Getting Ready for 2025

Sometimes, past plans phase into future fads and fashions. Such is the case of 2024 into 2025 when certain expectations might well be met, others falling short. In Long Beach, the carryover events begin on the rails, sky and roads, and we’re not talking about donuts.

Looming Loss of Local Labor

Get used to not seeing the frequent and ubiquitous lawn maintenance pickup trucks trolling the east part of town if undocumented alien policy changes. Same goes for some roofing crews and house or office cleaners.

Transportation Troubles

Between Dec. 30 and Mar. 30, 2025, Long Beach police will cease to patrol the Blue Line, more recently known as the A Line within city limits. Apparently, the lieutenant, two sergeants and nine officers are needed elsewhere in the city. Not clear if or which agency or group of protectors will take their place. No one’s sayin’ jes now.

The grassroots Small Aircraft NoisE Reduction group (SANER) known for protesting constant student flights out of Long Beach Airport has hired attorney Steven Taber of Leech & Tishman, who wrote a demand letter about the need to stop “taxi back” flights to the Long Beach City Attorney. More action is likely. A major problem also mentioned by SANER was with toxicity of fuel. That might be solved with new Tesla-like battery-powered aircraft, a fleet of which is currently being tested by Air New Zealand down under.

The Vincent Thomas Bridge will not be available for at least 16 months, the bridge linking San Pedro to Terminal Island and thus, Long Beach, that is. Ignoring the recent dismantling of the Gerald Desmond bridge linking the island to Long Beach, which would have been an ideal time to shut down the Vincent Thomas, the state waited for the debut of the Gateway to the 710 bridge between Long Beach and the island to shut down its westerly counterpart in late 2025 or early 2026. Commuters between Long Beach and San Pedro will be obliged to travel through downtown Wilmington.

Election Frolics

Twice a candidate for the office, Herlinda Chico will not occupy the Fourth Council District office. Chico’s second attempt to dislodge the incumbent Daryl Supernaw for his third and final term was beat back by a comfortable 57.6 percent of the votes cast. Will Chico, who was backed by Congressman Robert Garcia, City Council Member Roberto Uranga and other prominent politicos try again once Supernaw is termed out, possibly against Gerri Schipske?

Speaking of trying again, Laura Richardson is back. In the 35th State Senate district representing Carson, Inglewood, Torrance, Compton, San Pedro, LAX and a small percentage of Long Beach, the former spouse of Long Beach Police Chief Anthony Batts won a close race.

First elected as Sixth District Councilwoman in 2000, she moved on to the State Assembly in 2006, won a congressional race that sent her to Washington until unseated by Janice Hahn in 2010. “She is the hardest-working elected official I ever worked for, and she expected the same of her staff,” said a one-time Richardson legislative staffer. “That’s always been very impressive. Whoever runs against her better know, she’ll run them until she drops.” Found guilty of requiring her staff to campaign for her while in Congress, she was censured and fined by the ethics committee.

Homelessness and Housing

On Oct. 7, an accessory dwelling unit behind the main property on Gale Avenue exploded, destroying the unit, the main building sustaining “minor structural damage.” A resident suffered burn injuries.

In November, Congressman Robert Garcia advocated increased urban density, aligning with YIMBY, the polar opposite of the “Not In My Back Yard” movement. In an early December interview on KNBC, Garcia recommended looking at federal land in urban areas as a partial solution to the housing shortage, which might well include the expansive grounds of the Long Beach Veteran’s (V.A.) Hospital. Recently, a judge has ruled that West L.A. V.A. land used for a UCLA baseball field and by a private Brentwood school must be turned over for homeless veteran’s housing. The Long Beach V.A. grounds in the 1950s and 1960s included onsite bungalows, housing hospital employees, family and staff, becoming either deteriorated or torn down. Another viable solution for Garcia’s plan: Terminal Island, owned by the Navy.

Concert Secrecy

An historic mega-star hip-hop concert with a potentially high ticket cost, no one could pay to enjoy live was held at Granada Beach on Aug. 10. Yes, it was the Snoop Dogg / Dr. Dre / Red Hot Chili Peppers performance NBC broadcast on Aug. 11 as part of the Paris Olympics closing ceremony promoting the L.A. Summer Olympics in 2028. This faux live TV event was witnessed by the few who peeked through a security fence.

In Summary

Beachcomber reader and businesswoman Merry Colvin listed high sales taxes, the homeless population, the loss of citywide tree canopy, the return of Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor, which might well describe downtown business vacancies. The mayor attributes the vacancies to COVID and Colvin attributes it to crime as problems extending from 2024 into 2025, where we again begin our incessant monitoring of things Long Beach.