Good morning and welcome to Monday Morning Coffee! It’s time to find out what this week will bring — grab your coffee and let’s get to it.

City meetings

  • The Long Beach City Council will have a special meeting Tuesday, Aug. 6 at 3 p.m. at the Civic Chambers at 411 West Ocean Blvd. Several important items will be discussed, from a feasibility study on cannabis event permits to the first public meeting on the proposed 2025 city budget. The city’s Budget Oversight Committee will meet an hour earlier, at 2 p.m., to review budget-related items like revenues and the Long Beach Recovery Act, which is set to shutter at the end of 2024.
  • The Intergovernmental Affairs Committee will hear presentations on proposed legislation related to retail theft, drug use and “smash and grab” crimes, as well as on Proposition 4, which involves safe drinking water, wildfire prevention, clean air and drought preparedness. Recommendations made by the committee will be forwarded to the City Council for approval. The meeting will take place Tuesday, Aug 6. at 1 p.m. at the Civic Chambers located at 411 West Ocean Blvd.
  • The Homeless Services Advisory Committee will meet Wednesday, Aug. 7 to review a presentation by Long Beach’s Public Works Department on Encampment Cleanup Protocols and Practices, as well as an address on the 2024 Point-in-Time Homeless Count and other homelessness updates. The meeting will take place at 3:30 p.m. inside the Pacific Gateway at 4811 Airport Plaza Dr.
  • At their meeting Wednesday, Aug. 7, the city’s Economic Development Commission will hear updates on the Economic Development Blueprint, Grow Long Beach Initiative and items that may become future issues. Commissioners will also select a new chair and vice chair. The meeting will take place at 3 p.m. at the Civic Chambers, located at 411 West Ocean Blvd.
  • The Marine Advisory Commission will meet Thursday, Aug. 8, at the Bridge Deck of the Long Beach Yacht Club (6201 Appian Way) at 2:30 p.m. to consider ways to enshrine the site of the 1938 surfing and paddleboard championship — the first national surfing competition in the U.S. — which was recognized by the state in April as a “Historic Point of Interest.”

Business events and information

  • The Willmore City Heritage Association is hosting an ice cream social and school supplies giveaway on Aug. 6 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Special guests from the Police Department will be present. The ice cream is supplied by Chunk-N-Chip while the event is supported by the Long Beach Community Development Department’s Micro Grant Program. It will be held at The Bembridge House, at 953 North Park Circle. For more information, click here. 
  • The public is encouraged to once again attend the weekly sound bath hosted by @sanitynsweat at the swings in Lincoln Park (101 Pacific Ave.) this Tuesday. A sound bath is a meditative practice, conducted with a series of instruments meant to soothe listeners. Participants are asked to bring supportive items like a mat, pillow and blanket, and can sit or lie down — whatever is more comfortable. The weekly meditation program is held every Tuesday from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and is free to the public. 
  • Due to popular demand, the Queen Mary Summer Night Series will host another night market on Thursday, Aug. 8 that will include food vendors, boutiques, live music and more. The event is free to the public but validated parking costs $10. For those interested in reserving a spot, visit tinyurl.com/QueenMarymarket. 
  • To all the Jazz fans out there: The 35th Long Beach Jazz Festival will commence Friday, Aug. 9 and continue through the weekend, featuring dozens of performances. The three-day, family-produced festival is a local staple, and will take place at Marina Green Park at 386 East Shoreline Dr. Tickets start at $91. Those 12 and under are given free admission. For more information, or if you would like to purchase tickets, click here. 

ICYMI — California and national news

  • U.S. Employers added only 114,000 jobs in July, leading some economists to sound early alarms of an economic slowdown (NPR)
  • Cases of Coccidioides, otherwise known in the San Joaquin as Valley Fever, have tripled in California over the last ten years, health officials said. Here’s what to know. (CalMatters)
  • San Francisco Mayor London Breed has announced an aggressive campaign to clear homeless encampments citywide. But the question remains for Breed, and for any city considering whether to follow suit: where will the homeless go? (LAT)