Daily 49er, March 19, 2018

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH

VOL. LXVIX, ISSUE 62 | MARCH 19-23, 2018

D49er

T S U J * G N I K FUC E T VO re It starts he w It starts no

Spec ial Iss ue: LBC P rimar ies

* If you want to make a difference in Long Beach, it starts here and it starts now. The upcoming April 10 election is the first step toward appointing the mayor and representatives for various districts of the city. There are elections in every city and they all impact your life. So, get out there and vote.

WHAT’S INSIDE Mayoral candidates pg. 3-4

District 3 pg. 5-6

District 5 pg. 7-8

District 7 pg. 9-11

2 INDEX

MARCH 19-23, 2018 DAILY49ER.COM

LBC Districts Holding Elections Artesia

District 9

Cherry

Atlantic

South

Long Beach

District 8

LA County

ot sC oy Lo

Studebaker

District 7

Bellflower

Clark

es

District 5

Long Beach Airport

Signal Hill

District 6 Pacific Coast Hwy

District 4 Anaheim

CSULB

7th St.

District 1

District 3

Ocean

Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Broadway

District 2

EDITOR’S NOTE In this special issue, The Daily 49er spoke to and wrote about the 13 candidates. We asked them to clarify their stance on a variety of issues and what actions they would like to pursue if they assume office.

HOW TO VOTE Of the candidates featured in this issue, voters registered in the city of Long Beach will be able to vote for the Mayor and their city council representative. If your address is in one of the colored sections of the map on this page, then you can vote for one of the candidates running to represent that area. A couple of candidates were not covered in this issue because they withdrew from their respective race or were running unopposed.

The Office of the City Clerk’s election home page has links for information about the candidates, circulating petitions and more. The “Voters” page linked to there is where IMPORTANT VOTING DATES you can check your voter registration status, register to vote and find your polling place or register to vote-by-mail. The deadline to register is March 26. If you are in need of a • March 26: Deadline to register to vote vote-by-mail ballot because you’ll be unable to vote at your polling place on election day, • April 10: Voting day for the primary you must apply for one between April 4 — 10. nominating election Voting day is April 10, but the election cycle does not end there. If a candidate in the • April 4-10: Dates to apply for a vote-byprimary nominating election wins the majority of votes, he or she will be appointed to mail ballot if you cannot vote at your polling the office they are running for. If no candidate wins a majority of the votes cast then the place on election day two who collected the highest amount of votes will move on to the general election on • June 5: The general election June 5, which will determine which candidates assume office. Information for these and other elections can be found under the “Voting & Elections” portion of lavote.net.

For this primary nominating election, not everything in this issue may apply to you. You can only vote in this election if you are registered to vote with an address in Long Beach. If you now live in Long Beach, but are not registered to vote with an address in the city, you will have to register again.

This issue will remain on stands until The Daily 49er resumes regular print publication on April 2. Stories will continue to be posted daily on daily49er.com and @daily49er on all of our social media.

MAYOR 3

MARCH 19-23, 2018 DAILY49ER.COM

Incumbent: Robert Garcia

By Mac Walby

Managing Editor

G

arcia is the first openly gay mayor to be elected in Long Beach, taking 52 percent of the vote in 2014 against Damon Dunn. The former Republican and graduate of Cal State Long Beach became a member of the Democratic Party in 2004. He is running against James Henry “Henk” Conn.

Government transparency

Since he was elected in 2014, Garcia said he has strived for a more transparent relationship with the public.

In an effort to make documents regarding city projects and changes more accessible, the city launched DataLB. Created with Esri, a mapping software, citizens are now able to pull up information on different projects, renovations and construction projects throughout the city using an interactive map or list of projects.

Many of the pages include pictures and plans of what is coming up, including the way different ballot measures will impact specific parts of the city.

Rent control and taxes

Rent control has been something of a touchy subject for the incumbent.

Community activist Robert Fox made a stand against rent control, threatening to run against Garcia if nothing would be done, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reported. A widely-publicised meeting between the two ended the conflict, but many in the community wondered if there was a political deal made to resolve the issue behind the scenes.

Garcia has said that he opposes rent control in the city and would instead focus on building affordable housing. His office has put forth a number of ideas, including a housing task force setup last year.

“We need housing of all types but especially for seniors on mixed income, working families, college students and those experiencing homelessness,” Garcia said during a Long Beach City Council meeting in January.

