More than 20,000 fans of Long Beach's main
Facebook Page are helping the City count down its Top 10 stories of 2015.
"The City of Long Beach does outstanding work, and this year is no exception,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “These 10 stories highlight just how much we’ve accomplished on behalf of the community in 2015.”
The City's Facebook page is one of the most popular Citywide government Facebook pages in California, and includes an array of eye-catching Long Beach photos; short iClip videos; traffic and public safety alerts; and a wide variety of news and information about Long Beach programs and projects.
To highlight the 10 most significant news items for Long Beach in 2015, the City has been releasing one story per day on w
ww.facebook.com/CityofLongBeachCA, beginning Monday, December 21. The No. 1 story of 2015 will be posted on Wednesday, December 30, at 11:00 am.
Story No. 10
Top 10 Digital City Five Years in a RowFor the fifth time in as many years, the City of Long Beach has been named a
Top 10 Digital City, surpassing numerous other cities in a national survey that spotlights municipalities best demonstrating how information and communication technologies are used to enhance public service.
Story No. 9
100 Percent “A” Grades for Water QualityThe City of Long Beach received
100 percent “A” grades for water quality, including seven “A+” grades, according to Heal the Bay’s 2015 Beach Report Card.
Story No. 8
Perfect Score in Municipal Equality IndexFor four years in a row, the City of Long Beach has been named one of the best cities in the nation for
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) inclusion in municipal law and policy. Long Beach was one of only 47 cities nationwide to achieve a perfect score in the Human Rights Campaign's Municipal Equality Index (MEI).
Story No. 7
First Park in U.S. Named after NAACP Opens in Long BeachThe first park in the United States named after the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
opened in Long Beach. The 2.8-acre park along a bicycle path provides much-needed open space in Central Long Beach, where residents can relax at benches and picnic tables.
Story No. 6
Significant Infrastructure Projects Throughout Long BeachThe City invested in significant infrastructure projects throughout Long Beach, including the
Beach Pedestrian Path;
Naples Seawall;
North Library;
LED Streetlight Program;
Pine Avenue project;
decoupling of 6th and 7th Streets in Downtown;
DeForest Wetlands Restoration;
Houghton Park Master Plan;
Terminal Island Freeway; Wrigley Greenbelt; Whaley Park concessions buildings;
El Dorado Dog Park; and
Nature Center improvements.
Story No. 5
Innovation and Economic Development InitiativesThe City’s Innovation Team (i-team) has developed five new
innovation and economic development initiatives to be implemented by the City and community partners over the next year: Economic Development Blue Print; StartupLB Tools for Business; High Tech Infrastructure Plan; Branding for Business; and Long Beach Center for Innovation.
Story No. 4
Unemployment Rate Hits Seven-Year Low; Major Economic Activity UnderwayThe unemployment rate in Long Beach continued to decline and
reached a seven-year low, dropping to 7.6 percent as of August 2015. This rate was nearly the same as the May 2008 rate of 7.4 percent, just before the global financial crisis.
Story No. 3
Beach Streets Uptown Transforms Atlantic AvenueMore than 25,000 people got out of their cars and transformed Atlantic Avenue by walking, bicycling, and skating during the
Beach Streets Uptown “Open Street” event in June.
Story No. 2
City, Army Corps of Engineers Agree to Study Ecosystem RestorationMayor Robert Garcia and Brig. Gen. Mark Toy recently met to discuss the
East San Pedro Bay Ecosystem Restoration Study at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ South Pacific Division Headquarters in San Francisco. The financial cost share agreement for this study will be signed at a special ceremony in Long Beach in coming weeks.
Story No. 1New Civic Center and Port Headquarters Approved
Earlier this month, the City Council and the Board of Harbor Commissioners both unanimously approved the
Civic Center Project. This Project, including a new seismically superior City Hall and Port Headquarters, a New Main Library and a revitalized Lincoln Park, is both monumental and transformational.