Barry Saks

The town hall featured: Black Lives Matter Los Angeles activist Melina Abdullah, who holds a doctorate in political science from the University of Southern California; Julianne Malveaux, who holds a doctorate in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Pastor Cue jn-Marie, who is the founder of the Church Without Walls and a former rapper; and the moderator was Mike de la Rocha, who is the CEO of Revolve Impact, which according to its website, “combines policy advocacy, grassroots organizing and …communications strategies to directly improve the lives of millions of people.”

A news story will be posted later.

Below is the audio.

Mayor Robert Garcia, by email on Tuesday, May 19, announced the City Council approved what was called an “Open Streets Initiative,” to repurpose temporarily some public spaces, like sidewalk, off-street parking and large parking lots into spaces for physically distanced retail and possibly entertainment.

The email said, “Over the last few weeks, we have heard from so many small businesses which are hurting and want to reopen but are worried about how to do so safely. All across the world, we are seeing cities and small businesses work together on outdoor dining and other uses of open space to spur economic activity, support community building and a sense of normalcy we all crave while physically distanced.”

He assured moving forward would be done when “it is safe to do so” and added “with the right setup” more pedestrian and bicycle spaces will also be created.

He attached the slide deck, which was part of the presentation to the City Council.  It can be viewed at http://longbeach.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=8445660&GUID=4E4CA873-1619-4A32-A6A5-31ACC4512176.

Senior Biden Campaign Adviser Tony Blinken spoke, by Zoom and Facebook Live on Monday, May 18, on “The U.S.-Israel Relationship in a Biden Administration” for the Democratic Majority for Israel.

According to the American Academy of diplomacy, Blinken is “managing director of the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement and the Herter/Nitze Distinguished Scholar at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies” and “held senior foreign policy positions in two administrations over three decades—including Deputy Secretary of State in the Obama administration.”

DMFI’s mission, according to its website, states, “We will work to maintain and strengthen support for Israel among Democratic leaders including presidential and congressional candidates as well as with the grassroots of progressive movements. We are committed to doing so because we recognize that America’s relationship with Israel, the sole democracy in the Middle East, is a mutually beneficial one based on shared values and shared interests.”

Blinken was introduced by Mark Mellman, the President and CEO of DMFI.  The moderator was Rachel Rosen, who is the Communications Director for DMFI.

Below is the audio of Blinken’s talk.

Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, in an email Thursday, May 14, addressed “some misinformation and questions,” the city received.

He said Long Beach has reopened all retail and storefront business it’s allowed under State Law and many folks want the City to open restaurants and barber shops. He said the City can’t because “(i)t’s not allowed under State Law. Once the Governor announces the next stage of openings – only then can we look at health indicators and begin reopening.”

He said while the City has its own Health Department, “(T)he State Health Orders supersede our city and any county orders…. (W)e can’t move faster than the State allows.”

He acknowledged the State has an expedited track to reopen restaurants more quickly and pointed out, “(T)he Governor set it up for rural counties with few to no deaths and cases. Long Beach does not qualify” nor does “LA” does and nor does “Orange County.”

He added, “So instead, we use the baseline State Health Order as guidance. The Order allows for retail curbside pick up (sic) and some recreation.”

He also said, “Long Beach is currently in Stage Two. We can go no further on retail or restaurants until…the State modifies it’s (sic) Health Order and…our health indicators remain flat with no large spikes” and added, “Reopening decisions within a Stage are made with the recommendations of doctors and health officials. Our local officials talk daily with LA County, California, and CDC experts and scientists.”

Long Beach to Resume Street Sweeping with Parking Enforcement, Citations

Meanwhile, the City of Long Beach, in a press release of Wednesday, May 13, announced street sweeping-related parking enforcement, after nine weeks of amnesty for street sweeping citations, will resume on Monday, May 18.

While over the past two months street sweeping has continued in areas it could, in many neighborhoods, the lack of street sweeping access has led to an accumulation of sediment and debris jeopardizing the City’s ability to meet national standards for clean waterways.

