Community News

New Aquarium President

The Aquarium of the Pacific has announced the appointment of Dr. Peter Kareiva as its new president and CEO beginning on August 1.  Current President and CEO Dr. Jerry R. Schubel will retire from the Aquarium on July 31.

Dr. Kareiva comes to the aquarium from his position as director of the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA. He also served as the vice president of science for the Nature Conservancy and has held faculty positions at several universities and the National Marine Fisheries Service.

He holds a B.A. in zoology, M.S. in environmental biology, and Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology. He has written dozens of articles, papers, and books and received numerous appointments and awards, including the Aquarium’s most prestigious honor, the Ocean Conservation Award.

His career includes diverse research, conservation, and fieldwork assignments across the globe, ranging from fisheries to genetically engineered microbes. His conservation programs relate to urban and marine conservation and climate science. He has been involved in diverse community outreach efforts, including developing science modules for Title I Los Angeles-area schools.

The nonprofit Aquarium of the Pacific is a community gathering place where diverse cultures and the arts are celebrated and where important challenges facing our planet are explored by scientists, policymakers, and stakeholders in search of sustainable solutions. The Aquarium is dedicated to conserving and building nature and nature’s services by building the interactions between and among peoples.

Home to more than 12,000 animals, aquarium exhibits include the ground-breaking Pacific Visions, the state-of-the-art Molina Animal Care Center, and the new Coral Reefs: Nature’s Underwater Cities exhibition. Beyond its animal exhibits, the aquarium offers educational programs for people of all ages, including lectures by leading scientists and the new virtual Online Academy. It also engages its diverse community with numerous conservation programs, ranging from climate resiliency to sea turtle monitoring. Visit the aquarium’s website for information at aquariumofpacific.org or call (562) 590-3100.

Budget Priority Survey

The City of Long Beach is encouraging residents to provide input on the city’s budget by participating in a Budget Priority Survey available now and continuing throughout the budget process.

Public input is an important and valued part of the city’s budget preparation process. The public survey has been developed to help the city determine General Fund priorities. The survey is available online in English, Spanish, Khmer and Tagalog.

The City of Long Beach has an average annual budget of approximately $3 billion. About 80% of the annual budget is tied to designated funds that limit how the funding can be used. The remaining 20% of the budget pays for most of the city’s public-facing resources such as streets and sidewalks, police patrol, fire response, parks and recreation and library services.

The Proposed FY 21 Budget is expected to be made available at longbeach.gov by early August, and virtual town halls regarding the proposed budget will take place in August. Information on these virtual events will be forthcoming later this month.

The FY 21 budget development has had many constraints; like many local governments, Long Beach is expecting a large budget shortfall, further exacerbated by the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, the FY 21 budget must solve for a $30 million deficit in the city’s General Fund.

The FY 21 budget also will be the city’s first budget since approving the Framework of Reconciliation. The city is currently engaged in public listening sessions to catalyze recommendations for the City Council to consider related to the existence and long-standing impacts of systemic racism in Long Beach. The Budget Prioritization Survey is another opportunity to share feedback with the City Council about what items should be prioritized.

Charitable 5K/10K Races

JFCS of Long Beach and West Orange County, Meals on Wheels of Long Beach and U.S. VETS – Long Beach have continued their work on the 2nd Annual Long Beach Trifecta. The Long Beach Trifecta is a series of 5K/10K walks/runs/rolls held for charitable purposes, with one event for each organization. Participants in all 3 events qualify for an exclusive commemorative medal and recognition by the Long Beach Trifecta.

The COVID-19 pandemic posed a number of challenges to this event. However, all of the organizations involved adapted to these difficulties. Instead of being held in public, the races are being done virtually, with participants walking, running, or rolling routes of their choosing and using a phone app to keep track of the number of miles traversed.

JFCS of Long Beach and West Orange County and U.S. VETS – Long Beach have both held their races, and reported that 356 participants ran and raised over $124,000 that will service people in the community. This was all done virtually, with an emphasis on maintaining social distance and other safety measures.

Meals on Wheels of Long Beach is now holding its “Virtual Race” across the entire month of July. This way, participants can race at the time and place of their choosing. This allows more flexibility for those who would like to run, walk, or roll and extends the window of opportunity for involvement.

This race, like the others, will be open to anyone who is interested. Upon successfully completing a race, each participant will receive a commemorative race t-shirt. Registering for an individual race costs $35, but there are no fees beyond that.

Those who want to take part in the Meals on Wheels of Long Beach 5K/10K RUN, WALK & ROLL “Virtual” event can register by visiting www.mowlb.org. For more information on this event, or on the previous races held, contact Rhonda at (562) 439-5000, Ext “0” or email her at rhonda@mowlb.org.

