2:31pm | Community members who have been missing those lively evening drink-and-politicking sessions where residents gather with city officials for positive political debate over a pint of brew are in luck, because Long Beach’s Beer and Politics is back.

After a yearlong hiatus, the popular community discussion session complete with frosty mugs ale are set to return beginning this Friday, April 1, when a B&P session will be held at Nino’s Italian Restaurant in Bixby Knolls from 6:30 to 8 p.m. during the neighborhood’s popular First Fridays art walk event.

According to Beearandpolitics.org, this is no April Fool’s joke.

“Not only do you get to partake in a good discussion (and beer), but you get to enjoy the the music, entertainment, art, dining and shopping of First Fridays in Bixby Knolls,”reads the introduction on the website’s homepage. “If you’ve never been, the last time I was at First Fridays jazz bands were playing in alcoves and kids fed horses in a parking lot while fire dancers performed in another.”

Now attendees can “drink beer, talk politics and drink beer,” as B&P’s motto goes, too.

This first Beer and Politics session of 2011 will feature City Manager Pat West, who will dish all the latest details on the city’s ambitious efforts to be regarded as the most bicycle-friendly city in the nation. 

In an effort to bring that goal to fruition, and much to the chagrin of some motorists, the city has revamped Broadway and Third Streets by adding green bike lanes separated by curbs complete with their own traffic lights. The lanes have been added to Second Street in Belmont Shore, as well. Bike lanes have also been added to the plans for the new up-and-coming, state-of-the-art Gerald Desmond Bridge. And bicycle riders have been butting heads with city police, with showdowns taking place at City Council meetings over the city’s now-defunct bicycle license ordinance.

As the B&P website states, “bikes are hot.”

West will discuss the city’s Bicycle Master Plan and the dramatic changes it has brought to Long Beach by way of what some, according to the B&P website, might consider a less-than-seamless process.

Nino’s is located at 3853 Atlantic Ave.  Beer and Politics will have its own private room and a discounted menu exclusively for B&P attendees. Additional information can be found at Beerandpolitics.org.