Street sweeping is a critical health service, collecting thousands of tons of debris each year and eliminating pollutants from washing into the ocean or river. Streets can only be swept effectively when cars are out of the sweeper’s path.

Since May 4, Department of Public Works employees have placed reminders in English, Spanish, Khmer and Tagalog on vehicles that haven’t been moved during street sweeping. The reminders advised residents available parking resources across the City and to let people know enforcement would resume on May 18.

The parking amnesty was put in place as an economic relief plan for residents during the COVID-19 health emergency. As part of continuing efforts to address parking impacts caused by COVID-19, the City of Long Beach made over 4,000 parking spaces available. These spaces are citywide. A full list of parking options is available http://longbeach.gov/parking/covid-19-street-parking-relief/.

Resident parking, by permit, will continue until further notice.
Residents may call 562.570.INFO with questions.

For the latest information on COVID-19, with details on all that the City of Long Beach is doing to keep its residents safe, visit http://www.longbeach.gov/COVID19.

The City of Long Beach, on Wednesday, May 13, according to a press release issued the day before, reopened all its public beaches for recreational use for swimming, kayaking, walking, running, kitesurfing and other similar activities.

Mayor Robert Garcia said, “The reopening of our beaches signifies a step towards more opportunities to enjoy our open spaces.”

“I know that many in our community have been looking forward to more recreation and I’m urging everyone to continue practicing physical distancing so we can continue moving forward safely.”

The beaches will open daily from sunrise to sunset for individuals or members of the same household.

While restrooms are open and will be disinfected regularly, people must physically distance.

Rosie’s Dog Beach will reopen and the City’s dog parks will reopen as well.
Beachgoers and those visiting the dog beach and dog parks must: stay at least 6 feet from others at all times except for members of the same household; avoid crowded areas; wear face coverings when near people, except one’s household or in solo physically distanced exercise; provide physical distancing of at least 6 feet or more when passing others; continue moving, without lingering, except for brief rests; stay home if sick; wash or sanitize your hands regularly, before and after visiting beaches and parks.

Gatherings of any size are prohibited at all beaches and parks, including, but not limited to, events, athletic competitions, youth camps and recreational programming. Chairs, canopies, coolers, grills, sunbathing or any similar stationary activity on the beach or in parks is prohibited. Playgrounds remain closed.

Parking lots and the pier will remain closed to the public except for residents who have special parking permits.

Long Beach Airport announced, according to a press release of Tuesday, May 12, it is requiring all passengers, employees and visitors to wear a facial covering on airport property, which is in line with the City of Long Beach’s current “Safer at Home” order and guidance from public health experts.

Mayor Robert Garcia said, “As the economy slowly reopens and the public begins to travel again, we want to ensure the safest possible experience for all passengers.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing a facial covering that covers the nose and mouth when in public to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Examples of appropriate facial coverings include bandanas, neck gaiters or cloth masks with ties or straps. It is important to note facial coverings are not a replacement for physical distancing and frequent hand washing.

Long Beach Airport Director Cynthia Guidry said, ““Our partners at Long Beach Airport have come together to provide a consistently safe environment, while maintaining the comfortable experience our customers have come to expect.”

“We look forward to seeing more passengers but are grateful the public is taking the health order seriously and avoiding non-essential travel. LGB is ready to welcome your return.”

All five airlines serving the airport, as well as concessions and rental car companies, now require facial coverings for customers and employees. Transportation Security Administration officers at are also required to wear masks. Officers may ask guests to adjust or remove face coverings during the security screening process.

Besides requiring facial covering, the airprot LGB has additional safety measures, such as new disinfecting protocols and floor decals to create physical distancing. 

For the latest information on COVID-19, with details on the City of Long Beach is doing to keep its residents safe, visit: longbeach.gov/COVID19 and follow @LongBeachCity on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

Long Beach announced, Monday, May 11, according to a press release issued the day before, the reopening of the beach bike and pedestrian paths, tennis centers and courts in parks with guidance for their use.

