LongBeachCulture.org CenterStage Blog

By Greggory Moore

The last of several forums for candidates running for the Second District City Council seat was put on by the East Village Arts District on May 24 in the Grand Salon of the Cooper Arms building. This piece will not pretend to be any sort of comprehensive coverage. This was my first exposure to some of the candidates. Furthermore, parts of some of their answers were swallowed up (from where I was sitting, at least) by the aesthetically pleasing but echo-heavy room. I can hope for little more than to pass along my impressions.

The evening began promptly at 7 p.m. in front of around 70 people. The candidates present were (in alphabetical order): Becky Blair, Sonny Bozeman, Hank Conn, Richard Green, Thomas Herzog, Suja Lowenthal, Bry Myown, Lyle Sardie, Brian Ulaszewski, and Gabrielle Weeks. Each was allowed a short opening statement, then consecutively asked to address the same three issues: to name the last three businesses within the Second District they had patronized, to name a specific Second District artist they’d supported, and to address any conflict of interest they might encounter if elected. Frankly, the answers to the first two questions were not particularly informative: all could name three businesses (Portfolio got the most mentions (it is great)), and most everyone could name at least one artist—none of which could be verified (which is not to say I suspect anyone of fabricating his or her answers). Answers to the third question, however, provided what I found to be some of the evening’s most interesting moments. Several of the candidates mentioned that they owned property within the District and that this meant they would have to abstain from voting on any project taking place within 500 feet of their property. But in his turn, Herzog called Lowenthal and Blair on the carpet for not addressing what he considered big conflicts of interest: for Lowenthal, the presence of her mother-in-law (Bonnie Lowenthal) on the City Council; for Blair, that she is president of Blair Commercial Real Estate, a company heavily involved in property deals throughout the city. (I am told that Blair said that if elected she will pass on her company to her nephew.) Most of the audience seemed to agree with Herzog, as his statement was met with enthusiastic applause. Personally, I admired Herzog’s willingness to drop politesse a bit to (as the kids say) keep it real. In both cases, my understanding is that technically these may not be conflicts of interest; still, their completely glossing over of issues that obviously fall within the spirit of conflict of interest may speak volumes about their approach to governing.

This portion of the event was followed by a hat being passed from candidate to candidate, each selecting from it one of several issues/questions: the district’s parking situation, the district’s top problems (after parking), the district’s greatest resources, local projects in which they’ve been involved, and the permit requirement for having non-acoustic live music at “non-entertainment” establishments. After this, each candidate was allowed to speak to one of any of the other issues in the hat. Finally, they all had a chance to field (if they wished) an additional question from an audience member about how they feel concerning nearby cities choosing to be sanctuaries for illegal immigrants. Below is a helter-skelter sketch of what I took away from each candidate, based on a combination of what they said and information provided by all (save Bozeman and Sardie) in writing to a series of issues prescribed by the organizing committee and made available to the attendees.

Becky Blair
*She estimates her campaign budget at $125,000, the most of any candidate. Lowenthal is second with $100,000 [see note below], but everyone else is spending at least $90,000 less. I wasn’t the only one struck by this, as more than one of the other candidates indirectly referenced this disparity.

*“The Second District is a microcosm of Long Beach,” and we “must retain [the district’s] uniqueness.” We’re “at a critical stage for downtown redevelopment.”

*On the handout, Blair actually says very little. For example, she says she is “concerned about the safety of a LNG Terminal at the Port,” but I can’t really tell if ultimately she’s for or against it. “If significant concerns about safety issues still remain when it [i.e., the EIR, I think] returns to the Port, I will ensure that Harbor Commissioners do the right thing.”

*She was specific regarding solutions to the parking problem: parallel white lines to help ensure that each car is in only one space; specified motorcycle parking so that these won’t take up car spaces; and joint-use agreements (i.e., residents being able to park overnight in the lots of closed businesses, churches, etc.).
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Sonny Bozeman
*He stated that he is both gay and Republican—a combo I personally find dubious. I don’t get belonging to an organization that advocates denying you equal rights so much that they want to change the Constitution to do so.

