Photo by Pete Barr-Watson

This Saturday, Feb. 11, Councilmember Patrick O’Donnell will join Long Beach Police Chief Jim McDonnell to invite neighbors out for Coffee and Conversation at Starbucks on Palo Verde & Stearns in Los Altos.

The Councilmember and the Chief will be on hand to meet with residents and discuss issues concerning safety in our neighborhoods. The event will take place at Starbucks Coffee on East Stearns Street at Palo Verde Avenue in Los Altos.

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Read the rest of Grand Re-Opening Celebration of Orizaba Park Set For Jan. 21, Residents Invited to Attend

Photo by Johns Creek

Santa Claus is coming to Stearns Champions Park! 4th District Councilman Patrick O’Donnell, Partners of Parks and the Long Beach Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine invite the community to enjoy a visit with Santa Claus on Saturday, December 17, from 8 to 11 a.m. at Stearns Champions Park, The Park is located at 4520 East 23rd Street.

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Councilmember Patrick O'Donnell

Fourth District Councilmember Patrick O’Donnell is inviting residents to join him for a free evening at the Aquarium of the Pacific. On Thursday, Oct. 27 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. all are invited to enjoy the Aquarium’s numerous attractions highlighting the mysteries and beauty of the Pacific Ocean.

O’Donnell will be on hand to meet with residents, answer questions and discuss issues of interest to the community. Guest will be encouraged to explore the Aquarium’s displays which include more than 19 major habitats and 32 focus exhibits

“It is my great pleasure to host a free night at the Aquarium for all residents to enjoy the more than 11,000 ocean animals on display,” O’Donnell said. “The Aquarium of the Pacific is one of our City’s greatest assets and I look forward to meeting everyone who comes by to take part in this great opportunity to get to know our neighbors in the sea.”

Councilmember O’Donnell’s Free Night at the Aquarium will take place from 6:30 p.m.   to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27. Admission is completely free and there will be a Halloween costume contest for kids of all ages.

Parking for the evening is $8.00 at the Aquarium parking structure. The Aquarium of the Pacific is located at 100 Aquarium Way in Downtown Long Beach. For more information, contact the Office of Councilmember Patrick O’Donnell at (562) 570-6918.

Beginning May 4, food trucks that were previously restricted in the City of Long Beach will come to Coronado Avenue at Anaheim Street every Wednesday for lunch.

“This is a first for Long Beach and I am proud to sponsor an event like this that promises to facilitate community and culture through food,” said Councilmember Patrick O’Donnell who represents the Fourth Council District of Long Beach.

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Snow is predicted in Whaley Park on Saturday, February 26 for the fifth annual Snow Day..

Councilmember Patrick O’Donnell welcomes fourth district residents to Snow Day in Whaley Park on Saturday, February 26. The 2011 event will feature more than 10 tons of fresh snow for sled races and snowball making.

“This year’’s Snow Day event will be bigger than ever,”” O’’Donnell said. “”We’’ve got so many things to do and see for the whole family that we expect to see even more people coming from all sides of the City.”

Indeed, this year’’s day of fun and play in the snow is shaping up to be much bigger than in years before.

Read the rest of Snow Will Fall in Whaley Park Again this Year

“This is a significant milestone for the restoration of the Los Cerritos Wetlands,” said Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority Chair and Long Beach Councilmember Gary DeLong. “We have put the pieces in place to start the planning for restoring this priceless natural resource.”

On Thursday, December 9, the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority (LCWA), voted to accept the final installment of a $450,000 grant to fund the plan, which will allow the LCWA to develop a feasibility study with a comprehensive restoration plan and allow for the design of public trails connecting the communities of Southeast Long Beach and Seal Beach. The study will include the Bryant, Hellman and City of Long Beach properties, which are components of the larger Los Cerritos Wetlands complex These properties offer an extremely rare opportunity to restore coastal wetlands and create public access improvements. The LCWA will solicit competitive proposals shortly for this study, and work on the study may begin as early as Spring of 2010.

Read the rest of The Los Cerritos Wetlands Restoration Effort Takes A Significant Step Forward

A state grant will fund construction for a new community center in Orizaba Park.

A $2.2 million grant from the State of California Natural Resources Agency will be used fund a community center and community garden at Orizaba Park, located on Orizaba Avenue between Spaulding and 14th Street. The grant was announced by Long Beach officials on Wednesday.

