L.A. County Sheriff Jim McDonnell Concedes
Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell today conceded to his challenger, Alex Villanueva. According to the L.A. County registrar recorder/county clerk, McDonnell, who is the former police chief for the Long Beach Police Department, earned 47.41% of the vote in his re-election bid, while Villanueva won with 52.59%.

New Law: Employers Must Register For Retirement Plans
Under a new law, California employers with 100 or more employees must begin offering retirement savings plans to workers by June 30, 2020. Employers with 50 or more employees have until June 30, 2021, to register, and employers with 5 or more workers must do so by June 30, 2022. Beginning July 1, 2019, employers of any size may register for CalSavers, a state-run plan officially launched today by Treasurer John Chiang. Private market plans are also acceptable under the law. According to a statement from Chiang, once enrolled in CalSavers, “employees can choose their own contribution amount, up to the federal maximum of $6,000 – the same as any Individual Retirement Account (IRA) – with deductions made automatically from their paychecks.” For more information, visit CalSavers.com.

New Executive Director At American Red Cross
Veronica Garcia Davalos has been selected as the new executive director of the American Red Cross Greater Long Beach-Rio Hondo-South Bay Chapter. Davalos is succeeding Margaret Arbini-Madonna, who is retiring on December 1 after 14 years with the organization. Davalos has been a resident of Long Beach for more than 20 years. She is also the board president of Leadership Long Beach, a boardmember of The Nonprofit Partnership and a member of Long Beach Rotary. Davalos is a co-founder of the United Latino Fund and National Latina Alliance.

Gerald Desmond Bridge Eastbound Traffic Change Begins This Friday 
One of two eastbound off-ramps from the Gerald Desmond Bridge to Pico Avenue is being permanently closed beginning this Friday, November 30. All eastbound traffic exiting the bridge at Pico will be funneled onto one off-ramp. In an official statement, Port of Long Beach Capital Programs Director Duane Kenagy acknowledged that this may cause traffic to slow and asked for commuters’ patience. Motorists crossing the bridge are advised to allow for extra travel time. The closure is needed to make way for the construction of the new bridge, which is expected to be completed in late 2019.

Annual Tree Lighting Celebration Tonight – Terrace Theater Plaza
The fourth annual Long Beach Christmas tree lighting celebration with Mayor Robert Garcia, sponsored by the Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau and Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, takes place tonight, 5 p.m., Terrace Theater Plaza, 300 E. Ocean Blvd. The event includes photo opportunities with Mr. and Mrs. Claus, kid train rides, choirs, fireworks and more. The tree lighting ceremony takes place at 6 p.m.