Good morning, Long Beach. It’s Monday, March 23. 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

Following the publication of sexual abuse allegations against Cesar Chavez, who co-founded the United Farm Workers union, Long Beach will join the dozens of cities nationwide looking to strip his image and name from public view. 

The Long Beach City Council on Tuesday is expected to begin a process of identifying all public assets named after him and consult community groups on how to replace him. 

This comes days after a New York Times investigation revealed that Chavez, who died in 1993, groomed and sexually abused women and underage girls in the 1960s and 70s, including the union’s co-founder, Dolores Huerta. 

The story has since prompted a reckoning among city and school officials, especially in California, where Chavez has been memorialized on plaques, murals and street signs since his death. 

Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement Wednesday the city’s review will consider “how we recognize the farmworker movement in our public spaces, holidays, and civic life.”

Long Beach has at least two public properties named in Chavez’s honor: Cesar E. Chavez Park, named in 1999 following the park’s expansion; and Cesar E. Chavez Elementary School, which was given its namesake when it was built in 2004. 

A park named after the late Cesar Chavez in Long Beach on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.

The city has also since 2023 celebrated the state holiday of Cesar Chavez Day on March 31. Made a paid state holiday in 2000, the day has already been targeted for a renaming by the Los Angeles City Council and California legislators. 

The scraping away of the Chavez name will unfold in a region that celebrated his life and politics so thoroughly. It comes as the latest example of public memorials, statues and streets that once honored problematic or controversial figures, including Christopher Columbus, the Confederacy and officials who supported racist policies.

Long Beach has grappled with this problem before, with limited success at renamings. A few years ago, our legendary columnist Tim Grobaty took a look at schools in particular. It’s still a relevant read.

  •  The Long Beach City Council will hold a first reading Tuesday of a new ordinance that establishes a permit process for organizers to have cannabis special events in the city. 
  • Council members are expected to ask the city to return with an explanation on the delays to construction on the Colorado Lagoon Open Channel Project. If you’ll recall, we wrote about this all the way back in 2024 when workers complained about asbestos. Authorities have been tight-lipped about where the investigation into their complaints now stands. Here’s our latest update.
  • The city will begin to explore the addition of high-density parking lift systems, as well as valet and pre-reserved parking. 

Business events and information

  • The city is hosting a “Doing Business with the City Expo” on April 2, starting at 1 p.m. at Wardlow Park Social Hall (3457 Stanbridge Ave.). The event will focus on businesses and vendors interested in selling their products and services to Long Beach, as well as getting their businesses involved in planning ahead of the 2028 Olympics and Paralympic Games. For more information, RSVP here. 
  • Two networking events through the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce: on Wednesday, an evening mixer organized by the Long Beach Young Professionals at 5:30 p.m. at Boos & Associates (180 E. Ocean Blvd.); and a new member mixer held at the Long Beach Yacht Club (6201 E. Appian Way) on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. that starts with an orientation at 4:30 p.m. 

ICYMI — California and national news

  • Man wins $1.4 million verdict after lawn mower sent golf ball hurtling toward him (Long Beach Post)
  • Construction starts on affordable housing project at historic National Guard armory (Long Beach Post)