Community News

Arts Rename Proposed

Councilwoman Cindy Allen has introduced an item to name the Long Beach Performing Arts Center after the Beverly O’Neill, former mayor of Long Beach.

Councilwoman Suzie Price and Councilmember Al Austin cosponsored the proposal, which responds to a request from community members in pursuit of the renaming.

O’Neill demonstrated leadership over the course of her three consecutive terms as mayor, setting a new direction for the city from an economy dependent upon naval and aerospace jobs to a new economic system that elevated Long Beach’s reputation locally, regionally and nationally.

O’Neill’s lifetime of public services included a decades-long career in education, teaching in the Long Beach Unified School District before joining LBCC as a music teacher, women’s advisor, campus dean, dean of student affairs, vice president of student services and superintendent/president of LBCC.

O’Neill was an avid singer and has worked tirelessly to expand arts and cultural opportunities at Long Beach City College and across the city throughout her life. O’Neill often remarked how vital a vibrant arts and cultural community is to the economic health and spiritual enrichment of a city and its people.

The proposal will be considered at the Long Beach City Council meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 16.

Genealogy Society

The next meeting will be Sunday, Feb. 21, at 1 p.m. with social time beginning at 12:30 p.m. The topic is “I Don’t Remember Her Alive, But I Remember Her Dead” with Mary Anne Vincent.

For zoom access send an email to questingheirs@gmail.com.

Dine & Donate

Dine at Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream in Long Beach and help shelter pets on Thursday, Feb. 25. Twenty percent of sales will be donated to spcaLA.

Order at the walk-up window; vegan and dairy-free options available from noon to 10 p.m.

Handel’s is at 4201 McGowen St., #200. For more information visit www.spcaLA.com.

Strategic Plan Update

The Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine Department (PRM) is re-launching the department Strategic Plan Update following a year-long pause due to the city’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The community is now invited to see the results from the first community survey and participate in the next round of community outreach.

The effort began in 2019, following the Long Beach City Council’s approval of funding to update PRM’s 2003 Strategic Plan. City staff led a community engagement process, including circulation of a multilingual community survey, to solicit input from residents and stakeholders on their vision for the future of the department. The survey was promoted online and on social media and was made available in English, Spanish, Khmer and Tagalog at community centers, movies and concerts in the park and at other community events.

The community is encouraged to visit the PRM website and click on the “PRM Strategic Plan” tab or go to http://bit.ly/prm_strategicplan to review the results of the 2019 community survey and take a second multilingual survey which will be available until Feb. 19. Strategic Plan lawn signs and window posters featuring a QR code for people to access the survey directly on a smartphone device have been posted at more than 40 parks throughout the city.

In addition, pop-up stations with hard copies of the survey are available in English, Spanish, Khmer and Tagalog at the following locations:

  • McBride Park, 1550 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.
  • Houghton Park, 6301 Myrtle Ave.
  • Orizaba Park, 1435 Orizaba Ave.
  • Veterans Park, 101 E. 28th St.
  • El Dorado Nature Center, 7550 E. Spring St.
  • Long Beach Marine Bureau Office, 205 N. Marina Dr.

Virtual stakeholder meetings are being scheduled throughout February to provide additional opportunities for the city to receive input from user groups. PRM will also be producing a video series highlighting programs, people, planning and partnerships that will be available this spring, and the community will be encouraged to share their park story with staff by connecting on social media using #ParksMakeLB.

The PRM Strategic Plan will cover a 10-year period, from 2021-2031, and will guide operational, staffing and budgeting decisions for the Department. For a summary of the 2003 PRM strategic plan and for more information, visit longbeach.gov/park/.

Foundation Scholarships

The Long Beach Community Foundation announced four scholarship opportunities for 2021. They are the Don Knabe Safe Surrender Scholarship, the Larry Acterman Public Education Award, the Ensemble Scholarship and the Patricia K. Buck Scholarship. All scholarship information is available at https://longbeachcf.org/scholarships.

Don Knabe Safe Surrender Scholarship awards scholarships to college-bound students who were safely surrendered at birth. The Safe Surrender Program, pioneered by former LA County Supervisor Don Knabe, was successfully adopted in Los Angeles in 2001, making the first cohort of 10 children old enough to attend college beginning in 2020. This is the second year LBCF is offering this scholarship. The application deadline is April 30.

Larry Acterman Public Education Award provides scholarships to future public-school teachers. This permanently endowed fund was created by Steve Acterman and Amy (Acterman) Tenderich in 2001 to ensure their father’s lifelong commitment to public education continues through future generations of teachers. The application deadline is April 16.

The Ensemble Scholarship Fund was created to support the academic goals and career dreams of Ensemble employees. Current eligible employees and children and grandchildren of current eligible employees of the Ensemble Real Estate Group are encouraged to apply. The Ensemble Real Estate group includes the Bernardus Lodge & Spa, the DoubleTree Carson, the Hotel Maya and the Dream Inn. The application deadline is May 10, 2021.

The Patricia K. Buck Scholarship Fund is awarded to graduating seniors of Wilson High School in Long Beach. Scholarships are selected by Wilson High counselors and awarded to students based on scholastic achievement, service to their community and financial need. Scholarships must be recommended by the principal of Wilson High School. Students should contact a Wilson High School counselor to apply for this scholarship.

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