Drop of Points: The ACO7's Next Literacy Fair

Spread the GIFT of LITERACY! We're going strong in our #aoc7bookdrive and we'd love you to be part of this! #readtolead #bookstokids #eachoneteachone There's 4 book drop off locations for your convenience.

Lincoln Elementary
1175 E. 11th Street

Neighborhood Resource Center
100 Broadway, Ste. 550

The Center Long Beach
2701 E. 4th Street

Mark Twain Neighborhood Library
1401 E. Anaheim Street

Thank you in advance!

Cambodia Town Re-Visioning Meeting: This Saturday

The next re-visioning meeting for the Anaheim Corridor is this Saturday.  This meeting is a little later than the last two. In all likelihood this will focus on what design guidelines should be implemented.

These are the meetings that resulted in the creation of the Sunday Night Market in Cambodia Town set to debut in less than two week.s

Second Town Hall Community Meeting/ Actually The Third Meeting
 
This Saturday, July 25, 2:30 – 5:00 pm, Mark Twain Library Auditorium, 1401 E. Anaheim St.

Cambodia Town Night Market and Community Garden Update

There was a Town Hall meeting at Mark Twain Library this evening. The subject was the Night Market which is slated to start Sundays at MacArthur Park from 4pm to 9pm on August 2nd. The goal of the Night Market, which evolved from the suggestion of a Farmer's Market at the Anaheim Corridor re-visioning meetings was meant to promote affordable, family friendly and fresh produce. There would likely be native Cambodian foods as well as food trucks. This would be the first Farmer's Market in the 6th District and the only one taking place at night. Anyone who would like to be involved can email LBNightMarket@gmail.com or call the organizers at (562) 388-4978. You can also like their Facebook Page to stay informed.

The community garden is planned for the vacant lot at Peterson and Anaheim. The tentative name is the healing fields. The group creating the garden already has a community garden at Dawson and Anaheim [I will show you pictures when I find it]. They plan to remove the cement from the lot, install new fences and add in gas and water meters. The garden will be multicultural with several volunteers working different plots on the garden. The group creating the garden, SCIC, is creating an advisory group to start that organization of volunteers. The location of the garden  is controversial because it was formerly used at the Cambodian Genocide Memorial every April 17th, the date the slaughter of 2 million Cambodians began. And those who held the memorial on that plot expressed strong disappointment that the plot isn't being set aside for that memorial anymore.

This Saturday's cleanup will be on Sunday, not interfere with the Literacy Fair at MacArthur Park

MacArthur Park clean ups are normally Saturday at 10am. This week, it;s being moved one day to allow everyone to support the AOC7's Literacy Fair at MacArthur Park.

 Sunday's clean up will be: Walnut and PCH heading south, starting promptly at 10am. Check out the AOC7's flyer for details on the literacy fair this Saturday.

A Nice Neighborhood Logo

Volunteers Needed For The AOC7 Literacy Fair

This literacy fair will take place at MacAthur Park next Saturday. The AOC7 [the neighborhood just south of the MacArthur Park Neighborhood] is looking for volunteers. They may also still be able to use book donations. They are currently around 600 books away from 7000 donations. You can find the Facebook Events Page Here.

MacArthur Park Neighborhood Pledge

Because we can't clean trash everywhere, I wanted to give the residents of MacArthur Park a chance to do something small. This pledge is simply an agreement to keep your home and the area immediately surrounding it litter free as well as keeping an eye out for your neighbor's safety.

It sounds like a small thing, but if every neighborhood resident did it, neighborhood cleaning would go much quicker, bussinesses would benefit and our safety would almost be ensured.

My Pledge For A Safe And Clean MacArthur Park Neighborhood

1. I promise to do my part to keep my home, the nearby sidewalks, yard and immediate alley ways litter free.
2. I promise to sweep/ rake fallen leaves, trim grass and clear weeds within a reasonable time frame.
3. I will keep my eye open for the safety of my neighbors and my community.
4. I will make an effort to support my local businesses, schools and neighborhood parks when I have the time and resources.
5. I will keep my home free of graffiti and larger dumped trash. Remember the Go Long Beach Ap, can be used if you need help with either, at no cost.

How do I submit the pledge?

Simply email me that you are taking the pledge.
Please include your name and address you are taking the neighborhood pledge for. A dot will be added to the map above in the general vicinity where the pledge was taken.

I am adding a few dots to represent the people who have not officially taken the pledge but I have seen, on much more than one occasion, make an active attempt to keep the neighborhood clean, especially when they go well beyond their own property line.

