HEAR FROM LONG BEACH POLICE DEPARTMENT COMMANDER ERIK HERZOG

The Police Beat – Belmont Shore, Belmont Park and the City

Dear Neighbors:

Don’t miss our February 1 meeting.  Commander Erik Herzog, Eastside’s new commander, will bring us up-to-date on policing in our neighborhood.  He also will take our questions.  If you haven’t met the commander, this will be your opportunity.  He is “hands on” and his presence is already been felt in our neighborhood.  DON’T FORGET OUR FEBRUARY AND MARCH MEETINGS WILL BEGIN AT 6:30 p.m. INSTEAD OF 6 p.m.  Members asked that we try beginning a half hour later for a couple of months.

Our March 1 meeting will be equally as exciting:  “A Conversation with Councilwoman Suzie Price.”  This has become a yearly event at which the councilwoman gives us an update on what’s going on in our neighborhood, and follows it with a lengthy question and answer session. This meeting has been a highlight; don’t miss it.

Mayor Robert Garcia did a wonderful job at our January 4 meeting.  He disseminated lots of good information and spent more than 30 minutes on questions and answers. The mayor and his message were enthusiastically received.           

Please bring your ideas for future meeting topics/speakers also concerns and issues you have about Belmont Shore and Belmont Park.

We look forward to seeing you Thursday evening, February 1, at 6:30 p.m., at St. Bartholomew’s Church Hall, 5100 East Broadway at Granada Avenue.  Bring a friend with you to the meeting.

                
Cordially,

                  
Dick Gaylord
President
Friends of Belmont Shore

Friends of Belmont Shore is a membership organization consisting of  individuals - residents, business owners and property owners - who are dedicated to the Quality of Life in this unique Beachside Community.

• Alma (Casey) Allen
• Bobby Bluehouse
• Howard Homan
• William (Bill) Lorbeer
• David (Coach) Newell
• Sandy Riddle
• Elizabeth (Bitta) Sharma
• David Witzling

It looks like Belmont Shore and Belmont Park residents will be front-row spectators for several Olympic events in 2028!   Open water swimming and sailing to name just a few.  As part of the Olympics coming to our city, Mayor Garcia has put together an initiative that will go to City Council on February 6 that includes 8 projects with the following projects right in our neighborhood:

• Belmont/Veterans Pier Rebuild - the project will be rebuilt as the centerpiece and viewing center for sailing.

   The rendering shows proposed Long Beach sailing venue for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. (Courtesy)

2028 Olympics: Sailing event moves across harbor from San Pedro to Long Beach

• Belmont Pool - new Belmont Pool would showcase Olympic history and is expected to be widely used for city exhibitions and events.
• Lifeguard Towers – rebuild and construct new lifeguard towers across the Long Beach coast to ensure safety and beach accessibility.
• Beach Concession Stands - reconstruction of three beach concession areas for use by visitors and residents traveling between pier and downtown events.

Mayor Announces Initiative Focused on Completing Select Projects for 2028 Olympics

Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia announced today a new initiative focused on completing eight projects deemed critical for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics and Paralympics.

Called 8 by 28, the initiative is scheduled to be an agenda item at the February 6 City Council meeting. Garcia and Councilmembers Lena Gonzalez, Jeannine Pearce, Suzie Price and Stacy Mungo have submitted the item which will request that the city manager and staff prepare a plan, a needs assessment and project timeline for the projects. It will also prioritize and brand the projects as Olympic-priority development projects to seek additional funding opportunities, according to the mayor’s office.

“Long Beach has a proud Olympic history. We need to start planning today to ensure our city is ready when visitors from across the world visit our beaches and our sports facilities,” Garcia said in a statement. “We also need to ensure our transit and transportation options are ready for primetime.”   Continued

Get out to vote on April 10th!

UPDATE: Long Beach Campaign Season in Full Swing as Candidate List Finalized

New Program to Better Address Homelessness

Dear Neighbor,

This week, I brought an agenda item before the City Council that would begin creating a new pilot program to address homelessness by allowing those in need to earn pay by working with our Public Works and Parks, Recreation and Marine Departments. I am very happy to report that my City Council colleagues voted unanimously in support of my proposed program, and that the city will being outreach to local nonprofits to partner. 

This item came as a result of a past agenda item I brought in May that asked for city staff to develop a more comprehensive approach to homelessness. 

Past Agenda Item

In the request I included a desire to evaluate the development of a day program to provide work to homeless people. The report staff produced less than a month ago, provided that evaluation. So, with data from successful programs nationwide, I am proud to be moving this pilot program forward.

Providing opportunities for individuals struggling with homelessness to earn a day's pay will help reach out to those willing to work but unable to find or keep employment due to their homelessness. Efforts like this could also help build trust in the homeless community and encourage more people to accept and seek out the services and resources available to help get people off the streets long term with sustained improvements to their lives. This program will be another great resource for those who have unfortunately found themselves homeless and in need of income, in need of stability, in need of opportunity, and in need of a hand up not a hand out. 

Not only will this program be giving work to those most in need creating a benefit for those individuals, but the work they will be doing would also be helping the city to do more maintenance and beautification resulting in benefits to all Long Beach residents. Those struggling to support themselves need to know that they can work to better themselves, and that we want to give them an opportunity to make our city a better place. For those in need, a simple opportunity can be life-changing.

Restored Wetlands for 

Generations to Come

Dear Neighbor,

I am very proud to say that this week at the City Council Meeting we voted to begin a fantastic process to restore the Los Cerritos Wetlands. 

The Los Cerritos Wetlands is an important natural resource and finding a way to get the land restored and improved is a benefit to native species, as well as the residents of Long Beach. 

This plan came about from a creative proposal by the property owner Synergy Oil. They have proposed restoring the wetlands on their property by removing their oil wells, pipes, and storage tanks and turning the property over to the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority (LCWA) after moving their entire oil operation on to two much smaller sites.This land swap trades 5 acres in order for the Wetlands Authority to receive nearly 150 acres of land that expands and improves our wetlands. This is a huge accomplishment to get this many acres saved and back into the hands of the public who want to see it preserved and restored to its former state as a wetland. Tonight we took a major step toward the restoration of this important ecological site that provides a huge improvement to our natural environment in Long Beach.

The prospect of getting these additional acres out of the control of an oil company and into public hands is something rare that should not be passed up. This project will create a vast increase in the total amount of functional and environmentally valuable wetlands, something we would not have access to otherwise. It also creates recreational space for the passive enjoyment of this habitat, and makes huge improvements in safety by removing oil infrastructure. 

I care deeply about the Wetlands, and this project is one I have been engaged on for several years as a Councilmember as well as from my role as Chair of the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority responsible for protecting and preserving this important environmental asset. Much of our wetlands have been lost over the past hundred years, so ensuring these remaining acres are preserved and restored for plant and animal species, that  public access recreation is created, and that environmental safety is increased by removing oil infrastructure is a win for everyone. 

Sincerely,

Suzie Price

Councilwoman, Third District

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