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.
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City meetings
The Long Beach City Council wants to talk about vacant buildings. Three council members have brought forth a proposal to craft an ordinance that makes sure property owners are complying with code enforcement citations and securing their vacant buildings until they’re rented or renovated.
Across the city, there are 280 vacant lots and “a larger number of vacant storefronts and buildings,” according to the council members. They say it’s an overwhelming problem that’s become a “source of nuisance and criminal activity.” Fires, too, have been a growing issue. The item will arrive in front of the City Council just a few days after the latest fire at a vacant building on Pine.
If you want to be part of the discussion, you can attend the meeting or submit a virtual comment. It starts at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 8 in the Civic Chambers at 411 W. Ocean Blvd. You can find the agenda here.
Later in the week, the Citizens’ Advisory Commission on Disabilities will consider sending a letter to the Mayor and City Council about “the accessibility of Long Beach Transit bus stop locations at Willow Springs Park and limited bus service to and from the Queen Mary.” They meet at 1 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 10, in the Civic Chambers at 411 W. Ocean Blvd. See the agenda here.
That same day, the Marine Advisory Commission will take up the topic of renaming the Junior Lifeguard Facility in honor of the program’s founders Pat Flynn and Dick Miller — an idea the City Council sent their way last week. The meeting starts at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10 at the Long Beach Yacht Club, 6201 Appian Way. See their agenda here.
Business events and information
- Long Beach Utilities has picked its new general manager after the retirement of longtime city employee Chris Garner. The department’s assistant general manager, B. Anatole Falagán, will step into the role. Falagán previously ran the Long Beach Water Department. (The city merged its gas, water and sewer services into a single department in 2022, bringing the department under the leadership of Garner — and now Falagán.)
- We’re rushing headlong into flu season. The city is offering free vaccination clinics through the month of October.
- The Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce’s Monthly Good Afternoon Long Beach Networking Luncheon is Tuesday. Eduardo Inarra, a Business Development Account Manager with the Angels Baseball organization will be speaking. It runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Parkers’ Lighthouse. Admission is $25 for chamber members and $35 for non-members. Register here.
- Are you a small business owner that needs help with your taxes? The first of an eight-part webinar series sponsored by the Downtown Long Beach Alliance is Wednesday at 2 p.m. You can get more information and register here.
ICYMI — California and national news
- Some good news as Long Beach is trying to position itself as a major tourist destination: Travel at Long Beach Airport is booming, with growth outpacing the industry as a whole. (LBP)
- An East Coast and Gulf Coast port strike that was poised to send more cargo streaming into Long Beach and Los Angeles has been averted — at least for now. (NPR)
- A mystery surge in California tax revenue points to tech companies like Nvidia. Here’s why (CalMatters)