Public transit

Garcia was a major supporter of Measure A, a ballot initiative which took see GARCIA, page 4

Courtesy of the Garcia for Mayor Campaign

Robert Garcia joined the Delta Chi fraternity while attending Cal State Long Beach and lectured for the school’s communications department.

Challenger: James Henry ‘Henk’ Conn

By Carlos Villicana Special Projects Editor

J

ames Henry “Henk” Conn is a substitute teacher and former social worker who is advocating for rent control, police reform and more accessible public transit. He is Mayor Robert Garcia’s sole challenger.

Addressing homelessness

The candidate stated that sending people to housing with a lot of rules does not work.

Conn believes that homeless residents need to have the support of counselors and medical professionals to be helped until they feel ready to accept housing.

“The solution is not to shoo away the people that we see as being messy,” Conn said.

Animal shelters

Sabrina Flores | Daily 49er

James Henry “Henk” Conn graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a master’s degree in social work.

He previously ran for the second district city council seat with the goal of funding public libraries.

Conn said his vision is to convert animal shelters in the city to “No Kill” shelters. Conn said he would rather support shelters in which animals could be given long-term aid, “instead of putting them on the fast track to euthanization.”

The environment

The candidate stated that he would follow the suggestions made by environmental impact reports when it comes to new projects, such as the Belmont Beach and Aquatics Center.

He also said that his plan for public transportation would aid in improving the environment.

Parks

The substitute teacher said he wants to make parks a place where people will spend their time, and that hiring more staff to keep parks clean of trash can help accomplish this.

“What I think we should be looking at is more benches and places where our senior citizens can come and watch the day go by,” Conn said.

Police reform

Conn declared that he wanted to reform the Long Beach Police Department. He said that not all crimes require a forceful response, specifically if the suspects are not violent or causing harm.

Conn also voiced support for police see CONN, page 4

4 MAYOR

MARCH 19-23, 2018 DAILY49ER.COM

GARCIA

continued from page 3 revenue from a tax increase to invest into the city’s infrastructure to the tune of $384 million.

Passed by 60 percent of voters, the money has gone to repairing and renovating local roads, libraries and parks, as well as increasing energy efficiency across Long Beach.

Addressing homelessness

The mayor’s office has made a number of efforts to combat the growing issue of homelessness across the state and within Long Beach.

The Mayor’s Fund for the Homeless is a city program working with local nonprofits to offer relocation assistance, job training and placement services, winter shelter programs and more.

The city received an $8 million federal grant in February to spend on the epidemic, which should help expand capacity at shelters and add more substantial services.

Homelessness remains “one of the top priority issues we continue to address day in and day out,” Garcia said in a statement to the Press-Telegram.

Recreational marijuana

While the substance is now legal within the state, the city is still without a recreational pot shop.

A small number of business licenses have been issued, but the details are still being “ironed out.”

Garcia joined nine other mayors of major cities in sending a letter to US Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, asking the lawmaker to reverse his rolling back of a federal policy, which gave a low priority to the prosecution of marijuana offenses in legal states like California.

COM IC-CON® INTERNATIONA L PRES ENTS

CONTACT INFO Campaign (213) 489-4792 robert@robertgarcia.com Office (562) 570-6801 mayor@longbeach.gov

Office of the Mayor: 333 West Ocean Blvd 14th Floor Long Beach, CA 90802

MARCH 23-25

ANAHEIM CONVENTION CENTER ANAHEIM COMIC-CON®

Recreational marijuana

The candidate stated that he believes the city can collect a lot of revenue from the taxation of marijuana sales.

“I think we should have medical marijuana businesses because we voted for it as a state,” Conn said. “I think we should have recreational marijuana businesses because we voted for it as a state.”

Workers’ rights

Conn voiced abjection to prioritizing a company’s profits over a person’s health, which he believes current city representatives did when responding to an ordinance known as “Claudia’s Law.” When asked how he would support the workforce, Conn did not explain specific actions but did declare that he would fully support unions.

ICS

CONTACT INFO

CO M

To help stimulate local businesses and community involvement, Conn aims to make Long Beach Transit bus fares free on weekends. Conn also said that this would allow people with disabilities and those on fixed incomes more access to the community.

