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

Mayor Rex Richardson’s State of the City address is Tuesday, and preparations have been underway for weeks — but, this year, it’s getting a last-minute overhaul.

The mayor’s office is scrapping its planned preview of the highly anticipated 2025 Vans Warped Tour — a concert Richardson has touted as a major win for the city. Instead, he’s positioning the speech as a fundraiser for wildfire victims.

He’ll call for people to contribute to a special donation drive benefiting the California Community Foundation.

Typically, Long Beach mayors use the State of the City to outline their municipal vision and as a showcase for key accomplishments. You should still expect plenty of that.

Richardson’s agenda so far has included a major focus on housing and growing business sectors like entertainment, tourism, aerospace and — of course — getting ready for the 2028 Olympics. Those topics will likely still be key features of the speech. Richardson’s team promises it will be full of “special reveals and live performances that will highlight the cultural heartbeat of Long Beach.”

The State of the City is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 14 in the Terrace Theater, with a pre-reception starting at 4:30 p.m. It’s free to attend if you RSVP here.

It will also be broadcast live on the city’s YouTube page.

Otherwise, the Long Beach city government has a light schedule ahead of it this week. But the agenda includes important topics such as: What kind of oversight is there for how police handle critical incidents like officer-involved shootings? The discussion will come up in a presentation at the city’s Police Oversight Commission meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday inside the Civic Chambers. Presenters will review the chain of command in these types of situations and review critical incidents that occurred in 2024. 

The City Council on Tuesday will look to approve a five-year student placement program for budding first responders, expend grant funding for a DNA criminalist, and enter an agreement with L.A. Care Health Plan for three years of medical care for people with “significant health needs.”

And on the day prior, Long Beach’s homeless services subcommittee on policy will go over goals in the new year for increasing shelter beds and hear an update on the city’s winter shelter. The meeting will take place at 2 p.m. inside the Long Beach Housing Authority building at 411 W. Ocean Blvd.

Business events and information

  • The city of Long Beach announced Friday it had postponed a presentation on West Long Beach’s economy that had been scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 11. The presentation, to be held at Silverado Park, was meant to discuss a market study conducted by the city on economic revival in Long Beach’s historically poor western neighborhoods, as part of its 10-year Westside Promise Initiative. A new date for the presentation has not yet been provided.
  • At its monthly Good Afternoon Networking Luncheon on Tuesday, the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce will feature keynote speaker Audrianne Lee, president and founder of HR NETwork, Inc., who will address what new employment laws you should know in 2025. Tickets start at $25 for members; $35 for non-members. For more information, click here.
  • Some sanguine advice: whether it’s love or business, it’s always a numbers game. In the spirit of numbers, the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce will host a speed networking function on Thursday, Jan. 16 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The event will take place at Halbert Hargrove at 111 W. Ocean Floor #23. Chamber members pay $15, while non-members pay $30. For more information, visit here. 

ICYMI — California and national news

  • How the devastating Los Angeles fires could deepen California’s home insurance crisis (L.A. Times)
  • Why Netflix spent billions for WWE (NPR)
  • Do you want to help those affected by the Los Angeles fires but don’t know how? Here’s a guide to show the way. (Long Beach Post)