Good morning, Long Beach. It’s Monday, Dec. 15. Here’s what you need to know to start your day. Sign up to get this in your inbox each week at LBPost.com/newsletters.

City meetings

It is a busy week for local governance, as Long Beach leaders look to cross items off their wishlist before their holiday recess.

It’s especially busy on Tuesday. The Long Beach City Council will review 50 recommended adjustments to the 2026 budget, a four-year data agreement with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and another to add $1 million to cover some unexpected costs of decommissioning its Southeast Resource Recovery Facility trash-burning plant. There are also some updates on plans to install booths for translators inside the civic chambers that may come up. 

Then there’s the long-awaited pilot for speed cameras. Years after being greenlit by the state, Long Beach — alongside Los Angeles — is among the laggard cities to install the cameras along its worst streets. That’s set to change, hopefully. The dais will review a $5.5 million contract to have the 18 cameras installed, maintained and studied through 2031. 

To the speed-demons out there: You have some time to adjust. Officials say the pilot won’t be implemented until next summer. Once started, tickets issued in the first 60 days will come only with a warning. Afterwards, fines will range from $50 to $500. 

Other items that might spark interesting discussion:  

  • Two city advisory panels that are environment-focused will be asked to set up a “Green Parkways Initiative” that sets new park standards to encourage more greenery and public shading that offers more natural respite on hot days. Fueled by public demand, the discussion will touch on a possible ban of artificial turf on public grounds.
  • And following a Sacramento judge’s ruling last month that it was unconstitutional, the city of Long Beach on Tuesday will repeal a change made to its sales tax language, making for an end to its failed bid to raise the local sales tax, Long Beach Measure A, two years sooner than originally planned. 

Elsewhere in the city:

The Long Beach Planning Commission on Thursday will rule on newly proposed regulations for businesses that sell food sourced from home kitchens. Operations typically require local permits, health inspections and food safety certification, and any new rules would largely fall in line with state law recently enacted. If passed by the Commission and then by the City Council, officials hope to launch the program in January. 

A special committee formed under the city’s Public Utilities Commission on Thursday will hear presentations on Long Beach’s roughly 7,000 fire hydrants, and another on the findings of a smoke test in July of the sewer system under Naples Island. 

And on Tuesday, the Economic Development and Opportunity Committee will hear an update on the city’s plans to resurrect redevelopment districts, coined as “Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts.” The practice of redevelopment agencies, meant to finance urban renewal, was dissolved by the state in 2012 following years of legal debate over mismanagement in several cities. In the presentation, officials propose five potential district boundaries, including the airport, Cambodia Town, downtown Long Beach, North Long Beach and the Santa Fe Corridor west of the L.A. River.  

Business events and information

  • The city of Long Beach announced Friday it has entitled more than 5,000 homes since 2022, a record officials say includes a healthy mix of market-rate homes and affordable apartments for seniors, veterans and low-income families. Officials are expected to share more information at a press conference on Tuesday, so stay tuned. 
  • Following a pause earlier this year, the city’s Older Adult Program has returned to the Expo Arts Center (4321 Atlantic Ave.) and is running Tuesday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Classes are for those 50+ and include fitness, Soul Tai Chi, painting and more. For more information on programs offered, visit here. 
  • The Women’s Business Council, in partnership with the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce, will host a Business Owners’ Sisterhood Social on Tuesday, Dec. 16, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at The Wicked Wolf (2332 Pacific Ave.) The event is free and open to those who register. 

ICYMI — California and national news

  • The Bamboo Club, Long Beach’s premier tiki bar, to be sold (Long Beach Post)
  • Podcast industry under siege as AI bots flood airways with thousands of programs (Los Angeles Times)
  • The next FIFA ticket phase is open. So how much will it cost you to watch LA World Cup matches? (LAist)
  • 40,000 people died on California roads. State leaders looked away (CalMatters)