“This is an outstanding project for an outstanding neighborhood,” 4th District Councilmember Patrick O’Donnell said. “I am looking forward to the new community building and community garden providing enhanced recreational opportunities and services for the surrounding neighborhoods.“

Councilmember O’Donnell, the RDA and the Long Beach Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine invite the public to a ceremony celebrating the expansion and improvements, and the grant award, at Orizaba Park on Saturday, Nov. 20 at 9 am.

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Read the rest of Orizaba Park Hood Games on June 26!

The Palace Hotel, built in 1929 at 2640 E. Anaheim St., will soon begin renovation and construction to become home to 13 youths transitioning from foster care.

In Long Beach, there are more than 1,000 children in foster care.  According to UFC, without assistance, many of these young people will become homeless and chronically unemployed within two to four years of leaving the foster care system.

Read the rest of Renovations at The Palace Hotel will create apartments for foster kids entering adult life

4th District Councilmember Patrick O'Donnell gets ready to slide down the snow.

If you’re starting to feel a chill in the air, it could be because the annual Fourth District Snow Day is returning to Whaley Park. Snow Day will now take place Saturday, February 20 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event was rescheduled after the storm series left the park grounds too saturated to hold the event safely.

Read the rest of Snow will fall February 20 in Whaley Park for family play day

New approaches are needed to make Long Beach safer for people and animals. Councilmembers Suja Lowenthal and Patrick O’Donnell are hosting two important Town Hall Meetings next week to discuss changes to the municipal code and strategies for:

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The Wild Oats Community Garden is located between 10th Street and Anaheim Street, and unfortunately, the Termino Drain construction will require the temporary destruction of the garden. The community partners and those who have plots in the garden realize that the temporary disruption of the garden is for the long-term benefit of an entire community and for the environmental health of an important watershed.

Read the rest of Knabe pledges funds to rebuild Community Garden displaced by Termino Drain project

Volunteers will gather Downtown this weekend to find ways to add more bike racks. And, next week residents in the 5th and 4th districts are invited to the East Long Beach Bike and Mobility Meeting.

Read the rest of Downtown and the Eastside each meet to promote Bicycling in Long Beach

The mood was one of elation and relief as residents and local elected officials marked the arrival of a $22.6 million storm drain project in Long Beach. After years of planning and numerous public meetings, the flood relief that had been just a pipe dream for East Anaheim Business Corridor residents and business owners is finally materializing in the form of 12,190 linear feet of underground storm drain pipe.

“This is a landmark project for the City of Long Beach and one of the Flood Control District’s largest storm drain projects in recent memory,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe. “Getting this project over numerous hurdles was a monumental task and a true testament to the hard work of the men and women of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works in partnership with the City of Long Beach and the community.”

Read the rest of Termino Avenue Storm Drain Project breaks ground

The item is a response to concerns in the community that only 60% of new affordable units are going to Long Beach residents or workers.

“Our first responsibility has to be to our residents and workforce,” said Councilmember Garcia. “We cannot afford to take care of other cities’ needs until we first address our own considerable challenges in this area.”

Read the rest of Councilmembers Garcia and DeLong move to examine local preference in affordable housing developments

With an estimated 60,000 Cambodians in Long Beach, the issues that this community faces have many complex layers. One of the barriers to crucial services, other than language, is an overwhelming level of suspicion about government. Most of the Cambodian population in Long Beach fled the Khmer Rouge, a period that saw the death of approximately 2 million Cambodians through the combined result of political executions , starvation , and forced labor, and it is understandable why they may be apprehensive engaging in city services and agencies.

All residents are encouraged to attend the mixer to learn about various community agencies that can assist them and their neighborhood. “In difficult times, it is important to know what resources are available to help prepare for any possible obstacles. More over, Long Beach has great community pride and we look out for one another. Although we face challenging times, together we shall overcome them”, said Councilman Andrews.

“This is a great opportunity for members of the community to meet City staff and discover new resources”, Councilmember Patrick O’Donnell said. Agencies throughout the city will be in attendance to explain their services and answer any questions. “This event should be a wonderful opportunity for the Cambodian community to become more aware of information and assistance they may not have known was available to them”, said Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal.

Among the over 20 service oriented agencies participating, attendee’s will have a chance to learn about employment opportunities, immigration assistance, housing, and clinical services. There will be information offered from family enrichment to business support. The City of Long Beach, Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network, and the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles are sponsoring this free event.

Free parking is available. For more information call the Office of Councilman Dee Andrews at (562) 570-6816.