🌱 Break-Ins At Roxanne’s & The Social List + Colossus Bread Reopens

Hi all! Today, we break all the rules on Ice Cream for Breakfast Day. I'm back with your Saturday edition of the Long Beach Patch newsletter, filled with all the community news you want. Today you'll read about these stories and more...

• 💰 $1.5 million to help with natural gas bills
• 🧑‍⚖️ Housekeepers sue the Hyatt Regency Long Beach.
• 🗣 COVID-19 exposure at the Bach Neighborhood Library

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🌥️ But first, today's weather:

Sunshine giving way to clouds. High: 71 Low: 53.

📢 I'm looking for business owners and marketers in Long Beach who want to build awareness, connect with customers and increase sales.

I have a limited number of sponsorships available to introduce our readers to local businesses they need to know. If that's you, then I invite you to learn more and secure your spot now.

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

• Food 4 Less at 6700 Cherry Ave., $3.95
• ARCO at 3401 Long Beach Blvd., $3.99
• American Oil at 6850 Long Beach Blvd., $3.99

⏰ Daylight Saving Time Poll! 🤔
Daylight saving time begins on March 12. According to history, we can thank entomologist George Hudson for coming up with the idea in 1895. Implementation took place in 1918 to save resources and extend the work day during wartime. In 1966, daylight saving time became the law of the land, but states could opt out. So far, only Hawaii and Arizona have done so. Now, there are dueling studies pointing to the successes and failures of the practice. Where do you stand on the issue? So far, 64.5% don’t like daylight saving time, while 35.5% do.

📰 Here are the top stories in Long Beach today:

1. Late last month, someone broke into The Breakfast Bar, Speak Cheezy and Baja Sonora Mexican. On Wednesday, around 3:16 a.m., someone in a black hoodie broke into Roxanne’s at 1115 East Wardlow Road, looked through cabinets and ran off with “a few bottles of liquor.” On Friday morning, The Social List at 2105 East 4th Street also reported a break-in. At this restaurant, the suspect didn’t find any cash in the registers and fled. What gives pause is that this crime happened around 6 a.m., despite foot traffic. “It just shows how comfortable these thieves are right now,” the owner said. (Patch, Long Beach Post, 2)
2. After getting an earful from constituents opening their natural gas bills, the City Council voted Wednesday to “divert excess funds” from the 5% utility users tax it typically collects and funnels into the General Fund. As a result, an estimated $1.5 million will go back to Long Beach Utilities and make its way to utility customers struggling to pay. Payout of the funds will come through an “equity lens” and benefit low-income, disabled or senior customers. (Long Beach Local News)
3. In 2018, voters approved the Long Beach Hotel Working Conditions Initiative. On Wednesday, two housekeepers filed a suit against the Hyatt Regency Long Beach on Pine Avenue for allegedly violating it. The plaintiffs allege times when they didn’t receive double-time pay or their mandated 10-minute breaks. Other claims involve failure to post signage in guest areas. The hotel hasn’t yet responded. (Press-Telegram)
4. The Bach Neighborhood Library at 4055 North Bellflower Boulevard closed Friday due to a COVID-19 exposure. The staff oversaw a deep-cleaning of the facility. Even so, storytime today, Saturday, is canceled “out of an abundance of caution.” (Long Beach Public Library)
5. Colossus Bread at 4716 2nd Street re-opened Wednesday! If you’ve never tasted the food, it’s best described as a “seasonally inspired menu of croissant pastries and artisan breads” that leaves you coming back again and again. Disaster struck earlier this year when a catastrophic water leak forced the closure of the shop. Now, the sourdough has risen, and beer and wine service is on! (Colossus Bread, 2)

📆 Today in Long Beach:

• Bixby Knolls Strollers meet at the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (7:30 AM)
• Online Book Club For Adults hosted by the Alamitos Library (12 PM)
• The John Jorgenson Quintet performs at the Grand Annex (8 PM)
• JazzZone is Celebrating February Birthdays (8 PM)
• The Long Beach Symphony performs Vivaldi’s Four Seasons & Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 In G Minor at the Terrace Theater (8 PM)

🖊️ From my notebook:

• "TWO. WEEKS. AWAY. 💪⚾️ Get your tickets now at the link in the bio!" (Long Beach State Athletics via Instagram)
• "Our virtual Black History Month themed storytimes are available on our YouTube, 24/7!" (Long Beach Public Library via Facebook)
• "Yesterday, we celebrated the groundbreaking for the Artesia Great Boulevard Project along with our Long Beach Public Works, Rex Richardson for Mayor and other City officials." (Long Beach City via Facebook)
• "Attend one of our community budget meetings 💬 or take the online survey 📲 to share your service priorities. Your input is crucial in shaping the future of our city. Survey ➡️ longbeach.gov/fy24" (Long Beach City via Facebook)
• "On Saturday, February 4 from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm, join the LA County Department of Economic Opportunity to learn how to apply for LA County's Economic Opportunity Grants program for micro businesses." (Nextdoor)

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

• Median Listing Home Price $737.5K
• Median Listing Home Price/Square Foot $600
• Median Sold Home Price $724.5K

Check out more Long Beach real estate information!

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Breast Ultrasound Screening Coming Direct to You! (February 7)
• Gap Year and Summer Enrichment Fair (February 7)
• Add your event

That's it for today! See you all tomorrow for another update.

— 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