Stirring words on a hot day at Long Beach’s latest anti-Prop. 8 rally
Saturday’s anti-Proposition 8 rally at the usually-deserted Burton W. Chace Civic Center was, as advertised, a “peaceful rally,” with babies frolicking on the grass outside City Hall, loving couples lounging barefoot in front of the stage, and Long Beach police sitting on their [...]

The Urinals “Surfin’ with the Shah”

A worthy preface to a post-punk Sunday spent at the Part Time Punks Fest (which is bringing out everyone from A Certain Ratio and Pylon to Vivian Girls and Mika Miko) comes to the Prospector tonight with the Urinals. The recently reunited Urinals have been popping up at LA clubs [...]

If last week’s anti-Proposition 8 rally was any indication, city officials should pay close attention to tomorrow’s sequel–scheduled at 10:30 a.m. in the courtyard outside City Hall, 333 W. Ocean Blvd.
That’s because the rally, Long Beach’s part in the National Day of Support for California Marriage Equality, should neatly accomplish something the city only pulls [...]

The LA Times ran the numbers from the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder’s website breaking down how each of LA County’s cities voted on Prop. 8. From just a cursory look at the digits, if you’re gay you might want to steer clear of places such as Compton, which voted 65 percent “yes,” Cerritos (66 [...]

Taking a closer look at downtown statistics

Editor’s note: this item has been partially re-written–by its author–in hopes of improving it
When you think of downtown Long Beach and Pine Avenue, what images come to mind? A late-night walker being stalked–and badly beaten–by four still-unidentified assailants? A brawl outside a nightclub? For Long Beach police, how we [...]

Looking left, right and center with Long Beach’s next political star

PHOTO by JOHN GILHOOLEY
We know how Robert Garcia got here, and by “here” we mean just about anywhere you look in Long Beach, but especially downtown—and eternally, it seems, perched on the verge of officially announcing he’s running for city council. We know a lot [...]

An early Long Beach veterinarian saw dogs and cats—and horses—at this Rose Park house

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
A newspaperman in John Ford’s 1962 Western The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance—a completely unrelated source—delivers what should be the last word on the old Doc Carter place. “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend,” says the publisher, [...]

Start to finish at the march on H8 2008

PHOTO by JONATHAN NAFARRETE
What began with a text message sent from the cell phone of Long Beach resident Tom Crowe on the afternoon of Nov. 6 had by the following evening turned into a gathering of 2,000-plus protesters (gay/straight, old/young, human/canine), a community action so pure in [...]

Outsider Folk: All are welcome

PHOTO by MEGHAN GRAY
I first met Matthew Gray at the final show my old punk band played before we went on hiatus in 2006. We were at the original {open}, and I had just told an offensive joke that previously cleared half our crowd in Santa Cruz. Earlier in the year, [...]

While the rest of the country would surely recognize the tiny stretch of First Street between Linden and Elm avenues as one Miami’s more murder-heavy promenades—praise be to CSI: Miami location scouts—we know it well for its real-life, safer, alter ego: the East Village Arts District. From the pure excellence of Utopia restaurant up to [...]