Island Chaffee Oil Suit + Mask Mandate + Goodbye to Kress Market

It’s another beautiful day in Long Beach, the Aquatic Capital of America!

Welcome to the Long Beach Patch Daily Newsletter, the easiest and most enjoyable way to know what’s happening down the street and around the corner.

When do city taxes apply for an oil-drilling operation using the stated-owned ocean bottom? Lawyers for Seal Beach and Long Beach are trying to navigate the legal waters. Also, officials are slow to discuss if the mask mandate will remain in place after June 15th, when the state will officially reopen. Finally, the Kress Market and Deli is closing shop, but not without first having a party!

First Things First: Today’s Weather

Sunny Southern California doesn’t disappoint with May temperatures reaching 70° for the high and 59° for the low. Odds are good it’ll be partly cloudy in keeping with our typical May Gray.

The Five News Headlines That Everyone’s Talking About

1. Seal Beach is suing California Resources Corp over oil drilling operations on Long Beach’s Island Chaffee. Is the ocean bottom state-owned? Do taxes apply to wells that are not both located and bottomed there? (OC Register)
2. The city’s mask mandate remains in effect until June 15. However, there's no official health order update that removes it afterward. Officials remain mum on what’s going to be the plan then. (LB Press Telegram)
3. A man experiencing homelessness has been arrested in the stabbing death of a LB resident. The murder took place last month near the corner of Cherry Avenue and East 68th Street, which is near a homeless encampment. (LB Post)
4. The LB PD responded to the area of 52nd and Pacific and found a man with a rifle who claimed he was “going to shoot everyone.” SWAT rolled, and the suspect was taken into custody. (LB Local News)
5. The Kress Market and Deli on Pine Avenue is closing its doors for good this Sunday. But it’s not going quietly. A celebration with music and a taco cart will take place at 5 p.m. as the owners bid the community farewell. (LB Press Telegram)

What’s Happening Today in Long Beach?

• First annual Run for the Rite bike rally and charity concert featuring Six Gun Sal. Scottish Rite Event Center, 855 Elm Avenue. (11 a.m.)
• Cannabis-inspired Junipero Beach Cleanup, 1 Junipero Beach Avenue. (10 a.m.)
• E.P.I.C. Sexy All-White Day Party with DJ Devoux at The Harbor, 130 Pine Avenue. (2 p.m.)
• Everybody Eats! Westside Food Tour (self-guided with QR codes) at 2380 Santa Fe Avenue. (10 a.m.)
• Mike Oregano performs at the Pike Restaurant & Bar, 1836 East 4th Street. (3 p.m.)
• Classic not Plastic, Vintage Scooter Rally (only for classic, manual shifting scooters). Dipiazza’s at 5205 PCH. (11 a.m.)

Today’s Long Beach Patch Notebook

It may not fit into news or events, but you sure want to know about it!

• The Ronald McDonald House organization wants you to save the date for the Long Beach Gives on September 23rd. It’s an online event, and you can give now. (Donate)
• The City announces it will offer summer adaptive youth and adult recreation programs for individuals with special needs. Registration begins June 7th at 2:30 p.m. (562.440.2867)

That’s it! You’re now in the know and ready to weigh in at the water cooler. Better yet, head out and experience Long Beach! I’ll bring you another serving of tasty news and events morsels tomorrow.

-Sylvia

Sylvia Cochran is a freelance writer who has lived more than 20 years in Long Beach and its various neighborhoods. I love books, dogs, volunteering, and embrace social justice. If you have a juicy tidbit of what’s happening locally, don’t keep it to yourself; reach out by emailing me at longbeach-ca@patch.com!