🌱 City Place Mall To Become 900 Apartments + Bungalow Kitchen Pivots

Good morning, neighbors! Today, we fondly remember candy-store owner Charles Cretors on National Popcorn Day. I'm here with your fresh copy of the Long Beach Daily. Keep reading to find out all the local information you need to know right now, including news on:

• 🥇 A shoutout to Angelic Rosas Gomez
• ⚽ Wilson’s girls’ soccer team win
• 🚌 Early Learning & Kindergarten Festival

🌤️ But first, today's weather:

Cool with variable cloudiness. High: 60 Low: 43.

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

• Sinclair at 5588 Long Beach Blvd., $3.89
• ARCO at 1945 E Pacific Coast Hwy., $3.99
• ARCO at 3401 Long Beach Blvd., $3.99

💐 Valentine’s Day Poll! 🥂
Pink hearts, boxes of chocolates, and greeting cards – reminders that Valentine’s Day is coming are everywhere. But responses to the holiday are mixed. What are your feelings about the occasion? Do you celebrate? So far, 44.4% take a bah-humbug approach, while 46% plan on a Valentine’s Day with all the trimmings. 3.2% plan on celebrating Galentine’s Day, and 6.3% focus on Singles Awareness Day.

📰 Here are the top stories today in Long Beach:

1. What comes next for the City Place shopping mall? You may remember that the 14 acres were bought a couple of years ago. Developers will present their ideas to the Planning Commission today, Thursday. So far, we know that “City Place - which fronts 6th Street in the north, Long Beach Boulevard to the east, Pine Avenue to the west, and 3rd and 4th Streets to the south” will be leveled to build “a trio of eight-story apartment buildings featuring a combined total of 900 residential units and 38,405 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.” Fifty-four of the units will go to residents needing “very low-income affordable housing,” for a period of 55 years. (L.A. Urbanize)
2. Belmont Shore’s Bungalow Kitchen at 2nd & PCH is planning a pivot. Beloved chef Michael Mina is leaving, and the venue will go back to “the space’s original intention — a massive bar and lounge with snacks and music.” As the menu is reimagined and the space undergoes some minor changes, the Bungalow will close. An anticipated reopening date is in the spring. (Eater L.A.)
3. A shoutout to Angelic Rosas Gomez, a fourth grade student at Lincoln Elementary on 11th Street. We learned on Wednesday that she was the “top page-turner during the Lincoln read-a-thon” by reading “5,432 pages in three weeks.” The event was put on by the Jester & Pharley Phund nonprofit. Well done! (Press-Telegram/paywall)
4. Long Beach Wilson’s girls’ soccer team treated spectators to a nail-biter on Tuesday. The team played Long Beach Poly and walked away with a 1-0 win. Special mentions go to Zoie Fontenot and Olivia Herrera. “Fontenot, a USA Youth National Team player, scored the only goal of the game in the 67th minute, and then Herrera, the 2022 Moore League Goalkeeper Of The Year, made a few clutch saves in the final minutes to secure the victory.” (The562.org)
5. If you have young children in the home, circle January 21 on the calendar! The Long Beach Unified Schools District (LBUSD) will host its Early Learning & Kindergarten Festival at Dooley Elementary School on Long Beach Boulevard. Attend sessions “for guardians and their children including math, reading, early learning programs, school readiness, information about Spanish dual immersion programs for transitional kindergarten through eighth grade and how to apply through the school of choice process.” A virtual event will be held on February 2. And, if you need a little more time to plan for in-person attendance, another opportunity will be February 25 at the Burcham Elementary School on Monlaco Road. (Long Beach Post)

📆 Today in Long Beach:

• Toddler Storytime at the Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library (11 AM)
• Tai Chi for Beginners at Los Santos Dr. & Chatwin Ave (11:45 AM)
• Chamber of Commerce Membership Mixer at Waters Edge Winery (5:30 PM)
• Trivia Thursday at Boomer's Cocktails (7 PM)
• Miami Nights Reggaeton & Latin House at Sevilla (9 PM)

🖊️ From my notebook:

• "3️⃣0️⃣ days away ⏳ Season tickets and mini plans available NOW!" (Long Beach State Athletics via Instagram)
• "Apply to work for the City of Long Beach! ⬇️" (Long Beach City via Facebook)
• "Our Housing Authority bureau within our Long Beach Department of Health & Human Services (LBDHHS) is offering several incentives to encourage new housing providers to lease up with people who are assisted through its Emergency Housing Vouchers." (Long Beach City via Facebook)
• "UPDATE ❗️ Our City of Long Beach, El Dorado Nature Center and Regional Park 1 mile and 1/4 mile trails are now open. The 2-mile trail remains closed due to flooding." (Long Beach City via Facebook)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Day After Day: The Life and Music of Doris Day (January 20)
• Torrance Antique Street Faire (January 22)
• Lemur Mom (January 27)
• Add your event

Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Thursday. I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow morning with a new 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 Daily? Contact me at LongBeach-CA@Patch.com