*“Contrary to what you’ve been told, the Second District seat is not a real-estate office.” Good line! He also seemed very strong on the misuse of local government funds. “No $80 car washes, no $90 oil changes.” Without mentioning Blair by name, he expressed his distaste for Dan Baker’s support of her, implying that this is a good indication that it will be business as usual if she wins.

*He was only candidate to really grab hold of the illegal immigration/sanctuary question, and he took a hard, hard line (e.g., fines, no permission to rent or own property), even while saying he knew his answer would be unpopular. I don’t agree with his approach, but I very much admired his candor.
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Hank Conn
*He said his name—“Hank Conn”—before every answer. Very charming.

*He estimates his campaign budget at just $1,000! He referenced that certain others are trying to buy the seat.

*He is a social worker by trade, and his foci stay in this realm that he best knows: funding for libraries (including literacy programs), expanding parks and recreation, ending homelessness. His projects have been social work, and he cited as an example his efforts in support of Proposition 63, which mandates individuals with incomes above $1 million to contribute 1% for health services for the mentally ill. He admitted that social projects might not be sexy, but they are “very dear to me.” It sounded like it.

*He decried the police for ignoring North Long Beach. He was the ONLY candidate to mention anything like this, which I find a bit odd, since, as much as it’s not specifically a Second District issue, it’s such an obvious obstacle to the improvement of our city as a whole.
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Richard Green
*Unfortunately, he was VERY quiet, and I simply could not make out much of what he said.

*Parking “is the issue of this race.” He proposes automated parking lots, joint-use agreements, new lots, etc.—calls it “a public-safety issue.”

*He is president of the Rose Park Neighborhood Association and chair of the City Housing Commission (or something like that—I couldn’t make it out). He said they’re not large projects, but “this is what we do, day in, day out.”
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Thomas Herzog
*He was the only candidate not to list an estimate of his campaign expenses.

*He favors a holistic approach to city governance. “We are one city.” He favors revenue-splitting among the districts and making sure no area feels they’re being “ghettoized.”

*His written answers were uninformative, as he misunderstood the instructions (which admittedly could have been clearer) and thought he had a total of 100 words for all the issues and not 100 per issue. Perhaps coincidentally, I came away with less from his verbal answers than from those of almost any other candidate. It could have been me, but as I look at my notes, I just have very little written down about him.
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Suja Lowenthal
*My first thought: “So this is the woman who keeps mailing me all that stuff!” She’s the only person who outpaces the pre-approved credit-card offers I’ve been getting lately. Sure enough, she lists “Mail Program” as her #1 campaign expenditure. [Note: Left among stacks of election material were photocopies of a California Form 496, Late Independent Expenditure Report, which was filed on May 23 by Vota 100% for monies spent on behalf of Lowenthal. It lists an expenditure of $35,000 for campaign literature and mailing, along with salaries for “phoners & walkers,” for 5/22 through 6/6. Since (as I understand it) this exploits an election-law loophole and technically wasn’t Lowenthal’s expenditure, this amount was not included in her $100,000.]

*She’s very down on the state of local development, calling the Long Beach Plaza a missed opportunity that won’t come again (as it’s a six-block area), but said, “We are on the brink of being able to correct mistakes.” Referring primarily to the East Village Arts District, she spoke of “the arts as a cultural anchor.”

*She labeled as our most significant economic resource “young students coming out of high school” and bewailed the fact that “we don’t have vocational ed[ucation],” saying she wants the city to invest more in apprenticeships and arts exchange programs.

*Near the end, she took it upon herself to address a question she received via e-mail, which was apparently a complaint about the Basement Lounge and the noise emanating from it and its environs. She talked of businesses needing to be “good neighbors” and encouraged anybody who feels a business is too loud to call code enforcement or the police (it wasn’t clear to me exactly what she had in mind). I was thoroughly unimpressed by both her choice of championing this issue here and her proposed “solution.” It all sounded a bit petty.
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Bry Myown
*Her written answers could not have been more substantive (considering the word-count limitation), and apparently she has been one community-involved individual. However, as much as she was a likeable presence, I didn’t think her spoken answers were generally as pithy. For example, as a follow-up to her agreeing with Lowenthal that the Plaza (as well as the Pike) were “squandered opportunities,” she basically said that there was a great opportunity for growth in the East Village—without any further clarification. She also said our #1 resource is “you.” However…

*She went out of her way to disagree with some of the other candidates and declare that the Port is not an effective resource. “They chew up money!”

