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

At their 5 p.m. meeting Tuesday, the Long Beach City Council will ask the city to create a $1 million investment plan for small businesses citywide. 

It follows the 2025 State of the City address, during which Mayor Rex Richardson called upon city leadership to put together a comprehensive recovery plan for ailing businesses hamstrung by the coronavirus pandemic. 

The plan would focus on bringing new businesses to town and incentivizing their stay with low-interest loans, waiving business license fees, free counseling and negotiation support for long-term leases. It would also focus on addressing a rise in vandalism and property crime seen in Long Beach, with the allocation of small grants to pay for cameras, cash-free purchasing systems and shatterproof windows. 

It would work in tandem with other offerings, including Long Beach’s Vacancy to Vibrancy program, its Extreme Small Business Makeover program and a continuation of the COVID-era BizCare hotline, among other services offered.  

Council members will also consider a report by March 4 on the status of the Rescue 2 Peak Load Staffing pilot program and how to secure more money for it going forward. With only nine advanced life support ambulances structurally funded in the budget, Long Beach has less than half the national average of ambulances — one for every 55,555 people compared to 21,000 people nationally. And as emergency calls have doubled in Long Beach since 2004, the number of paramedics on staff has largely stayed the same. 

The Long Beach Fire Department was given $500,000 last June to operate its Rescue 2 ambulance team as a 12-hour “Peak Load Unit,” responding to more than 2,800 emergencies citywide. Due to funding constraints, the team in November was reduced to three days a week.

Elsewhere on the 5 p.m. docket: Long Public Works will give a presentation on flood prevention and storm preparation; and the council is expected to agree to a new $1.5 million contract for testing and design for rehabilitation of the Second Street Bridge over Marine Stadium, among other items. 

At their 9 a.m. meeting Thursday, the Long Beach Utilities Commission will hear an annual update by its representing lobbying firm Carpi & Clay on what federal grants the city should expect to receive, pending legislation that will affect policy locally, and continued issues of funding, pipeline safety, lead and copper in city water lines. 

Business events and information

  • Today is President’s Day. Services like street sweeping and city towing will be shuttered while many city facilities will be closed, such as City Hall, city pools, animal shelter and the library. Places like parks, the airport, utility dispatch centers and fire stations will remain open. See a full list here.
  • City officials have announced the rescheduled date for the Westside Long Beach Economic and Market Study. Originally scheduled in January, it’s now on March 8. The event will help residents, business owners and civic leaders learn about market conditions in West Long Beach and help generate ideas for bringing more commerce into the city sector. It’s part of a 10-year plan, currently in Phase 2, to overhaul a historically disinvested community. The meeting will run from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 8 at Silverado Park (1545 W. 31st St.) Those interested in attending are asked to RSVP here.
  • The city of Long Beach will host a community meeting on the open channel project at the Colorado Lagoon. Held at 6:30 p.m. inside the Recreation Park Community Center (4900 E. 7th St.) on Feb. 19, officials will give updates to the project — in its final phase — that looks to restore a tidal flow between the 18-acre saltwater lagoon and the sea. The meeting marks the first public discussion on the project, following a Long Beach Post investigation in December that detailed massive amounts of toxic minerals found at the site, prompting a regional investigation and partial closure of the site. Residents at the meeting are encouraged to bring questions about the investigation and status of the project, including past abatement efforts. For more information, click here.

ICYMI — California and national news

  • California’s insurance commissioner on Friday turned down a request by State Farm General for an emergency 22% hike of its home insurance rates due to the Los Angeles wildfires. (L.A. Times)
  • Did you know Long Beach has a professional, championship-winning soccer team? We do, and they’re holding tryouts. (Long Beach Post)
  • Igloo recalls more than a million coolers following hazards with their handles. (NPR)