Elections
DELONG MAKES NO SECRET OF HIS PRIORITIES IN DITCHING COUNCIL MEETING FOR CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGN FORUM
Tuesday night’s meeting of the Long Beach City Council got off to a late start, and 3rd district representative Gary DeLong took off early to attend a forum related to his campaign for Congress, according to a story at LBReport.com. DeLong didn’t keep it a secret; in fact, LBReport.com acknowledges learning about his whereabouts from a [...]
WHAT TH–?? SUPERNAW RETURNS TO GREATER LONG BEACH RADIO TONIGHT
Daryl Supernaw, lifetime Long Beach resident and well-mannered Sustainability Commissioner, spent under $3,000 on his campaign for City Council---and emerged from last week's primary as the frontrunner. Hear his explanation tonight at 7 on Greater Long Beach Radio (www.kbeach.org).
MONEY IN LB POLITICS: HEY, BIG SPENDER! SPEND A POLITICAL TERM WITH ME
Election night in Long Beach won’t only be a matter of tallying the top vote-getters in today’s competition for four seats on the City Council and two on the Board of Education, but also comparing the number of votes collected by the candidates with the number of dollars spent on their campaigns. Since a 2009 [...]
DAN PRESSBURG, AKA THE VOTER’S GUY, ANALYZES ELECTION ON GREATER LB RADIO TONIGHT
As the alarmingly small fraction of eligible Long Beach voters that will actually go to the polls Tuesday assess their preferences in races for seats on the City Council and School Board, tonight’s edition of Greater Long Beach Radio will be devoted to its first-ever Greater Long Beach Voter’s Guy. Greater Long Beach Radio, hosted by [...]
KINDE DURKEE: THE QUESTION ISN’T IF SHE DID IT, BUT WHERE SHE PUT IT
BY AMANDA BECKER / RollCall.com Kinde Durkee’s plea of guilty Friday to five counts of mail fraud against her clients—translation, to embezzling more than $7 million from the campaign bank accounts of California political candidates—did not answer the question that’s been asked most since since she was arrested in September: Where did the money go? [...]
DIANA CRAIGHEAD UNANIMOUSLY APPOINTED TO SCHOOL BOARD BY ITS OTHER FOUR MEMBERS
Diana Craighead has been appointed to the District 5 seat on the Long Beach Unified School District Board of Education by a unanimous vote of the Board’s other four members, it was announced this morning via a press release from LBUSD spokesperson Chris Eftychiou. Craighead is scheduled to be sworn into office during the next [...]
MAYOR FOSTER ENDORSES KAWASAKI OVER HIS EX-ENDORSEE AUSTIN FOR 8TH DISTRICT CITY COUNCIL SEAT
Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster has endorsed Lillian Kawasaki in her race against Al Austin to represent the 8th District on the Long Beach City Council, according to a media advisory released just before 1 p.m. today by the Kawasaki campaign. Five years ago, it was Austin who received Foster’s endorsement for City Council—”I am [...]
GREATER LB RADIO TONITE: FANYA BARUTI ON SUIT TO RESTORE 85,000 PRISONERS’ VOTING RIGHTS
Fanya Baruti of Long Beach, who discovered political activism while incarcerated and has made it his life’s work since his release, will cast light upon the greatest needs and obstacles facing our huge population of current and former prisoners—oh, and solutions, too—during his appearance tonight on Greater Long Beach Radio with Dave Wielenga. The program [...]
HAS AUSTIN’S FALL FROM THE MAYOR’S GRACE MADE HIM A CANDIDATE OF THE PEOPLE?
Al Austin’s candidacy for the 8th district seat on the Long Beach City Council continues to gather grass-roots support that tends to run counter to the endorsements of prominent elected officials in the area. The roughly 3-to-1 margin by which Austin was endorsed over Lillian Kawasaki at Tuesday evening’s meeting of the Los Angeles County [...]
SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES WILLIAMS AND LINAREZ DEBATE TONIGHT AT 7
Felton Williams and Ricardo Linarez, candidates for the District 2 seat on the Board of Education for the Long Beach Unified School District, will debate tonight from 7 to 8 at VeteransMemorial Park, 101 East 28th Street, Long Beach, 90806. Williams is not only the incumbent in this race but the current president of the [...]
EXCLUSIVE! LOWENTHAL EXPLAINS WHY HE SEEKS NO SALES TAX ON SHIP FUEL
At the request of GreaterLong Beach.com, state Senator---and Congressional candidate---Alan Lowenthal explains his thinking in introducing SB 1243, which would permanently exempt large ships from paying California sales tax on fuel at the same time that California residents are being asked to raise their own taxes
LB CITY AUDITOR DOUD ENDORSES KAWASAKI IN 8TH DISTRICT RACE
Long Beach City Auditor Laura Doud has endorsed Lillian Kawasaki for the 8th district’s seat on the City Council, according to a media advisory from the Kawasaki campaign. “Now, more than ever, we need elected representatives devoted to being caretakers of the public trust and willing to be financial watchdogs,” said Doud, according to the [...]
