Beachcomber

Two-time defending champions Taryn Brasher and Kristen Cruz made AVP history Sunday by three-peating at the AVP Manhattan Beach Open. The 2024 U.S. Olympians and top-ranked women’s pro beach volleyball team in the world became the first duo to capture three consecutive AVP Manhattan Beach Opens since Californians Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings accomplished the feat by winning four straight from 2005-08.

A newly installed iron fence around the Billie Jean King Main Library in Long Beach has reduced encampments and cleaning costs, according to city officials. However, it has sparked a debate over public priorities, coinciding with the city's plans to cut library hours, lay off staff, and reduce emergency services amid a $58 million budget deficit. Completed in May 2026 for $790,000, the perimeter fence acts to isolate the rising number of unsheltered individuals.

With the Port of Long Beach acquiring more office space downtown, the question comes up: what does the downtown commercial real estate market look like now? The Downtown Long Beach Alliance reports that the office market is currently seeing a 66.20% occupancy rate. That’s down from the 67% occupancy rate experienced in 2025. The market is still reeling from last year’s significant drop from 2024’s 77.9% occupancy rate.

Celebrate National Honey Bee Day with a sweet, hands-on experience at 2ND & PCH. The coastal lifestyle center is home to its very own working honey beehives. Producing 10 to 20 pounds of rich, hyper-local honey each year, these busy bees capture the unique floral flavor profile of the Long Beach coast. On Saturday, August 15, families and community members are invited to join in the buzz with a lineup of eco-friendly activities, prizes and exclusive giveaways, on Seaport Way near Sephora.

Following the tragic drownings of the Wallace girls in 1901, which I wrote about in my last Beachcomber article, Long Beach officials were quick to point out that these were the first deaths by drowning since 1896 when Grafton Abernathy, who was consumptive, drowned after spending too much time in the water. All in all, Long Beach was a safe place to bathe, officials told the press. But they were wrong.

Independent researcher Richard Dempsey, a Long Beach native, made a discovery in California’s Mojave Desert that has grown into one of the most ambitious archaeological investigations of the past decade. What began as a single observation in October 2020 has since expanded into a worldwide study. Later this month, his work will be publishd in Who’s Who in Indian Relics featuring a ten-page spread.

A NEW PENGUIN CHICK named Ari has joined the flock at the Aquarium of the Pacific. The male chick was born to parents Kate and Robbie, who were stranded in Brazil in 2010, were rescued and rehabilitated at the Aquarium of the Pacific. The public is now invited to see this penguin family in the June Keyes Penguin Habitat at the Aquarium of the Pacific.

MemorialCare Imaging Center at Long Beach Medical Center has recently acquired a new 3-Tesla (3T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system thanks to the generous support from Hing and Doris Hung – making Long Beach Medical Center the only hospital in the greater Long Beach area to offer the latest in MRI technology.

With the new school year starting in late August, property owners are getting ready to put their rental units on the market to serve college students and others who need a room rental or an apartment. It’s typical for property owners to hear complaints from potential renters who don’t know if they can cover their expenses, with rent having reached much higher levels than a decade ago.

Down Memory Lane On Wednesday, July 22, I had an appointment in Long Beach. After my appointment I passed by the location of the former Long Beach Amphitheater. Mr. Propes, thanks for the trip down memory lane about the first Long Beach Amphitheater. I was in attendance for most of the performances that you mentioned in the June 26 issue of the Beachcomber. I remember the Curtis Mayfield concert and hearing about the incident in Brooklyn.