Hi, Scotsbard - there's a place in Long Beach that has great house concerts, but 've lost track of them. Click here information about folk music in the Los Angeles ared. If you e-mail them, I'm sure they'll be able to lead you to information specifically about Long Beach.
There's probably not much downtown that will interest you, although they have some great used bookstores where I like to go songbook hunting. It's delightful in the Belmont Shore district on the east side of town along 2nd Street and Ocean Blvd. - near the water but away from downtown. You'll find all kinds of pubs along there, and it's a great place for walking.
-Joe Offer, Sacramento-