By Suzie Price, Third District Councilwoman
With my last summer concert of October 3rd, it is time to welcome the fall season. The air is a little cooler, we’ve thankfully had a little rain, and before we know it the holiday season will be upon us.
Since the State lifted its COVID-19 restrictions and tier system on June 15th, it has been nice to see communities coming back to life. Here in Long Beach, City staff has worked hard to get residents vaccinated. To date, over 309,500 Long Beach residents have been vaccinated; this represents 79.8% of residents 18 years and older and 66.3% of our total population. Numbers like this are certainly reason for optimism about the future as we move through the COVID-19 emergency.
Public safety, infrastructure, and community continue to be our focus every day. This means working closely with our Police Department to address issues of traffic enforcement and crime. We all depend on them in an emergency, and they are an important part of keeping our communities safe and our property secure. As a prosecutor, I always emphasize the enforcement of existing laws and ordinances because I have seen how doing so can improve communities and encourage people to make positive changes in their lives. We also depend on residents like you to report crimes when you witness them and be willing to work with officers. I also look forward to introducing our new East Division Police Commander, Michael Richens, to the community.
We also continue to see investments in infrastructure. I love seeing work getting done throughout the Third District: from curb replacements to new crosswalks; rapid flashing beacons to stop signs; park equipment to concession stands. One recent major project is the paving of the alley running along the north-east side of the Red Car Greenbelt. This improved access, safety, and drainage for the area as we continue to make progress on repaving alleys and streets across Long Beach. I am also very excited for construction to begin on the new playground at the Colorado Lagoon. Also, progress continues to be made in getting a contractor on board to begin the Colorado Lagoon Open Channel project. The project will create an open channel connecting the Colorado Lagoon to Marine Stadium, further improving the Lagoon’s water quality and sustaining its recent improvements.
Lastly, I want to tell you about my community meetings where residents get updates and participate in important discussions about our neighborhoods. On October 21st, I held a meeting to discuss the parklets in Belmont Shore: discussing whether to extend the temporary parklet program through June 2022, as has been done in the rest of the City. We want to hear from residents, business owners and area visitors as we think about the Belmont Shore parklets, and how we might be able to mitigate some of the impacts that have been reported to our office in the past 12+ months. And for the fans of the Muni Band, I was able to get City Council approval to add Larry Curtis’s name to Marine Stadium Park where tens of thousands of residents enjoy summer concerts. A section of the park is now named Conductor Larry Curtis Concert Park. It was officially unveiled on October 30 with a fun event.
These are only a few of the important updates I can provide to you as my entire staff and I work to make our community its best. Please feel free to reach out to my office at district3@longbeach.gov or by phone at (562)570- 6300. Additionally, please sign up for my monthly email newsletter if you want to stay informed on everything going on at the City Council as well as in the community.
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