More than 20,000 fans of Long Beach’s main Facebook Page are helping the City count down its “Top 10 stories of 2015,” according to city officials.
“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, according to city officials, and it includes an array of Long Beach photos, short iClip videos, traffic and public safety alerts and a 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 facebook.com/CityofLongBeachCA, since Monday, Dec. 21. The No. 1 story was posted on Dec. 30.
Story No. 10
For 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
The 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.
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Story No. 8
For 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 and 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
The 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 needed open space in central Long Beach, where residents can relax at benches and picnic tables.
Story No. 6
The City invested in significant infrastructure projects throughout Long Beach, including the beach pedestrian path, the Naples Seawall, LED Streetlight Program, the Pine Avenue project, decoupling of 6th and 7th Streets downtown, DeForest Wetlands restoration, the Houghton Park Master Plan, Terminal Island Freeway, the Wrigley Greenbelt, Whaley Park concessions buildings, El Dorado Dog Park, and Nature Center improvements.
Story No. 5
The 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
The 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.
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Story No. 3
More 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
Mayor 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.
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Story No. 1
Earlier this month, the Long Beach City Council and the Board of Harbor Commissioners both unanimously approved the Civic Center Project. This project, which includes a new seismically superior City Hall and Port Headquarters, a new main library and a revitalized Lincoln Park, is both monumental and transformational, according to the City.