LOWENTHALS SEEK TO EXTEND SHIPPERS’ TAX BREAK AS CONSUMERS ASKED TO VOTE THEMSELVES AN INCREASE
State Senator Alan Lowenthal, finishing up his final term in Sacramento while campaigning for Congress in the newly drawn 47th district, has introduced a bill that would indefinitely extend a tax break he helped secure for the maritime industry in 2003—even as Governor Jerry Brown is asking Californians to vote themselves a sales tax increase [...]
WHO IS PAYING FOR NEGATIVE POLL ABOUT 4TH DISTRICT COUNCIL RACE?
Who is paying for a telephone survey that appears to be testing negative perceptions and statements about candidates in the 4th district Long Beach City Council race? At least two 4th district residents—one of whom happened to be an LBReport.com correspondent—received such telephone calls on Saturday (Feb. 18). LBReport.com correspondent Joe Mello says he received [...]
ONE QUESTION FOR … LB CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE AND $181,000-A-YEAR LA CITY PENSION BENEFICIARY, LILLIAN KAWASAKI
[ The first installment in something like the fourth or fifth attempt to make this a weekly feature of GreaterLongBeach.com. Pray for us. ] The back story: Lillian Kawasaki is running to represent the 8th district seat on the Long Beach City Council at a time when the city is facing a budget deficit that [...]
HEAR WHY JANET BALLANTYNE WANTS TO REPLACE SUJA LOWENTHAL ON CITY COUNCIL
Janet Ballantyne explains why she is running for the Long Beach City Council seat currently occupied by Suja Lowenthal during a Feb. 15 appearance on Greater Long Beach Radio with Dave Wielenga. Ballantyne works as a sponsor-relations manager for a financial services firm and serves as president of a large downtown Home Owner’s Association called 133 Promenade Walk. She expands on [...]
ALMOST 58 PERCENT OF DONORS TO LB COUNCIL CANDIDATES FROM OUTSIDE CITY
[ Editor's note: Individuals and entities living and operating Long Beach are legally allowed to contribute to the campaigns of candidates for Long Beach political offices. However, the out-of-city donors aren't affected environmentally (that is, in terms of such things as public services, taxes, infrastructure and air and water quality) by the decisions of those they help elect. [...]
LB SIERRA CLUB ENDORSES LOWENTHAL, KAWASAKI FOR CITY COUNCIL
The Long Beach Area Group of the Sierra Club has announced its endorsements of 2nd district City Councilmember Suja Lowenthal and 8th district council candidate Lillian Kawasaki in their campaigns for seats on the Long Beach City Council. “Our interview committee was impressed by both candidates,” said Gabrielle Weeks, chairperson of the local Sierra Club [...]
GABELICH ENDORSES AL AUSTIN TO SUCCEED HER AS 8TH DISTRICT COUNCIL REP
Eighth District City Council candidate Al Austin, shown with his wife, Daysha, in a December 2011 photo, described his endorsement Tuesday by outgoing Councilmember Rae Gabelich as "an honor," but said this is a "pivotal time" for the 8th district and Long Beach as a whole.
GABELICH CALLS PRESS CONFERENCE—WILL SHE RUN FOR 3RD COUNCIL TERM?
Rae Gabelich, who is winding up her second term as the 8th district’s representative to the Long Beach City Council, has called a press conference for this morning at 11 a.m. amid speculation that she will seek a third term as a write-in candidate. Until last summer, Gabelich laughed off any talk of a third [...]
IF MONEY=SPEECH, RICHARDSON AND HAHN NEED RICHER VOCABULARIES
Political campaigns released their financial statements Wednesday, and the always-insightful Kevin Roderick of LAObserved.com points out a multi-million-dollar difference in contributions between two congressional primaries at opposite ends of Los Angeles County. Both races pit current Democratic Party members of the House of Representatives whose districts were redrawn, partially combined and renumbered. Down here in [...]
RAINEY HIRES LAW FIRM TO REMOVE HER NAME FROM SCHOOL BOARD BALLOT
Former Board of Education candidate Naomi Rainey announced via e-mail today that she has hired a specialized law firm to “do everything legally possible” to save the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) the expense of running an election by having her name removed from the ballot. Rainey announced the withdrawal of her candidacy for [...]
RAINEY: ELECTIONS SHOULDN’T BE CANCELED, EVEN WITHOUT COMPETITION
Former school board candidate Naomi Rainey asserted today in a statement released by the NAACP that the Long Beach Unified School District ought to conduct regularly scheduled elections for seats on the Board of Education even when all candidates are unopposed. “The Long Beach Unified School District should be having elections whether there is one person running or [...]