And our goal is to fill that map with green dots.

If anyone outside the boundaries of the MacAthur Park Neighborhood [PCH to Anaheim and Junipero to Orange] takes the pledge, we will give that Long Beach resident credit on a larger Google Map that covers all of Long Beach.

Gardenia Clean Up PCH to 14th Finished

Today there was an announced clean up of Gardenia Street from PCH to 14th. Because I had more volunteers we were able to get up a lot of the leaves lining 17th street. The Go Long Beach App was used to schedule pick ups for the bigger items that could not be fitted into the cans.

The Results: Litter that was removed from Gardenia today

Thank you to all the volunteers that came out. Also it was nice to meet the members of WESCA and the city workers involved with Litter Free Long Beach at the earlier clean up on Orizaba.

There will be no street cleaning next Saturday as I will be in Arizona for two days. We will resume at 10am on 05/08/2015 where this started about a month ago at 15th and Cherry. There is a chance there may be some city involvement in the future, which will hopefully give us a little more room than the four rolling trash cans.

I don't really have any before and after pictures because honestly Gardenia wasn't that bad.

Long Beach police involved in shooting after responding to report of trespassers

An officer-involved shooting took place today in the Cambodia Town neighborhood of Long Beach after police responded to a report of several trespassers tagging a vacant apartment.

The shooting resulted in a 19-year-old man being hit by gunfire. He was taken to a hospital and was in critical condition as of about 7 tonight, according to Long Beach Police Sgt. Megan Zabel.

Read the whole story at the Press Telegram.

* The MacArthur Park Neighborhood extends our thanks to both those who reported the tagging and the Long Beach PD. As much as this is bad news, the lat two incidents of violence in our neighborhood resulted in the perpetrators being led away in handcuffs. That's what happens when neighbors keep their eye open and watch out for each other..

Recent Update/ With Suspect Names

Both the below LB resources will eliminate any tagging free of charge. And they work quickly.

You can quickly rid yourself of any graffiti by using the Go Long Beach App.

Or just call the Graffiti Abatement Hotline.

(562) 570-2773

Peterson Cleanup Finished: 15th to Anaheim

Creative Landscapes

Today Peterson Street was cleaned up from 15th to Anaheim. There will be an unannounced cleaning of Warren Street tomorrow, mostly because I intended to get Warren today but just did not have the time to clean up that much trash and attend the second meeting of the Anaheim Re visioning Project.

Thank you to all the neighbors along Peterson, 14th and 15th street that simply took the time to say thank you for the gesture. Below you can see a before and after picture of Peterson where it approaches Anaheim Street.

There could also be a little more attention to the walkway around Mark Twain Library where Peterson approaches Anaheim. You can see the side by side of the library's before and after picture on the Next Door posting.

Before and After

Next week, on Saturday 04/25/2015 at 10am, there will be an announced cleaning of Gardenia from PCH to Anaheim. The meeting place will be at PCH and Anaheim. Volunteers are welcome. Provided will be four rolling garbage cans, iron claws, gloves, brooms and bottled water. See the clean up schedule on the neighborhood cleanup page.

Trash removed from Peterson Street Today

Continued Anaheim Re-visioning Meetings

The purpose of the following meetings is to give the public a say in the effort to bring better foot traffic to Anaheim Street in Cambodia Town between Junipero and Atlantic. Anyone who wants to take part in the re-visioning process is encouraged to attend all upcoming meetings; the city wants the public's input.

Information Session/Stakeholder Strategy Session
Saturday, April 18, 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm, Mark Twain Library Auditorium, 1401 E. Anaheim St.

First Town Hall Community Meeting
Saturday, June 6, 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm, Mark Twain Library Auditorium, 1401 E. Anaheim St.

Second Town Hall Community Meeting
Saturday, July 25, 2:30 – 5:00 pm, Mark Twain Library Auditorium, 1401 E. Anaheim St.

Guest Review: Stem Reap Cambodia Town by Jeff Leon

Siem Reap Cambodian Restaurant 1810 East Anaheim St. Long Beach, CA 562-591-7414 Cambodian cuisine has elements of Vietnamese and Thai food, yet from overlapping palettes of flavors and ingredients comes distinct mélanges of tastes, textures, and aromas. 

The menu may look a bit unfamiliar but the staff are used to serving first timers and they are always ready to describe a dish or make a recommendation. The Cambodian national dish, “amok trey” is a gingery, delicate tasting coconut fish curry served in a coconut. The fish melts in your mouth. 

