Bits 'n' Pieces

Oversized Vehicle Parking Restrictions Begin

Commencing July 1, 2018, the following oversized vehicle restrictions will go into effect:

• Parking of oversized vehicles (exceeding 85 inches high, or 80 inches wide, or 22 feet long) is prohibited on city streets in residential neighborhoods without a valid permit.
• Residents may obtain free oversized vehicle parking permits for themselves and their visitors at http://www.longbeach.gov/parking/oversized-permit/.
• Residents and their visitors may park oversized vehicles adjacent to their residence for a maximum of 72 consecutive hours with a valid permit.
• An annual maximum of 20 permits may be issued to each resident per calendar year.
• Exceptions to these restrictions may be requested in writing from the City Traffic Engineer.

These restrictions are a result of concerns residents voiced regarding an increase of oversized vehicles parked on residential streets and commercial corridors. An oversized vehicle can take three or four normal-sized parking spaces and create line of sight issues for motorists. Oversized vehicle parking restriction signage has been installed at approximately 80 sign locations throughout the city, and residents will receive a notification in their utility bills this June.

On August 15, 2017, City Council approved an ordinance amending the Long Beach Municipal Code to impose parking restrictions on oversized vehicles, as a result of a request brought forth by Councilwoman Suzie Price, and supported by Councilmember Daryl Supernaw and Councilwoman Stacy Mungo.

To report issues regarding oversized vehicle parking starting July 1, the community can call (562) 570-2866. More city parking information is available at: www.longbeach.gov/parking. For any questions, please contact: Eric Widstrand, city traffic engineer, Department of Public Works, (562) 570-6537 Eric.Widstrand@longbeach.gov.

Potential Identity Theft at VA Medical Center

While performing routine patrols on the campus of the Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center, VA law enforcement came across a personal vehicle with what appeared to be commercial license plates attached. After running the plates and the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), officers determined the attached plates did not belong to the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop.

While interviewing the vehicle’s driver, an alert officer noticed an unlabeled pill container with various pills inside and conducted a search on the vehicle. The search found gabapentin pills for which the driver had no prescription and private VA patient information on numerous Veterans including names, dates of birth and full Social Security numbers.

After the initial arrest, VA law enforcement obtained a search warrant which ultimately yielded over $1,031 in recovered federal property and an additional amount of private VA patient information being recovered. In total approximately 1,028 Veterans information was found outside of VA control.

While there is no indication of any Veteran identification information being used fraudulently, VA will send letters to all 1,030 potentially impacted Veterans and provide 12 months of free credit monitoring services.

Symphony Foundation Head

The Board of Directors for the Foundation for the Long Beach Symphony, a non-profit corporation serving as the endowment fund for the Long Beach Symphony Association has named Genevieve Macias as its first executive director since its inception in 1986.

“With the Long Beach Symphony experiencing a renaissance in its artistic and community leadership, we felt it was time to invest in the growth of its endowment,” states John Burkholder, president of the Foundation for the Long Beach Symphony. “Macias was a natural choice for the new position, due to her involvement in leading the symphony’s very successful fundraising efforts over the last five years.”

Kelly Lucera, the executive director of the Long Beach Symphony stated that “Genevieve Macias is a wonderful director of development & communications for our symphony and I look forward to what she can do with our foundation to help our symphony thrive and grow.”

As its first executive director and first staff member, Macias is tasked with developing and running a new endowment campaign with the goal of tripling the endowment fund over the next few years.

Summer Reading Program

The Long Beach Public Library has kicked off its free Summer Reading Program (SRP). This year’s theme, “Reading Takes You Everywhere,” conveys the idea that great stories have the special ability to “transport” even the most reluctant readers to places they could never imagine.

Community members of all ages can participate in the SRP, which will run through August 11. Residents can pick up a reading passport at any of the 12 Long Beach Public Libraries, read a bit every day, record “reading travels,” and report to the library each week to get a passport stamped and receive a small prize.

With each week of reporting, readers will earn a ticket for a chance to win the Summer Reading grand prizes including Catalina Flyer tickets, a Nintendo Switch and four tickets for admission to a California theme park. The more participants read, the better their chances of winning.

Special performances including magic shows, animal encounters, puppet shows and musical events, will be offered at every Long Beach Public Library branch during the summer. The public can visit the library’s website at www.lbpl.org/SRP for a complete listing of summer events.

Residents are also encouraged to visit their local library and speak with a librarian, pick up a bookmark with library recommended reads, or check out the library’s website for reading lists for a variety of ages and interests. The Long Beach Public Library has something that appeals to everyone, from books and magazines to audiobooks, graphic novels and zines.

