Military Training Exercises Cause Stir in Long Beach and City of Industry

City officials in Long Beach and the City of Industry have issued warnings about potential disturbances due to U.S. military training exercises scheduled for Thursday night. Residents should expect to hear helicopters, controlled explosions, and simulated weapons fire.

These exercises will occur until 2 a.m. in the eastern part of Long Beach. Police will be stationed in the area to ensure the safety of pedestrians and vehicles. The activities are expected to wrap up by 1 a.m. in Long Beach.

“To preserve operational safety, we’re unable to provide further information regarding the nature of the training, location, or timing,”

said a statement from Long Beach city officials. They clarified that the event is not accessible to the public or the media.

This follows similar notifications from Irvine and Pasadena, where training was conducted earlier. Pasadena spokesperson Lisa Derderian mentioned that these exercises are routine and occur across the United States. However, given the heightened sensitivities during election week, Pasadena officials wanted to minimize public concern over the noise.

Derderian stated, “That’s why we, as a city, try to put out as much messaging on many different platforms — social media, Nixle, reverse 911 — so we can ensure the public is aware.”

In Pasadena, the exercises took place near the old St. Luke Hospital building, close to Altadena Drive and Washington Boulevard. Despite these precautions, some residents in Pasadena and Irvine expressed unease about the unexpected sounds and the secrecy surrounding the operations.