Long Beach Shiny New Downtown

LA’s downtown isn’t the only one undergoing a major transformation, LA’s little brother Long Beach is also in the mitts of a construction boom.  Downtown Long Beach has over 20 projects either already
under construction, or proposed for development.  A few of the developments that will drastically change the image of Downtown LB will be a $250 Entertainment Center adjacent to the Queen Mary, 
a 35 story Residential tower (set to be the new tallest tower for LB), a flashy new Civic Center , and remodel of the Aquarium of the Pacific.  Curbed LA compiled a list of developments planned that has me pretty excited to see what DTLB will eventually grow into.

Queen Mary Development

New Civic Center

Aquarium of the Pacific

Dancing in The Streets of Long Beach is Back!

Summer and Music, SAM, has returned for the fifth time around with the kick-off, the always fun ‘Dancing in the Streets.’ The Summer And Music festival features eclectic music events, extraordinary acts and dances at various eco-conscious outdoor venues throughout Long Beach’s downtown. Dancin’ in the Streets is the first to kick off the summer festival on June 27, showcasing sounds of California’s culture, food and music from an array of genres. The event takes places at the Promenade from 7 p.m. – 11 p.m. DJ Lithuanian Prince will be entertaining throughout the night while attendees can partake in the Beachwood BBQ and Brewing Beer Garden. This year’s festival will also introduce the new event Twisted at the Pike. This experience will offer attendees the chance to travel into a twisted carnival setting accompanied by live music, magic and art. The event will take place on July 20 from 6 p. m. – 11 p.m. at the Pike’s Rainbow Harbor’s Ferris Wheel setting.

Event Details

SAM

More on SAM

TODAY! “What Do We Tell Our Sons?”

In light of the Trayvon Martin case, Atty. Jaaye Person-Lynn will moderate a panel tonight: What Do We Tell Our Sons? Please don’t miss this forum from the legal perspective! Don’t let your sons and daughters navigate Los Angeles without these details! Sponsored by Black Women Lawyers, Inc., and N.A.N.

Today! Thursday, August 15, from 5-8pm, (light refreshments from 5-6pm and discussion from 6-8pm), at First AME Church, 2270 S. Harvard Blvd., LA, CA 90018, our legal community will communicate the law as it relates to the Zimmerman verdict in Florida and racial profiling in California.

This is forum is your legal community in action, doing our part to ensure that Trayvon Martin’s, Kendrick McDade’s, Oscar Grant’s, and the many others unnecessary deaths will not be in vein.  Knowledge is Power and gives Confidence.  This is literally the type of knowledge that saves lives! I look forward to seeing you.

How Do I Get There?

20th Annual Long Beach Crawfish Festival

New Orleans comes to Southern California! It’s the 20^th Annual Long Beach Crawfish Festival. Serving seasoned Cajun Crawfish dinners, prepared to mouth-watering perfection in the world’s largest crawfish pots. Crawfish meals include succulent red baby potatoes, buttery corn on the cob and creamy and a delectable remoulade dipping sauce.

LB Crawfish Festival

BlackNLA Crawfish Festival Link

26th Annual Long Beach Jazz Festival

The 26th Annual Long Beach Jazz Festival is vastly approaching, August 9-11.  One of my favorites, the Long Beach Jazz Festival setups on a grassy knoll adjacent to the beach  in Downtown Long Beach’s Shoreline Village, setting the perfect atmosphere for a evening of awesome live R&B and Jazz performances.  This years line up includes: The Whispers, Howard Hewett, The O’Jays, Euge Groove, Gladys Knight, Poncho Sanchez, Eric Benét, and many more!

Long Beach Jazz Festival

102 Days of Summer

Long Beach City Hall Going Lofts

Long Beach is sprucing it a bit, converting the building that housed Edison International, City Hall East into Edison Lofts.  Once finished, Edison Lofts will offer 134 studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments with a groundfloor cafe and live/work units. Cliff Ratkovich, who leads the group buying the building, says he hopes to “turn it into a beautiful jewel on the skyline,” adding that the rehabbed building will no longer be a barrier between downtown Long Beach and the East Village Arts District.  Asking/Selling price, $2.1 million.

Long Beach City Hall Lofts

2013 Fruit Tree Giveaway

The Social Justice Institute, along with Inglewood Unified School District and Tree People are sponsoring a free Fruit Tree at the 2013 Fruit Tree Giveaway Festival Saturday, January 26th, 2013 from 10:00am – 4:00pm.  The Friut Tree Giveaway Festival will be held at Morningside High School (10500 Yukon Ave. Inglewood, CA 90303) .  Be sure to apply for your free friut tree http://www.sjli-cp.org/FTDP, call 323.952.3466 or email dsteele@sjli-cp.org to reserve your tree TODAY!

Holiday Time In SouthLA

Merry Christmas and Happy New Years SouthLA

“Deck Crenshaw with boughs of holly, Fa la la la la, la la la la!” It’s Holiday Time in South Los Angeles, and we’re shaping up pretty well if I may say so myself.  There are a slew of events being putting on around town from Tree Lightings’ to Toy Give Aways’.   Councilmember Parks hosted the 10th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony and holiday concert on Monday, November 26 on Crenshaw Blvd.  Organized the first year of Councilmen Parks term, the free family oriented event has become a tradition within the SouthLA community.  Over to Baldwin Hills,  My Mother’s Order of the Eastern Star Group passed out meals and toys at Holiday Festival this past Saturday.   Formally known as Christmas in November, the Holiday Festival is hosted by Children Youth and Family Collaborative at Rancho Cienaga Park next to Dorsey.  

Find Out Where To Vote?

VOTE NOVEMBER 6th!  Need to find out where you need to go to vote, click here.  This page will generate where polls will be based off your address.

7th Annual ‘Taste Of Soul’ Is Finally Upon Us!!

Tomorrow, Saturday October 20th, Crenshaw blvd will be closed from Stocker to Rodeo for LA’s Largest Street Fair, the 7th Annual ‘Taste of Soul’. Taste of Soul is spread of 5 city blocks of food, music, and fun.  More than 400 vendors, six entertainment stages, and an anticipation of at least 250,000 spectators covering over a mile this years Taste will rendezvous from 10 a.m. till 7p.m. “‘Taste of Soul’ has mushroomed from an inaugural gathering of more than 50,000 into an accumulation of spectators that has approached one million collectively, thus certifying the event as one of the largest of its kind in America.  “Because of the overwhelming success of 2011 ‘Taste of Soul’, we have extended the celebration down Crenshaw Blvd., three additional city blocks from Stocker Ave. to Rodeo Rd.,” stated Founder/Creator Danny Bakewell Sr.”   You can even take  LA’s newest Light Rail, Expo Line, and get off right at the northern entrance to the fair at Crenshaw and Rodeo. SouthLA would love to share in your enjoyment at whats slated to be the hottest Taste of Soul yet , send us some your pics and at the event and we’ll post ’em to our facebook group or if your on twitter #hashtag us  “#TasteOfSoul2012 #SouthLA”.

Biggest Street Fair In Los Angeles