A November ruling in a case filed by the city of Redondo Beach sought to bring back the autonomy that charter cities have regarding their election dates, even if they had sagging election day turnout.

Residents in East Long Beach have access to nearly 16 times the park space than those living in West Long Beach. But as the City Council tries to address this inequity, it will likely run into two big obstacles: time and money.

The council’s vote certifies a decision made by the Planning Commission in December that approved lot mergers, zoning changes and permits for the construction of the three-story, 152,000 square-foot self storage and recreational vehicle storage facility that will be built at 3701 Pacific Place.

Councilman Roberto Uranga, who also serves on the Coastal Commission, signed onto an appeal late last month challenging some of the aspects of the proposed hotel, including how it affects pedestrian access to the coast, the cost to stay at the hotel and how the hotel’s valet parking would impact access to a public park.

The coming year could shape what becomes of the largest undeveloped parcel of oceanfront land in Long Beach, the so-called “elephant lot” named for its prior use by the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

While the coffee and tea shop is closing, the two owners are moving on to focus on a nonprofit they’ve founded to help military veterans and K9s transition from service-life to life as civilians.

Currently bars are not allowed to open unless they sell food, but they could be allowed to open in a few weeks for outdoor service when the city enters the “orange” tier in the state's color-coded system determining when it's safe to loosen restrictions.

Long Beach is looking into offering eight additional licenses for cannabis dispensaries in hopes of diversifying those who own and run them.

One of the largest allocations the city is proposing is to plug budget holes, end furloughs and replenish the city’s reserves with over $83 million of the $153 million from the federal government.

Long Beach and Los Angeles County could be just weeks away from entering the state’s even looser 'orange tier' of coronavirus rules.