Community News

Holiday Treecycling Program for Residents

The LB Public Works Department will once again offer Holiday Treecycling, providing an accessible and responsible way to recycle live trees for Long Beach residents. From Thursday, Dec. 26, through Friday, Jan. 10, residents can drop off their used trees at 12 locations throughout Long Beach, at no charge.

About 200 tons of holiday trees are recycled into landscaping mulch by the city each year, which equates to approximately 10,000 to 15,000 trees. Proper disposal of holiday trees through the Treecycling program prevents fire hazards and reduces illegally dumped trees in alleys and the public right-of-way.

Residents are encouraged to drop off their holiday trees at any of the locations listed below. The drop-off hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and weekends from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

  • Bixby Park, 1st Street at Cherry Avenue
  • Cesar E. Chavez Park, Golden Shore Street at 4th Street
  • El Dorado Park West, 2760 N. Studebaker Road (South parking lot behind Administration Building)
  • Houghton Park, Myrtle Avenue at Harding Street
  • Hudson Park, Hill Street at Webster Avenue
  • Long Beach Environmental Services Bureau, 2929 E. Willow St.
  • Marina Vista Park, E. Colorado Street at Marina Drive
  • Orizaba Park, Orizaba Avenue at 14th Street
  • Scherer Park, 49th Street at Del Amo Boulevard
  • Stearns Park, 23rd Street at Roycroft Avenue
  • Veterans Park, 28th Street at Pine Avenue
  • Wardlow Park, Monlaco Road at Rutgers Avenue

Residents are asked to remove decorations, take the tree out of the stand, cut trees in half if they are over 12 feet tall and leave trees unwrapped. Flocked trees will be accepted, however artificial trees will not.

Residents are strongly encouraged to drop-off used trees at the citywide locations to reduce the strain on refuse collection services following the holiday season. However, there will be a special collection on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, for those unable to visit a drop-off location. Residents with the city refuse collection service must place trees at their regular refuse collection location by 7 a.m. on Jan. 11 to have their tree collected.

For more information on the Treecycling program, visit longbeach.gov/lbrecycles.

Library Launches 2025 SEED Creativity Lab

The Long Beach Public Library (LBPL), in collaboration with Dramatic Results, is once again offering its SEED Creativity Lab, a free, arts-integrated workshop series for 7th and 8th grade students. This transformative program is designed to inspire middle school students by combining creativity, innovation and hands-on learning.

The SEED Creativity Lab workshop sessions will be hosted from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays beginning Feb. 1 through April 12, 2025 (excluding Saturday, Feb. 15). In an effort to increase access to the workshop series, each session will be offered simultaneously at five LBPL locations across the city:

  • Billie Jean King Main Library, 200 W. Broadway
  • Burnett Neighborhood Library, 560 E. Hill St.
  • Bret Harte Neighborhood Library, 1595 W. Willow St.
  • Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library, 5870 Atlantic Ave.
  • Mark Twain Neighborhood Library, 1401 E. Anaheim St.

Through SEED, students will delve into the exciting world of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics), using creative expression to explore and solve real-world challenges. Each Saturday session will highlight a different art form, from photography and digital arts to mixed media, improvisation and architecture. Under the guidance of pre-service teachers from California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), local art educators and LBPL staff, participants will apply the design thinking process to create unique works of art, collaborate with peers and develop critical thinking skills.

Registration for the program is currently open and will remain open until all spots are full. Parents can visit the SEED webpage to learn more about the program and register their students. Registration is also available at any LBPL location or by calling (562) 570-6135. For more information, visit lbpl.org or call (562) 570-7500.

City Facilities/Services for New Year’s Day

In observance of New Year’s Day on Wednesday, Jan. 1, the City of Long Beach facilities and services listed below will adhere to the following schedules. City facilities and services will adhere to their normal operating schedules on New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, unless specified below.

Open on New Year’s Day

  • Fire Stations and Lifeguard Stations
  • All City parks and trails (excluding El Dorado Nature Center)
  • Long Beach Airport
  • Main Police Station Front Desk
  • Gas Services Dispatch (562-570-2140) open 24/7 for emergency calls
  • Water/Sewer Dispatch (562-570-2390) open 24/7 for emergency calls
  • Emergency Animal Control services are available 24/7 for sick or injured animals
  • El Dorado Regional Park

Closed on New Year’s Day

  • Billie Jean King Main Library, all branch libraries, including library offices (digital resources available 24/7)
  • BizCare Hotline (562-570-4BIZ)
  • Building and Safety services, including the Permit Center, inspections and plan reviews
  • City Hall
  • City-operated pools
  • City Prosecutor’s Office
  • Code Enforcement services
  • Economic Development’s Long Beach Workforce Innovation Network Administrative Offices and Future LB youth center
  • Energy Resources Offices
  • Fire Headquarters, Support Services, Fire Prevention & Operations, including Marine Safety Administration
  • Health Department and Health facilities
  • Homeless Services Outreach Line (562-570-4672)
  • Housing Authority
  • LB Resource Hotline (562-570-4246)
  • Long Beach Airport Administration Offices
  • Long Beach Animal Care Services and spcaLA (also closed Monday, Dec.30 and Tuesday, Dec. 31 per their normal operating schedule)
  • Long Beach Utilities Offices
  • Marina offices (Alamitos Bay Marina, Shoreline Marina)
  • Mobile Access Centers
  • Neighborhood Resource Center
  • Parks, Recreation and Marine programs and community park facilities
  • Public Health Information Line (562-570-7907)
  • Refuse and Recycling collection and Administrative Offices
  • Special Events and Filming Offices
  • Street sweeping
  • Towing and Lien Sales

City Hall

City Hall offices and public services will be closed on New Year’s Day including commercial services typically available at City Hall, such as the Permit Center (located on 2nd floor), Cashiering/Payment Processing, Utility Customer Service, Billing and Collections, and Parking Citations. The public is encouraged to continue taking advantage of the convenient online resources available on the city website, including building permit services and bill payment options.

Street Sweeping

There will be no scheduled street sweeping or enforcement of street sweeping violations on New Year’s Day. Street sweeping will resume its regular schedule on Thursday, Jan. 2.

Parking Enforcement

Read your parking meter: Citywide parking violations, including parking meters, will be enforced on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, unless the meter states “Exempt on Holidays.” The days and hours of enforcement are displayed inside the meters.

Refuse/Recycling

There will be no scheduled refuse and recycling collection on New Year’s Day. Refuse and recycling will resume its regular schedule on Thursday, Jan. 2.

Towing and Lien Sales

The Towing Operations and Vehicle Storage Facility (3111 E. Willow St., between Temple Avenue and Redondo Avenue) will be closed on New Year’s Day. Normal business hours are:

  • Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Closed Sunday and holidays.

Vehicles and property are available for release outside of the hours listed above for an additional fee. More information can be found online.

Libraries

All Long Beach Public Library locations will close at 5 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31. All locations will be closed on New Year’s Day. All Library locations will resume normal operations on Thursday, Jan. 2, and the main phone line will be open during regular business hours. Library patrons are encouraged to utilize the Library’s vast collection of digital resources, including the library catalog, downloads and databases, available 24/7.

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