Bits 'n' Pieces

City Reviewing TigerText

The City of Long Beach announced an independent outside review of the Long Beach Police Department’s use of a direct messaging application called Tiger Connect. The review was initiated by the city manager in partnership with the city attorney and will consist of an outside firm hired to independently review the use of the messaging application within the LBPD.

“Initiation of an outside review is the best course of action to fully review the facts of this matter and provide an independent, neutral review of this complex issue,” said City Manager Patrick H. West.

The review will include, but not be limited to:

• The origin and implementation of the messaging application within the Police Department and the Technology and Innovation Department.
• City policies and procedures related to mobile messaging.
• How the messaging app was utilized.
• Policies and procedures for documentation of evidence.
• The city’s record retention policies.
• Best practices for other law enforcement entities related to messaging applications.
• State law and any other relevant topics.

The outside review will be done in conjunction with the city attorney’s office, and the results will be made available to the public to the extent allowable under California state law.

“We have discussed this with our city partners and agree with this review and will cooperate fully,” said Police Chief Robert Luna.

Coastal Restoration Alternatives Revealed

Mayor Robert Garcia has presented the much-anticipated six draft alternatives derived from the East San Pedro Bay Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study. The draft alternatives were developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District in collaboration with the City of Long Beach, federal agencies, other local governments and key stakeholders to provide a range of ecosystem improvements that may be possible within the study.

The city and the corps have nearly completed technical analyses of the existing conditions in East San Pedro Bay and the draft alternatives, including coastal habitat evaluations, wave modeling and cost effectiveness analysis. As a condition of moving forward with the study, additional information related to potential navigation impacts and potential mitigation for those impacts is still needed.

The community is invited to review the six draft alternatives being released publicly, specifically for technical feedback on potential impacts to navigational operations. Draft alternatives include options to add physical structures, such as rocky reefs, wetlands and kelp beds to the bay, as well as to modify the Long Beach Breakwater. The draft alternatives and an update on the study will be presented at a community meeting, hosted by the city, at 5:30 p.m., on Oct. 10, at the Bixby Park Community Center, 130 Cherry Ave.

The corps and the city initiated the study in February 2016. The goal is to restore and improve aquatic ecosystem structure and function for increased habitat biodiversity and ecosystem value within the East San Pedro Bay. The city’s continued involvement in the study is to protect the city’s interests and remain true to the city’s original intent for the study, which is to improve the ecosystem in habitat function, water quality and the recreational value of the city’s beaches within the East San Pedro Bay.

As the study moves into the environmental review process, all alternatives will be evaluated equally and presented fully within the reports, for which official public comment will be welcome. For more information on the study, the six draft alternatives or to provide the requested technical feedback on navigation operational impacts, the community can visit www.longbeach.gov/citymanager/tidelands/bay-ecosystem-study.

Costumes for Less at Goodwill SOLAC

Look no further than your nearest Goodwill store to find the unique Halloween costume guaranteed to impress your friends and family. Each year, millions of people come to Goodwill to find the pieces they need to create amazing Halloween costumes for less. Whether you are looking for the perfect white shirt to complete a pirate or vampire costume or a vintage ball gown to become a zombie princess or prom queen, Goodwill has the clothing, shoes and accessories you need for Halloween.

Costume Corners will open at Goodwill SOLAC’s retail stores throughout Southern Los Angeles County, starting on Sept. 22. At the Costume Corners, you can choose from a wide selection of clothing, shoes and accessories to create one-of-a-kind costumes. Look books full of creative costume ideas will be available, and Costume Creators will be on hand to help you put together the perfect Halloween costume.

You’ll be amazed at how good you’ll look and the money you’ll save. Each day, people donate clothes and other items that can be transformed into unique Halloween costumes, including clothing and accessories from different eras, imaginative props and more. You can find great costumes for your squad or family while staying within budget.

When you shop at or donate to Goodwill, you help fund job placement and training programs and other services that help people find jobs, earn paychecks, care for their families and move from poverty to self-sufficiency.

Long Beach Recognizes Green Certified Businesses

The City of Long Beach recently recognized the first Long Beach businesses to be certified by its new Green Business Program. The event was held at Primal Alchemy, Long Beach’s first Green Certified catering company.

Other businesses recognized at the event were Bowman Change, The Depot for Creative Reuse, Retail Design Collaborative & Studio One Eleven, Sacred Roots, Farm URBANA – Meghiddo Architects and Farm and Movement. Environmental benefits of the program include reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, reduced waste, water conservation, and reduced pollution.

Long Beach launched a new Green Business Program this year under the California Green Business Network (CAGBN), which provides a statewide standard of sustainability for Green Business Certification. Green Business Certification is provided free of charge to all Long Beach businesses, and the program connects businesses with any resources and incentive programs available to help them go green. Businesses that achieve certification are promoted on the city website and social media channels, listed on the CAGBN database of green businesses and provided with branded material to showcase their certified status.

“We want to help businesses to reduce their impact on the environment and recognize the great work they do to help our community be more sustainable,” said Sustainability Coordinator Larry Rich. “There are many simple actions businesses can take that make a big impact.”