Cambodian hot and sour soup is a different beast from the Chinese soup of the same name. The taste is a bit lighter, a bit more sour, and less peppery. I’ve had this dish in Cambodia and the house hot and sour soup here did not disappoint. A boba drink for dessert tops off the meal. The prices at Siem Reap are reasonable and the service is good. For me, Siem Reap Restaurant was the first place I tried Cambodian food. It’s a good place for anyone to try Cambodian food.

Jeff Leon: Jeff is a musician and comedian who has appeared in New York, California and on Last Comic Standing. You can check out Jeff's comedy at his website by clicking on his name.

Annual Cambodian New Years Parade And Festival 2015

The morning started with my suspension giving out. So I walked to the festival. Fortunately, I live less than a mile away; so it wasn't that bad. 

The parade began at about 11:00am with the Cambodian Coordinating Council. What followed was a mash up of flags, entertainers, dancers, police, politicians, local businesses, religious organizations and youth groups. The parade itself spanned from Cherry to Warren and then rounded MacArthur Park. 

Afterwards many of the performers in the parade took to the stage.

The Festival featured authentic Cambodian food, entertainment and cultural vendors. The event was co-hosted by  sixth-district city council member Dee Andrews. In addition to Andrews, mayor Robert Garcia and Congresswoman Janice Hahn. According to local residents the turn out was at least twice the turn out last year. 

The festival is the largest concentration of Cambodians outside of Cambodia, showcasing the community’s cultural heritage and thriving community businesses and non-profit organizations. It kicked off the celebration of Cambodian New Year 2559.

Okay, now I feel old. 

More Festival Pictures Here

Uanaounced Cleanup Gaviota Anaheim to 15th Street

There was an announced clean up of Gaviota from Anaheim to 15th Street. Next Sunday there will be an additional unannounced cleanup beginning around 8:00am. Attend the cleanup this coming Saturday on Rose Street starting at Anaheim to find out where. The clean up of Rose Street shouldn't be that bad; the residents actually attend to Rose Street pretty well. Beginning next week I will start posting pictures of before and after to show more clearly how this will make a difference. I will also begin highlighting some of the more creative things people have done with the space between the street and public sideway, to give residents ideas and encourage neighborhood beautification.

Cambodia Town Revisioning: Kick Off Meeting

From Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia via Facebook:  One of my commitments during my campaign for Mayor was that the city would invest to make Cambodia Town on Anaheim more walkable and livable. Today we kicked off the first community visioning meeting to talk landscaping, sidewalks, and lighting. Join us at the next meeting on Saturday April 18 at 2:30 at the Mark Twain Library.

Since I moved here in 2004, I have rarely frequented this area of my community. The idea is to turn Anaheim into more of a destination than a way of getting somewhere else. In other neighborhoods this has been accomplished by adding seating, widening sidewalks and adding awnings for shade. There would also be a focus on better lighting and the kind of overall design that would make Cambodia Town function more as a collective place to pass your time rather than a collection of individual shops.

I would also personally recommend the city incorporate as many suggestions as possible from it's own assessment of MacArthur Park. This would include better bike paths, repaired sidewalks, a renewed attention to neighborhood parks as well as giving local residents a better selection of healthy good often not found in poorer neighborhoods.

Suggestions on the Mayor's post honoring the campaign pledge to make Cambodia Town more walkable and livable included: waterwise landscaping, bus shelters and less ridged architecture such as rounded edges and tiered domes.

I personally would like to see all businesses in on Anaheim, Orange and Cherry take the city's pledge to keep the city clean.  I also think it would be nice to have the kind of medians that you find in Wrigley and Bluff Heights which welcome you to the neighborhood while also slowing down the car. The next meeting for this project will take place on Saturday April 18 at 12:00 noon - 2:30pm at the Mark Twain Library.

Help Launch Anaheim Corridor Design Visioning Process

The community is invited to attend a special kick-off event to launch the Anaheim Corridor Design Visioning Process. The free event is on Saturday, March 28, at 11:00 am, at the Homeland Neighborhood Cultural Center's Manazar Gamboa Community Theatre at MacArthur Park, 1321 E. Anaheim St.

In order to attend, I am moving cleaning of 17th street this Staurday up to 8:00am. That way it will be mostly finished by the time the meeting begins. 

The official news release: http://www.longbeach.gov/civica/press/display.asp?layout=4&entry=5044