James Henry “Henk” Conn, Mayoral candidate

DC

Public transportation

WWW.WONDERCON.ORG

Campaign (714) 862-7532 henkconn@gmail.com

&©

officers wearing body cameras, which the Long Beach Police Department has struggled with but plans to expand its use of.

“It protects the police officer and it also protects the people that they want to protect,” he said.

The candidate said that police officers are tasked with a lot by being made responsible for responding to violent crimes, domestic disputes (which he implied family counselors should handle) and the presence of homeless people (which he implied “homeless outreach workers” should handle).

Conn was also critical of the Bike Chop Shop Ordinance, which third district representative Suzie Price introduced, because he believes that it can result in profiling. To prevent this, he said that he would want police to operate solely based on evidence.

“The ways we address things are not cost effective,” Conn said. “A night in jail is not cost effective.”

Shifting training to focus on the de-escalation of situations was cited by Conn as a preferable method of operation.

“

BADGES ON SALE ONLINE ONLY! COMPLETE INFO AT:

TM

CONN

continued from page 3

The ways we address things are not cost effective. A night in jail is not cost effective.”

DISTRICT 3 5

MARCH 19-23, 2018 DAILY49ER.COM

Incumbent: Suzie Price

By Samantha Diaz Arts & Life Editor

S

uzie Price is a senior deputy district attorney running for re-election for District 3. She is challenged by environmental activist Gordana Kajer and High School teacher, Robert Savin. Price is a strong advocate for increased resources for law enforcement. If re-elected, Price aims to bring more business to Long Beach, a plan she believes will increase jobs and combat homelessness.

Housing

Courtesy of Justin Rudd

Suzie Price is a district attorney in Orange County who has served as the chair of the city council’s Public Safety Committee.

CONTACT INFO (760) 815-6666 City Hall office: (562) 570-6300 Field office: (562) 570-8756 district3@longbeach.gov

suziepriceforcitycouncil@gmail.com City Hall Office 333 West Ocean Blvd. 14th Floor Long Beach, CA 90802

Price is opposed to rent control in Long Beach, noting that it would not be beneficial for property owners. She believes that the city needs to incentivize owners and developers to build more affordable housing.

One way Price plans to do this is to get landlords in affordable housing units to accept Section 8 housing vouchers to source a more reliable form of income.

She also believes that bringing more jobs into the city will help alleviate the crisis. She is proud of the city for working with the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters through the Project Labor Agreement, in which citizens get first priority for those jobs.

Fire and police department

The incumbent said she hopes that the city will be able to gradually add resources and increase funding to the fire and police departments in Long Beach through sales and property taxes.

She hopes that as long as district three and the city are receiving more tax revenue, they will be able to improve the public departments and provide better care for Long Beach.

The councilwoman also stated that the city has taken good steps toward holding

police officers accountable for their actions by requiring the use of body cameras within the department.

“Having these cameras will go a long way,” Price said. “Not only does it protect people, but it also protects police from any false allegations.”

Sanctuary city

Price voted in favor of the Long Beach Values Act of 2018, which expands the protections given to undocumented residents by California’s Senate Bill No. 54.

The senate bill prevents state and local law enforcement officials from sharing information about a person’s citizenship status in situations where the local and state agencies have a choice in cooperating with federal immigration authorities.

The Values Act, which Price supported, expands this ban to employees of all city departments. She also supports the exceptions that allow information to be shared under SB-54.

“As a prosecutor I know what it means for someone to be convicted of the very serious crimes listed [in the bill],” Price said.

The state legislature allows law enforcement officials to share information with federal immigration authorities if the person wanted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement had been convicted of at least one of a series of crimes listed on the bill.

The incumbent voted against a portion of the act which would establish a fund meant to help undocumented residents obtain legal representation.

Price defended her stance by explaining that, according to the city charter, public funds should only be used to represent a city employee or the city itself.

The city council ultimately approved of the legal defense fund, and that $250,000 of the city’s general fund be designated for it.

Challenger: Robert D. Savin

By Carlos Villicana Special Projects Editor

R

obert D. Savin is a high school physics teacher with a background in electrical engineering.

Taxes and spending

Savin was critical of the city’s use of funds collected by Measure A, a ten-year sales tax meant to fund public infrastructure and safety services.

“If any of this Measure A money is not being used, it’d be great if we could reduce it or reverse some of it if possible,” Savin said.

