Councilmember Robert Garcia

Councilmember Robert Garcia has introduced two new pieces of legislation for the February 7 City Council meeting agenda, both aimed at improving the health of Long Beach residents by encouraging participation in physical fitness, extending healthful food choices into underserved neighborhoods, and creating policies that support nutrition, exercise, and a healthy lifestyle.  Both items are cosponsored by Vice-Mayor Suja Lowenthal, Councilmember James Johnson and Councilmember Steve Neal.

“Childhood obesity is a major challenge for our kids and for our country,” said Garcia. “We need to come together as a city to promote physical fitness and healthy food choices.” 

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The Downtown Residential Council is comprised of resident leaders from the six Downtown neighborhood associations: Promenade Area Residents Association, Ocean Residents Community Association, North Pine Neighborhood Alliance, West End Community Association, Willmore City Heritage Association, and East Village Association.

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Councilmember Dr. Robert Garcia

First District City Councilmember Dr. Robert Garcia presents the Second Annual State of the First District and “Go Long Beach Awards” this Tuesday, October 25, at 6pm at the Jenny Oropeza Community Center, 401 Golden Avenue.

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Councilmember Robert Garcia

Councilmember Robert Garcia of the 1st District, the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency (RDA), Downtown Long Beach Associates (DLBA) and the Arts Council for Long Beach invite the community to the dedication of new neighborhood street banners in the East Village Arts District. The event will take place Tuesday, September 27 at 10:30 a.m. in front of Berlin by Portfolio Coffeehouse, 420 East 4th Street.

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Photo by mvongrue

The Office of 1st District City Councilmember Robert Garcia and the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine invite the community to the grand opening of the 14th Street Park basketball courts on Saturday, September 24, at 11 am. A short ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at 14th Street between Pine and Locust Avenues before the courts open for public play.

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Read the rest of Molina Family and Artist Gregorio Luke Selected Parade Marshals for 3rd Annual Latin American Parade & Festival

Read the rest of Ceremony Unveiling Linden Avenue Historic District Signs Slated for Saturday

Photo by Andy Mihail

Councilmember Robert Garcia has invited residents to participate in the City’s first “Digital Clean-Up,” this Saturday, July 16, 2011. Participants will canvas the Downtown neighborhoods using their Smartphones and the GoLongBeach application to report graffiti, potholes, damage to sidewalks, illegally dumped items, and other issues for the City to address.

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Councilmember Robert Garcia and Community Youth at Groundbreaking Ceremony

On Wednesday July, 6, 2011, Councilmember Robert Garcia and the Parks & Recreation Department hosted a groundbreaking ceremony with community youth for the new full-sized basketball courts park at 14th and Locust.

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Transit Oriented Development Will Support Active, Creative Seniors

A 200-unit, transit-oriented residential community designed for active seniors will begin to take shape on Thursday, April 21, with the groundbreaking ceremony for the Long Beach Senior Arts Colony (Colony). The public is invited to the event at 10:30 am at 225 E. 12th St. The ceremony is being hosted by Mayor Bob Foster, Councilmember Robert Garcia and The Long Beach Housing Development Company (LBHDC), along with Meta Housing Corporation (Meta) and Century Housing Corporation.

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Late Sen. Jenny Oropeza

Councilmember Robert Garcia, along with community organizations Centro Cha and Centro Shalom, will host the Tenth Annual Cesar Chavez Day Celebration at Cesar Chavez Park, 401 Golden Avenue, Thursday March 31 from 3pm to 7pm.

The event will kick-off with the dedication of the Jenny Oropeza Community Center, which was named for the late State Senator and former Long Beach City Councilmember, who died last year.

At 3pm, the new Jenny Oropeza Center Signage will be unveiled, with remarks by Senator Oropeza’s husband, Tom Mulllins.

“We are looking forward to honoring the great work of Senator Oropeza, and everything she did to build this park when she was on the Long Beach City Council,” said Garcia.

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Birthplace of former Mayor Beverly O’Neill to be Dedicated!

The offices of Mayor Bob Foster, 1st District Long Beach City Councilmember Robert Garcia, the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency and the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine invite the public to attend a ceremony for opening of the new Seaside Park on Saturday, February 12 at 11 am. Seaside Park is located at 14th Street and Chestnut Avenue in Long Beach, the site of the former Seaside Hospital.

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The East Village has installed 52 more pedestrian-friendly street lights.

Mayor Bob Foster, Councilmember Robert Garcia, the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency, and the East Village Association will host a ceremony tomorrow, Thursday February 10, at 430 pm, to celebrate the installation of 52 new streetlights on East Fourth Street from Alamitos to Long Beach Blvd. The ceremony takes place at the offices of the East Village Creative Offices, 425 East Fourth Street, between Elm and Linden. The new lights are part of many improvements and enhancements being made in the neighborhood.

“There are great things happening in the East Village,” said Mayor Foster. “I commend the community and the Redevelopment Agency for their work as it really makes a difference to Long Beach.”

Other recent or planned enhancements to the neighborhood include new businesses like Fingerprints & Portfolio on 4th Street, new facade projects, new trees, bus stops and public art.

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Councilmember Robert Garcia

Residents invited to paint life size MLK, Bobby Kennedy, Mother Teresa and others; Garcia to offer remarks

Councilmember Robert Garcia, the Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency will host a “Community Paint Day” on Saturday, January 29th, from 10am-2pm, to complete the new “Peacemakers Mural,” at the City’s newest park, which Garcia has proposed naming “Seaside Park” after the hospital that long stood on the site, at Magnolia and 14th Street.