‘Excellent Water Quality’ Says Heal the Bay

Long Beach continues to improve its water quality and has seen sustained progress over the past seven years. According to the Heal the Bay 2017-2018 Beach Report Card that was issued recently, the city of Long Beach continues to earn excellent recreational water quality grades with 100 percent of its beaches receiving A and B grades for the summer months (April through October 2017).

The Beach Report Card was established over 25 years ago to provide beachgoers with a reliable and easy-to-understand tool for analyzing beach water quality. The better the grade a beach receives, the lower the risk of illness to ocean users.

The State Health and Safety Code, AB 411, requires testing of recreational waters during summer dry weather, which is the most active beach recreation season in California. All 15 beaches sampled in Long Beach received A or B grades (12 A’s and three Bs) from April through October 2017. The Colorado Lagoon received two A grades for the summer after being closed last year for dredging, a process which improves water quality through the removal of sediment.

Heal the Bay also grades beaches during dry winter months, which spans from November 2017 through March 2018. Eighty-seven percent of the city’s beaches during those months received A and B grades, of which two are A+s. This is up from last year’s 62 percent A and B grades. Alamitos Bay received A+ and A grades for both summer dry months and winter dry months.

Rainy weather remains a challenge for the region as well as the City of Long Beach, with the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers flowing into Long Beach waters, resulting in C, D and F grades during wet weather throughout the year. The city will continue to work with upstream cities, state and federal regulatory agencies and other stakeholders to address impacts from stormwater runoff.

For current information on water quality in Long Beach, visit https://bitly.com/LBWaterQuality. The Heal the Bay 2017-2018 Beach Report Card is available at www.healthebay.org.

Parks System Rises to Top 21 in Country

Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine (PRM) has risen to number 21 among the 100 largest U.S. cities in the Trust for Public Land’s (TPL) 2018 ParkScore Index survey, a hike from 2017’s 24th place ranking.

The TPL Report commended PRM for its walkable park access in the city where a total of 81 percent of residents live within a 10-minute walk to a park. Also noted was the city’s investment in parks and recreation of $208 per resident, compared to the national median of $105. PRM also stood out for the number of senior centers and off-leash dog recreation areas serving residents throughout the city.

“Our park system is part of what provides a great quality of life in the City of Long Beach,” said Stephen P. Scott, interim director of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine. “We are proud of our efforts to provide more recreational open space within walking distance of residents. In recent months, we created new greenbelts with walking paths and bike trails, opened three artificial turf sports fields, broken ground on a new 6,500-square-foot community center, opened a new 12-acre wetlands, and will soon open the new 34-acre DeForest Wetlands project with restored habitats and flood control capabilities, and opportunities for bird watching, walking, and educational tours programs.”

Veterans Resource Center Opens at Public Library

The Long Beach Public Library launched the Veterans Resource Center on June 9 at the Main Library, 101 Pacific Avenue. Opened to the public, the Veterans Resource Center is a space equipped with a dedicated computer for veteran resources, private study rooms, and a collection of materials to assist veterans and their families, which include the California Veterans Resource Book from CalVet, reference materials regarding veterans’ benefits, and other fiction and nonfiction books and DVDs.

The community can check out materials with a Long Beach Public Library card; although a library card is not required to use the space or to utilize materials in the library.

The Veterans Resource Center has been made possible through the Veterans Connect @ The Library program, and is the culminating event for Book-To-Action, sponsored by the California Center for the Book. Veterans Connect @ The Library works with California public libraries and the California Department of Veterans Affairs to help educate veterans and their families about the benefits and services available to them. By partnering with local veteran service organizations, the Long Beach Public Library aims to enrich the lives of local veterans.

These programs are supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.

$12 Million by the State to Address Homelessness

Last week the California State Legislature approved the State’s Homeless Emergency Aid Program budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 19. It includes unprecedented investments in funding infrastructure and services to reduce homelessness in California, including $12 million to the City of Long Beach. With the overall rise in homelessness statewide, Long Beach, alongside California’s largest cities, has been advocating for increased state funding to cities to address this issue.

Since January, the Big 11 Mayors, who represent the eleven largest cities in California, have worked with legislative leaders, the administration and local government representatives to advocate for a meaningful investment to combat the statewide homeless crisis. Throughout their advocacy, the Big 11 Mayors maintained that cities should receive state funding because they are on the front lines of the homeless crisis. They also argued that resources allocated to this issue must be flexible enough for cities to deploy solutions that best fit their communities.

While Long Beach has experienced a 41 percent decline in its point time count from 2011-2017, there are still more than 2,000 people experiencing homelessness in the city and 65 percent of those are living on the street. There are even more individuals and families struggling to keep from falling into homelessness.