Long Beach Unemployment Rate 4.1% As Of May

The unemployment rate in Long Beach remained unchanged at 4.1% as of the end of May, according to data released today by the California Employment Development Department’s Labor Market Information Division. The labor force in Long Beach is 240,700, with 9,800 people listed as unemployed. The Long Beach unemployment rate was just above the Los Angeles County average of 4%.

 

City To Receive $12 Million From State Government For Homeless Programs

The California legislature has allocated $12 million toward homelessness programs in the City of Long Beach as part of the state’s Homeless Emergency Aid Program budget for fiscal year 2019. In a press release, the city attributed the allocation of funds to the word of the “Big 11 Mayors,” a group of mayors of the state’s largest cities who have been working with legislative leaders to expand investments to combat homelessness.

 

Southwest Airlines Receives High Performance Marks For Customer Experience

For the second year in a row, Southwest Airlines ranked highest in customer satisfaction among low-cost carriers, according to the J.D. Power 2018 North America Airline Satisfaction Study. Out of the study’s seven performance factors, the airline scored highest for customer experiences with reservations, check-in, boarding, deplaning, baggage, flight crews, and costs and fees. Investments in fleet improvements contributed to the high scores, according to a statement from Southwest, which offers flights from the Long Beach Airport.

 

Long Beach Organizations Promoting Business Program In Competition For Grant

The Downtown Long Beach Alliance is partnering with the nonprofit Long Beach Downtown Development Corporation and the Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at California State University, Long Beach, to promote their Sustainable Tech Intellectual Property Series at this year’s MY LA2050 Activation Challenge, starting June 19. The STIPES series aims to increase the number of businesses related to sustainable technology by imparting the skills needed to obtain patents. STIPES has the opportunity to win a $200,000 grant from LA2050 over a two-year period. Click here to vote.

 

Construction Underway On The Mark Bixby Memorial Bicycle Pedestrian Path

The Mark Bixby Memorial Bicycle Pedestrian Path, which will run the length of the new structure replacing the Gerald Desmond Bridge, is beginning to take shape. The path will connect the city’s current bike routes and provide a crossing on the new bridge to Terminal Island. It will include observation decks with views of the city, the Port of Long Beach and Catalina Island. The path is named after Long Beach local and cycling enthusiast Mark Bixby, who died in a plane accident in 2011.

 

City Programs Provide Free Summer Activities For Kids And Families

Ten weeks of free recreation programs are planned for kids and families this summer through the Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine department. Some of the options include “Summer Fun Days,” which engage kids ages five to 12 in games, sports and arts and crafts, and “Be S.A.F.E.” (Summer Activities In A Friendly Environment), a program that extends supervised evening hours at certain parks for organized activities. Signal Hill Petroleum and Partners of Parks will also continue its “Movies in the Park” series from June 18 to August 22. Click here for a complete list of activities.