Employment Attorney in Long Beach, CA

A grunion is a small fish that emerges from the water by the thousands to dig in the sand and lay its eggs.

SEAL BEACH, CA —Don't miss the last few and best chances this year to see one of the most unique experiences Southern California has to offer.

The grunion, a small fish that rides ocean tides onto beaches to lay their eggs, are running Thursday night through the weekend, marking one of the best summer weekend runs of the season, according to the California Department of Fish And Wildlife.

The grunion, which are exclusive to Southern California, may be an ordinary-looking silver fish, measuring only six to eight inches in length. But what makes them so special is that they're the only fish that come out of the water to dig into beach sands and lay their eggs during mating season.

The small fish ride the tides around new and full moons, with the female grunion laying about 3,000 eggs at once and 18,000 in a mating season. The male grunion then rides the tide to the eggs and fertilizes them before catching a ride back into the ocean several minutes later through the tides. This event is known as a grunion run.

When the grunion run, the California coast looks like it's boiling with silverly fish flopping in the waves by the thousands.

The grunion mating season starts in the spring and ends in the summer. These are good places to see them make their run for the last few times until mating season begins again next spring:

Grunions make their runs in two-hour intervals. These are 16 dates on which the grunions will make their runs between July and August:

"Typically, the second hour of an expected run is usually better than the first hour, so be patient," the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a statement Tuesday.

It's currently open season for the grunion, meaning people hoping to take some can as long as they are 16 and older with a valid fishing license. They can also only be taken by hand, no holes may be dug in the beach to trap them and they are limited to 30 per person, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

"While grunion spawn on many beaches in southern California, CDFW does not recommend any particular beach because of changing safety conditions and local curfews," the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said. "If you don’t attend an official event, one of the best ways to find out which beaches have had recent runs is to call the state and county beach lifeguards, who can often tell if spawning has taken place."

For more tips to avoid missing out on the grunion, click here.

"There is no band that is more qualified to represent the LBC," Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said at a Grow Long Beach event Wednesday.

LONG BEACH, CA — It's summertime in the LBC, and the living just got a little bit easier with the announcement that Long Beach's own Sublime will be performing the highly anticipated Vans Warped Tour in July.

During the Wednesday Grow Long Beach presentation, which highlighted several economic opportunities coming to Long Beach in the future, Mayor Rex Richardson announced that Sublime would be a featured headliner at the largest-ever music festival in the city's history.

"Only in Long Beach would you find the perfect blend of music and culture and punk rock and reggae and ska," Richardson said during the presentation. "There is no band that is more qualified to represent the LBC."

Sublime's newest frontman, Jakob Nowell, the son of the band's late singer Bradley Nowell, took the stage along with bassist Eric Wilson during the presentation.

"Gosh, this is so cool to get to be here, man, to get to be a part of a long-standing tradition. I myself grew up in Long Beach," Jakob Nowell said before playing a rendition of one of the band's most popular songs, "What I Got," with his father's old guitar.

Sublime was formed in Long Beach in 1988 and performed at the very first Warped Tour in 1995. They became a cult favorite in the Southern California music scene with their reggae rock and ska punk style, Bradley Nowell's dalmatian, Louie Dog, serving as the band's mascot.

They released their first album in 1996, but the band dissolved following Bradley Nowell's death the same year.

They attempted a comeback in 2009 as Sublime with Rome, bringing on musician Rome Ramirez to be the band's frontman. After more than a decade together, the band disbanded.

In 2023, Jakob Nowell joined Sublime. He recently performed with Sublime at Coachella and will look to carry on his father's legacy at the Vans Warped Tour on July 26 and 27.

Long Beach city officials expect 85,000 people to attend the event each day.

"What a homecoming," Richardson said. "We're making history. We're continuing to make history."

LONG BEACH, Calif. - Long Beach is now the second city in California - following Santa Monica - to approve a motion transforming part of its downtown into an "Entertainment Zone," allowing adults 21 and over to consume alcohol outdoors.

The initiative aims to revitalize the area, which has faced economic challenges.

What we know:

The city council voted to approve the ordinance during a meeting Tuesday, with the new rules permitting alcohol consumption in downtown Long Beach to begin this summer.

Big picture view:

Santa Monica's Entertainment Zone opened with a soft launch on Friday, June 13.

The soft launch has limited outdoor hours. Adults will be able to purchase a drink from a participating, licensed business and consume it outside between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Per California law, the five essential rules of the entertainment zone are:

Local perspective:

Senate Bill 969 went into effect this year, allowing local governments to create "Entertainment Zones," which are designated outdoor areas where open container prohibitions are lifted for beverages purchased from participating restaurants and bars.

The zones are governed by a specific set of rules intended to keep these spaces safe and enjoyable for everyone.

What we don't know:

It's unknown which parts of downtown will be designated as part of the "Entertainment Zone."

The other side:

While some are optimistic about the potential benefits, others express concerns that the ordinance may add to the city's challenges. Critics worry it could worsen issues like homelessness and crime.

What's next:

The City Manager will work with local law enforcement and other relevant departments and offices to establish a one-year Entertainment Zone pilot program in the Downtown Dining and Entertainment District and will return to City Council by the next meeting with recommendations outlining city processes and others like street closure, open alcohol, and event permits, and immediate steps to develop a management plan.