He stated that the only spending he would like to do is on the completion of the Belmont Beach and Aquatics Center

Addressing homelessness

According to news publica-

tion Beachcomber, Savin stated that Long Beach should study how other cities have dealt with homelessness.

Rent control

“Rent control is fine except you can’t have both high taxes and rent control,” Savin said.

“You have one or the other, so if we can get rid of all of these high taxes then rent control is fine.”

Sanctuary city policies

Savin stated that he believes adopting sanctuary city policies will not help the city’s infrastructure, but he would follow what the state government decides.

Environment

Savin claimed that because he does not want to spend a lot of city money, he would prefer to find out if desalination is financially feasible before running “an

Courtesy of Jose Alcaraz

Robert D. Savin is an eight-year resident of Long Beach who has seven children and works at Schurr High School in Montebello.

expensive survey.” He claims that this process would give the city an unlimited amount of water.

Police and fire departments

“Whatever [police officers and fire departments] need we need

to provide it for them,” Savin said.

The teacher stated that the primary purpose of city council was to provide for the fire and police departments.

He believes that money col-

lected from Measure A should be enough to provide for these institutions. Savin said that the majority of police are good but see SAVIN, page 6

6 DISTRICT 3

MARCH 19-23, 2018 DAILY49ER.COM

Challenger: Gordana Kajer

By Samantha Diaz Arts & Life Editor

E

nvironmental activist and small business owner, Gordana Kajer, will run for District 3 against incumbent Suzie Price and High School teacher Robert Savin. She has shaped her candidacy around community outreach and addressing climate change on a local level.

Community input

Kajer voiced her concerns about transparency within city council and explained how often decisions are made without input from the community.

“Too much of what I’ve seen is predetermined,” Kajer said. “Decisions are made then presented as a done deal. Not enough is being done to allow the community to communicate their problems.”

If elected, Kajer said she would make sure the Tidelands Fund involve the entire community, including various leaders of different organizations.

Currently, the funds can only be used for maintenance and developmental projects along the coastal zone. Kajer believes that while these projects only

take place in one area, it will still affect the rest of the city, and therefore should involve the entire community to decide what the money should go toward.

Housing

Admitting full disclosure that she doesn’t have all of the answers, Kajer believes that just cause for eviction protections should be implemented by the city council. These protections aim to prevent the termination of a resident’s tenancy in a rental unit. Under the enforcement of just cause for eviction, a tenant could only be evicted if they violate at least one of the conditions established by the legislature which established these rules.

While unsure if rent control is the proper solution, she believes that the initiative will easily pass.

She also believes that Long Beach is in need of more affordable housing. Kajer aims to look at other cities in California grappling with a similar housing crisis and ultimately hopes to provide incentive for developers to build affordable homes.

The challenger believes that creating this housing will provide more jobs in Long Beach and in turn, people will want to work in the city because they

SAVIN

can afford to live there.

“I think it starts with a community that feels as if they are safe, where neighborhoods reflect their resident’s interests and concerns for their neighborhood,” Kajer said. “When people feel as though they can’t afford to live in their local community, working in that local community is more difficult. If we can get homes and affordable housing in Long Beach, more people will want to work in Long Beach.”

Kajer noted that the Homeless Education and Response team has played an admirable role in responding to emergencies for those living on the streets and that their response times could be improved with additional funding.

The environment

Less than pleased with plans to build a new pool at the Belmont Beach and Aquatic Center, Kajer has said that it’s not environmentally feasible due to rising sea levels. Instead, she suggested making the Belmont Plaza Pool into a permanent aquatics facility, which she thinks will require less engineering and funding because it will not be built on sand.

“When the original pool was built, we had a very different

Savin stated that he wants to release information to the public as soon as he receives it.

continued from page 5

Local businesses those who break rules should be punished.

Public engagement

“If you’re coming in to voice your opinion, then I want to hear it,” Savin said. “I want people in the 3rd district to email me, tell me what you’re interested in.”

The candidate cited these taxes and minimum wage increases as reasons why small businesses are closing.

“Stop increasing sales tax, that would help our small businesses,” Savin said.

He said he would like to promote small businesses and encourage residents to shop local.

Photos Courtesy of Gordana Kajer

Gordana Kajer has been a resident of Long Beach for thirty years and helped found a non-profit organization named “Spanky Project USA.”

concept of environment in respect to coast and beach,” Kajer said. “Today we have [an] understanding of what’s happening to coastal zones and we must adapt.”

