Long Beach Chisme for Patreons

The votes are in! James and Daniel discuss key takeaways, power struggles, and political tomfoolery from the November 2022 election now that Long Beach and LA County are at the tailend of our midterm life crisis. thank u, next to the political ambitions of the police, NIMBYs, and Bob Foster. Follow Long Beach Chisme on IG and TikTok @lbchisme and on Twitter at @LongBeachChisme. And don’t forget Chisme is doing a LIVE season finale on Dec. 10 at Plantiitas. We have very limited space so please go smash the RSVP link in our bio. Show notes here.

It’s time for our own Sunday Funday as we revisit Robert Garcia’s tumultuous two terms as Mayor of Long Beach! Local criminal defense attorney and former City Hall staffer Stefan Borst-Censullo returns to join James and Daniel for all the highs and lows of Robert’s time mayoring. What could possibly go wrong when a mayor prioritizes public relations, partying, and free-market economics over people? Follow Long Beach Chisme on IG and TikTok @lbchisme and on Twitter at @LongBeachChisme. Get your show notes here.

Eat your heart out, Nancy Drew. Kevin Flores, co-founder and editor at FORTHE, is back for part two of our Long Beach housing story: Ocean-Error and the Case of the Missing Middle. This mystery is full of twists, turns, complex finance schemes, and community wine dispensers! For whom should affordable housing be prioritized and why is everyone playing dumb while developers rob the city blind? We promise you will never look at the Oceanaire building the same way again. Follow Long Beach Chisme on IG and TikTok @lbchisme and on Twitter at @LongBeachChisme. Show Notes Here.

Tuck yourselves in to listen to the most chaotic bedtime story as Kevin Flores, co-founder and reporter with FORTHE, retells how Long Beach has repeatedly prioritized the interests of developers and the real estate industry over low-income renters. In part one, he discusses how the city's now-defunct redevelopment agency for decades shaped Long Beach by demolishing low-income housing and handing over millions of tax dollars to developers. Honestly, is it even a bedtime story if it doesn’t have sex workers, cigar-smoking cabals, and slush funds? Follow Long Beach Chisme on IG and TikTok @lbchisme and on Twitter at @LongBeachChisme.

This week’s episode is giving extreme heat, sea level rise, and crony capitalism. James and Daniel are joined by local Sunrise Movement organizer Kenny Allen to talk about all the chisme around how Long Beach is failing to do enough to address the climate crisis. Drill in baby, drill in! Follow Long Beach Chisme on IG and TikTok @lbchisme and on Twitter at @LongBeachChisme. Show Notes Here.

Y’all have been stopping us on the street and asking for it, so here it is: James and Daniel finally get to the bottom (or top) of Robert Garcia’s rise to political power. With the help of local criminal defense attorney and former Garcia staffer Stefan Borst-Censullo, we retell the highs and lows from Robert’s Cal State Long Beach days to his schmoozey cruise onto the City Council—plus all  the chisme in between. This is a reaaaal juicy one so don’t miss it. Follow Long Beach Chisme on IG and TikTok @lbchisme and on Twitter at @LongBeachChisme. Show notes here

The story of regulating and fighting over cannabis is far from over--because of money, honey! James and Daniel dig into the “blood sport” of cannabis licensing, social equity, y más all while trying not to get sued. Follow Long Beach Chisme on IG and TikTok @lbchisme and on Twitter @LongBeachChisme.LBChisme is produced and distributed by FORTHE.org.Show Notes and Sources.

CW: Sexual assault and violence against women. Women of color have always been at the forefront of social change, and the fight for worker protections in Long Beach is no different—especially when the City Council refused to support them. This is the story of the time hotel workers took on the city's powerful hoteliers and political establishment... and won. From 20-year-old Renaissance Hotel worker Claudia Sanchez who suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and fell into a coma after working a 14-hour shift to the badass women who took their fight to TIME Magazine and the ballot box, our hosts are joined by local organizer Marlene Montañez who recounts the struggle to pass labor protections in the form of Measure WW in 2018.Follow Long Beach Chisme on IG and TikTok @lbchisme and on Twitter at @LongBeachChisme. Show Notes and Sources