🌱 Openings For Kitchen Lingo Books & Cena Vegan + Women-Only Parking

Good morning, friends! It’s National Pears Hélène Day; did you know that French Chef Auguste Escoffier named the dessert after an operetta by Jacques Offenbach? It's Sylvia, your host of the Long Beach Patch newsletter. Come along to find out the most important things happening in town these days, including news on:

• 🌳 The revival of a 13-year effort to build a green space
• 🚘 Pros and cons of women-only parking
• 🎨 An opportunity to submit your pop-surrealist artwork

💗 Please help us grow! Send a friend or neighbor this link, so they can be in the know, like you!

🌧️ But first, today's weather:

Showers around in the morning. High: 61 Low: 51.

Are you tired of blending in with all the other real estate agents in Long Beach? Stand out with a premium sponsorship in our newsletter. Gain valuable exposure for yourself to our highly engaged local readership. Click here to learn more about this exclusive opportunity.

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

• Sinclair at 5588 Long Beach Blvd., $4.09
• ARCO at 4895 Bellflower Blvd., $4.39
• Noil USA, Inc. at 1234 W Cowles St., $4.44

😋 Fair Food Poll!
Fair food is the ultimate cheat meal. Although we all know it’s unhealthy, everyone has a guilty pleasure. Which is your favorite? So far, 35% love funnel cake, 22.5% look forward to candy apples, 10% munch on corndogs, and 7.5% reach for guacamole. 5% each either eat cotton candy, tri-tip sandwiches, or cheesecake. Finally, 2.5% each favor guacamole with cheese, fried cheese curds, turkey legs, or pork chop on a stick.

📰 Here are the top stories in Long Beach today:

1. For 13 years, councilmembers have seen efforts to transform the Terminal Island Freeway between 20th and Willow streets into a park space. And for 13 years, efforts failed. Now pushed by Councilmember Roberto Uranga, the goal is to turn one mile into a green space with a local road. City management has 120 days to put together a feasibility report. Funding could come from the 2028 Olympics. Proponents love the idea of having a green space with recreation opportunities. Opponents, mostly trucking companies and labor unions, say that the project would “force truck traffic onto alternate routes and affect the efficiency of moving goods in and out of the port.” (Long Beach Post)
2. What are folks discussing at California State University Long Beach (CSULB)? A topic introduced last week involved the creation of women-only parking areas. It’s not an outcropping of wokeness; in other countries, these parking spaces are already available. Women-only parking zones have larger spaces, are situated closer to entrances, and have monitored security feeds. Proponents of this idea cite security worries. Interestingly, opponents cite the same issue; “people with bad intentions will know where to wait for us,” a student opined. (Daily 49er)
3. Kitchen Lingo Books at 2116 4th Street held its soft opening on March 11. It’s a “shop for people who love to eat, love to cook, and love to talk about what they cook and eat.” This latest addition to Retro Row only takes up 400 square feet, but it has huge plans. In addition to carrying current, vintage and collectible cookbooks, look for panel discussions and seminars. (Kitchen Lingo Books, LA Eater)
4. Another incoming business is Cena Vegan. As of Monday, it’s serving street food-style fare out of 456 Elm Avenue, which is the Partake Collective Food Hall. The official grand opening took place Tuesday. This eatery is already a hit in Los Angeles, where its tortas and tostadas have hungry guests lining up for more. Try it, you know you’re curious; what does a vegan champurrado taste like? (Cena Vegan)
5. Are you an artist with an interest in “Pop-Surrealism?” The Long Beach Creative Group/Rod Briggs Gallery at 2221 East Broadway wants to hear from you! You have until March 22 to submit your artwork for an exhibition. To qualify as an entrant, you must be an artist in the OC or L.A. County; or, you need to be an artist who attends or graduated from Cal State Long Beach or Long Beach City College. Finally, “the art, which must be no larger than 48 inches in any direction, including frame, must be original works created in the last five years that illustrate pop-surrealist style.” (The HiLo)

From our sponsor:

Work. Parenting. School. Social lives. It can be a lot. If you’re feeling off, there's nothing wrong with asking for help. Join over 3 million people who have sought help with BetterHelp.

BetterHelp makes starting therapy easy. No more waiting months to find a therapist. You can get matched with one of BetterHelp's 25,000 therapists in less than 48 hours. Plus, if you don’t click with your first match, you can easily switch therapists. Give therapy a try, from the comfort of your own home. Sign up today and get 25% off.

📆 Today in Long Beach:

• Singers of all levels join the Barbara Alpert Singing Circle at the Alpert Jewish Community Center (10:30 AM)
• Find a career at the Cal State Long Beach Career Fair at 1212 N Bellflower Blvd (12 PM)
• The Museum of Latin American Art holds a FREE Food Pantry (4 PM)
• It's Trivia Night at Trademark Brewing (7 PM)
• Hear Jeff Livingstone perform solo acoustic music at the Auld Dubliner (10 PM)

🖊️ From my notebook:

• "MATCH UP SET! We head to San Diego to take on the Toreros of USD Thursday at 6:00pm😤💪" (Long Beach State Athletics via Instagram)
• "The Barking Bulletin - UPDATE 🐶 Our new friend Tofu is doing great. We had a couple of fun photos of his time with us! We are glad that he’s back with his family! Although we miss him around Long Beach Lifeguard Association HQ." (Long Beach Fire Department via Facebook)
• "📣 Mark your calendars! This Saturday, March 18, we will host a drive-thru 🚙 donation event to collect essential items for people experiencing homelessness. The donation drive will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Veterans Stadium." (Long Beach City via Facebook)
• "🏁 Save the date! Two past Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach winners, James Hinchcliffe and Ryan Hunter-Reay will be inducted into the 🏅 Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame on Thursday, April 13, 2023, ahead of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach." (Long Beach City via Facebook)
• "Thursday, March 16, join DCBA's Office of Cannabis Management at South Whittier Library from 5:30-7PM to learn about the County’s Cannabis Equity Assessment and future Cannabis Equity Program." (Department of Consumer and Business Affairs DCBA PIO, County of Los Angeles)

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

• Median Listing Home Price $750K
• Median Listing Home Price/Square Foot $610
• Median Sold Home Price $695K

Check out more Long Beach real estate information!

🐶 Check out cats, dogs, and other Pets Available For Adoption at Long Beach Area Shelters!

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured events:

• Artful Rhythms: Silent Disco & Craft Fundraiser for MS Warriors & Friends (March 18)
• 2023 Los Angeles International Flamenco Festival (April 1)
• Spring Break Tennis Camp - April 10-14 - Long Beach, CA (April 10)
• Add your event

That's it for today. I'll see you back in your inbox tomorrow 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 Patch newsletter? Contact me at LongBeach-CA@Patch.com