Businesses interested in becoming certified are invited to attend the Lunch and Learn at noon on Oct. 2, 2018, at Studio One Eleven. Businesses can RSVP at www.longbeach.gov/greenbusiness.

As of 2017, CAGBN programs had certified 3,557 businesses and measured 784 million gallons of water saved, 977,000 tons of GHG reductions, 1.4 million tons of waste diverted, and $41 million in utility savings for businesses. The Long Beach Green Business Program encourages sustainable business practices in the city and tracks businesses’ accomplishments in reducing their environmental footprint.

New Heritage Director

Long Beach Heritage, the preeminent organization for advocacy and education about the city’s architectural heritage and historic places, has hired a new executive director, Sarah Locke, who assumed the role on Sept. 1. Locke steps into the position following Mary Kay Nottage, who was Long Beach Heritage’s first executive director and held the post for 24 years.

Locke is a preservation professional and holds a graduate degree in Heritage Conservation from the University of Southern California School of Architecture. She has contributed to a wide variety of projects including documentation of the Eames House for the Historic American Building Survey and the listing of the Case Study Houses to the National Register of Historic Places. She has been a volunteer for the Los Angeles Conservancy for more than a decade and served on the executive council of their modern committee.

CSULB Third Best Western Public University

Long Beach State University scored highly – as the third-best regional public university in the western United States – in the newly-published U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 Best Colleges rankings.

“U.S. News & World Reports’ rankings spotlight what faculty and alumni often share with me, that Long Beach State students gain a quality education while earning their degrees,” President Jane Close Conoley said.

U.S. News & World Reports’ rankings follow other recognitions of Long Beach State’s commitments to academic excellence, value and social mobility:

• CollegeNET, Inc. rated Long Beach State fifth in the United States in its 2017 Social Mobility Index, which rates campuses by educators’ abilities to help students climb the economic ladder.
• Money magazine placed Long Beach State in 22nd place among more than 700 U.S. universities in its rankings.
• Diverse: Issues in Higher Education reported Long Beach State awarded the second-most bachelor’s degrees in the nation to minority graduates during the 2016-17 academic year.

Members of The Beach community are now being invited to ensure the campus builds upon its achievements and evolves to meet future needs. BEACH 2030, a new strategic planning initiative at Long Beach State, will ensure the campus continues to serve students and the public as one of the nation’s best public universities.

Conoley announced the project, a two-year initiative to prepare the Long Beach campus for future students’ needs, during her convocation address in August. The process includes Imagine BEACH 2030, an online event scheduled for Nov. 14 and 15 to invite the entire campus community to share their ideas for the campus’ future.

Coalition Seeks Herbicide, Pesticide Records

The Long Beach Coalition for Non-Toxic Parks and Schools has filed a public records request with the City of Long Beach to obtain records documenting the use of herbicides and pesticides on city property. The Coalition has been requesting the city to remove such toxic materials because of their link with cancer and other illnesses. Former Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske filed the request on behalf of the Coalition which she helped form two years ago. She also heads up www.openuplongbeach.com which focuses on making Long Beach open and transparent.

The Coalition specifically has asked the city to remove Round-Up, an herbicide used to kill weeds. Other cities have removed Round-Up because of similar concerns.

The Long Beach Coalition has also expressed concern about city employees and contracted employees being exposed to these materials, in light of the recently decided case against the manufacturer of Round-Up, finding that exposure to this material caused a San Francisco school grounds keeper to get cancer – from which he is dying. The LB Coalition calls for the city to do some baseline testing so these employees can receive the treatment they need.

Spare Change Changes Everything

The City of Long Beach has launched a program as part of a multi-faceted approach to addressing homelessness. The “Spare Change Changes Everything” campaign provides an opportunity to passengers to deposit coins and cash into a donation box before proceeding through security screening at the Long Beach Airport. The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) Homeless Services Division will use these donations to provide support to individuals and families experiencing homelessness.

On any given day, approximately 1,800 people, including men, women, and children, experience homelessness in Long Beach. Donations to the “Spare Change Changes Everything” campaign will provide support directly to individuals and families experiencing homelessness with services such as crisis housing as well as items such as hygiene products, food, and clothing.

The Health Department leads the Long Beach Continuum of Care, a coordinated system of care that provides funding to twelve nonprofit entities that coordinate and provide a variety of services including emergency, transitional and permanent housing along with supportive services. The Multi-Service Center (MSC), which operates as the Continuum’s coordinated entry hub, coordinates links to these services. The MSC provides and assists with access to shelter services, mainstream benefits, mental health services, medical care, substance use treatment, employment, childcare, veteran benefits, housing, prevention services, access to mail service and shower facilities.

The MSC has been instrumental in facilitating opportunities for individuals and families experiencing homelessness to achieve housing stability and self-sufficiency. MSC staff work to empower clients by actively engaging them in service planning, building on their strengths, and helping them to achieve their goals. Donations provided by programs like “Spare Change Changes Everything” help fill a much-needed gap in services that existing funding cannot support. The pilot program will run through the end of 2019.

For more information on donation and volunteer opportunities, the public can visit http://www.longbeach.gov/health/services/directory/homeless-services/get....