On Tuesday, Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson announced five recipients for the 2024 Keys to the City.
Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, Samuel “Skip” Keesal, Beth Keesal, Rev. Dr. Leon Wood and Paula E. Wood will receive this civic honor for their service to Long Beach.
“Each of these extraordinary people represent the best of Long Beach, whether it be through philanthropy, service to the community, or representing our city to the world at large,” said Mayor Rex Richardson in a public statement from the City. “We are thrilled to celebrate their contributions to our community.”
Iglesias spent much of his youth in Long Beach, is an alumnus of Woodrow Wilson High School and is a world-renowned stand-up comedian. Iglesias’ Long Beach origins served as the inspiration for the semi-autobiographical television series “Mr. Iglesias,” about a history teacher who returns to teach at his former high school.
Iglesias will receive his Key to the City from Mayor Richardson during a special comedy performance on June 18 at the Long Beach Terrace Theater, located at 300 E. Ocean Blvd.
Prior to the show, there will be a job and resource fair for local youth beginning at 6:30 p.m., as well as food trucks and bars for 21+ attendees. The show will begin at 8 p.m. and feature Iglesias’s long-time collaborator comedian Martin Moreno as the opening act.
Long Beach youth between the ages of 16 and 24 years old may request a free ticket for the show from their City Council office while supplies last. General admission tickets for the performance are on-sale for $15 via Ticketmaster. Partial proceeds from ticket sales will go towards The Mayor’s Fund for Long Beach and Mayor Richardson’s S.T.R.O.N.G. Beach initiative.
“I’m honored to be recognized by my hometown in this way, and I’m proud to be able to support Long Beach’s youth at the same time,” said Iglesias in a public statement from the City. “If you’re a kid growing up in a tough situation, you might not believe that there’s a whole other world out there waiting for you—but there is. I’m proof of that, and you can be too.”
Skip Keesal is a graduate of Cal State Long Beach and founded the law firm Keesal, Young & Logan in Long Beach in 1970. The firm now has five offices worldwide and has donated close to $7 million to local charities since 1991 and the firm hosts an annual luncheon in support of the Boys & Girls Club of Long Beach..
Skip and his wife Beth have several local philanthropic ties and continue to serve on boards of community charitable organizations. Skip currently sits on the Board of Governors for Cal State Long Beach, is an active participant of the Long Beach Police Foundation and the Los Angeles Coalition for the Economy & Jobs in Los Angeles, and is a member of the Century Club of Long Beach.
Rev. Dr. Leon Wood has had a lengthy career in education, ministry and activism and he serves as the president of the local social service nonprofit Success in Challenges.
Paula E. Wood is the executive director of Success in Challenges and has engaged with local youth through various agencies such as the Long Beach YWCA, Children’s Home Society of Long Beach and the United Way. Paula is also an active member of several local organizations such as Freedom School and the African American Network for Violence Free Relationships.
The Keesals and the Woods will receive their Keys to the City at the start of the Long Beach City Council meeting on July 16 at 5 p.m.
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