A short program with Councilmember Garcia, the Artist and community children will begin at 10:00am.

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Long Beach Councilmembers Robert Garcia and Gerrie Schipske, of the First and Fifth Districts, respectively, have cosponsored a series of “Open Government Initiatives” to increase transparency and accountability in Long Beach government.

The two motions are on agenda for the Council meeting of January 4, 2011.

The initiative proposes multiple reforms, including the adoption of an open government policy statement for the City, posting completed contracts on line, a system for on line public comments during Council meetings, and a variety of changes to the City website, such as posting budgetary information, information about lobbyists, and access to government records and public documents.

“Openness in government is what makes democracy possible,” Garcia said. “Citizens have a right to a transparent and accessible government.”

Councilwoman Schipske said, “Since coming to City Council I have tried to take the Thomas Jefferson approach to local government. He said quite clearly that ‘Information is the currency of Democracy’ and it should be our approach as well here in Long Beach.”

Schipske noted that Long Beach doesn’t have to look too far for a model of website transparency adding that the County of Los Angeles has received an A+ rating from sunshinereview.org for its website. “Long Beach is almost there but we need to add a few more features so that the public doesn’t have to ask for information — it will be already there on line.”

Councilmembers Garcia and Schipske have a record of open government reforms. Both have long posted their calendars on line for the public to view, and they cosponsored the first and only lobbyist registration law in Long Beach.

Work on the eastbound side was completed last weekend. The project will resurface and improve Ocean Boulevard just west of the World Trade Center and on the bridge over the Los Angeles River.

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Photo by Matthew Trentacoste

Councilmember Robert Garcia has proposed legislation that would eliminate mandatory bicycle registration in Long Beach, making registration completely voluntary. The motion will be heard by City Council on Tuesday, December 14.

“This supports Long Beach’s mission to be the Most Bicycle Friendly City in America,” Garcia said. “I’m proud of everything Long Beach is doing when it comes to bicycles, and I’m going to ensure we remain a leader on this issue.”

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The Seven-Ten Swap is a Free Community Exchange & Pot Luck on the 3rd Friday of every month at the Catalyst Community Space in Long Beach at 430 E. 1st Street, Long Beach, CA 90802

Doors Open at 6:30 pm for drop off of swap stuff and for the potluck … The swap starts at 7:10 pm and ends by 9:00 pm.

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Councilmember Robert Garcia

Councilmember Robert Garcia announced today a series of major improvements to the area around 7th street and Alamitos Avenue, including several projects that have already begun and many more scheduled for the next several months. The improvements include work on the medians, façade improvements, trees, banners, and new bike racks.

The projects are funded largely by the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency (RDA).

“One of my priorities since taking office has been to revitalize business corridors,” Garcia said. “Im grateful to the RDA and Development Services for supporting these important projects at this vital location.”

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Ross Altman

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Fred Blanco will not be able to perform his one-man show, “The Stories of Cesar Chavez,” on Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 2 p.m. at The Found Theatre.

The good news is that a worthy replacement has agreed to step up: “A Mighty Hard Road: From Woody Guthrie to Cesar Chavez,” a concert by popular folksinger Ross Altman. Ross played to a packed house at The Found last year, and has also generously participated in our fundraisers for Doctors Without Borders. The Found thanks him for graciously stepping in to allow the show to go on! Because it is part of their Family Friendly Sunday program, tickets for this performance are a ridiculously low $5 for all ages. A perfect opportunity to enjoy an afternoon of rousing labor tunes!

Read the rest of Schedule Change: Popular Folksinger Ross Altman Steps in for Fred Blanco at The Found Theatre This Sunday!

Just after noon on Monday, October 4, the Long Beach Fire Department responded to reports of an apartment fire at the corner of 3rd Street and Linden Avenue. Upon arrival, Engine 24 discovered a unit on the 4th floor with light gray smoke coming out of the window.

Just as crew members pulled up to the front door, the fire had been knocked down by a dry chemical fire extinguisher. This building also had a functional fire sprinkler system in place. Sprinklers are a vital resource for reducing damage from these types of fires. The sprinkler system kept the rapidly growing fire in check and contained to the upstairs area until the fire department arrived. This, once again, proves the effectiveness of fire sprinklers in a building fire.

Once the fire was confirmed “knocked down,” and the rooms were cleared of all potential victims, crews immediately began salvage operations to control the large amount of water damage that would take place.

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Dr. Robert Garcia, EdD. is the Councilmember for the First District, and is the youngest elected City Councilmember.

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Public Invited to View Final Report and Track Progress Updates

A community-based plan designed to help recruit new retail businesses to Downtown Long Beach is delivering substantial results just months after its implementation began according to a report released by the Downtown Long Beach Associates (DLBA).

Earlier this year, the DLBA, in partnership with the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency (RDA), held a series of community workshops with the goal of formulating an attainable retail vision and strategic plan for Downtown Long Beach. Called ‘Retail Visioning,’ the project was also designed to align the work programs for the industries and organizations involved in retail recruitment, strengthen Downtown’s retail environment, and clarify the process of recruiting new retail businesses to Downtown.

Read the rest of Implementation of Community’s Retail Vision Proving Effective