UNFORTUNATELY, LBUSD DIDN’T SAVE $200,000 FOR THIS ‘RAINEY’ DAY
Ten days ago Naomi Rainey, the longtime president of Long Beach’s chapter of the NAACP, announced she was running for Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) Board of Education. Three days later, Rainey announced she was not running. On Friday, however, Rainey learned that there’s more to running for public office—or not running for it—than just [...]
DELONG’S CONGRESSIONAL BID ENDORSED BY LB CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Long Beach City Councilmember Gary DeLong announced via a press release this morning that his run for the newly formed 47th Congress District against state Senator Alan Lowenthal has been endorsed by the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee. “It is an honor to have the Chamber’s endorsement,” said DeLong, according to [...]
CALIFORNIA’S NEW DISTRICTS SCARE OLD COOTS OUT OF CONGRESS
Veteran Representative Jerry Lewis of Redlands, the impeccably coiffed "dentured servant of the Inland Empire," was among three Republican congressmen from California who retired last week---consequences of the state's new redistricting process and plain, old age.
SUJA GETS CHALLENGER ON FRIDAY-THE-13TH DEADLINE FOR COUNCIL CANDIDATES
LONG BEACH (Via LBReport.com)—On Friday the 13th and, let’s hope only coincidentally, the final day for candidates for this year’s Long Beach City Council elections, the fields for races in the 2nd, 4th and 6th districts—were finalized. The biggest surprise heading into the final day was the emergence of a homeowners-group challenger to Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal in [...]
POOR RICHARDSON’S ALMANAC: IN TODAY’S ENTRY, GARAMENDI ENDORSES JANICE HAHN
Poor Richardson’s Almanac—the ever-expanding catalogue of Greater Long Beach-area Congresswoman Laura Richardson’s never-ending woes—received its latest entry from RollCall.com, where Kyle Trygstad reports: Congressman John Garamendi, a Democrat from a Northern California district, has announced his support for Janice Hahn in her attempt to win the congressional seat that Richardson currently occupies. It is the second endorsement Hahn [...]
IT’S ANOTHER BUMPER CROP OF CONGRESSMEN-TURNED-LOBBYISTS
The shackles came off this week for early 100 ex-Members of Congress who left office in 2010. They are now free to cash in on their government "service" by lobbying on Capitol Hill. Said former Congressman Brian Baird of Washington state: "Yee-haw!"
THAT THING YOU DON’T HEAR IS THE SOUND OF RECALLING JAMES JOHNSON
In a Dec. 23 press release that left major questions unanswered, the Committee to Recall James Johnson announced it has “suspended” its current effort to recall 7th dist. Councilman James Johnson because unnamed “financial backers” did not keep their word to fund the effort. The announcement isn’t a surprise; the group’s website hasn’t been updated since Sept. 29 [...]
SPECIAL HOLIDAY SONGS TO SING ALONG WITH THE CITY COUNCIL TONIGHT
Just in time to rescue the holiday spirit—but probably too late for justice—the Greed+WTF group has created a slim volume of holiday verse dedicated to the Long Beach City Council's vote tonight on the Second+PCH project. C'mon, everybody! Sing along!!
TIME FOR WOULD-BE CANDIDATES TO FILE—OR THEY WON’T BE CANDIDATES
Four seats on the Long Beach City Council will be assigned by voters who live in even-numbered districts in 2012—the ones currently being warmed by Suja Lowenthal (2nd), Patrick O’Donnell (4th), Dee Andrews (6th) and Rae Gabelich (8th)—and it’s just about time for would-be candidates to stop dropping hints and start throwing hats into rings … [...]
STELLA URSUA TO CHALLENGE SUJA LOWENTHAL FOR 2ND DISTRICT SEAT
LBReport.com has learned that Stella Ursua is preparing to announce her candidacy for the 2nd district seat on the Long Beach City Council that is currently occupied by Suja Lowenthal. A press conference has been scheduled for Monday, when Ursua is expected to announce her “platform” along with a “list of endorsements from community leaders [...]
BELLFLOWER’S LATEST STAMPEDE FOR SCHOOL BOARD ENDS TODAY
Eight candidates are seeking three seats on the school board of the Bellflower Unified School District, but incumbents in the Downey and Paramount Unified School Districts are unopposed. The flurry of interest surrounding the available seats on the Bellflower Unified board is rather typical for the district, which has a history of campaign histrionics that [...]
FROM ROLL CALL: THOSE WHO “OCCUPYCONGRESS” GETTING RICHER
FROM ROLLCALL.COM: Members of Congress had a collective net worth of more than $2 billion in 2010, a nearly 25-percent increase over the 2008 total, according to a Roll Call analysis of Members’ financial disclosure forms. Nearly 90 percent of that increase is concentrated in the 50 richest Members of Congress. Two years ago, Roll [...]
