Good morning and welcome to Monday Morning Coffee! It’s time to find out what this week will bring — grab your coffee and let’s get to it.

City meetings

  • Tuesday will start inside the Long Beach Civic Chambers with the city’s Budget Oversight Committee, which will meet at 3 p.m., to review budget-related items like revenue, the 2024 mid-year report, and “key drivers” of the 2025 budget, including rising state pensions and citywide vacancies.
  • Following that, the Housing Authority of the City of Long Beach will convene at 4:30 p.m. to review financial reports from April and May, accept county funding to administer the Homeless Incentive Program and consider the designation of Anna Topolewski as the authority’s Deputy Executive Director.
  • After a closed session, the Long Beach City Council will have its meeting Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Civic Chambers at 411 West Ocean Blvd. Several important items will be discussed, from an expansion of counseling services for the city police department to the acceptance of state funding for HIV/AIDS care services. It will also be the second budget hearing. Council members will review proposals from police, fire, public works, recreation and marine officials.
  • And mark your calendars: The Public Utilities Commission will hold a Prop 218 hearing to review public protests against proposed increases to the city’s water and sewer rates. The meeting will take place Monday (Aug. 19) at 7 p.m. at the Administration Assembly Room located at 1800 East Wardlow Rd. The Commission will meet several days prior for their normally scheduled session on Thursday (Aug. 15) at 9 a.m., held inside the board room at 1800 East Wardlow Rd.

Business events and information

  • The Long Beach Chamber of Commerce is inviting the public to sign up for the College After Dark event this Saturday (Aug. 17) at the IKEA Costa Mesa (1475 South Coast Drive). Attendees can expect live music, photo booths, games, raffles and more as IKEA celebrates college students entering the new year. Admission is free for IKEA family members, though an RSVP is required. Doors open at 7 p.m. and run until 10 p.m. For more information, click here.
  • The Monthly “Good Afternoon Long Beach” Networking Luncheon is scheduled for Tuesday (Aug. 13) from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Parkers’ Lighthouse (435 Shoreline Dr.). The monthly lunch is a great opportunity for local entrepreneurs and budding professionals to meet in a creative space over a decent meal. Mariusz Wirga, a psychiatrist and director of Psychosocial Oncology at MemorialCare Todd Cancer Institute will be the guest speaker, and talk about the power of laughter and its ability to aid in navigating life’s challenges, from chronic disease to mental illness and more. Tickets start at $25 for chamber members; $35 for non-members. Elevator pitches and business cards are welcome. For more information, click here.
  • Also on Tuesday will be the free webinar “How To Sell When You’re Not a Salesperson,” hosted by the local Small Business Development Center. Held from 5:30 p.m to 6:30 p.m., the webinar will review ways to promote one’s business or product for those who lack the knowledge and experience. Topics will include: psychological barriers, tenets of an effective sales pitch; and the sales process, to tailor a business plan to your every client’s need. Admission is free and entirely virtual. To register, click here.
  • And the Downtown Long Beach Business Alliance is hosting its “Link & Learn” midweek mixer this Wednesday (Aug. 14) from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. The event will be at L’Opera Italian Restaurant (101 Pine Ave.) The mixer series is great for meeting other Downtown business owners and entrepreneurs in the area over refreshments. For more information, click here. 

ICYMI — California and national news

  • With the advent of this summer’s Olympic games, the battle over sponsorship rights and enforcement of trademarks once again came as the backdrop to festivities in Paris.  (NPR)
  • A new poll from UC Irvine released last Friday suggests that more than a third of Orange County residents, burdened by excessive living costs, are considering whether to move somewhere else. (LAT)
  • The question of whether one can afford College today is akin to modern alchemy. For almost anyone who commits to a collegiate program, they are rarely found to pay the “published price,” in a new report by CalMatters that deciphers the contemporary calculus that determines the cost of College in California. (CalMatters)