The plan should have a target of allowing a pilot to begin in summer 2025.

The Source: Information for this story is from the Mayor of Long Beach and previous FOX 11 reports.

"Every child deserves the nourishment they need to grow, learn and thrive—even when school is out," Mayor Rex Richardson said.

Fernando Haro, Patch Staff

LONG BEACH, CA — Long Beach is giving out free meals to kids this summer as part of its annual program. Here's what to know.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Summer Food Program began Monday and will run through Friday, August. 22 — excluding holidays, just as Juneteenth and Independence Day.

Meals will be available for those as young as one year old to 18-year-olds, and must be eaten in a designated eating area, according to Long Beach city officials. Each meal consists of items such as milk, juice, fruits and vegetables, along with other "well-balanced nutritious options," city officials said in a June statement.

“Every child deserves the nourishment they need to grow, learn and thrive—even when school is out,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement. “For more than 40 years, the Summer Food Service Program has been a vital service, ensuring our young residents have access to wholesome meals and supporting our community’s health and wellbeing.”

Here's a list of all 24 locations across Long Beach and Signal Hill that will offer free meals:

Find out what's happening in Long Beachfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Serving from 11:30 a.m. to noon:

Serving from noon to 12:30 p.m.:

Serving from noon to 12:30 p.m. from June 17 to Aug. 8:

The Summer Food Service Program, which is funded through the USDA and administered by the California Department of Education, has been serving meals to kids in the Long Beach community since 1979. Over those 46 years, the city has provided more than two million meals, according to city officials.

"This program aligns with the City’s Summer of Opportunity initiative, a collective impact approach focused on fostering positive development among Long Beach youth while simultaneously addressing youth violence," city officials said in a statement.

Although homelessness slightly rose in Long Beach over the past year, data shows more people are accessing shelters than before.

LONG BEACH, CA — Homelessness increased in Long Beach over the past year, with city officials citing the Los Angeles wildfires as a key factor.

During a meeting yesterday to discuss this year's findings, Long Beach city officials said 3,595 people were experiencing homelessness, an increase of 6.5%. Of that 6.5% increase, city officials attributed 5% to the January wildfires in Los Angeles County, while 1.5% was due to other factors.

"What we found was, it was a pretty significant impact, with 167 people identifying that they had been displaced due to the fires and were now experiencing homelessness here in Long Beach," Paul Duncan, Long Beach's homeless services bureau manager, said during the discussion Tuesday. "If you were to take that out, we are seeing that our overall count is about a 1.5% increase."

The wildfires began on Jan. 7 and continued for several weeks, coinciding with Long Beach's homeless count on Jan. 23.

As one of Los Angeles County's augmented weather shelter sites, Long Beach was activated to provide housing for displaced people during the wildfires, city officials said.

But despite the slight increase, Mayor Rex Richardson said the "key takeaway" from this year's count was that more people experiencing homelessness were using shelter resources and fewer were living outside.

“When we look at the City’s efforts to address homelessness apart from the tragic wildfires, we’ve seen improvements in areas where we have struggled in the past, such as a profound decrease in chronic homelessness,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement Tuesday. “We’re proud of the progress that’s been made, and we remain committed to continuing that work.”

People experiencing chronic homelessness went from 1,705 to 1678, a 3.8% decrease, according to this year's data. There was also a 46.6% increase in people accessing shelter, which city officials attribute to the "effectiveness of targeted interventions."

Although the number of people suffering from chronic homelessness decreased, there was a slight increase in people reporting being unhoused over the last year, city officials said. Data shows that the number increased by 1.7% to 390 people.

Of those 390 people, 56.8% said they lost their housing in Long Beach, 26.7% came from nearby areas in Los Angeles and 6.2% were from Orange County, according to the data.

The most common reason people cited for losing their homes was financial hardship, according to city officials. The number of people reporting financial hardship rose by 4.1%, the data shows.

Others cite childhood trauma, including abuse or neglect, as challenges they're facing, according to city officials. And many face underlying conditions, such as physical disabilities, severe mental illness, substance abuse and traumatic brain injuries, according to this year's findings.

"These conditions can make living in unsupported housing and holding a job much more difficult," according to this year's comprehensive report. Many other issues they face can lead to a cycle of instability, which then makes it more difficult for them to access housing or support, according to city officials.

As of Jan. 23, at least 2,606 out of 3,595 people experiencing homelessness remain unsheltered in Long Beach.

But city officials believe increasing outreach and engagement efforts, moving people into non-congregate shelters and then finding them permanent housing and more support resources to transition people into stable housing are keys to lasting progress to reduce homelessness.

Some of the efforts by the city include a newly refurbished interim housing, Homekey at 1725, which used to be the site of the Best Western motel. This new housing grants the city 99 more interim housing units.

Case management services are also provided at the site to help people staying there access resources that may eventually lead to secure long-term housing, city officials said.

The city is also working on opening two new centers — one focused on young adults ages 18 to 24, who are some of the most vulnerable groups facing homelessness, and another Homekey project at the site of the former Luxury Inn motel.

Long Beach also received $11 million in funding from the state to address the homeless population along the Los Angeles Riverbed, according to city officials. The plan is to use that funding to increase outreach and engagement efforts, open more non-congested shelters with resources that lead to their residents finding permanent housing.