*Much more than any candidate (save perhaps Weeks), she went out of her way to emphasize the importance of transparency in government, calling this “my #1 issue, and the basis of my community involvement.” She struck me as enthusiastic and sincere.
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Lyle Sardie
*He was another who was very quiet, and so, since he also did not submit the written responses, I have almost nothing on him.

*I think he said that tourism is our greatest resource. In addressing the question about regulating non-acoustic live entertainment, he again referred to tourism, saying “something has to be done” to bring people into the district.

*His good-looking campaign booklet (i.e., as opposed to a flyer) highlights him as “a coalition builder,” stating that if he wins, he will invite all of his opponents to meet on a monthly basis to help serve the community. I think that’s a nice touch, as there is certainly more than one person running whose ideas and leadership I think could greatly benefit our city.
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Brian Ulaszewski
*Brian is one of two candidates I’d met (and the only one I’d spoken with at any length), and I had already formed a very positive opinion of him—and nothing on this night changed that. His answers always seem full of substance, his delivery without affect. One of his strong suits is that he’s both well-informed about many issues and seems perfectly willing to admit when he doesn’t know about something or hasn’t made up his mind (e.g., “I have yet to form an opinion [concerning] the future role of the mayoral position in Long Beach.”).

*A slight dig at some of the other candidates: “It’s easy to talk about [parking. But] no one’s talking about any actual solutions.”

*Regarding the permit requirement for non-acoustic music, he called this “a difficult question” and said he favors “a common-sense approach,” noting that permits can be unnecessarily hampering and that “music is part of the vibrancy of [e.g.] the East Village Arts District.”

*He said illegal immigration is “a hot-button issue right now,” but that it really wouldn’t be in the future. “Don’t jump to any conclusions.”

*He pointed to his extensive and current community involvement, saying that it’s possible to immediately implement proposals he’s got now. “We need someone who’s going to hit the ground running. If you elect me June 6th, I will be ready to take the seat June 7th.”
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Gabrielle Weeks
*She is the other candidate I’d met. I’m a civil libertarian, and so her being a Green and getting the endorsement of the South Bay Libertarians would have predisposed me to like her even were I not familiar with her regular and eloquent presence at City Council meetings. For my money, she was the most impressive speaker, a fantastic combination knowledge, passion, and sincerity, with no discernible pretense of any sort.

*Emphasized “more accountability and openness in government.” Regarding development, called for eminent domain to be used only when really for the public good, and that we need to “make sure the Redevelopment Agency is working for us, not just building things [and] flailing out of control.”

*Considers “poverty issues” Long Beach’s #1 problem, pointing out that the city is the sixth-poorest in the country. She wants to strengthen the local economy, in part by subsidizing the arts, a side-benefit of which will be helping tourism in a sort of “cross-pollination.”
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An event like this is an excellent chance to get a taste of each candidate’s personality, knowledgeability, and ability to extemporize; but it can give only a limited view of each one’s politics. Most have Websites, and I strongly encourage all to seek out information on each one in order to make an informed choice. Not all candidates are created equal. Find out for yourself:

Blair: www.ElectBeckyBlair.com
Bozeman: www.VoteSonny.com
Conn: I found no contact info*
Green: I found no contact info*
Herzog: herzog4lbin06@verizon.net
Lowenthal: I found no contact info*
Myown: www.MyOwnCityCouncil.com
Sardie: (562) 951-9327
Ulaszewski: www.brianulb.com
Weeks: www.WorkWithWeeks.com

*Any contact info supplied to me at whogreggory@yahoo.com will be inserted into this piece.