the Los Angeles Angels, pairing him with two-time MVP Mike Trout. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Los Angeles Angels and the City of Anaheim announced Wednesday Dec. 4 that the two sides had reached an agreement to keep the team in Anaheim through at least 2050. AP photo by Jae C. Hong.
5. Jeannine Pearce will not seek reelection in wake of controversy

Councilwoman Jeannine Pearce, who represents the Downtown and Alamitos Beach areas, announced in November she would not seek a second term in March after a series of stories in the Post detailing her potential conflicts of interest. In May Pearce told the Post she received payments for consulting work from one of the principals at Urban Commons, the company that operates the Queen Mary, for work in the cannabis industry. A consultant hired by the city to investigate the report found that she indeed likely had conflicts and should recuse herself from votes dealing with the ship, cannabis and other related areas. The Fair Political Practices Commission is also investigating.

District 2 Councilwoman Jeannine Pearce in Long Beach, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.
4. The Queen Mary may be ‘unsalvageable’

The icon of Long Beach, the Queen Mary, is in trouble. This year brought revelations that its operator, Urban Commons, was in danger of defaulting on its lease for failing to make critical repairs; an inspector described the ship’s condition as possibly “unsalvageable;” and an audit of the company’s finances showed the ship lost roughly $6 million in 2018, and may be unable to sustain operations. Meanwhile, a company affiliated with Urban Commons launched a public offering on the Singapore Stock Exchange in hopes of raising $566 million; the offering lost significant value following reports about the ship’s condition.

One of 22 corroded lifeboats suspended on the Queen Mary. Photo by Kelly Puente.
3. Halloween party shooting leaves 3 dead, 9 injured

On Oct. 29, a gunman started shooting into the backyard of a Rose Park home where 25 to 30 people had gathered for a Halloween-themed birthday party. Three people were killed and nine were injured. A day after the carnage, police chief Robert Luna described the shooting as one of the worst he’s seen in his 34 years at the department: “I can’t remember an incident where we had this many victims,” he said. The dead included Maurice Poe, 25, of Long Beach; Melvin Williams II, 35, of Gardena; and Ricardo Torres, 28, of Inglewood. The shooter or shooters remain at large.

Candles are lit in front of the Rose Park house where a mass shooting  left three men dead and another nine people injured during a Halloween party. Photo by Stephanie Rivera.
2. Family of three killed in Halloween crash

The city of Long Beach collectively grieved when a family of three was killed by a suspected drunk driver in Bixby Knolls on Halloween night. Joseph Awaida, 30, died at the hospital shortly after the crash; his son Omar, 3, died the following night, and the boy’s mother, Raihan Dakhil, 32, was taken off life support on Nov. 3. An outpouring of vigils, memorials and fundraisers ensued in the following days; more than 7,000 donors gave to a pair of online fundraisers in the family’s name that raised over $400,000. The 20-year-old driver of the SUV, Carlo Navarro, stopped at the scene and cooperated, authorities said. He has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and gross vehicular manslaughter.

Hundreds of people gather around a memorial for a vigil for Joseph Awaida, Raihan Dakhil and their 3-year-old son, Omar. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.
1. Development boom
View of the new Civic Center from the 14th floor of the old city hall on Tuesday, June 25, 2019. Photo by Tim Grobaty.

Whether it be a renaissance or gentrification—whichever description fits your perspective—the massive changes brought on by development in Long Beach cannot be disputed. This year saw the completion of two significant projects: A new Civic Center and library, a $1 billion transformation of the Downtown core; and the long-delayed 2nd + PCH commercial complex, which replaced the storied SeaPort Marina Hotel. Another significant project for the Downtown area was the completion of a major expansion of the Aquarium of the Pacific. The city has some $3.5 billion worth of development projects in the pipeline; if the building continues, Long Beach will be a much different city at the close of the next decade.