By Suzie Price, Third District Councilwoman
I hope your Long Beach winter is going well, and I am always happy to be able to provide these updates to the Belmont Heights Community Association for their fantastic newsletter. As a City, we continue to see the impacts of COVID-19, however we are not expecting the Governor to implement another stay at home order. To date, over 343,748 Long Beach residents have been vaccinated. That number comprises 86% of our 18 year-old and older residents and is 73.6% of our total population. Numbers like this are certainly reason for optimism, despite the current spike in cases which is fueled by the Omicron variant. We should all remember to take steps such as wearing masks, social distancing and staying at home if you feel sick in order to protect one another from the virus spread.
Public safety, infrastructure, small businesses, and community are always top priorities for me and my entire staff every day. This means working closely with our Police Department to address issues of traffic enforcement and crime. As a prosecutor for over 20 years, public safety is always important to me. Also important is investing in our community and city infrastructure, which I work to highlight every day in our district and throughout the City as the Chair of the Infrastructure and Transportation Committee. Additionally, supporting our local small businesses is essential as they make their way through the pandemic and the ongoing changes to the way we shop. My husband and I have seen this firsthand as small business owners in Belmont Shore.
In fact, I will be hosting a community meeting via Zoom to discuss City Infrastructure and the investment plans we have as a city. If you’re interested in hearing about the work being done to improve our streets, sidewalks, and city facilities, this will be a great meeting for you to attend on January 26th. Contact my office at district3@longbeach.gov for the link to this meeting and to be added to our email list to receive important information and useful resources. And if infrastructure isn’t your thing, then maybe my community meeting with our new Police Chief Wally Heibish in February will interest you. It’s a unique time when we get to welcome a new Police Chief to the City, so I hope you’ll join this meeting as well. And in March, I will be hosting our Economic Development Director for a community meeting to discuss our economy and the city’s financial future. I hope to see you at one of my upcoming community meetings, but if you can’t make them, be sure to sign up for my monthly email newsletter.
Lastly, I want to make sure you know about some of the great projects coming to our local parks. The Colorado Lagoon is a big focus as we see the new playground under construction now. The Open Channel Project, which will connect the lagoon with Marine Stadium through an open channel and will improve water quality and the sustainability of the lagoon, is moving forward. City staff is at work with contractors to begin the project in coming months. And, you may have seen the construction fencing at Rec Park recently, as we are building a brand-new, one-of-a-kind playground that will include skateboarding elements as well as access for kids with disabilities and wheelchair users to enjoy.
As always, these are only a few of the important updates I can provide to you as my staff and I work together with you and your neighbors to make our City its best. Please feel free to reach out to my office any time at district3@longbeach.gov or by phone at (562) 570- 6300.
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