Mayor Robert Garcia said, “We know our community has been anxious to get back outdoors. While our beaches are still closed, like many of you, I am looking forward to the beach bike and pedestrian path opening up… Please remember to practice physical distancing so that we can continue to make more places available.”

With the reopening these safety rules must be followed for beach and pedestrian paths and tennis centers.

For beach and pedestrian paths, stay at least six feet from others not members of your household; avoid crowded areas; do not gather in groups or linger except for brief rests; face coverings are required when in close contact with others but not required while engaging in physically-distanced exercise; while beach bathrooms are open, beaches and beach parking lots remain closed.
All tennis centers before reopening must implement a Tennis Physical Distancing, which may be found at: http://longbeach.gov/globalassets/health/media-library/documents/diseases-and-condition/information-on/novel-coronavirus/covid-19-business-toolkit-pages/tennis-physical-distancing-protocol.

Pro shop is allowed for curbside pickup only. Restaurants and concessions are for takeout only. Park parking lots will also reopen. Public parks are open for walking, running and biking. Social gatherings and picnicking are not allowed in the parks or park parking lots.

Meanwhile, Long Beach’s southern neighbor, Seal Beach, according to the Associated Press, reopened its beaches for running, walking and surfing, Mondays through Thursdays only, while closed on the weekends.

Mayor Robert Garcia announced, by email, Friday May 8, the City “will allow retail businesses, with modified operations and proper sanitizing and physical distancing protocols… to reopen for curbside pickup and delivery services only.”

The announcement is consistent with Gov. Newsom’s earlier announcement regarding the State’s reopening.

The announcement said trails, their associated parking lots will reopen; golf courses, car dealership showrooms may open, pending adherence to the City’s recommendations and safety protocols. 

It said non-essential retail businesses authorized to reopen per Governor Newsom’s direction, include: bookstores, jewelry stores, toy stores, clothing stores, shoe stores, home and furnishing stores, sporting goods stores, antique stores, music stores and florists.

California Restaurants Draft Plan, Send it to the Governor

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported Thursday, May 7, California restaurants drafted a plan to allow the industry to reopen for sit-down dining with safeguards while avoiding possible requirements imposed in other states that customers have their temperature taken or the number of tables be dramatically limited.

The recommendations, obtained by the AP, will be submitted to Gov. Gavin Newsom also on Thursday. The safeguards include: only family members or people living together would sit at the same table; buffets, salad bars and shared bread baskets won’t be allowed; salt and pepper shakers could be replaced by bottles of hand sanitizer; and meals could arrive from server And meals could arrive from food servers in face masks.

According to the AP, the California Restaurant Associated, partnering with the California Conference of Local Health Officers and the California Conference of Directors of Environmental Health.  The recommendations provide a potential framework for reopening dining rooms.

The association, according to the AP, wants Newsom to set only broad guidelines regarding: employee health, social distancing, public education and improved sanitation and disinfection, allowing cities and counties to determine the rules in each category.

The AP story said, “(T)he recommendations urge local governments to consider such things as requiring temperature checks for restaurant employees, requiring mandatory handwashing schedules for workers and face coverings for employees with interact with the public” and regarding social distancing, “local jurisdictions will need to establish … measures… for keeping tables apart or setting up barriers between them, and limiting tables to family and household members … not to exceed 10 people. Restaurants could consider a phone or text-based reservation system that would not allow a customer to enter until the table is ready.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced, Monday, May 4, based on the state’s progress toward meeting the criteria outlined in the Governor’s April 15 press release for reopening the state’s economy, the state will begin to move into Stage 2 modifying the stay at home order Friday, May 8, with guidelines released Thursday, May 7.

Governor Newsom said, “(W)e are in a position to begin moving into our next stage of modifying our stay at home order. But make no mistake – this virus isn’t gone. It’s still dangerous and poses a significant public health risk. As we move into the next stage of reopening, we will do so with updated guidance to help qualifying businesses make modifications needed to lower the risk of COVID-19 exposure to customers and workers. Californians should prepare now for that second stage of reopening.”