POLLING FIRM HIRED BY ALAN LOWENTHAL REPORTS THAT HE IS DOING GREAT
A memo addressed to unnamed “interested parties” from Goodwin Simon Strategic Research—a firm working with the Alan Lowenthal Congressional campaign—says its voter telephone survey indicates state Senator Lowenthal “has a wide lead over possible Democratic challenger [former state Senator] Joe Dunn among both Democratis and DTS [decline to state] voters” and “Lowenthal does far better [...]
EX-7TH DISTRICT AIDE RELOCATES TO 4TH DISTRICT, WILL RUN FOR CITY COUNCIL
Herlinda Chico, once an aide to former 7th District City Council member Tonia Reyes Uranga, is now among three people running toward Long Beach' April 2012 election to choose the new city council member from the 4th District. The other two candidates are neighborhood activist Daryl Supernaw and former Long Beach Police Department officer John Watkins.
DOWNEY MAYOR LUIS MARQUEZ TO ANNOUNCE ASSEMBLY RUN TODAY
Downey Mayor Luis Marquez, a senior aide to state Sen. Alan Lowenthal of Long Beach, will formally announce his candidacy today for the California State Assembly in the newly-created 58th District. Marquez’ candidacy was reported Monday morning by the Downey Beat and was confirmed Monday afternoon by The Downey Patriot. Marquez, who was elected as [...]
SCHIPSKE JOINS LB COUNCIL MEMBERS’ STAMPEDE FOR HIGHER OFFICE
Fifth District City Council member Gerrie Schipske announced her candidacy for the newly drawn Long Beach seat in the California Assembly on Tuesday night, meaning that four of the 10 officials elected to steer the city’s course at council meetings are now running for higher office. In fact, Schipske’s entry into the race for the [...]
REDRAWN DISTRICT LINES DRAWING ATTENTION TO CALIFORNIA RACES
[Editor's Note: Kyle Trygstad of RollCall.com wrote this piece.] California has begun a new era of political theater that has caught the eye of both national parties as the decade-long drought of competitive Congressional elections comes to a close. Republicans could face a loss of as many as six seats because of the state’s new independent redistricting [...]
DELONG CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGN HAS 100K, CITY AUDITOR ENDORSEMENT
Councilman Gary DeLong, an announced candidate for the newly drawn congressional district of LB and western Orange County, has announced that his campaign has raised more than $100,000. In a release, Congressional-candidate DeLong calls it a “significant milestone” and states, “I am truly grateful for all the support I have received, and I am encouraged [...]
RECALL JAMES JOHNSON GROUP GOES PUBLIC, IN A PRIVATE KIND OF WAY
Proponents of an effort to recall 7th district city council member James Johnson made their first public statement Wednesday during a press event outside Johnson’s field office at Admiral Kidd Park, but still kept their cards close to the vest. Mike Kowal, a longtime activist in the 8th district—in fact, the only announced candidate for [...]
RECALL JAMES JOHNSON COMMITTEE TO PRESENT CHARGES THIS AFTERNOON
The Recall James Johnson Committee, which on Tuesday announced its intention to circulate recall petitions against the 7th district’s representative on the Long Beach City Council, says that it will present a list of charges this afternoon—among them “Neglected Duties; Incompetent Performance; and Misuse of his Office.” The group’s media advisory states that “community leaders [...]
ONE QUESTION … FOR THINKIN’-ABOUT-IT COUNCIL CANDIDATE BILL ORTON
The back story: Bill Orton, a 1980 graduate of Cal State Long Beach who moved into Long Beach’s 3rd district a few years ago after 23 years in Seal Beach, announced on his Facebook page in February that he would be considering a run for Long Beach City Council in 2014. But incumbent Gary DeLong [...]
ONE QUESTION … FOR SNIPPED-FROM-HIS DISTRICT CANDIDATE MIKE KOWAL
The back story: Back in April, Mike Kowal became the first candidate in the 2012 campaign for the Long Beach City Council. Kowal filed to run in the 8th District, where Rae Gabelich faces the term-limit ordinance after serving eight years. Kowal has lived in the 8th district—in the same home—for nearly 30 years while [...]
STATE REDISTRICTING COMMISSION’S ETCHINGS PORTRAY LONG BEACH IN A MENAGE-A-TROIS, TIMES TWO
SACRAMENTO (via LBReport.com)—The latest tinkering by the California Redistricting Commission put parts of Long Beach into three state Senate districts and three Assembly districts—far from the unified representation for which local officials have been pleading. If ultimately adopted by the Commission and not changed further by possible litigation, these election district lines would determine how [...]
