LONG BEACH, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–May 12, 2026–
As the City of Long Beach prepares to host its annual Pride Parade and celebration this weekend, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is pleased to announce the dedication of its expanded AHF Wellness Center – Long Beach with a ribbon-cutting ceremony set Friday, May 15th. The state-of-the-art facility—relocated upstairs and separate from AHF’s Healthcare Center, offers free and confidential STI and HIV testing, counseling, and access to resources like PrEP and PEP.
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“AHF Wellness Centers are a part of AHF’s broader mission to provide comprehensive HIV/AIDS and STI prevention, treatment, and advocacy, meeting clients where they are and eliminating barriers to accessing care and services for those most in need,” said Marcelino Alcorta, AHF Western Bureau Chief. “This new, conveniently located site in Long Beach is a stellar example of AHF’s innovative approach in better serving the community.”
HIV and STI Statistics in Long Beach, CA
According to the data, Long Beach has catalogued 4,038 people living with HIV as of Dec. 31, 2023. Long Beach’s rate of people living with HIV is 865.5 per 100,000 residents, significantly higher than the 2021 statewide rate of 352.9 per 100,000, according to the California HIV Surveillance Report that year ( Long Beach Post, Jan 26, 2024 ).
Long Beach also experiences high rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), often exceeding Los Angeles County (LAC) averages. In 2021, over 5,400 new cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis were reported among residents, with particularly high rates in the 20-29 age group. ( Long Beach HIV/STI Report – 2023 ). For testing information and hours, please visit www.freeSTDcheck.org.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the world’s largest HIV/AIDS healthcare organization, provides cutting-edge medicine and advocacy to more than 3 million individuals across 50 countries, including the U.S. and in Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region, and Eastern Europe. In January 2025, AHF received the MLK, Jr. Social Justice Award, The King Center’s highest recognition for an organization leading work in the social justice arena. To learn more about AHF, visit us online at AIDShealth.org, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.
AHF is pleased to announce the dedication of its expanded AHF Wellness Center – Long Beach with a ribbon-cutting ceremony set for Friday, May 15, 2026.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Polls have closed across Nebraska, where the fate of the state’s “blue dot” — a small, but significant factor in presidential politics — took center stage Tuesday as Democrats selected a congressional nominee in the state’s high-profile 2nd District.
State Sen. John Cavanaugh and political activist Denise Powell were seen as the top contenders in the Democratic primary as their party looks to the Omaha-area district, where Republican U.S. Rep. Don Bacon is retiring, as one of its top targets in the November general election.
The winner will face Republican Brinkner Harding, who ran unopposed in the GOP primary. The Omaha City Council member is endorsed by President Donald Trump.
The district draws national attention because Nebraska is one of just two states that splits its electoral votes in presidential elections. The 2nd District has gone to Democratic presidential candidates three out of five times since 2008 — a “blue dot” in an otherwise sea of red.
Some Democrats contended that the very survival of the “blue dot,” a point of intense local pride, was at stake on Tuesday.
Some argued that a Cavanaugh primary victory would jeopardize the district’s special status because he’d be leaving his valuable state legislative seat, making it easier for Republicans in the Nebraska Legislature to change the law that allows the state to split its electoral votes.
The issue has defined the primary contest, where the leading candidates have much in common ideologically, perhaps more than any other.
Outside an Omaha polling place, Beth Pepitone said she voted for Powell because she wanted someone who would stand up to Trump.
“I just think we’re going in the wrong direction and it’s very sad,” said Pepitone. “I want to preserve the ‘blue dot.’”
The Democratic argument against Cavanaugh has little to do with his politics or policies.
His opponents and groups backing them have flooded mailboxes, airwaves and social media warning that if he wins the congressional primary, Nebraska’s Republican governor would appoint a conservative Republican to replace him in the Legislature.
That move, they say, could give state Republicans enough votes to enact a conservative wish list that includes stricter limitations on abortion and transgender rights.
It could also empower Republicans to enact midcycle redistricting or change the state’s unusual system of splitting presidential electoral votes, some Democrats argue. Republicans failed in 2024 to pass a bill that would have made Nebraska the 49th state to award its Electoral College votes on a winner-take-all basis.
“Our Blue Dot. We fought hard for it. But if John Cavanaugh goes to Congress, it could all fall down,” cautions one TV ad by the super PAC New Democrat Majority.
EMILY’s List, a national group that supports women running for office, has put its reach and money behind Powell, calling Cavanaugh’s candidacy “a gift to MAGA Republicans.”
Republican groups have sent out mailers and social media posts claiming Cavanaugh “is in agreement with President Donald Trump” and showing a photo of Cavanaugh overlaid on a photo of the president, making it appear as if the two are standing together.
“Clearly, the Republicans know that I’m the strongest general election candidate,” Cavanaugh said. “And so they’re trying to hurt me.”
The attacks on Cavanaugh show Democrats and Republicans believe he has the best chance of winning the general election, said Paul Landow, a former Nebraska Democratic Party executive director.
He called the “blue dot” attacks disingenuous, noting Republicans already have a filibuster-proof majority in the Legislature but have still failed to pass key elements of their agenda because it is unpopular even among GOP lawmakers. The argument that a Cavanaugh win could weaken the state’s “blue dot” also assumes Democrats won’t pick up additional legislative seats this year, he said.
“There’s so many things that have to fall into place for this alleged danger to the ‘blue dot,’” Landow said. “It’s just wild speculation.”
While all the Democratic contenders cite affordability and opposition to Trump administration policies — from immigration and healthcare to military actions — the top contenders began attacking one another more aggressively in the days leading up to the primary.
Powell co-founded Women Who Run Nebraska, a political action committee that supports progressive female candidates, and she has a decade of Democratic political activism. She’s never held office but said her deep connections have helped her with independents and third-party voters who make up nearly 30% of the district’s electorate.
“My name recognition has increased dramatically,” Powell said, adding that “people are really connecting with my message.”
The winner of Tuesday’s primary will head to a highly competitive general election.
Trump won the district in 2016, and the retiring Bacon, who has clashed with Trump, has held the House seat for five terms.
At an Omaha polling place, independent Hayden Kephart said her biggest concern is inflation.
“Obviously the price of everything has really gone up,” she said. “And the price of oil can be a factor in everyday life and travel plans.”
U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts won Tuesday’s GOP primary in his bid to seek a full term following his 2023 appointment and 2024 special election victory to replace Republican Ben Sasse.
Ricketts was already looking ahead to an expected general election contest against independent candidate Dan Osborn, an industrial mechanic and military veteran who came within 7 points of defeating Republican U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer in her 2024 reelection bid. Cindy Burbank won the Democratic primary.
In the race for governor, incumbent Republican Gov. Jim Pillen won his party’s primary, while former state Sen. Lynne Walz won the Democratic nomination.
Peoples reported from New York. Associated Press writer Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed to this report.
Denise Powell hugs her husband, Hobson, after voting in the Nebraska Primary Election at Omaha Community Playhouse Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Omaha, Neb. Powell is a candidate for the Democratic nomination to the House of Representatives in Nebraska’s second district. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)
Denise Powell, candidate for the Democratic nomination to the House of Representatives in Nebraska’s second district, votes in the Nebraska Primary Election at Omaha Community Playhouse Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)
District county clerk Crystal Rhoades speaks at a fundraising event Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Margery A. Beck)
Political activist Denise Powell speaks at a fundraising event Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Margery A. Beck)
State Sen. John Cavanaugh speaks at an office in Lincoln, Neb., Friday, April 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Margery A. Beck)