City Council Now In Closed Session About Community Hospital
The Long Beach City Council is currently in closed session to discuss pursuing exclusive negotiations with Molina, Wu, Network, LLC to lease and operate Community Hospital Long Beach (CHLB). They will then discuss the matter at the 5 p.m. public meeting. The City of Long Beach, Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell and the California Nurses Association are urging MemorialCare Health System to work with the new operator to keep the hospital open during the transition. In a letter sent today to John Bishop, CEO of CHLB and MemorialCare Health System’s other Long Beach hospitals, Mayor Robert Garcia, 4th District Councilmember Daryl Supernaw and City Manager Patrick West criticized MemorialCare for planning to close the hospital on July 3 and requested that the organization change course. The letter stated, in part: “. . . on behalf of the City Council, we are requesting that the Board of Directors: (a) not surrender or allow the current hospital license at CHLB expire until the new operator can establish a new license for the site, (b) engage with the new operator to establish a transition plan that will minimize disruption to the Long Beach community (similar to the agreement that MemorialCare executed with CHLB in 2010), and (c) work with partner agencies to limit the negative impacts to area residents identified by in the County Impact Evaluation Report.” More information will be provided as it becomes available.
Trade Tensions Escalate
After President Trump announced tariffs on $50 billion worth of imports from China last Friday, the Chinese government responded in kind by announcing tariffs on $50 million in U.S. exports. Yesterday, Trump responded by criticizing China’s “unfair practices related to the acquisition of American intellectual property and technology.” In an official statement, he directed U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to identify $200 billion worth of Chinese imports for additional tariffs.
California Sets New Median Home Price, While Home Sales Decrease
Existing single-family home sales in California declined 1.8% from April to May and 4.6% since May 2017, according to data from the California Association of Realtors (CAR). The median sales price in the state was $600,860 in May, up 2.8% from April and 9.2% from a year ago, which is the first new high in the last 10 years. The Los Angeles metro region saw a 12.6% increase in sales for the month but was down 5.6% annually. Overall, Southern California sales declined 5.8% year-over-year. Statewide, the bottom of the market is suffering most from the housing shortage, according to the CAR report, with the “availability of homes priced under $200,000 declining by 28.7% on an annual basis.”
First Session Scheduled For Smart Cities Initiative On Anaheim Street
The City of Long Beach Innovation Team is collaborating with city departments, public agencies and corporations to establish a Smart Cities Initiative on Anaheim Street, with the goal of making the corridor both more appealing and safer for different modes of transit. The first session on the project, “Forming a Use Case,” is scheduled for June 22, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Manazar Gamboa Community Theater, 1323 Gundry Ave.
Fourth Street Business Improvement Association Elects Co-Presidents
The 4th Street Business Improvement Association has named two co-presidents: Jim Ritson, the owner of 4th Street Vine, located at 2142 E. 4th St., and Jennifer Hill, the owner of Songbird, located at 2240 E. 4th St.
Four Long Beach Poly High School Seniors Receive Total Of $20,000 In Scholarships
Four high school seniors in Long Beach Polytechnic High School’s PACE Program received a total of $20,000 in scholarship funds from the Chavez Family Scholars program. The Chavez Family operates Command Performance Constructors, a Signal Hill business. The scholarship initiative awards students who demonstrate academic excellence, leadership ability and service to the community. The recipients plan to attend Brown University; Northwestern University; University of California, San Diego; and Harvard College in the fall.