The Governor also issued a state “Report Card” for how the state is doing in meeting key measures for moving into Stage 2. California is on schedule regarding stability of hospitalizations, personal protective equipment inventory, health care surge capacity, testing capacity, contact tracing capability and public health guidance in place.

Stage 2 will have two phases, an early and a later.  The early phase, which can begin on Friday, May 8, assuming businesses are able to implement the modifications the guidelines specify, when announced on Thursday, May 7, will be logistics, manufacturing and some retail businesses, like bookstores, clothing stores, florists and sporting goods stores.

The later Stage 2 includes dine-in restaurants, offices and school districts.

While the state will be moving from Stage 1 to Stage 2, counties can choose to continue more restrictive measures in place based on their local conditions. The state expects some counties to keep their stay at home orders in place beyond May 8.

The Governor announced while the state is moving into Stage 2 together, counties can move quicker through Stage 2, if they attest that they meet the state’s readiness criteria. Counties must create and submit a readiness plan which the state will make publicly available.

The Governor signed an executive order directing the State Public Health Officer to establish criteria to determine whether and how, in light of local conditions, local health officers may implement public health measures less restrictive than the statewide public health directives. Counties must meet criteria including demonstrating they have a low prevalence of COVID-19, they meet testing and contact tracing criteria, their health care system is prepared in case they see a sudden rise in cases and they have plans in place to protect vulnerable populations. The state will outline these criteria in the coming days.

Contact tracing enables the state to suppress the spread of the virus to avoid outbreaks and allows us to maintain our health care capacity and confidently modify the stay at home order. To work toward these goals, the Governor announced a partnership with the University of California, San Francisco and University of California, Los Angeles to immediately begin training workers for contact tracing program that will help contain the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic while the state looks to modify the stay at home order. The partnership will include a virtual training academy for contact tracers. The first 20-hour training will begin Wednesday, May 6 with the goal of training 20,000 individuals in two months.

California Department of Public Health Director and state Public Health Officer Dr. Sonia Angell provided more detail of the “Report Card.”  The data in the graph for stability of hospitalizations for the 14 days, starting April 20 and ending May 3 show the total hospitalized declined slightly and the total patients in intensive care units have remained relatively constant; the protective care inventory has now 18.2 million surgical masks, 5.8 million face shields, 7.2 million gloves and hundreds of millions of surgical and N95 masks have been ordered; surge capacity includes 14 facilities statewide ready to accept patients, 2,072 beds ready to accept patients , more than 10,000 ventilators throughout the state not in use and more than 94,000 applications have been received to join the California Health Corps.

While the Long Beach May Day Coalition, the last several years, has marched through the streets of Long Beach in solidarity with workers, undocumented immigrants and tenants, this year because of COVID-19, it weaved through the streets in a car caravan of about 100 people in about 50 cars, on Friday, May 1, to celebrate May Day and to express their solidarity.

The caravan started out at a 24 Hour Fitness at Town Center Drive in Compton.  Sheila Bates from Black Lives Matter-Long Beach said, “(T)he staging location was actually a 24 Hour Fitness …Black Lives Matter is committed to ending state-sanctioned violence in all of its forms, including economic and physical….24 Hours Fitness is … complicit in state-sanctioned murder as a result of the murder of Dennis Todd Rogers and Albert Ramon Dorsey.”  Rogers was killed by Los Angeles County Sheriffs and Dorsey was killed by the Los Angeles Police Department, after 24 Hour Fitness employees called the police.  She said both deaths were preventable. She said BLM has started a boycott of the company with two demands: the company provide cultural competency training for employees and protocols be developed as an alternative to simply calling the police.

Along the caravan’s path they drove past the houses of Councilmen Al Austin and Dee Andrews, and Mayor Robert Garcia. 

The caravan’s path also passed where a rent strike is taking place and another where Long Beach Residents Empowered and Housing Long Beach have a strong presence.

The caravan ended by driving past the Long Beach Civic Center, the offices of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the headquarters of the Long Beach Police Department.

Marlene Alvarado contributed to this report with her interview of Bates.