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
With growing concerns over retail theft and worker safety, the Long Beach City Council will consider creating new standards for staffing self-checkout stations in groceries and drugstores.
Long Beach — and California — have seen a rise in “smash and grab” thefts and shoplifting. Locally, there was a 16% increase in petty thefts citywide from 2023 to 2024, according to the Long Beach Police Department. Experts say this is exacerbated by self-checkout areas, where workers are expected to monitor 4 to 10 machines at a time.
“Retail employees frequently face confrontations during active shoplifting and theft accidents, and these safety concerns are amplified when workers are outnumbered and lack the adequate staffing capacity to properly monitor and deter theft activities,” according to a city report.
Additionally, the council is also expected to approve $16.5 million for the combined construction and operation of its new shoreline venue, the Long Beach Bowl. This includes a five-year, $300,000 annual contract with ASM Global to manage the facility and the cost to construct the venue for an opening by spring 2026. Aside from $1.5 million in startup costs, the city expects to spend $14 million on the venue, with hopes to recoup it within three to five years of operation. (Keep an eye on our website for a more in-depth story about the Bowl soon.)
Elsewhere on the agenda, councilmembers are expected to approve the Fiscal Year 2025 first departmental and fund budget appropriations, receive an update on the yearlong pilot program to study the use of e-scooters on the city’s beach bike path and amendments to the city’s noise ordinance related to the Long Beach Airport.
The dais will also likely give final approval to the citywide expansion of its Inclusionary Housing ordinance and recognize March 31 as Transgender Day of Visibility — both of which are returning for their second readings.
On Wednesday at 6 p.m., the Equity and Human Relations Commission will hear a presentation by Better World Group regarding efforts to save parkland in West Long Beach.
And at the Thursday 9 a.m. meeting for the Public Utilities Commission, officials will give their findings as to the cause of the water main break in Bixby Hill on Feb. 7. The Long Beach Planning Commission later that day will look to approve permits for the conversion of a 40,000-square-foot hardware store into a bowling alley and entertainment center at 4100 East Carson St.
Business events and information
- With an additional $250,000 in grant funding for the Visual Improvement Program (VIP) approved last Tuesday, the Long Beach Economic Development Department is asking local businesses impacted by crime and vandalism to apply for help. According to a city news release, eligible businesses can receive $1,500 to cover storefront repairs, board-up costs, insurance deductibles and business operating expenses. The VIP, since January 2023, has given $350,000 in funding from the Long Beach Recovery Act to help ease the burden of property crimes and vandalism citywide. The program then received another $100,000 in August 2024. To date, the city has provided 295 VIP grants to businesses throughout Long Beach. For more information about eligibility requirements or if you would like to apply, click here.
- The Downtown Long Beach Alliance is hosting a Pine and Promenade Neighborhood Mixer for Business Owners on April 2 starting at 5 p.m. The free, two-hour event allows business owners to share their vision and network with others in their community. For more information, click here.
ICYMI — California and national news
- ‘People should be worried’: 23andMe bankruptcy could expose customers’ genetic data (L.A. Times)
- Californians now have access to 300,000 eBooks through California State Library (EdSource)
- LA’s fire hazard has grown. What does that mean for insurance? (LAist)