Community News

Shop Small This Season

As the holiday season approaches, the City of Long Beach Department of Economic Development & Opportunity (EDO) is encouraging residents to support local businesses by participating in Small Business Saturday, taking place on  Nov. 29.

Occurring between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday is a nationwide initiative to promote and celebrate small businesses and their contributions to their community.

Shopping local offers residents an opportunity to shop from a wide range of products and services – from boutique clothing, jewelry and decor stores to artisanal coffee and authentic food shops, Long Beach businesses offer something for everyone at every price point. Shopping locally stimulates the local economy, supports local jobs and fosters a sense of community pride and connection.

“Small business is big business in Long Beach! Local entrepreneurs bring creativity, authenticity and a personal touch that makes our city special and unique,” said EDO Director Bo Martinez. “We’re proud to support and uplift the entrepreneurs who pour their passion into serving our community every day. This Small Business Saturday, we encourage everyone to shop small during the entire holiday season and help our local businesses continue to grow and thrive.”

To promote Small Business Saturday and all the ways to shop local this holiday season, now through the end of December, EDO will conduct a social media campaign featuring local retailers, business improvement districts and the benefits of shopping local.

To encourage residents to shop local, free metered parking will be available all day on Nov. 29 in the following locations:

Downtown Long Beach: Street parking south of 10th Street, including the Pike Outlets.

Belmont Shore: Street parking and the five public parking lots.

The two-hour free parking period remains in effect at the City Place garages (A, B and C) located in Downtown Long Beach. These garages are accessible on Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Streets, between Pine Avenue and Long Beach Boulevard, and no validation is required.

Small Business Saturday is an annual event created in 2010 to encourage consumers to shop local during the holidays. According to the national Small Business Administration, for every $100 spent at local businesses, $68 will stay in the community. Shopping locally also reduces one’s environmental impact, encourages local businesses to reinvest in their communities, and increases local competition and innovation among small businesses. More information can be found at longbeach.gov/smallbizsaturday.

Bridge Ramps Demolition Meeting Set for Dec. 2

The Port of Long Beach will host a public outreach kickoff meeting in December to inform the public and solicit feedback about a planned project next year that will demolish the ramps connecting the Shoemaker Bridge to the North Harbor area.

The meeting will be held from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2, at the Port of Long Beach Maintenance Facility, 725 Harbor Plaza, Long Beach 90802. RSVP at www.polb.com/shoemaker.

In 2026, the Port of Long Beach plans to demolish ramps between the Shoemaker Bridge and the port as part of construction of the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility. The Pier B program will help to accommodate the expected growth of cargo volume, while taking trucks off the road and improving the environment.

The planned demolition work will remove the 9th and 10th Street on and off-ramps crossing over the 710 Freeway. Currently, as scheduled, the ramps will be permanently closed in spring 2026. The ramps are not heavily used and sufficient alternate routes are available in the area, including Willow Street, Pacific Coast Highway, Anaheim Street, Ocean Boulevard and the Queensway Bridge. Motorists will still be able to access the Shoemaker Bridge from West Seventh Street, West Third Street, West Ocean Boulevard and West Shoreline Drive, east of the Los Angeles River.

Work will require three temporary weekend closures in summer 2026: first, the northbound 710, then the Shoemaker Bridge, and finally the southbound 710. Dates have not been set.

Fun and Interesting Nature Walk

On Dec. 6, from 8 to 10 a.m. Walk with trained naturalists and learn about the sea eagles, hawks and other raptors of the Los Cerritos Wetlands free of charge. Hear about the native people who once lived on this unique land. The walk is for ages seven and up. Meet at the corner of PCH and 1st Street in Seal Beach. Email elizabeth@lcwlandtrust.org with questions or to RSVP.  

Clean Air Action Update

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will give a progress update on the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP) at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9. The meeting will include information on the ports’ 2024 emissions inventories, as well as a status update on the clean truck program, technology advancements and grants.

The meeting will be held at Banning’s Landing Community Center, 100 E. Water St., Wilmington.

Limited free parking is available at the Wilmington Waterfront Promenade parking lot next to Banning’s Landing Community Center.

Updated in 2017, the CAAP is a comprehensive strategy for accelerating progress toward a zero-emissions future while protecting and strengthening the ports’ competitive position in the global economy. Since 2005, port-related air pollution emissions in San Pedro Bay have dropped 90% for diesel particulate matter, 70% for nitrogen oxides, and 98% for sulfur oxides.

Targets for reducing greenhouse gases from port-related sources were introduced as part of the 2017 CAAP. The document calls for the ports to reduce GHGs 40% below 1990 levels by 2030 and 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. The Clean Air Action Plan was originally approved in 2006.

The ports will take public comments in-person at the advisory meeting to receive input on CAAP implementation. The agenda will be posted on the CAAP website prior to the meeting. For more information, visit cleanairactionplan.org.

Beach Cleanup

The City of Long Beach, in partnership with the Ocean Conservancy and representatives from the USA Artistic Swimming National Team and the U.S. Olympians and Paralympians Association, joined 74 local volunteers to remove 769 pounds of trash and debris from Alamitos Beach.

Long Beach will serve as a 2028 Venue City with the largest number of sporting events outside of the Host City of Los Angeles, staging 11 sporting events for the Olympic Games and seven for the Paralympic Games, nine of which will take place along Long Beach’s beaches and waterways.

As part of Ocean Conservancy’s Protect Where We Play initiative and coordinated through the city’s Adopt a Beach program, the morning cleanup took place at Alamitos Beach, site for Olympic Beach Volleyball and Paralympic Blind Football. The adjacent, connecting shoreline will additionally host Olympic Open Water Swimming, Olympic Rowing Coastal Beach Sprints and Olympic Sailing (Windsurfing and Kite), underscoring the long-term value of integrating environmental stewardship and civic engagement into the city’s games planning and preparation efforts.

The cleanup was conducted as a pilot volunteer opportunity while the city continues to develop a more comprehensive volunteer program that will engage local communities, with opportunities anticipated throughout the city leading up to the 2028 Games.

Earlier this year, Ocean Conservancy launched Protect Where We Play to unite fans, athletes and artists to take action for our ocean. The initiative is supported by “Team Ocean Captains,” including USA Artistic Swimming, two-time Gold-medal Paralympian Ezra Frech – who attended the Alamitos Beach cleanup – and other professional athletes and partners. For more information, visit protectwhereweplay.com.

More information about the city’s commitments to the 2028 Games is available at longbeach.gov/2028games.