HEAR CLIPPED-AWAY CANDIDATE MIKE KOWAL ON GREATER LB RADIO
Mike Kowal, who was eliminated as a candidate for the 8th district seat on the Long Beach City Council when district boundaries were redrawn to exclude his longtime residence by a half-block, explains his reaction and his plans on the new episode of Greater Long Beach Radio with Dave Wielenga. The show is available 24/7 or as a downloadable podcast.
LATEST REDISTRICTING MAPS WOULD KEEP CITY OF DOWNEY WHOLE
DOWNEY (via Downey Patriot)—As opposed to the first round of draft maps, new visualization maps released by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission keep the city of Downey intact in each proposed congressional, state assembly, state senate and board of equalization district. Preliminary maps had prompted angst among city officials who believed they isolated Downey from [...]
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION: O’DONNELL JOINS FOSTER AND DELONG ON LIST OF LB OFFICIALS THINKING HIGHER OFFICE
LONG BEACH (via LBReport.com)—City Councilmember Patrick O’Donnell of the 4th district revealed to LBReport.com Saturday that that he is considering a run for the 54th Assembly District seat in 2012, becoming the third member of the city’s current governing body to cue the drumroll for an eventual, official announcement of candidacy for higher office. “I [...]
WHAT IS THE PROCEDURE FOR RECALLING AN LB CITY COUNCIL MEMBER?
LONG BEACH (via LBReport.com)—In 2003, California voters who were angry over a number of issues did what political “experts” considered impossible: they recalled the state’s recently elected governor. Gray Davis. During the past few weeks in Long Beach, some voters angry over the tactics of 7th district City Council member James Johnson in the redrawing [...]
JOHNSON USES TACTICS OF A TRIAL LAWYER, NOT A PUBLIC OFFICIAL, TO WIN RESTRICTING BATTLE VS. CITIZENS
[ OPINION FROM LBREPORT.COM] Like an unwelcome but necessary medical diagnosis, the people of Long Beach got a clear view of the unhealthy political machine that’s taken root in their City Hall. Former Sacramento lobbyist Mayor Bob Foster and his primary allies—former Sacramento aide James Johnson, former Republican-now-reinvented-Democrat Robert Garcia, developer-friendly-Democrat Suja Lowenthal and no-wasted-words [...]
DOWNEY COUNCIL NEGOTIATES SPENDING LIMITS FOR CAMPAIGN ORDINANCE
The Downey City Council has moved closer to adopting new campaign reforms that would reduce the size of campaign spending by regulating contributions given to candidates. According to the ordinance, written by city attorney Yvette Abich Garcia, candidates in Districts 1 through 4 who accept the voluntary expenditure limit would have a $1,500 per person [...]
ALAN LOWENTHAL RUNNING FOR CONGRESS—VS. RICHARDSON, SANCHEZ?
California state Sen. Alan Lowenthal told reporter Kyle Trygstad of the Washington, D.C., news site RollCall.com Friday that he is running in a proposed Congressional district in Long Beach, setting up a possible three-way Democratic primary with Reps. Laura Richardson and Linda Sánchez. The California Citizens Redistricting Commission released its first draft map a week [...]
ELECTION DAY BRINGS SOME CHANGE, EVEN TO GOOD, OLD BELLFLOWER
“Sonny” Santa Ines was five years old when he made his first political speech---at a campaign rally for his father, who was running for a city government office in The Philippines---made his most-recent one Tuesday night when he was elected to the Bellflower City Council.
IT’S SHAPING UP AS A VERY FAT TUESDAY
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 [...]
CHERIN CO-HOSTING BAY AREA RECEPTION FOR FOSTER, BUT INSISTS IT’S NOT A POLITICAL FUNDRAISER
Mayor Bob Foster, who has formed a political committee allowing him to raise money for a 2014 run for state treasurer, is scheduled to appear at an invitation-only reception next week at the San Francisco law firm of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, LBReport.com has learned. Alex Cherin, a former Long Beach government official whose [...]
IF INCUMBENTS WIN, BELLFLOWER COUNCIL STAYS WHITE, MALE, OVER 50
Three incumbents, two who have served on the Bellflower City Council for more than 20 years, are seeking re-election March 8. If voters return them to office, the increasingly ethnically diverse city’s five-member council will continue to be entirely composed of white males over 50 years old. The incumbents are Councilman Randy Bomgaars, first elected [...]
BACK FROM MILITARY DEPLOYMENT, RODARTE RUNS FOR NORWALK COUNCIL
Former Norwalk planning commissioner Marcel Rodarte, who returned some 30 days ago from a six-month stint with the U.S Air Force Reserves in Germany, is mounting a campaign for the City Council in the March 8 election. He has announced the endorsement of Assemblyman Tony Mendoza (D-Norwalk). “I am honored to receive the endorsement of [...]
