🌱 RIP Greta Andersen + FREE & Cheap Parking In LB + Meet Crash 3

Hello and happy Sunday! Daylight Saving Time begins today; did you remember to set your clocks ahead an hour? I'm back in your inbox this morning to walk you through all the most important things happening in town these days. Today, you'll read about...

• 🤔 Weigh in on food truck locations
• 👨‍🎓 Again, no walk across the stage for CSULB grads
• 🚒 Crash 3, the ARFF, goes live

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🌥️ But first, today's weather:

Low clouds, then some sun. High: 67 Low: 55.

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

• American Oil at 6850 Long Beach Blvd., $4.35
• Noil USA, Inc. at 1234 W Cowles St., $4.44
• ARCO at 1001 Redondo Ave., $4.49

😋 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, 34.3% love funnel cake, 20% look forward to candy apples, 11.5% munch on corndogs, and 8.6% reach for guacamole. 5.7% each either eat cotton candy, tri-tip sandwiches, or cheesecake. Finally, 2.9% each favor guacamole with cheese, fried cheese curds, or pork chop on a stick.

📰 Here are the top stories today in Long Beach:

1. The city’s aquatics community lost another hero. On February 6, Olympian Greta Andersen died in Solvang at the age of 95. Inducted into the LB Century Club’s Hall of Fame, Andersen made headlines by being the first swimmer ever to swim from Long Beach to Catalina and back in 27 hours. Besides that, she swam the English Channel and “never lost to another woman in any race she swam in open water, usually beating all the men as well.” (Long Beach Post)
2. On Friday, the city launched a Food Truck Survey, asking for the public’s input. This survey differs from the Sidewalk Vendor Survey, which you might have filled out late last year. You have until April 2 to weigh in on questions about limiting or encouraging food truck vending at specific locations. (City of LB)
3. California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) graduation festivities will once again be at the Angel Stadium in Anaheim. And once again, students will not walk across the stage, have their names announced and receive a diploma. Instead, “graduates will be invited to stand during the conferral of their degree.” After the event, take advantage of mini stages for photo opportunities. However, students aren’t happy. Friday’s report outlines that students don’t consider it “the traditional way of graduating,” but the school’s administration said it’s “not practical at this scale to read graduates' names during the main ceremonies.” (CSULB, ABC)
4. On Friday, the Long Beach Airport celebrated the first day of service for Crash 3, an aircraft rescue fire fighting (ARFF) vehicle. On hand for the official unveiling were Councilmembers Daryl Supernaw and Megan Kerr. What makes Crash 3 special are “rear steer capabilities & 360-degree cameras with infrared thermal imaging to help see through smoke & steam.” (LGB Airport)
5. Long Beach wants you to come downtown and is offering FREE parking to sweeten the deal — for two hours at specific lots. They are City Places, A, B, and C at 50 East 6th Street, 5th Street, and 3rd Street. Consider an annual parking pass if you spend a lot of time at the beaches. Each costs $155, with a senior rate of $75, and applies to specified lots. Besides that, you can purchase an annual overnight parking pass for Alamitos Beach, the Belmont Memorial Pier, Junipero Beach and La Verne. (LB City, 2)

📆 Today in Long Beach:

• Visit the Long Beach Hi-Performance Swap Meet at Veterans Memorial Stadium (6 AM)
• Coffee N' Cars meets at 5000 East Spring Street (9 AM)
• Celebrate the Music of ABBA, the Carpenters, the 5th Dimension, and The Mamas & The Papas at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center (2 PM)
• See Jackie Mendez & The Steadians perform at Alex's Bar (2 PM)
• Enjoy Jon Geiger at Shenanigans Irish Pub & Grille (6 PM)

🖊️ From my notebook:

• "🚨SCHEDULE UPDATE🚨 Due to field conditions, our series with South Florida has been adjusted to a doubleheader on Sunday starting at 11am." (Long Beach State Athletics via Instagram)
• "Make sure to report any street flooding or downed 🌳 trees. Call ☎️ 562.570.2700 Download the app 📲 longbeach.gov/golongbeach" (Long Beach City via Facebook)
• "RAIN ADVISORY ⚠️After any significant rainfall, unhealthy conditions may result from increased runoff from storm drain outlets and rivers, which eventually reach the City’s beaches. Recreational swimming areas should be avoided for three days." (Long Beach City via Facebook)
• "Sandy (San Arun) Blankenship: The first Cambodian American woman to run for Long Beach City Council, 1996; served as member of the Long Beach Community Development Advisory Council; Director Cambodian Business Association in Long Beach; returned to the Kingdom of Cambodia to serve as Deputy Prime Minister for Women." (Historical Society of Long Beach via Facebook)
• "Postal Truck Robbed on 3/9/23 in El Dorado Park South. If anyone in this neighborhood has Gus as their carrier, his truck was robbed of mail by a black car yesterday, according to the Spring Annex. - We will be receiving a post card tomorrow regarding suggestions to help avoid ramifications of the theft. For those that use Informed Delivery and didn't receive mail yesterday that you were expecting and on Gus's route, it has likely been stolen, sad to say." (Nextdoor)

🏡 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!

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Featured events:

• 2023 Los Angeles International Flamenco Festival (April 1)
• Spring Break Tennis Camp - April 10-14 - Long Beach, CA (April 10)
• Add your event

Thanks for following along and staying informed! 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.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Long Beach Patch newsletter? Contact me at LongBeach-CA@Patch.com