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

Government in Long Beach enters its final month of 2024, with only a short batch of meetings left in the year. 

The Long Beach City Council, following a closed session at 4:30 p.m. to review litigation, will convene Tuesday at 5 p.m. inside the Civic Chambers. 

Council members will decide on funding for local arts programs; consider entering into a 5-year, $11.6 million contract for body-worn cameras, tasers and digital evidence storage from Axon Enterprise, Inc.; review the LBPD’s annual Military Equipment Use Report; and take up an ordinance that establishes new rules for how dispensaries obtain licenses to deliver cannabis. Local results from the Nov. 5 election will come before the dais ahead of their submission to the Secretary of State. 

The next city meeting will take place at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4 with the Homeless Services Advisory Committee at the city’s Housing Authority building (1500 Hughes Way Ste. C-300).

The following morning, the city’s Utilities Commission will meet at 9 a.m. inside their board room at 1800 E. Wardlow Rd. Items on their agenda include a one-year, $5.5 million agreement to facilitate citywide street repair, a $1.8 million contract to replace water valves on Orange Avenue and Carson Street and a $3.9 million contract to commence construction on the J. Will Johnson Reservoir Chemical Dosing Project. 

Following a scathing audit of the local homelessness agency, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday morning will consider allocating the new Measure A funds to L.A. County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency. They will also ask county staff to establish a plan to rehire workers from the recently shuttered Philips 66 Los Angeles Oil Refinery and hear a report on how to curtail street racing in Los Angeles County.

Business events and information

  • Congresswoman Nanette Barragán, D-Long Beach, will host a celebration Monday for securing $1 million in federal funding for Long Beach City College to build student housing in North Long Beach. The funding, secured by Barragán during last year’s appropriations process, will support the development of a mixed-use complex with student housing, a large multipurpose community room, study rooms, shared kitchens, a laundry room and support services on site. Housing will be available to low-income students at an affordable rent and open to students with dependents. The ceremony will take place Monday, Dec. 2, at 1:30 p.m. at 635 E South St. in Long Beach.
  • On Friday, the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce is set to kick off its second annual State of Business, a panelist series featuring five speakers including a keynote address by Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson. The talk series touches on the health and prospects of the city’s economy, particularly its entertainment industry. Tickets start at $100. The event takes place Friday, Dec. 6 at 11:30 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency. (200 S. Pine Ave.) For more information, click here. 

ICYMI — California and national news

  • Following several fits and starts, California EV Maker Rivian announced a joint partnership with Volkswagen Group. (LA Times)
  • You heard about raw milk. But did we mention the salmonella recall for cucumbers and eggs? (NPR)
  • Another pothole payout was cleared in Long Beach last week after a woman was awarded $500,000 after breaking her ankle. (Long Beach Post)