HERE’S WHAT THEY’RE ASKING CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES IN CERRITOS
What are the questions that citizens of Cerritos—at least, those who read the Los Cerritos Community News—want answered by the seven candidates for City Council? Here are four of the most-asked, as posted by editor Jerry Berstein: 1. Will you try and make it easier for the residents to get overnight parking passes? 2. Cerritos [...]
NEW DOWNEY COUNCILMAN USES VETERAN’S EXCUSE FOR NOT REPORTING CONTRIBUTION
Fernando Vasquez, the newest member of the Downey city council, is falling back upon a well-worn excuse for his failure to report a $2,500 campaign contribution from a local auto dealership before the Nov. 2 election—blaming a subordinate. “It was oversight by the campaign treasurer , who handles our reporting of expenses and campaign contributions,” said Vasquez, [...]
THE PAPERWORK OF POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS MAY SOON BECOME A LOST ART
When California's Political Reform Act went into effect in 1974, slate mailers---colorful cards sent to voters listing endorsed candidates, many of whom paid to appear on the card---were a big deal. But in a couple years slate mailers will be dead, replaced by slates e-mailed directly to voters.
TODAY IS FIRST FILING DEADLINE FOR THREE CITY COUNCIL RACES
Paperwork is coming due for candidates to appear on the ballot for March 8 city council elections in Norwalk and Paramount, but fields in the races have already begun to expand. According to state law, the regular filing deadline is Friday, unless an incumbent does not run, in which case the deadline is extended to [...]
EDITORIAL: FOSTER’S SELF-SERVING MOVE SERVES LONG BEACH RESIDENTS, TOO
Mayor Bob Foster has done Long Beach residents a service by thumbing his nose at a key portion of the city’s voter-enacted 1994 Campaign Reform Act. Foster was legally entitled to do what he did, thanks to the same First Amendment that gives us the right to sandpaper him and others on various fronts. In essence, Foster simply [...]
GAME CHANGER: FOSTER CHALLENGE INVALIDATES LB CAMPAIGN REFORM ACT
Mayor Bob Foster can use money he raised for his 2010 mayoral run—against 21-year-old Cerritos College student Stevie Merino—to fund his committee seeking statewide office in 2014 despite prohibitions in Long Beach’s Campaign Reform Act enacted by voters in 1994. The revelation came during Monday’s (Nov. 30) meeting of the city council’s Elections Oversight Committee. [...]
THIS THANKSGIVING, ONE MAN IS GRATEFUL FOR POLITICAL MAILERS
Richard Schlackman differs from the other couple-dozen members of the Political Reform Act task force in that he is an unabashed, unafraid defender of the political-consultant industry. Whenever someone suggested change that would in some way force disclosure of furing by those who make slate mailers, television ads or even robocalls, Schlackman was ready to brawl.
SOMETHING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO BUYING CALIFORNIA’S ELECTIONS
After gaining a little perspective---the win by Jerry Brown over Meg Whitman, the loss of Prop 19, the win of local Measure D---I am no longer as freaked out about the Citizens United ruling as I first was. I don't necessarily correlate big campaign spending with winning elections. That does not mean I do not think there is reason for concern.
FURUTANI OPTS OUT OF RACE TO REPLACE OROPEZA IN 28TH SENATE DISTRICT
Assemblyman Warren Furutani (D—Carson, LB) says he will not enter the special election to fill the seat of the late Senator Jenny Oropeza, who was reelected to represent the 28th district three weeks after her death. Below is a “Dear Friend” letter provided to LBReport.com this morning (Nov. 15) in response to our inquiry: Dear [...]
BEYOND GREATER: A MUST-READ STORY WE DIDN’T WRITE—PELOSI’S TRIUMPH
Writing in Slate.com, William Saleton says that "if health care did cost the [Democratic] party its majority, so what? The bill was more important than the election... The big picture isn't about keeping power. It's about using it." And he contends the health-care bill Nancy Pelosi pushed through is forever.
DOWNEY HOPES ITS MAYORS MAKE NICER UNDER NEW TRANSFER-OF-POWER PLAN
Trying to separate the glad from the mad, Downey city officials will set different dates for honoring the outgoing mayor and naming a new one. Councilman Roger Brossmer called for separating the days, noting that the outgoing mayor program is supposed to be a happy occasion with friends, family and guests on hand, as well [...]
TEA PARTY STOMP? NOT HERE, WHERE DEMOCRATIC INCUMBENTS WALTZED
The Tea Party Stomp, a political dance craze that swept the nation---and lots of Democratic incumbents out of office---during Tuesday’s elections doesn’t appear to have caught on in Greater Long Beach, where voters came away from polling places doing the Same Ol’ Shuffle.
