At this writing summer is in full swing and chugging along towards a Labor Day finale. So far in May and June we have had Touch-a-Truck, LA Beer Week, The Annual Dia De San Juan Festival, The Long Beach Grand Nationals Ski Race, Juneteenth Celebration, Ulman Sails LB Race Week, US Rowing Beach Sprint Nationals and so many more events and happenings in our Long Beach Marinas, on our beaches and upon our waterways.

July and August will bring much the same in the way of entertainment and exciting recreation opportunities. We kick off July with the Big Bang on the Bay event in Alamitos Bay. The fun continues the following day as we observe Independence Day on July 4. Pirates will be invading Shoreline Park on July 8 and Dragon Boats will be cruising the waters of Marine Stadium to close out the month of July on the 29th.

The diversity of our Long Beach Marinas community and our City as a whole is evident in the multifaceted events we host. Long Beach Pride will be making another splash on Shoreline Drive and at Marina Green on August 5 and 6. I hope everyone takes the opportunity to recognize we all have a place here in this world, this nation, this state, this city and in our marinas.

You can catch the annual Long Beach Jazz Festival on August 11-13 at Rainbow Lagoon and if that is not your speed head over to Bayshore Beach in Alamitos Bay to watch the Beach Water Polo Cup. With that all said and done close out your August with a leisurely swim in Alamitos Bay with the Naples Island Swim 2023 on August 20.

While you are enjoying all the fun our Long Beach Marinas system has to offer this summer, please do me and our Marine Bureau staff a small favor – Utilize the Pack IN, Pack OUT format. Debris, refuse and trash is a tremendous issue we are currently facing. Pack light if you can, dispose of any trash you generate in proper receptacles and if you cannot find a place for refuse, take it with you to dispose of properly later. Our Maintenance staff will continue to work towards a neat, clean and orderly Long Beach Marinas system. Your help is truly appreciated in this endeavor.

Stay well and safe boating,
Todd Leland
Interim Marine Bureau Manager
Marina Offices are open and accepting new vessel permit applications. To provide more comfortable and efficient customer service we have moved to a hybrid front desk/window service at ABM and Shoreline offices. Note – Many requests can still be readily handled by phone or email.

This summer use sunscreen…. at least 30 SPF, even on overcast days. Sunscreen should be applied 20 minutes before going outside to allow it to bond with the skin. A liberal amount is needed to fully cover the skin. A shot glass (1 ounce) of sunscreen is adequate when most of your skin is exposed and should be reapplied every two hours.

Unauthorized commercial activity is ILLEGAL IN LONG BEACH – Please do not engage in unauthorized commercial activity at, on or near Long Beach Marinas property. Violators can and will be cited and punished to the full extent of applicable law. Reminder – Unauthorized Commercial activity will put your slip permit in jeopardy of cancellation.
 
DID YOU KNOW The average water temperature in Long Beach during July and August is approximately 66 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s 3 degrees warmer than the June annual average of 63. Per the FDA - All sunscreens, even those labeled “water resistant,” eventually wash off. Water resistance claims, for 40 or 80 minutes, tell you how much time you can expect to get the labeled SPF-level of protection while moving in and out of the water. Manufacturers are not allowed to make claims that their sunscreens are “waterproof” or “sweat proof.” Bottom Line: No sunscreen is waterproof.
On Friday, June 23 the City of Long Beach hosted a grand opening event at Claremont Launch Ramp to celebrate the activation of its newest Lifeguard station. The facility located at 5374 East Ocean Boulevard is a state of the art pre-fabricated structure purpose built to support Long Beach’s world renowned Junior Lifeguard program.

Since the program’s inception it has operated on the beachfront near 55th Place at the base of the Peninsula. The original LBJG support facility remains at 55th Place for the time being as a reminder of how far the life-saving skills program has come. The new building has all the modern features to accommodate the Lifeguard instructor staff – restrooms, locker rooms, conference room, roof top observation deck and more.

Most importantly the building is constructed to support the LBJGs for decades to come. Participation in the program has grown every year for the past decade and is now burgeoning close to 1,000 youth enrollees each summer. Long Beach Fire Department Marine Safety Chief Gonzalo Medina and his staff have been committed to growing the program and expanding its reach to all parts of Long Beach.

LBJG is a seven-week summer program open to youth aged 9-16. Passing a prerequisite 100-yard swim test is required to participate. Training opportunities are available throughout the year to practice for the swim test. More information on the program can be found at https://www.longbeachjgs.com/.

Over the past nine months our Long Beach waterfront and sandy beaches have been pounded by rainstorm conditions and inundated with debris pushed into our coastal waters from the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers. In that time our Beach and Marine Maintenance teams have worked tirelessly to maintain the beaches, waterways, and marinas to the cleanest state possible.

In a “regular” year our debris crews remove and dispose of approximately 1,300 tons of material collected from our beaches, waterways, and marinas. That comes out to about 2.85 million pounds raked, lifted, and hauled off each year. This year has not been a “regular” year. It has been an “unprecedented” year. To date, since October 1, our Marine Bureau maintenance employees have extricated nearly 4,000 tons of trash, refuse and debris from our Long Beach Marinas properties. Which is close to 9 million pounds!!! That is over three times more material than is annually collected.

Our beaches and waterways have not been as clean as they have been in past years. No one knows this more than the men and women that are tasked to keep our footprint debris free each day. During this “unprecedented” season they have sacrificed weekends, holidays and countless hours with friends and family to get our beaches, waterways, and marinas back to the clean, debris free areas we are accustomed to. It has been a long, hard effort and there is still work to be done. However, as of June 19 all areas of the beaches, waterways and marinas are free of major debris.

Throughout the summer you will see Maintenance staff working large rakes and sand sanitizers on the beachfront to remove the smaller particle debris that remains. You will also see Marine Bureau staff with skimmer nets addressing debris floating in slips by hand. If you happen to see one of these outstanding individuals in the course of their duties this summer, please recognize them for their tremendous dedication to maintaining our environment this year.