Good morning and welcome to Monday Morning Coffee! Grab your cup and let’s get to your weekly briefing of what’s on the agenda for local government and business leaders. Get this in your inbox every Monday by signing up at lbpost.com/newsletters.
City meetings
The city this week remains largely closed for the holiday.
On New Year’s Day Wednesday, government buildings will be closed. There will be no garbage or recycling collection and no street sweeping service. For building permits, visit here. To pay parking tickets, utility bills or emergency service bills, go here.
The city will, however, take your Christmas trees during its annual Holiday Treecycling. From Thursday, Dec. 26 to Jan. 10, residents can drop off their trees at 12 locations throughout the city, at no cost.
The city also announced it will open its winter shelter for the homeless on Wednesday, Jan. 1. Homeless individuals can’t, however, walk into the shelter without a referral from the city. If you are homeless and need help, call 562-570-4500. If you know someone who needs a place to stay, call 562-570-4672. Residents can also sign up for mobile alerts about services by texting the word “Home” to 99411.
And if you’re celebrating the holiday, please drive safely. Even better, take Long Beach Transit’s free bus service on New Year’s Eve.
Business events and information
Do you have ideas to help improve the economy in West Long Beach? The city’s Economic Development Department wants to hear from you. After studying existing market conditions, the department is hosting a meeting on Saturday, Jan.11 to share what they’ve found and gather input.
You can expect the presentation to go over “opportunities for reimagining existing properties in the area, revisiting housing as a revenue creator that supports local jobs and taking actionable implementation steps to attract and retain development opportunities.”
The meeting runs from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 11 at Silverado Park (1545 W. 31st St.). The city is asking attendees to RSVP here.
“The City is committed to investing in West Long Beach, as part of our Westside Promise Initiative, supporting local businesses and creating new opportunities that will drive economic growth in the community,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in a news release.
The state recently released economic data showing the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Los Angeles County increased to 6% last month, up from a revised 5.9% in October and well above the 5.3% one year ago.
Employment in the county decreased by 9,000 to 4,782,000 in November 2024, while unemployment increased by 5,000 to 305,000 over the month.
The November rate of unemployment in California was 5.4% and 4.2% nationwide.
In L.A. County, leisure and hospitality and construction saw the biggest losses in jobs.
ICYMI — California and national news
- Workers were told to hide, bury cancer-causing asbestos at Colorado Lagoon project (Long Beach Post)
- It’s go time for Gavin Newsom’s riskiest oil moves (Politico)
- Get up to speed fast on these new California laws taking effect in 2025 (CalMatters)