FROM SACBEE.COM: DEMOCRATIC PARTY URGES VOTERS TO ELECT SEN. JENNY OROPEZA, WHO DIED OCT. 20
The California Democratic Party is urging South Bay residents to vote for Sen. Jenny Oropeza, who died Oct. 20. SacBee.com, the online edition of the Sacramento Bee newspaper, reports that the party made the recommendation in a letter mailed to Democrats and decline-to-state voters. The letter includes the typed name of Secretary of State Debra [...]
BELLFLOWER MAYOR ‘OPTIMISTIC’ THAT VOTERS WILL PASS UTILITY TAX INCREASE
Bellflower Mayor Ray Dunton says he believes voters will approve Measure A, which would temporarily increase the city’s utility tax by two percent—from the current 5 percent to 7 percent—when they go to the polls Nov. 2. “I am very optimistic that once educated [about the fiscal circumstances], people will support it,” said Dunton, who [...]
IS FAIR POLITICAL PRACTICES COMMISSION’S NEW TRANSPARENCY … FAIR?
"“The Public Records Act says we have to provide (documents) in the most expedient manner possible," says the FPPC's executive director, Roman Porter. "Everything we produce is a public document. I think, personally, the people of California have a right to know what this agency is doing.”
OROPEZA’S FUNERAL IS THIS AFTERNOON, AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Funeral services for state Senator Jenny Oropeza, whose death at age 53 Wednesday night left a stunned stillness in the political circles she had enlivened with her energy for more than three decades, will be held today at 1 p.m. The ceremony will be conducted at Forest Lawn in Cypress (4471 Lincoln Ave.) in the [...]
WHEN CANDIDATES LIST OCCUPATIONS, THERE’S ROOM FOR INTERPRETATION
Inside each voter’s ballot, under the name of every candidate, is a job description. According to the elections code of Los Angeles County, this description must not deceive or “mislead the voter,” but rather provide “the current principal professions, vocations or occupations of the candidate.” However, many candidates for elected office take this warning to [...]
ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO CENSOR CANDIDATES’ DEBATE
For the second time in two days, a group conducting a debate among Congresswoman Laura Richardson (D—LB, Carson) and challengers Star Parker (R) and Nick Dibs (Ind) tried to ban photographs and recording at the event. Saturday’s debate was organized and conducted by the Long Beach branch of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) [...]
PASSAGE OF PROP. 14 MEANS THE (THIRD) PARTY MAY BE OVER IN CALIFORNIA
Proposition 14, which passed in June, bans all but the top two finishers in the primary election from appearing on the November general election ballot---basically, eliminating Greens, Libertarians, Peace & Freedoms and American Independents. The ostensible goal was to get more moderates elected, but a very real consequence will be giving voters even less choice.
WHY DOES THE PHONE KEEP RINGING, AND WHO’S ASKING ALL THOSE QUESTIONS?
A Long Beach resident---and LBReport.com reader---reports receiving a telephone call Wednesday from a person indicating they were calling from "Western Wats." The Western Wats rep wouldn't say who's taking the poll. We don't know who's taking it or for what purpose.
CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE STAR PARKER TO HOLD TOWN MEETING IN LB MONDAY
Star Parker, the Republican Party nominee for California’s 37th Congressional District, will host a community Town Hall meeting on Monday at the Long Beach Petroleum Club, located at 3636 Linden Avenue in Long Beach. The event begins at 7 p.m. and will run approximately two hours. Parker, who is challenging Democrat Party incumbent Laura Richardson, intends to share her [...]
STAR PARKER’S CANDIDACY IS AN INSULTING GOP PLAY FOR BLACK VOTES
Laura Richardson was elected to Congress with the support of the majority of African-American Democrat Party voters in California’s District 37. So the Republican Party thinks it can just slap a female African-American face---Star Parker---on its ticket and get enough votes in to displace the incumbent?
STATE SUPERINTENDENT CANDIDATES AT FORUM IN DOWNEY TONIGHT AT 7 P.M.
The two candidates seeking to become the next California state superintendent of public instruction will take part in a candidate forum Wednesday in Downey. Larry Aceves and Tom Torlakson will each take questions from a panel and give their take on issues facing K-12 education. They will also answer questions from the audience. The forum [...]
MAYBE GUERRA CAN SPEND THAT $14K ON A SUPER-BITCHEN VICTORY PARTY
The $14,200 that Downey City Councilmember Mario Guerra has collected for his District 2 City Council re-election campaign will be more than enough to assure victory. Guerra learned Friday—the last day for candidates to file for the November election—that he will be running unopposed. In District 4, the seat currently occupied by termed-out mayor Anne [...]
TWO DAYS, TWO OPPONENTS FOR MARIO GUERRA’S RE-ELECTION BID IN DOWNEY
Another day, another opponent for Downey city council’s District 2 member Mario Guerra in his run for re-election in November. Ronald Kellogg pulled papers on Monday, and Benjamin Coutè was in the city clerk’s office today to collect the forms. Guerra is an effervescent man, but it will be interesting to see whether all the [...]
