🌱 Community Hospital Will Fire 328 + Gadfly Ian Patton For CD5?

Happy Sunday, neighbors! Here's everything you need to know to get this day started. Here are the most important things going on today in Long Beach.

After having a reopening celebration, the LB Community Hospital is shifting gears, eliminating acute care, and letting 328 employees go. Also, there’s another candidate who wants to become city council member for CD 5, and the City Council knows all about him.

First, today's weather:

Increasing clouds and cool. High: 63 Low: 47.

Here are the top stories in Long Beach today:

1. LB Community Hospital will fire 328 employees starting on January 31. We learned Friday that the facility’s move to close its acute care operations rendered “94 nurses, 17 nursing assistants, 20 ventilators, 13 psychiatric workers, and 12 emergency medical technicians, among a variety of other positions” obsolete. Only being able to fill 25 of its 79 beds each month, coupled with seismic compliance expenses, made acute care unprofitable. Dignity Health-St. Mary Medical Center will step in to assist patients. (NY Daily Herald)
2. The list of prospective candidates for the fifth council district (CD 5) is growing again. Ian Patton, who has a reputation of being a gadfly, threw his hat in the ring on Friday. A political consultant by trade, he plans to focus on neighborhood density, airport noise, and public safety. As previously reported, he goes up against previous runner-up Richard Dines and school board member Megan Kerr, who has yet to define a platform. (LB Post)
3. Carnival’s LB fleet is growing again this Sunday. The latest ship will be the Carnival Radiance. Lucille O’Neal will be on hand to break the bottle of champagne that is to bring good luck to the vessel. If the name O’Neal rings a bell, you are most likely thinking of her son, Shaquille O’Neal, who also happens to be the Carnival Chief Fun Officer. (LB Business Journal)
4. The City announced Friday that it will offer its Holiday Tree Recycling Program from December 26 to January 8. If you’re itching to get the tree out of your house, you can take it to one of 12 drop-off locations. If you are more relaxed about seeing it gone, the city will offer a curbside pick-up on January 8. Please have your tree out by 7 a.m. on that morning. (City of LB)
5. Are you a shrimp lover? The San Pedro Fish Market hears you! The “12 Days of Shrimp” have begun, and you can participate each day until December 23. If you follow the Market on social media, you can enter to win a World-Famous Shrimp Tray, apparel, and other merchandise. Enter by 7 p.m. and your name might be announced the next day. (NBC)

Today in Long Beach:

• Hi-Performance Swap Meet at Veterans Memorial Stadium (6:00 AM)
• Vintage Pop-Up & Holiday Market at the Bamboo Club (10:00 AM)
• A Blend Of Hatha And Vinyasa Yoga At The Beach at 5400 East Ocean Boulevard (10:30 AM)
• Zaferia Holiday Market at Coronado Avenue & Anaheim Street (11:00 AM)
• "Blues For All" FREE Winter Concert at Cesar Chavez Park (2:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• The PD offers a female police officer career workshop on Dec. 18 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. It’ll be at the Police Academy. ALL GENDERS WELCOME! (Facebook)
• If you don’t mind the drive to the Westminster Mall, there’s a Sensitive Santa® today from 9 to 10:30 a.m. It’s a sensory-friendly event for children with sensory sensitivities. (Facebook)
• Because of Marilyn Bohl and her generous donation, LBSU has begun putting up the new LED lights at Bohl Diamond at Blair Field! (Instagram)
• Our El Capitan neighbor, CHRISTIE Macabuhay, is missing a package. If anyone had an arrival for CHRISTIE, please reach out! Thank you! (Nextdoor)
• Longwood Association neighbors invite you to "Coffee with a Cop" on Wed., Dec. 15th from 11 am to 1 pm. Join neighbors and police officers for coffee and conversation. (Nextdoor)
• Our Cal Heights neighbor has a hankering for tamales. They're looking for thin masa with large chunks of pork inside. Any tried and true recommendations? Please private msg. Many thanks! (Nextdoor)
• A Greenbelt Heights neighbor is getting married next month and needs salon recommendations for a hair color touch up. (Nextdoor)

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Alrighty, 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.