Chamber’s New Leadership

The Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce has new executive leadership and board of directors for the 2020-2021 fiscal year.

Mitra Rogers, senior manager of government relations at the Boeing Company takes the helm as the 2020-2021 chairman of the board of directors for the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. Rogers succeeds John Bishop, chief executive officer of MemorialCare’s Long Beach Medical Center and Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital in Long Beach.

Rogers has served on a number of community and business boards, which include the board of governors of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, the board of directors of the Seal Beach Chamber of Commerce and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Advisory Council on Aerospace.

The chamber has a new president/CEO for the first time in 26 years. Jeremy Harris succeeds Randy Gordon as he retired on June 30. Harris served as The chamber’s senior vice president for the last seven years. He received a 10-year contract to lead the chamber starting on July 1.

“Chambers of Commerce have never been more important than they are right now during this unprecedented time as we offer support and assistance to our community and membership. Our chamber is 129 years strong and we have some incredible leadership and members that will assist us in moving forward. Thank you to all who have agreed to serve and I am humbled to be working with such incredible individuals,” stated Jeremy Harris, President/CEO of the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

2020-2021 Leadership Cabinet

• Chairman of the Board, Mitra Rogers, The Boeing Company
• Immediate Past Chairman, John Bishop, MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center
• Chief Financial Officer, Ryan Partridge, HCVT
• Vice-Chair of Public Policy, Rhiannon Acree, Cambrian Homecare
• Vice-Chair of Membership Development, Sumer Temple, Don Temple Storage
• Vice-Chair of Economic Development, Mike Brascia, Brascia Builders
• Vice-Chair of Community Development, Nancy Hays, Kaiser Permanente
• Members at Large,
• Carolynn Caldwell, Dignity Health - St. Mary Medical Center
• Jim McCluskie, Moffatt & Nichol
• John Howard, Chick-Fil-A
• John Heffernan, AT&T
• Ken Houp, UHS Insurance Agency
• Trini Jimenez, Watson Land Company
• Legal Counsel, Robert Stemler, Keesal, Young & Logan
• President & CEO, Jeremy Harris, Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce

Stroke Center Designation

Dignity Health – St. Mary Medical Center (SMMC) announced that it has earned the designation of Comprehensive Stroke Center (CSC) by the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Agency. This certification allows SMMC to receive emergency 9-1-1 patients with a large vessel occlusion (LVO) for potential embolectomy, the surgical removal of a blood clot.

“Becoming a leader in advanced stroke and thrombectomy care is a strenuous and rewarding accomplishment for our hospital, as we can now provide treatment for cases with the highest complexity,” said Dr. Wled Wazni, neurointerventionist and medical director of SMMC’s Stroke Center. “In addition to improving clinical outcomes in ischemic stroke patients, St. Mary will save more lives in the community with quicker response times.”

 “Receiving the Comprehensive Stroke Center certification is a huge success for St. Mary Medical Center,” said Carolyn Caldwell, SMMC hospital president. “The certification provides us with the foundation to create a culture of clinical excellence as we continue to expand the services available to the communities we serve.”

New Public Works Director

City Manager Tom Modica appointed Eric Lopez as director of Public Works. Lopez has served the city since 2006 and has led several key projects and initiatives. As director, he will oversee the department’s 500-plus employees focused on maintaining and enhancing the city’s infrastructure and environment.

 Over the past 14 years, Lopez has served the city as a management assistant, administrative analyst, program manager, Tidelands development officer, project management officer and, most recently, as the project management bureau manager in Public Works. He has played an instrumental role in delivering award-winning projects, including the Colorado Lagoon restoration, Houghton Park Community Center and Stearns Park Community Center improvements, Seaside Way Pedestrian Bridge, as well as improvements to the Convention Center facility. Lopez also has been instrumental in the development of signature playgrounds, the beach pedestrian path, recreational sports fields, ADA improvements and many more.

Core responsibilities of Public Works Director include:

Overseeing the maintenance and rehabilitation of the city’s core rights-of-way infrastructure including streets, sidewalks and the city’s urban forest.

Providing services supporting a healthy and sustainable city environment, including waste diversion, storm water management and enhanced livability infrastructure.

Safely and efficiently designing, constructing, delivering and maintaining public facilities.

Lopez holds a Master of Public Policy (MPP) from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. He lives in Long Beach with his wife and two children. His appointment is effective Immediately.

Plan Ahead, Golfers

On Monday, April 5, 2021 HOPE’s 13th Annual Charity Golf Classic will take place at Old Ranch Country Club, Seal Beach. Save the date to this premier event that through 2020 has raised more than $1.6 million to create safe, stable and affordable homes for people with developmental disabilities.

To reserve your sponsorship, email tournament@hope-homes.org.