ELECTION DAY FOR PERENNIAL CANDIDATE PETER MATHEWS: MANY UNHAPPY RETURNS
It’s 8:07 p.m. on Election Day—that is, the polls have been closed for seven minutes—and I am drinking tea at Sipology, the downtown Long Beach coffeehouse & gallery that has served as sort of a headquarters throughout the latest Peter Mathews for Congress Campaign. Earlier in the day, Mathews invited me here for the victory [...]
TONIA REYES URANGA’S ‘ONCE-IN-A-CHANCE LIFETIME’ AND THE BALANCE OF POWER IN LONG BEACH
These are the waning days of Tonia Reyes Uranga’s run for her political life—and perhaps the darkness before the dawn of a new balance of power in Long Beach. Too heavy? Maybe not. Defeat in Reyes Uranga’s June 8 showdown with well-connected newcomer James Johnson for the 7th district seat on the Long Beach City [...]
CONFIRMED: MAYOR FOSTER ENDORSES JAMES JOHNSON IN 7TH DISTRICT RACE
Mayor Bob Foster officially endorsed assistant city auditor James Johnson for the Seventh District seat on the Long Beach City Council today, confirming a report published Thursday by Redistricted! The announcement came early this afternoon in a press release from the Johnson campaign and included this prepared statement from Foster: “James Johnson has the experience [...]
MAYOR FOSTER ABOUT TO ANNOUNCE HIS ENDORSEMENT OF JOHNSON OVER REYES URANGA IN 7TH DISTRICT RACE
After four years of behind-the-scenes political patronage, Mayor Bob Foster has apparently decided to bestow his official endorsement upon James Johnson for the Seventh District city council seat currently occupied by Tonia Reyes Uranga. The two candidates are facing off in a June 8 runoff election for the only undetermined spot on the Long Beach [...]
BLAH-BLAH-BLAH, MARIO GUERRA RUNNING FOR RE-ELECTION IN DOWNEY, YADDA-YADDA-YADDA
Downey’s chatterboxing city councilman, Mario Guerra, says he wants another term. Of course, Guerra doesn’t put it so succinctly as that. This guy’s got a mouth, and he likes to shoot it off. Guerra’s the guy who told me last Nov. 23 that Tesla Motors had selected Downey as the site of its manufacturing plant, [...]
QUESTION IS, WHY IS MIKE HEDGES RUNNING FOR LONG BEACH CITY COUNCIL?
Mike Hedges had three days to prepare for the question he knew was coming at Monday night’s Long Beach Press Club debate between the candidates for the city council’s 5th District seat. But when reporter Darcy Richardson of the Grunion Gazette asked Hedges about discrepancies in his campaign financing that have attracted the attention of [...]
NO. 1 QUESTION AT 5TH DISTRICT DEBATE TONIGHT: WHO’S FUNDING MIKE HEDGES?
Tonight’s Long Beach Press Club debate between Fifth District city council candidates couldn’t come at a better time—as questions arise about who is funding Mike Hedges’ challenge to incumbent Gerrie Schipske. LBReport.com broke the story of the mysterious money that’s powering Hedges’ campaign on Saturday (March 27), noting that the City Clerk’s Elections Bureau had [...]
TOM MARCHESE RESPONDS TO ‘UNPOSED QUESTIONS’ FROM MONDAY’S 3RD DISTRICT DEBATE
[NOTE: A lot of questions from the audiences of Monday night's Third District debate sponsored by the Long Beach Press Club---people who gathered at the Gaslamp restaurant and those who watched the live Webcast on InstantPresenter---couldn't be asked before time ran out. After publishing those questions Tuesday morning, I e-mailed them to candidates Gary DeLong, Terry Jensen and Tom Marchese. Marchese responded about 11 p.m. [...]
WHAT QUESTIONS WENT UNPOSED AT THE 3RD DISTRICT DEBATE? WELL, NOW THAT YOU ASK…
BY DAVE WIELENGA The three candidates running for the Third District seat on the City Council ran their mouths for more than 90 minutes Monday night during the Long Beach Press Club’s Debate At Da’ Beach. But there were still more questions than answers—a lot more. That’s what happens when constituents care enough about an [...]
TONIGHT’S 3RD DISTRICT DEBATE MAY BE THE MOST IMPORTANT YET … TO THE MAYOR, ANYWAY
BY DAVE WIELENGA Tonight’s debate among candidates for the Third District seat on the City Council may be the most important of the Long Beach Press Club’s seven-part Debates At Da’ Beach series—well, to Mayor Bob Foster, anyway. He’s been telling people that he’ll “do anything” to see that incumbent Gary DeLong is re-elected over [...]
