Many prominent local families who played vital roles in the development of Long Beach and Southern California are buried here. In 1994, the cemetery was embezzled by more than a half million dollars from the endowment fund. The state Department of Consumer Affairs took the property into conservatorship and a group of volunteers made arrangements to keep the cemetery open and continue burials. This small group of volunteers, who have relatives buried at the cemetery, have kept it open for the past 23 years. Unfortunately, the small remaining endowment is not sustaining operations. A new effort is being launched to raise funds to keep the cemetery open to the public, and ongoing volunteer efforts are being scheduled and organized by community volunteers at Friends of Sunnyside Cemetery Long Beach. A GoFundMe page has also been set up for those who wish to contribute to the ongoing expenses at the cemetery. Sunnyside is one of the few civil war cemeteries in California. The beautiful monuments, grave stones, and inscriptions tell a history about the people that built our city. Our first Fire Chief, Police Chief, the first policeman to die in the line of duty, and many other significant pioneers are buried at Sunnyside.
