Good morning, Long Beach. It’s Monday, Sept. 22. Here’s what you need to know to start your day. Get this in your inbox every week by signing up at LBPost.com/newsletters.

City meetings

The Long Beach City Council on Tuesday will be presented with a comprehensive list of newly recommended rules for food trucks in the city. Calls for an ordinance sprang up last month, years after a commissioned 2022 report concluded the city relied upon a nebulous system of city, county and state rules with serious gaps that make enforcement a challenge for health inspectors and business regulators. 

Recommendations will be presented to the City Council before officials draft an ordinance to be brought back at a later date. The new recommended requirements include: 

  • A valid business license and health permit, regardless of whether the operator has the same authorization from the county. Health permit fees range from $305 to $985, while business licenses are $577 annually. 
  • The food truck must be parked in legally allowed areas, taking up to two spots and extending parking meters up to four hours. It also must not be within so many feet of fire hydrants, schools, hospitals, railroad crossings, farmers markets, driveways, bus stops and police stations, among others. 
  • Food trucks must not use red and blue flashing signs or any flashing signs that face the highway or traffic. With the exception of ice cream trucks, food trucks cannot use speakers or microphones and cannot dispose of trash into receptacles or drains. 
  • Seating must not be set up in the public right-of-way unless allowed by a special event permit or the property owner’s consent. 
  • Food trucks must operate at certain hours of the day, depending on whether they’re in a school area, residential block, mixed-use block or parking lot. Currently, the city bans food trucks from all city-owned properties under lease agreements without a permit, including areas like the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center, Shoreline Village, The Pike Outlets, Rainbow Harbor Esplanade, Rancho Los Alamitos, Rancho Los Cerritos, municipal golf courses, and community gardens.

Elsewhere, the Homeless Services Policy Subcommittee wants nearly two-thirds of the city’s homeless to have a shelter bed by 2030. In order to do that, the committee says, the city needs to build. 

Currently, the city’s shelter capacity can only accommodate about 27% of Long Beach’s homeless population, and last year left an average of 1,163 people on a months-long waitlist, according to a letter drafted Monday. 

The committee recommends the city examine tactics deployed in San Francisco and San Diego, which both have significantly dropped their homeless population within the past five years.

Business events and information

  • Do you love your block? Well, prove it. The city is asking the especially proud in West Long Beach to apply for the “Love Your Block” Mini-Grant contest. The contest is an opportunity for residents to send applications on how they would best improve their neighborhoods with a focus on transportation efficiency and clean air initiatives. For more information or to apply, visit here. 
  • The city is offering paid internships for urban planning and design through its economic development department. As an eight-month course, interns will earn $22 an hour from November to June 2026 and get invaluable experience in the field with a hand in creating a city they can be proud of. The deadline to apply is Oct. 2. For more information, visit here. 
  • The Long Beach Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Council is hosting its next workshop series Tuesday at 11:30 a.m., with three keynote speakers focused on understanding the risk of running a small business. From knowing your legally required coverages, to understanding how to navigate the losses that come with accidents, lawsuits and property damage, the luncheon will offer food, networking and valuable lessons for any budding professional. For more information, visit here. 

ICYMI — California and national news

  • A bridge too far? Vincent Thomas plans put Port of L.A. at odds with locals (Los Angeles Times)
  • Which of these 2025 bills will Gavin Newsom sign? (CalMatters)
  • Planning Commission approves office tower conversion into dormitory (Long Beach Post) 
  • These high-tech toilets tracked each flush; Long Beach decided they’re worth paying for (Long Beach Post)