Bits 'n' Pieces

Hacegaba to Lead Port

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners on Monday unanimously appointed Dr. Noel Hacegaba as the incoming chief executive officer of the Port of Long Beach, effective Jan. 1, 2026.

Hacegaba, a longtime port executive currently serving as chief operating officer, succeeds departing CEO Mario Cordero amid an era of significant growth at the nation’s second-busiest seaport.

“The Port of Long Beach is entering a pivotal decade, one defined by bold climate action, digital transformation, and generational infrastructure investments,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “I congratulate Dr. Hacegaba on his appointment and I am confident that his deep experience will help guide this next chapter as we advance toward zero-emission operations, strengthen our global competitiveness, and continue creating economic opportunity for our community. I look forward to working together to build the port of the future and elevate Long Beach’s leadership in sustainability and innovation.”

“Noel brings a depth of expertise and leadership to drive the Port’s continued growth and maintain its position as the nation’s premier gateway for trans-Pacific trade,” said Long Beach Harbor Commission President Frank Colonna. “His strategic vision and proficiency to get things done will be invaluable as we continue to build sustainably and expand our global competitiveness.”

“I know that I am leaving the port in very capable hands with Noel at the helm, following his many years as my right-hand man,” said Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero. “Noel has the talent and collaborative approach to drive competitiveness and accelerate our zero-emissions goals during a period of tremendous growth at the Port.”

“I am grateful for the trust and confidence of Mayor Rex Richardson and our Harbor Commission and excited to work with them and our stellar staff to move our port forward as we strengthen our value proposition, accelerate our economic engine and continue our quest to zero-emissions operations,” Hacegaba said. “We have a unique opportunity to clarify our vision, simplify our mission and amplify our impact throughout surrounding communities and across the global supply chain. I would also like to thank Mario Cordero for his years of setting an excellent example of leadership at the port.”

In his role as COO, Hacegaba oversees daily operations including commercial services, engineering, finance and administration, planning and environmental affairs, and strategic advocacy.

Over the last 15 years, Hacegaba has negotiated some of the most high-profile transactions at the port, including the multibillion-dollar sales of Long Beach Container Terminal and Total Terminals International. During the pandemic, Hacegaba directed the Business Recovery Task Force and coordinated with industry, labor and government partners to keep cargo moving.

Lessons learned during the pandemic prompted Hacegaba to spearhead development of the port’s Supply Chain Information Highway, a digital platform designed to improve cargo visibility and data sharing across the national freight network.

A graduate of the University of Southern California, Hacegaba holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in economics, business administration, and planning, and also earned a doctorate in public administration from the University of La Verne.

In 2025, Hacegaba received the prestigious Stanley T. Olafson Award from the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce for his exemplary leadership in advancing international trade.

Former Mayor Passes

The City of Long Beach announced the passing of former Long Beach Mayor Robert “Bob” Foster on Nov. 30, 2025, at the age of 78. Mayor Foster served two terms from 2006 to 2014 and made a lasting impact on the Long Beach community during some of the most challenging periods in the city’s history.

Mayor Foster brought decades of leadership experience to Long Beach following a career at Southern California Edison, where he served as president before entering public office. As mayor, he guided the city through the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression and helped Long Beach navigate rapidly rising pension costs.

He was known for taking on complex and difficult issues because it was the right thing to do and because strong leadership was needed. His commitment to fiscal responsibility and pension reform was instrumental in stabilizing the city’s financial landscape. By the end of his tenure, the city achieved a budget surplus for the first time in a decade, allowing Long Beach to refocus on providing high quality services within its financial capacity.

Mayor Foster also championed significant environmental progress at the Port of Long Beach, advancing initiatives that continue to shape the city’s sustainability efforts today.

Mayor Foster was admired for his sharp wit, authenticity and ability to connect with people from all walks of life. He engaged with world leaders, employees and residents with the same genuine interest and care. Above all, he loved his family, including his wife Nancy, and was deeply devoted to the community he served.

“Bob Foster was a modern-day Cincinnatus. He took the responsibility of public service incredibly seriously and was never afraid to do the right thing, even if it was unpopular,” said City Manager Tom Modica. “He was incredibly generous with his time and resources, helping anyone who needed it, with unmatched wit, humor and kindness. Those of us who got to work closely with him will never forget him and his service to Long Beach.”

After leaving office, Mayor Foster continued to support Long Beach through service on local nonprofit and community boards, further demonstrating his commitment to public service.

Pet Licensing Enhanced

The City of Long Beach has enhanced its pet licensing process to be easier for local pet owners. Long Beach Animal Care Services (LBACS) has partnered with DocuPet, North America’s leading pet registration and lost pet recovery service, to introduce residents to a modern licensing system designed to protect pets and bring them home safely if they go missing.

