Improvements to the MacArthur Park Play Ground

There have been some major alterations to the MacArthur Park Neighborhood Playground. The three new blue and purple structures are larger than the old ones and made of sturdier metal. The old ones were a weak type of plastic. 

There is a newer, larger slide. Much nicer swings. And the "monkey bars," have a little less of a kindergarten feel to them. I was able to check the restrooms, and I did notice they were significantly cleaner, with no tagging. There are also concrete islands within the new play ground to help keep it clean.

The following comes from sources inside the park that any reasonable person would expect to be accurate. Because the office of Dee Andrews is disputing it, I am asking for all official documents to show exactly where all the funding from the park renovation came from. Send that info to shaynem@hotmail.com: From a critical stand point, we were told by sources close to the park this renovation came from a $500,000 grant from the state. The community was also told the City and District Six pledged no money, so please hold off on giving credit to our City Council with accomplishing this, it happened in spite of a lack of City support, and was used as an excuse for the cancellation of the Cambodia Town Night Market.

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.

What Is Next Door And Why Sign Up

What is Nextdoor:

Nextdoor is free for residents and for the City. Each neighborhood creates its own private Nextdoor website, accessible only to residents of that neighborhood.  Long Beach residents can use Nextdoor to get to share information about neighborhood watch issues, local events, and other related activities. We believe a healthier and more engaged city creates stronger communities and Nextdoor can help to do just that.

How Does Nextdoor Work:

Nextdoor was specifically designed to make neighbors feel comfortable sharing information with one another in order to help build stronger communities.  Neighborhoods establish and self-manage their own Nextdoor website.  Information shared on each Nextdoor site is only visible to members who live in the neighborhood and who have verified their address. We are in the process of mapping the neighborhoods which will range in size from 50 to 250 households.

Privacy:

Information shared on Nextdoor is password protected and cannot be accessed by those outside the neighborhood or found on Google or other search engines. You can post notices that some neighboring communities will see. For instance, if you post a crime update about the MacArthur Park Neighborhood you can chose to make it visible to all the immediate surrounding neighborhoods.

In addition, Nextdoor never shares personal information with any third parties. Unlike an email listserv or other online group, neighbor posts are organized and archived for future reference.

How Do I Sign Up:

Those interested in joining their neighborhood’s Nextdoor website can visit www.nextdoor.com and enter their home address. If Nextdoor is already launched in your area you can immediately sign up. For the MacArthur Park area and all surrounding areas, it has already been established.

A Nice Neighborhood Logo

New LBPD Academy Recruiting Through November

The Long Beach Police Department has started its third academy class in two years, and is currently recruiting its next academy. In case any MacAthur Park/ AOC7/ Long Beach Poly residents are interested. The City Council included the funding of the current academy – Class No. 88 – in the FY 2015 budget.

Academy Class No. 88 will graduate in November 2015, and then continue their development as officers in the Field Training Program, which consists of working one year with a Field Training Officer. The Field Training Officers rigorously observe and report on the progress of each new officer, ensuring they are ready to deploy and function as responsible peace officers on their own.

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

Warner Street Is Clean

This morning there was an unannounced clean up of Warner Street from PCH to Anaheim. At least one side of the street also had most of the fallen leaves swept up as well. 

Because I had the time to get the leaves, there were two bags of trash this time. Below you see an example of what one resident of MacArthur Park did with their landscaping to conserve water.

Next Saturday, 04/25/2015, Gardenia street will be cleaned up. The meeting point will be Gardenia and PCH at 10am. Rolling trash cans, trash bags, iron claws, bottled water, brooms and this time around small rakes will be provided. Thank you to every resident along Warner who showed any appreciation for the clean up. By the way, today that was a lot of people. 

You can follow the cleanup schedule by following this link.

El Sauz Restaurant Restaraunt Review

El Sauz Restaurant is a Mexican Food restaurant located at 1616 Anaheim Street. That's on the South side of Anaheim and Walnut. The restaurant has comfortable seating, decent food and pleasant service.

The cheese enchiladas and the main course I had were almost as good as you would find at most major chains. The picture on the left is an accurate depiction of the portion size, very generous for the price.

It took the server a while to seat me. I think this was a communication gap. Regular customers seem to seat themselves at any available table. My impression was the server expected I knew this, but it's not the way I am used to being seated in most restaurants.

On the inside, El Sauz Restaurant is quiet, clean and friendly; It's easy to hold a conversation or meeting. And the servers took care of our orders quickly and politely. The one huge weakness I saw were the complimentary chips and salsa. I love good salsa. The salsa was average at best and the chips were just a little stale. I realize that was the complimentary part of the meal, but it's also their customer's first impression. There are people who do not give you a chance at a second impression.

Overall, I would call El Sauz Restaurant a three star restaurant, with pretty good main course meals. It can also boast fast friendly service and good seating. That said, there's definitely still a little room to improve. 

1st MacArthur Park Neighborhood Association Meeting:

MacArthur Park Neighborhood Association Meeting: 04/17/2015: 6:30pm. El Sauz Restaurant. 1616 E Anaheim St, Long Beach, CA 90813. [close to Walnut and Anaheim]

FB: Events Page

https://www.facebook.com/events/615387511924811/

1st MacArthur Park Neighborhood Association Meeting

Tomorrow at 6:30pm

1616 E Anaheim St, Long Beach, CA 90813

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

Annual Cambodia Town Culture Festival

Facebook Events Page

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