🌱 Shoutout To Leslie Sharp + Balanced City Budget + Ramona Park Fame

Hello there, Long Beach; happy International Literacy Day! I'm here in your inbox this warm morning to get you caught up on everything you need to know about what's going on in town. I'll get right to it.

• 🎶 Pianist Leslie Sharp donates her talent and time to COA
• 💰 The City balanced its budget
• 🎥 Ramona Park residents may see their neighborhood featured on Netflix

❤️ Loving the Long Beach Daily? Tell a friend and send them this link, so they can subscribe!

☀️ First, today's weather:

Partly sunny and warm. High: 92 Low: 76.

🌡️ 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.

👀 Attention local businesses & marketers: Attract more customers in Long Beach by sponsoring this daily newsletter, which gets read by the same people you're trying to reach. Click here to learn more.

⛽ Three Of The Cheapest Gas Stations In Long Beach

• Noil USA at 1234 W Cowles St., $4.69
• Arco at 6001 Long Beach Blvd., $4.69
• Arco at 3201 E 7th St., $4.75

🗳️ November Election Poll!
Beginning October 6, and continuing through October 10, every registered voter is mailed a ‘Vote By Mail’ ballot. How are you planning to vote this November? Please let us know! So far, 16.4% plan to vote in person on election day, 71.6% will be voting by mail, 7.5% intend to vote early in person, and 4.5% plan to sit this one out.

📰 Here are the top five stories in Long Beach today:

1) A shoutout to professional pianist Leslie Sharp! Earlier this week, we talked about a group that wants Christian Outreach in Action (COA) on 3rd & Linden to move. Today, we learned that on most Fridays, Sharp plays the piano at COA “while people wait in line for necessities such as food, clothing and diapers.” She donates her time “to help bring calm and peace to the local businesses, residents and those in line.” (Patch, Press-Telegram)

2) The city has a balanced budget! We learned Tuesday that rather than a projected $36 million deficit, it is a $3.2 billion budget that allowed for last-minute additions such as “$1.2 million to expand library hours,” “$5.8 million in (city) employee retention funds” and “a five-year infrastructure spending plan” that will call for bonds issues. (Long Beach Post)

3) Ramona Park residents may soon see their neighborhood featured on Netflix – thanks to graphic novelist and rapper Vince Staples. We learned on Tuesday that he is “producing and starring in his own scripted comedy series” that is set in Long Beach. While there is no release date yet, we know that Staples will be an executive producer “alongside 'Black-ish' creator Kenya Barris.” (The HiLo)

4) On Thursday, there was a christening ceremony for “Pasha Hawaii’s newest vessel (that is) powered by liquefied natural gas.” Taking place at the Port of Long Beach, the ship is now known as the MV George III. Why is this a huge deal? “LNG-powered ships achieve a 99.9% reduction in diesel particulate matter and sulfur oxide emissions, 90% less nitrogen oxides and a 25% reduction in carbon dioxide compared to ships running on traditional fuels.” (Random Lengths News)

5) Mark your calendars! The city wants to give residents a chance to learn about the basics of composting. It will host free “lunch and learn virtual workshops” next week on Wednesday (in English) and Thursday (in Spanish) from noon to 1 p.m. via Zoom. You can learn how to “recycle your food scraps, reduce greenhouse gases and store carbon in local soils.” (Long Beach Recycles)

📆 Today in Long Beach:

• Six Key Components Of Business seminar at the BBSI Long Beach (8 a.m.)
• Birding Opportunity at the Rancho Los Cerritos (8 a.m.)
• Branding For Success FREE Webinar from the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce (10 a.m.)
• QFilms 2022 at the Art Theatre, Long Beach (6 p.m.)
• The Holocaust: Free Online Lecture with Dr. Edgar Moran (7 p.m.)

📓 From my notebook:

• Starting Wed., Sept. 7, the Long Beach Department of Health & Human Services (LBDHHS) will offer the bivalent Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 boosters. Updated boosters will replace previous boosters and offer increased protection. (Long Beach City via Facebook)
• The LBPD will be at Ramona Park on Saturday for a Gun Buy Back event. Have an unwanted firearm? Stop by to anonymously turn the firearm in and receive a gift card! 📅Saturday, September 10 ⌚ 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. 📍 Ramona Park (Long Beach Police Department (CA) via Facebook)
• The city launched the LB Recovers Data Dashboard! 📊 A new tool to track spending and key performance metrics related to the Long Beach Recovery Act. The Recovery Data Dashboard is part of the city’s efforts in enhancing transparency. (Long Beach City via Facebook)
• 📢 Join the City on Sept. 24 for our second annual Long Beach Youth Festival, celebrating the wellness, resilience and empowerment of youth in Long Beach. 🏙 Featuring an interactive resource fair with 🎨 art, 🎵 music, 🏓 games, 🏀 sports and more. (Long Beach City via Facebook)
• The Liwanag Lit Fest is coming to the Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library on Saturday, Oct. 22 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Alongside Bel Canto Books, we'll celebrate Filipino American History Month (October) with author panels. (Long Beach Public Library via Facebook)

🛒 More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Seal Beach Lions Arts & Crafts Faire (September 10)
• Original Lobster Festival - Sept. 9-11, 2022 (September 10)
• Add your event

Alrighty, you're all good for today! See you tomorrow morning for another 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 Daily? Contact me at LongBeach-CA@Patch.com