Through the new service, every pet registration at LBACS will now include a DocuPet license tag and access to HomeSafe, a 24/7 lost pet service. Each tag features a unique identification code linked to a secure online pet profile where owners can upload photos and add behavior notes, medical information and emergency contacts to quickly identify and reunite a lost pet with their family.

If a pet goes missing, pet owners can list a Lost Pet Report, which will be shared instantly with Petco Love Lost, the nation’s largest photo-matching lost and found database, and DocuPet’s National Animal Shelter Network. This allows shelters to quickly identify pets using identification codes, microchip data and unique markings. Combined with DocuPet’s dedicated dispatch team and community partners, these tools will help expedite lost pet reunifications, often before entering a shelter.

DocuPet’s platform will also help LBACS manage licensing more efficiently, allowing resources to be directed toward essential animal care and community programs. Additional benefits to pet owners and the community include:

Improved licensing experience: DocuPet’s online portal makes it quick and convenient for pet owners to license and ensure their pet’s safety within minutes.

Enhanced customer service: Pet owners will receive clear, timely reminders by mail and email to help ensure their license is always current and compliant with pet licensing laws.

Supports animal care services: By reducing the number of lost pets coming to the shelter, LBACS will have more staff, space and resources to take care of incoming sick, injured and homeless animals.

Customized dog tags: Pet owners can upgrade their tag’s design to reflect their dog’s personality with 20% of the purchase donated to LBACS.

“Licensing is an important responsibility for pet owners, but it should also provide peace of mind,” said Melanie Wagner, manager of LBACS. “By partnering with DocuPet, we’re making the licensing process simple while ensuring local pet owners have extra protection and resources for their pet to being located if their pet ever goes missing.”

All dogs in Long Beach, Cerritos, Signal Hill and Los Alamitos must be licensed and vaccinated against rabies. In Long Beach, cat licenses are also required. Pet owners can license their pets online at longbeach.gov/acs or in person at the Long Beach Animal Care Center, 7700 E. Spring St. Discounted pet licenses for seniors aged 60 and above are also available. To learn more about DocuPet or to license your pet, visit longbeach.gov/acs.

Gains for Homeless Vets

The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it permanently housed 51,936 homeless veterans across the country in fiscal year 2025. That number is 4,011 more veterans than VA housed last year.

The nationwide numbers include 566 of veterans permanently housed by the VA Long Beach Healthcare System.

This is VA’s best national performance since it began tracking the number of individual veterans permanently housed instead of the total number of permanent housing placements, ensuring a more accurate count of the number of veterans helped.

In May 2025, VA took bold action to reduce veteran homelessness by launching its Getting Veterans Off the Street initiative, in which every VA health care system across the country hosted dedicated outreach surge events to locate unsheltered veterans and offer them immediate access to housing programs, health care, behavioral health services, and VA benefits. Getting Veterans Off the Street helped move 25,065 unsheltered Veterans to interim (emergency and transition) or permanent housing.

“This is life-changing and life-saving work,” said Walt Dannenberg, VA Long Beach Healthcare System Medical Center director. “We are proud of the progress VA Long Beach Healthcare System has made to get veterans off the streets, and we look forward to continuing our efforts to further assist our veterans in need.”

These efforts complement President Trump’s May executive order to establish a National Center for Warrior Independence for Homeless Veterans on the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center campus. It aims to provide housing and support for up to 6,000 homeless Veterans from across the nation by 2028.

Every day, VA staff and community partners across the country help Veterans find permanent housing – such as apartments or houses to rent or own – often with subsidies to help make the housing more affordable. In some cases, VA teams and partners help veterans end their homelessness by reuniting them with family and friends.

New Department Directors

City Manager Tom Modica announced the appointment of two city department directors: Joshua Hickman as director of Public Works and Stephen Scott as director of Parks, Recreation and Marine (PRM).

Following extensive national recruitment for these leadership positions, Hickman and Scott stood out as the best candidates, each bringing with them a wealth of local knowledge, leadership, community engagement and project management experience. Hickman has served the city since 2017 and Scott since 1999.

As director of Public Works, Hickman will oversee an annual operating and capital budget of approximately $450 million and lead a broad portfolio of city services spanning the repair, rehabilitation and upkeep of streets, sidewalks, public trees and municipal structures. He will lead a department of over 500 budgeted full-time equivalent staff who support a healthy and sustainable city environment by providing a wide range of right-of-way maintenance, capital improvement, engineering and beautification services to both the public and partner city departments.

Notably, Hickman will play a critical role in leading and further strengthening the Elevate ’28 Infrastructure Investment Plan, the largest public infrastructure investment in Long Beach’s history with over 180 projects and $1.1 billion in funding to enhance Long Beach parks, streets, mobility, community facilities, water quality, climate resilience and cultural assets, including major projects to prepare the city for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Under his leadership, the department will also advance other high-priority initiatives to improve mobility and safety, revamp project communications strategies, upgrade stormwater systems and improve climate resilience.

