It’s A Long Beach Thing

Joshua Rodriguez a husband, father, and police officer has reached a turning point. Frustrated by rising crime, homelessness, and a challenging environment for local businesses, he’s stepping up to take action in the city he loves, Long Beach.

Long Beach mayoral candidate Chris Sweeney joins the podcast to share his vision for the city. He discusses his plans to lower crime, address homelessness, support small businesses, and create a stronger future for Long Beach.

Bill Grisolia, founder of the Long Beach Blues Society, talks about his love for blues music and how it became his life’s passion starting at the age of 27. Bill shares the many ways he has helped elevate blues music in Long Beach and the work he has done to support and grow the local blues community.

Chris Acker, head coach of Long Beach State men’s basketball, talks about his basketball journey and his transition into coaching. He also shares why he decided to take the job at California State University, Long Beach and what needs to happen for the program to be successful. He discusses the culture he wants to build, the type of players he wants in the program, and his vision for the future of the team.

Hector Bordas talks about his style of leadership and his definition of a strong workplace culture. As a Chief Clarity Officer, he shares the tools in his toolbox that help businesses improve their work culture in Long Beach and beyond. His insights offer practical strategies for leaders who want to build stronger teams, better communication, and more positive work environments.

Jordan Baseball Head Coach Phil Berman talks about his opportunity to play baseball at Jordan and as result, it gave him an opportunity to play college ball. Now has the head coach, he helps his players live out their goals and passions on and off the field.

Desiree Vavak shares how being taken advantage of through her own personal mortgage loan inspired her lifelong mission to protect and support others. Tune in to hear her inspiring journey to becoming a successful loan officer, helping people who have been turned away elsewhere and finding solutions to secure the loans they need.

Uduak shares his story of being a young dad at Long Beach City College, while maintaining the highest GPA on the football team and working 2 jobs to provide for his family. He was also the 17th California State Oil and Gas Supervisor. But more than all that, Uduak has a sense of service since a very young age and has always given back to his community in North Long Beach. 

Brian talks about going from Pre Med, to a 5 Star Chief, and ending up as a highly successful Financial Advisor. Learn about Brain's unique journey and his passion on helping his community find financial independence.  

David Black is a local Long Beach Entrepreneur, who was a partner of the famous Gondola Getaway that goes through the canals of Naples. He talks about his new book The American Gondolier, where he wrote about all the exciting stories on making his dream a reality.

Coach Nes is on mission to make the sport of lacrosse accessible for all kids in Long Beach and in the surrounding area.  His passion for the sport shines bright in the interview.

Long Beach Police Chief Wally Hebeish shares his remarkable journey to becoming Chief and offers a candid look at the city’s current crime landscape. He breaks down the challenges, the progress, and how the police department and community are working together to keep Long Beach safe.

Sequoia Neff talks about growing up in the District 9 of Long Beach and all the fond memories in the neighborhood. After establishing herself as a successful real estate broker, she has moved back into the area. She has identified things she wants to change and improve, so she has decided to run for Long Beach City Council of District 9.

Real Estate expert Greg Ernst gives us the insight of Long Beach real estate. He also talks about his first memory of going to Long Beach as a very young boy seeing the Queen Mary and growing up near Heartwell Park. 

Rick Anderson talks about his athletic journey through Long Beach and his time playing at the University of Arizona. Rick explains about the practice of Yoga and how it was a key source to handling the pressures of being an elite athlete. As a result, he has built a career teaching Yoga at Long Beach City College. 

Eli from the 562 breaks down the long beach high school football programs, woman's flag football, girl's volleyball, and men's water polo. Learn everything you need to know about the Long Beach high school fall sports.

Tyler Schafer talks about the mindset it takes to play division 1 college sports. His perspective is extremely refreshing in this competitive world. He also talks about his goals going forward as a professional golfer. 

Sebastian and Willie talk about all it took to bring a professional football club (soccer) to the city of Long Beach. They big plans to build a stadium and hire local talent to make the club grow in the city they love.