🌱 Sewage Spill Update + Davenport Park Expansion at Candlewood

Good morning, neighbors, and happy National Spaghetti Day! It's me again, Sylvia, your host of the Long Beach Daily.

The leaking sewage pipe was a year away from being replaced. Also, Davenport Park will get an expansion. Finally, Rex Richardson is running for mayor of LB!

First, today's weather:

Partly sunny and cool. High: 58 Low: 44.

Here are the top five stories today in Long Beach:

1. Sewage Spill Update: The beaches remained closed Monday after Thursday’s raw sewage spill into the Dominguez Channel. Eight million gallons were released through a 48-inch sewer mainline that failed at “212th Street and Moneta Avenue.” Crews were not able to stop the flow until Friday morning. They’re now trying to figure out the cause. According to officials, the “concrete sewer pipe was built in 1961 and was set to be replaced in less than a year.” (LB Post)
2. It’s time to expand Ed ''Pops'' Davenport Park, an 11.5-acre park between Candlewood and South. A landfill until 1947, it is now a green space with playground equipment and basketball facilities. A planned expansion “includes a sports field, fitness stations, outdoor seating areas, and additional parking spaces along 55th Way.” On Saturday at 10 a.m., residents can participate in a project session “and enjoy free food and drink.” (City of LB, 2)
3. Vice Mayor and Council Member for District 9, Rex Richardson, is the latest politician to announce his candidacy for LB mayor. He entered the field Monday. “Long Beach provided me with an opportunity to put down roots, build a family, and spend every day making our community a better place for every resident,” he said. (@RexRichardson)
4. Monday was another day of cancellations for air travel. LB saw seven cancellations, which followed on the heels of the nine cancellations the airport had on Sunday. Insiders blame the flight cancellations on “airline staffing shortages caused by the latest surge in COVID-19 cases fueled by the Omicron variant.” Another reason for some canceled flights is adverse weather. (Daily News)
5. LB City College announced Monday that its LAC and PCC locations will offer vaccination clinics. These clinics go on throughout January. Make an appointment and visit Lot 1 to receive your shot. (@LBCityCollege)
   

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Today in Long Beach:

• The Alpert Jewish Community Center hosts Instructor Jeremy Carter’s Boot Camp (6 AM)
• Natural History Museum Free Admission Tuesday (8:30 AM to 4 PM)
• In-person Storytime at the Rancho Los Cerritos (10 AM)
• Red Cross Blood Drive at the Long Beach Towne Center (11:30 AM to 6 PM)
• NA Meeting at Last Mile Group (8 PM)

From my notebook:

• Our Alamitos Beach neighbor is missing a cat near Esperanza Avenue. (Nextdoor)
• A Ridgewood Triangle neighbor saw two dogs running around Orange Ave. and Del Amo. (Nextdoor)
• Do you have recommendations for a Wrigley Heights Proper neighbor who needs someone who can level and haul away dirt from a front and backyard? (Nextdoor)
• The First Congregational Church of Long Beach invites you to march with members in the Long Beach, California Martin Luther King parade on January 15, 2022. (Nextdoor)
• A Ridgewood Heights neighbor found two well-loved dogs off Del Amo and Orange Ave. An older male tan and white and a young white female both seem mixed breeds. NO microchips or name tags. (Nextdoor)
• Our Cal Heights neighbor is looking for a good handyman and plumber to do some small projects. Does anyone have recommendations? (Nextdoor)

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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.