Hickman brings nearly 20 years of experience managing complex projects, including a $50 million capital expansion at Boston Logan International Airport. He joined the city’s Public Works Department in 2017, first as capital projects coordinator, followed by project management officer, then business operations bureau manager and most recently as deputy director.

Under his tenure, he oversaw many key initiatives and led both the Public Services Bureau and Environmental Services Bureau through major transitional periods, stabilizing operations, filling critical workforce and management vacancies and realigning teams to improve service delivery.

During this time, he aligned budget with delivery of core services, maximized fleet efficiency, improved labor relations, implemented innovative hiring efforts and launched the residential organics programs, all while keeping these bureaus on track to meet community needs.

As PRM director, Scott will lead one of the most unique departments in the nation, combining traditional parks and recreation services with animal care services and marine and coastal operations.

With an annual budget of approximately $90 million and more than 1,300 employees that includes full-time, part-time and seasonal staff, Scott will oversee the upkeep of 166 parks, 26 community centers, two historic sites, two major tennis centers, one of the busiest municipal golf systems in the country with five courses, the Long Beach Animal Care Services Bureau, the largest municipally operated marina system in the nation and over six miles of beaches.

He will additionally oversee the department’s wide variety of citywide community recreation programs and services, including more than 2,800 annual recreational and educational classes. Scott will also play a vital role in delivering historic Elevate ’28 projects, such as the Gold Medal Park Refresh, El Dorado Park Universal Playground, Drake Chavez Connection Project, Willow Springs Park Restoration and Hamilton Loop Greenbelt, and supporting citywide and regional initiatives related to the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Over the past 27 years, Scott has served the city in various roles across multiple departments as a management assistant, administrative analyst, assistant to the city manager and bureau manager. He has served PRM since 2013, first as business operations bureau manager before adding deputy director responsibilities in 2016.

During his tenure, Scott was instrumental in ushering in a number of PRM initiatives including LBACS’ Compassion Saves service model, the Park Ambassador Program, an update to the city’s Master Joint Use Agreement with Long Beach Unified School District, and the delivery of numerous park development projects.

He also managed the department’s Community Information Division, responsible for providing important and timely information to the community and stakeholders about PRM’s many programs, services and events. With his work, he helped to address needed funding and service gaps and enhance community engagement and project and grant management effectiveness.

New Storefront Program

The City of Long Beach Department of Economic Development & Opportunity (EDO), in partnership with the Arts Council for Long Beach (ACLB), has announced the Vacancy to Vibrancy Storefront Program (VVSP), a new initiative that will help transform vacant commercial properties into visually engaging community assets through art installations created by local artists.

VVSP provides property owners with free-of-cost vinyl window wraps designed to enhance curb appeal, deter vandalism and attract new tenants to the city’s diverse business corridors. Eligible property owners can apply to have their storefronts temporarily wrapped in artwork inspired by Long Beach’s unique neighborhoods, culture and history. Property owners interested in participating can review eligibility requirements and apply online.

EDO staff will lead the application and selection process to identify suitable vacant commercial properties, while ACLB will manage artist engagement, design and installation. Applications will be reviewed as they are received, generally within 60 to 90 days. Preference will be given to long-term vacancies located along key commercial corridors.

VVSP application will remain open until all funds are exhausted. Once a vacant property is leased, the art installation will be removed, making way for new tenants while leaving behind a more vibrant and inviting corridor.

“The goal is to enhance the beauty and vibrancy of Long Beach’s unique and authentic commercial corridors,” said EDO Director Bo Martinez. “By integrating local art into these spaces, we are supporting homegrown talent, strengthening the vitality of our neighborhood marketplaces and demonstrating that Long Beach is a city that welcomes and celebrates business.”

VVSP builds on EDO’s broader revitalization and small business support efforts, including the BizCare Program and Visual Improvement Program, which assists businesses and property owners in maintaining attractive and welcoming spaces. This effort also aligns with the goals of the Grow Long Beach Economic Blueprint, which prioritizes investment in façade improvements, creative placemaking and small business corridor activation.

As part of the city’s adopted Fiscal Year 2025 Budget, the mayor and City Council approved a one-time funding of $25,000 to launch a pilot program that supports the installation of artistic window wraps on vacant or underutilized storefronts to improve aesthetic appeal and deter vandalism. VVSP was developed in response to this direction.

For more information, businesses can contact BizCare at (562) 570-4BIZ (4249) or BizCare@longbeach.gov. To learn more about programs and resources for small businesses, those interested can visit the EDO website at longbeach.gov/bizdev.