Happy Mardi Gras … and it is shaping up as very Fat Tuesday: there are elections in Bellflower, Cerritos, Lakewood and Norwalk, and the Long Beach City Council will convene in special session to consider it’s response to Monday’s vote by the Redevelopment Agency to transfer all its properties and assets to the City.
In Bellflower, three incumbents on the City Council—first-time Mayor Ray Dunton and two others (Randy Bomgaars and Ray T. Smith) who have served for more than 20 years—are seeking re-election against former planning commissioner C. “Sonny” Ines, former school board member Rick Royse, and newcomers Sue ElHessen and Michael Gatiglio.
Norwalk Mayor Gordon Stefenhagen is not seeking re-election to one of the three seats up for grabs, but council members Jesse Luera and Rick Ramirez are. The 12 challengers include a variety of former council members, commissioners and school board members—Scott Collins, Marcel Rodarte, Judith Brennan, Luigi Vernola, Leonard Shryock and Mary Jane McIntosh—as well as first-time candidates Alfonso Aduna, Steve Lowe, Larry McIntosh (no relation to Mary Jane), Ginger Silvera, Craig Beckman and Anthony Garcia.