Tuesday, March 31, 2026

Culture & Commentary

Long Beach Chef Arthur Gonzalez, founder of Panxa Cocina, dies

The talented chef was the man not only behind Panxa, but Roe and The Hideaway—a talent that took him back-and-forth from Long Beach to Colorado, where he continued his culinary dream.

Long Beach Lost: Famed mid-mod SeaPort Marina Hotel was once the gem of the Shore

My ongoing series, Long Beach Lost, was launched to examine buildings, places, and things that have either been demolished, are set to be demolished, or are in motion to possibly be demolished—or were never even in existence. This is not a preservationist series but rather a historical series that will help keep a record of our architectural, cultural, and spatial history.

Tucked under a freeway in North Long Beach sits Organic Harvest Gardens, a Black-owned farm trying to better the world through harvesting

Chef Rod Dodd has been a steward of both the Black community regionally and the Long Beach food scene—and his mission to better the world through harvesting, education, and love has never changed.

From cinema to porn: How Downtown Long Beach was once the epicenter of filmmaking and theaters

Long before Hollywood became, well, Hollywood—Long Beach was destined to become the cinematic center of the world, with a ton of studios and theaters dominating the cinema scene in SoCal—that is, until oil moved in.

Belmont Shore in Long Beach isn’t getting a new Cuban restaurant—that’s just a set for ‘Griselda’ on Netflix

With such specific detailing and even a neon sign, locals were hopeful the space that formerly carried Club Ripples on its shoulders for decades was going to become a new Cuban restaurant.

An ode to the queer bars of Long Beach’s Gayborhood—and every queer bar in the world

The holidays can be a convoluted emotional bag for those within the queer community—and this is a dedication and reminder that whether surrounded by love or still searching to find some form of it, our bars are more than just bars: They're our churches.

Celebrating the Latino & Latinx creators that ‘artify’ our urban landscape

We explore how resilient Latino and Latinx neighborhoods from Long Beach to Minneapolis are adapting and reclaiming their built environment to make up for the lack of accommodations architecture and city planning has made for communities of color.

‘Cannibalization of the Black community:’ Residents voice concerns as historic Black core faces divvying via redistricting

While much of the redistricting conversation has revolved around the Cambodian leadership push to unify its own, many Black residents—hindered by a lack of communication and access to information—feel they are being pushed out of a conversation that affects them the most adversely.

Wine Country in Long Beach: How the generous, curious spirit of one man brought wine culture to our city

For nearly 30 years, Long Beach native Randy Kemner has been on a small-but-mighty mission: To hopefully alter one person's perception of wine at a time in the hopes that all of America's wine culture can become better.

ComplexCon’s ‘food lagoon’ is an ode to SoCal grub—including Long Beach’s own scene

The annual convention—which saw Snoop Dogg perform on his home turf for the first time in decades when it premiered—is looking to amp up its food section with plenty of Long Beach and regional vendors.
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