Built (Not) to Spill
What would happen to Long Beach’s 40-year-old oil islands if something should happen to the Long Beach Breakwater, allowing a storm to strike the garish little landmarks with open-ocean force?
“That’s a good question,” says Bill McFarland, human resources manager and 26-year employee of THUMS Long Beach Company (the islands’ operator in contract [...]

Logo A-Go-Go
Hey look! The Port of Long Beach just got a flashy new logo, complete with rainbow colors and an animated design, which port spokesman Art Wong said is intended to “evoke a childlike quality, maybe even inspire children.” The logo is debuting on silky flags hung from street lights along Seventh Street, among other [...]

We’re in the money
The California Coastal Conservancy—a state agency that’s been restoring California’s shoreline since 1976—approved a $50,000 disbursement to the City of Long Beach this afternoon. The money, coming from the agency’s annual budget of $53 million, will help fund a reconnaissance study intended to measure the cost-effectiveness of reconfiguring the Long Beach Breakwater.

State of ownership
“Maybe the state of California could take over the Long Beach Breakwater!” Fourth District City Councilman Patrick O’Donnell suddenly exclaimed (thus, the exclamation point) with equal parts enthusiasm and desperation as he cajoled the crowd for suggestions during the breakwater forum he sponsored at the Aquarium of the Pacific on Dec. 1.
A few [...]

The Breakwater Forum
Fourth District City Councilman Patrick O’Donnell interrupted his partying at the Surfrider Foundation’s Breakwater Bash on Thursday night just long enough to announce his own breakwater event.
The Breakwater Forum—probably a little less fun but a lot more informational—will be held Saturday, Dec. 1 at the Aquarium of the Pacific’s Honda Theater. It’s free [...]

Marine layer
While the Long Beach City Manager’s office was snail-mailing a “notice of funding” letter to the Army Corps of Engineers requesting a reconnaissance study of the Breakwater, another alarming ocean water-quality report seemed to emphasize the need for such a study. Tests by the National Resources Defense Council found that Long Beach has five [...]

Keeping a promise he made to the Long Beach City Council last month, Harbor Commissioner President Mario Cordero will ask the Port of Long Beach on Monday to contribute $50,000 toward a so-called reconnaissance study of the Breakwater—an examination of the cost-effectiveness of reconfiguring the rock wall that blocks waves from the local shoreline.
Cordero stood [...]