This week the city council received a presentation on the progress the city is making on its updated Housing Element. The council also voted to lease the Long Beach Convention Center to the federal government in order to house migrant children. Plus, the council move forward with exploring transferring control of the Queen Mary to the Harbor Commission.

The council signs off on $24 million in grants from LA County Measure W funds for three stormwater treatment projects. We also talk to Vincent Vo of DSA Long Beach about what it means that the council is moving forward with a resolution to support Medicare for All and how folks can get involved in grassroots organizing in the city around the M4A.

We talk to Long Beach Forward Executive Director James Suazo about the $220 million Long Beach Recovery Plan the council approved this week. Also on the show: the city's outlook for the next budget cycle and the council's decision to study the possibility of offering up to eight more cannabis retail dispensary licenses to applicants of the Long Beach Cannabis Equity Program.

The City Council votes to give the Aquarium of the Pacific an up to $5 million loan to help them weather the pandemic. Also on the show: We'll go over some of the potential benefits and dangers of the plan to make Long Beach a "smart city," plus the council moves forward with a federal grant application that could restore Engine 17.

Hear from former Long Beach Councilmember Gerrie Schipske about the council's decided to (finally!) reintroduce video into their meeting webcasts -- which have been audio-only for the last year since meetings went completely virtual due to pandemic restrictions.

The council also tackled a recent performance audit of the city’s library services that found several deficiencies, including inadequate access for non-English speaking visitors, working families, students, and people with disabilities.

Also: the council took the first steps toward creating a dedicated Latino cultural district called El Mercado de Long Beach.

Find out where the chips fell in regards to the city's FY 2020 budget, plus the council awards a contract for the operation of a Best Western that will be converted into temporary housing for people experiencing homelessness and a new plan to demolish the old City Hall building.

The city unveiled it's Strategic Plan for Youth and Emerging Adults, a blueprint to improve the health and wellness of young people in Long Beach. We talked to Jennefer Heng, a community organizer for Khamer Girls in Action, about the plan and what it means for the city's young people.

We also break down the city's proposal for a permanent flavored tobacco ban and a massive renter assistance program that will soon take shape in Long Beach using federal and state funds.

With a sharp increase in violence since the pandemic started, the City Council expressed a desire to direct more police into areas being affected by the crime.

Plus how the city’s coronavirus vaccine rollout is going and why a grassroots movement in the Eighth District may have had something to do with the council’s decision to further explore creating green space along the LA River.