Letters Matter
Letters Matter: Nuisance, Etiquette and Participation
How do problems get fixed? Knowing how things work and having residents who are collectively and coordinately involved is an essential first step. That’s how neighborhoods get things done. For example, knowing when to call for an emergency response, 911 or when it is more effective to contact our Police Department’s chronic nuisance email address, LBPDEast@longbeach.gov. In other words, the beat officer who is on duty when you call will respond to your call as an emergency, but if you email a description of when a non-emergent but troubling activity is occurring e.g. everyday morning at 4am at a certain location, you’ll likely improve the response.
Voting is another way to get things done. It may seem counter intuitive but if we are disinterested in who is running our city or regional governments that implies we may be disinterested in working to solve problems. Frankly a large percentage of our residents who are eligible to vote don’t – we have a poor track record. Regardless of who you’d like to represent you voting implies engagement and accountability.
The neighborhood association works to be responsive, but we are not the city nor are we you. We have made some gains. As more people move into our neighborhood we expect we will have more things to work on. So here are the items that were submitted from our recent “what needs to be done” call-out. I’ve not included the comment one person submitted re: homeless in the neighborhood – there will be large scale efforts soon that we can work with the city on. But in the meantime, here are the remaining concerns and what if any efforts are underway at the neighborhood level to improve the situation. Next Community Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday September 25th 6:30-8pm at Rivera’s Mexican Restaurant (yes, children are welcome!). Focus will be on Nuisance vs. Etiquette with new Eastside Commander O’Dowd and 2nd District Councilmember Pearce.
| Issue | Action/Status |
| Smoking in Rose Park | The no smoking ordinance is in effect at all Long Beach city parks. No smoking signs are posted prominently at Rose Park. However, because of the lack of cannabis education public-service announcements, some cannabis consumers believe that now cannabis is legal, medically and recreationally, therefore it is legal to smoke in public. That is not the case. It is legal to smoke cannabis in private, but illegal to smoke in public. To help build awareness, RPNA reached out to the Long Beach Collective Association regarding their public-awareness campaign about smoking cannabis in public spaces. Watch for the “Etiquette Issue” in this year’s RPNA Directory. |
| Activities in the Park | RPNA will reach out to interested residents to increase activities in park. I recently was introduced to our new Parks and Rec. Director Gerardo Mouet and have plans to discuss ways to increase needed programming in the park, as well as around our neighborhood. If you are interested, please email info@rpna.org |
| Grass/lawn maintenance in Rose Park. | RPNA contacted Parks & Rec who will monitor turn/lawn status – please email status to info@rpna.org so we can follow-up |
| Traffic/Parking Concerns
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· Fall Community Meeting Agenda will focus on car break-ins and benefits of parking off street when possible. Both the Eastside Commander and Councilperson Pearce are expected to attend. Tuesday Sept. 25th 6:30-8pm at Rivera’s Mexican Restaurant.
· Reminders of parking etiquette including use of existing garage space for parking vs. other functions will be disseminated. This includes multi-unit buildings. · Different neighborhoods have received grant funding for the “Your speed” signs. RPNA will put this on their Board agenda and communicate with Traffic Department to delineate the required steps. |
| E7th St & Temple (lot) | The property at E7th & Temple has been a concern for over a decade. You will see that this private property is once again for sale. There has been interest expressed in past – but at that time the gas tank mitigation was not complete. |
| Dumpster Diving | Locks for large metal dumpsters please contact our 2nd District Office regarding this program.
City regulation is that brown/purple cans for individual households must be kept off the street except during pick-up. RPNA Board is convening a group of residents who’ve expressed interest in clean-up and art in our alleys and other mis-understood spaces. Want to join in? info@rpna.org |
| Drug Paraphernalia | There is an increase regionally in street use of heroin and other injectables. There was a recent incidence at our beaches. RPNA has contacted Parks & Rec who are trained in proper disposal. Commander O’Dowd will speak to this issue at our upcoming Fall Community Meeting. |
| 10th Street Improvements
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10th Street is so important to our neighborhood! Several years ago, past president Emily Stevens kicked off Moms for a Beautiful 10th Street. Since then we’ve accomplished tree plantings (more to come with curb cuts), mulching and tree-keepping, and safety concerns with our #AlarmYourself. Our adjoining neighborhoods have helped and want to continue to reinforce our efforts. Plus, this past year the Willard Neighborhood has gotten off the ground with projects to clean up parkways and other related issues. RPNA Board will be reaching out to interested residents to continue this work. If you are interested please email info@rpna.org |
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