🌱 Mommy 4D On Atlantic Rebrands + Landlord Workshop With Suzie Price

Hello all; today is National Root Beer Float Day, which celebrates the 1893 invention of the drink in a Colorado mining camp. It's Sylvia, your host of the Long Beach Daily — back in your inbox with everything you need to know about what's happening locally. I'll get right to it.

A popular ultrasound studio is expanding its services and rebranding. Also, what are the reasons why some landlords don’t want to take housing choice vouchers? Finally, the DTLB office vacancy rate hit a high.

📣 Our readers love to celebrate good news! You can now shout out your big announcement at the top of the Long Beach Daily newsletter. Whether it's a grand opening, new product for sale, birthday, anniversary, engagement, wedding or new baby, let everyone celebrate alongside you! Submit your announcement here.

Now, today's weather:

Mostly sunny. High: 84 Low: 67.

FYI: Long Beach Cooling Centers are open daily from noon to 6 p.m. You find them at the Houghton, McBride, and Admiral Kidd community centers as well as the Senior Center and El Dorado Park West.

🏡 Looking for more real estate leads in Long Beach? Let us help you reach prospective home buyers and stand out from the competition. Click here to learn more.

🚗 Three Of The Cheapest Gas Stations In Long Beach 🚗

• Rocket Oil at 1701 W Anaheim St., $4.89
• Arco at 4235 E Anaheim St., $4.89
• Sinclair at 5588 Long Beach Blvd., $4.89

💻 Back To School Poll!
The kids are going back to school soon. Should schools still take COVID precautions? Please let me know your thoughts! As of right now, 42% say the kids should just go back to school, 22.9% say that kids should wear masks, 32.1% want there to be distancing and sanitizing, while 3.1% prefer distance learning for the kids.

Here are the top five stories in Long Beach today:

1. Mommy 4D Ultrasound at 4134 Atlantic Avenue is rebranding to become Babes & Bellies. Look for the new name and brand to come in September, along with new services such as “prenatal and postnatal massages and life casings (plaster molds) of bellies and babies.” (Signal Hill Tribune)
2. Why do an estimated 400 Long Beach homeless individuals with housing vouchers still have a difficult time finding apartments? “Housing choice vouchers are issued through the federal government’s Section 8 program for very low-income households to help cover their monthly rent through subsidies paid directly to landlords.” Council member Suzie Price hopes that an August 12 workshop for landlords will turn the trend around. Some believe that landlords shy away from accepting vouchers due to bureaucracy problems and ongoing eviction moratoriums. (LB Post)
3. Downtown’s office vacancy rate has reached a 20-year-high. We learned on Tuesday that “Downtown Long Beach saw a vacancy rate of 22.4% last quarter.” In addition to a shift favoring virtual work, there are the small businesses that have moved out. The prediction is that “even more businesses will downsize their office footprints.” At the same time, rents have “increased by 3.6% to $2.56” per square foot. Besides that, there is a tenant shift from the newer Class A buildings to the older Class C structures. (LB Business Journal)
4. Cal State LB is trying to determine “the effects of wildfires on midsized mammals and the rate that they return to an area.” Thursday’s report shows that 13 trail cameras are showing them the return of flora and fauna to recent burn areas. So far, experts have determined that “it can take seven years after a wildfire for plant life to fully regenerate. In the absence of native vegetation, invasive plants like mustard and wild oat can spread quickly.” As a result, certain prey animals may not return, which, of course, affects the predators. (Press-Telegram)
5. Mark your calendars! The LB Yacht Club’s Heroes Regatta is scheduled for August 13. “The Heroes Regatta was created to honor and thank Long Beach first responders – firefighters, police, lifeguards, military, etc.- and hosts the teams and their families.” Of particular interest is the performance of Long Beach Fire Department Station 4, which will be on hand to defend its 2019 winning title. (OC Breeze)

Today in Long Beach:

• Long Beach Filipino Festival at the St Lucy Catholic School (noon)
• 2nd Annual Be{YOU}tiful Day of Play at the El Dorado Park West Willow Grove (noon)
• Back-to-School Pick-Up! at the Christ The Good Shepherd Church (noon)
• Anime & Animation Film Series at the Billie Jean King Main Library (2:30 p.m.)
• DJ SupaJames at Shannon's At The Top (10 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Don't forget to enter the Friends of the Long Beach Public Library's Essay Contest before Saturday, August 13! Kids ages 6-18 are encouraged to write an essay that answers the prompt, "Describe a book that helped you learn about a new time, place, or emotion." (Long Beach Public Library via Facebook)
• A The Plaza neighbor is considering switching cell phone service from AT&T to T-Mobile and taking advantage of their 55-plus plan. Opinions based on experience? (Nextdoor)
• Our Rose Park South neighbor found an old white bike in front of their house. It has a distinguishing design on it. If you think it’s yours, get in touch. (Nextdoor)
• "On August 5 at approximately 12:38 a.m., officers were patrolling the area near the 400 block of Orange Avenue when they heard multiple gunshots. Officers were unable to locate a victim, suspect, or crime scene." Do you have any information? (LBPD)
• "Microwaves don't go in the trash or recycling! They can catch fire & pose a danger to the drivers & environment when not taken to a hazardous waste facility." (Long Beach Recycles)

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• Breast Ultrasound Screening Coming Direct to You! (August 10)
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Alrighty, you're all caught up for today! I'll see you soon.

— 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