🌱 15 Free Minutes At Special Parking Meters + Bixby Bike Path To Open

Hey, neighbors! Today we celebrate National Dadgum That’s Good Day by cooking some comfort food. It's Wednesday in Long Beach, and I'm back in your inbox to get you caught up on the most important things happening in our community today:

• 🚧 School district construction updates include pickleball striping
• 🤝 A homeless support donation drive
• 🎈 The 15th annual Cambodia Town Parade

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🌧️ But first, today's weather:

Windy with a bit of rain. High: 56 Low: 40.

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⛽ Three of the Cheapest Gas Stations in the City of Long Beach

• Sam’s Club at 7480 Carson St., $4.19
• Sinclair 5588 Long Beach Blvd., $4.19
• ARCO at 1785 Bellflower Blvd., $4.29

🍰 Spring Dessert Poll! 🍓
The first day of spring is March 20! Among the things we look forward to in spring are refreshing desserts. Which is your favorite spring dessert? So far, …

• 23.6% opted for lemon bars
• 22% voted to write in Key lime pie
• 20% chose peach cobbler
• 10.9% selected ambrosia salad
• 9.1% liked fruit tarts
• 5.4% wrote in cheesecake
• 1.8% loved mixed berry buckle
• 1.8% picked strawberry icebox cake
• 1.8% wrote in bean pie
• 1.8% wrote in strawberry short cake
• 1.8% wrote in ice cream or coconut cream pie

📰 Here are the top stories in Long Beach today:

1. The Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) shared its latest renovation news. Holmes Elementary, Bancroft Middle School and Avalon K-12 will have air conditioning and tech updates by the end of the year. All district schools will get “shade structures that double as open-air learning spaces” over the next two years. Finally, Tincher Preparatory Academy, Washington Middle School and Rogers Middle School are getting pickleball court striping. (LBUSD)
2. Have you seen the futuristic smart meters the city installed “in Downtown Long Beach, The Pike, Second Street in Belmont Shore, Fourth Street in Retro Row, and select beach lots?” While you might be tempted to just keep driving after seeing the contraptions, the city wants to sweeten the deal. The first 15 minutes of meter parking are FREE! Push the “OK” button — it’s green — and enjoy a quarter-hour on the city. Best of all, if you’re just running in for a quick errand, you might not have to pay at all! (Long Beach City, 2)
3. In May, the Mark Bixby Memorial Bicycle and Pedestrian Path is scheduled for an official opening. As part of the Long Beach International Gateway Bridge construction project, demolition around the path should be done sometime in April. One element of the path is the Ocean Boulevard connector, making it safer for users to reach the bridge path. At the Harbor Commission’s Monday meeting, officials decided to close the path from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. and ban “roller skates and skateboards, whether motorized or not.” (Long Beach Post)
4. On Monday, the city launched a donation drive “to support people experiencing homelessness.” What’s needed? D batteries, hygiene kits, emergency blankets, pet care kits, sweatpants, shirts, socks, and hoodies — to name a few items — are always needed. Donation stations are at Long Beach public libraries, the Boys and Girls Club at 3635 Long Beach Boulevard and the Scherer Park Community Center at 4654 Pasadena Avenue. This donation drive runs “until further notice.” (City of LB)
5. What are you doing on April 2? Folks in the know will be at the 15th annual Cambodia Town Parade at the corner of East Anaheim Street and Cherry Avenue. We’ll have an interfaith blessing, a parade, stunning Khmer costumes, “artisans, music, dancing, food, games and other vivid representations of Cambodian culture.” (The HiLo)

📆 Today in Long Beach:

• Have Coffee With A Cop at Milana’s New York Pizzeria (9 AM)
• Global Book Publishing hosts a Webinar For First-Time Authors (12 PM)
• Head to the El Dorado Park West Senior Center to hear and dance to the Big Swing Band (12 PM)
• See upcoming local comedians perform Long Pitch Comedy at the Stache Bar (9 PM)
• Sing Karaoke at DiPiazza's (9 PM)

🖊️ From my notebook:

• "The El Dorado Nature Center trails and Regional Dog parks will . . . remain closed until Friday due to the anticipated rain. We have several trees down at the Nature Center and unsafe muddy conditions at both locations." (Daryl Supernaw)
• "Non-profit organizations and artists can apply to the $60 million California Creative Corps program. The application deadline for community organizations is March 6, and the application deadline for artists is May 1." (Random Lengths News)
• "Over the last week, Long Beach got more than two inches of rain. Specifically, the city experienced 2.25 total inches of rainfall, and in nearby Signal Hill, 2.13 inches of rain fell, according to Los Angeles Public Works." (Patch)
• "Please spread the word about the Food Finders Community Marketplace this Saturday at Admiral Kidd Park (2125 Santa Fe Ave.) at 9 a.m." (Long Beach Public Works)
• "Join us for the next Board of Ed. Meeting on Wed. 3/1 at 5PM. In-person, 1515 Hughes Way, LB. 90810. Virtual http://LBSchools.net/YouTube (in ASL, ENG, SP, KMH) or on our Facebook page @LBUSDEngage" (Long Beach Unified School District)

🏡 What are homes selling for these days in Long Beach?

• Median Listing Home Price $720K
• Median Listing Home Price/Square Foot $603
• Median Sold Home Price $725K

Check out more Long Beach real estate information!

🐶 Check out new cats, dogs, and other pets available for adoption at Long Beach Area Shelters!

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Featured events:

• Urban Farm School (March 4)
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You're all caught up for today. I'll see you around!

— Sylvia Cochran

About me: Sylvia Cochran works out of sunny Southern California and has been freelance writing full-time since 2005. She loves dogs, cats, books, plays Best Fiends (don't judge), embraces social justice, and tries to live out Micah 6:8.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Long Beach Patch newsletter? Contact me at LongBeach-CA@Patch.com