When asked what that encouragement would look like, Savin said, “Anything I can think of.”

He said he would ask residents and business owners what helps attract customers and consider using events such as “Dine Out Long Beach” to promote small businesses.

“If it is [helping], [we’ll] have more,” Savin said.

Public transit

Savin stated that he’s heard no com-

CONTACT INFO Campaign: (562) 900-2961 gordanafordistrict3@gmail.com

plaints of the public transit services from residents, but that if he does hear any then he will address them.

CONTACT INFO Campaign: (714) 625-9807 rob@savinlongbeach.com

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DISTRICT 5 7

MARCH 19-23, 2018 DAILY49ER.COM

Challenger: Corliss Lee

Incumbent: Stacy Mungo

By Daniel Green Opinions Editor

By Carlos Villicana

C

Special Projects Editor

ouncilwoman Stacy Mungo was elected to District 5 in 2014. She is a strong supporter of retaining the “neighborhood character” of low-density areas by strategically planning the construction and locations of apartment buildings and neighborhoods.

C

orliss Lee describes herself as a community advocate who aims to foster a more transparent relationship between the city council and its constituents. She also plans to address increasing taxes and changes to building density.

Transparency

Mungo stated that one of the biggest hurdles when she was first elected was the amount of bureaucracy that she found.

Since then, Mungo said she has worked to make the local government easier and more accessible for Long Beach residents. Her goal is to clear bureaucratic red tape so “people can rely on and have clear expectations of their local government.”

Rent control

Mungo said that while she has sympathy for families trying to make ends meet, she believes that rent control is detrimental to housing stock.

The candidate points to San Francisco and Santa Monica as examples of how rent control can hurt housing stock, leading to housing shortages.

Instead the candidate supports the use of the Section 8 housing program, which helps renters become homeowners. Mungo believes that helping renters become homeowners will lead them to become more invested in the community.

Courtesy of Stacy Mungo

Stacy Mungo is a reserve deputy sheriff for the County of Los Angeles and previously served as president of the El Dorado Park Estates Neighborhood Association.

Public engagement

Lee believes that information on pertinent community topics such as the Land Use Element plan have not been actively and openly presented to residents.

To remedy this, she would like to create a council within the district 5 that is composed of neighborhood association leaders who would communicate with her.

“I would like to see the heads of the neighborhood get together every couple of months, and I would share with them what’s going on the agenda and what’s going on at city hall,” Lee said.

She said that the city should work with residents on savings plans and other programs that help them save for down payments on houses.

Homelessness

Mungo said that 14.3 million dollars have been accrued through grants for outreach and housing.

Mungo stated that these funds will be used to “continue to find homes for the community, clean up the homeless encampments and ensure the resources [for] finding jobs and changing into a homed life are available.” see MUNGO, page 8

“And they could share with me what their chief concerns are.”

The candidate stated that she would not want this group to be an open forum. Instead, she would prefer that residents visit their neighborhood associations to stay informed. She claimed that open forums would lead to tasks not being completed.

Rent control and taxes

Lee is opposed to rent control and expressed sympathy for people wanting their rent stabilized. She said that rent control ultimately shrinks the amount of affordable housing because developers take over the properties which landlords sell in order to retain a profit. “[I like the idea] that we give renters a break on their taxes.

That puts more money in their pocket, and that allows them to save that money to put it down on something or have money in their pocket in case there is a rent increase,” Lee said. see LEE, page 8

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8 DISTRICT 5

MARCH 19-23, 2018 DAILY49ER.COM

Challenger: Rich Dines

By James Chow

Senior News Assistant

R

ich Dines is a former Long Beach Harbor Commissioner.

He believes that his clean energy initiatives and ideas on port operations will benefit all parts of the city.

The Port

Carlos Villicana | Daily 49er

Rich Dines said that his wife is one of the biggest reasons why he is running to represent district five.

CONTACT INFO Campaign: (562) 900-2961 gordanafordistrict3@gmail.com

To save city dollars, Dines plans to transform Long Beach into a greener city by moving to a zero-emissions port through implementing non-pollutant cargo-handling equipment and trucks. He believes the port could generate $500 million a year in gross revenue.

The former harbor commissioner aims to do this with his Energy Island initiative, which would convert the Southeast Resource Recovery Facility into a clean energy power plant. “[This] would allow the port to operate for about a week without being tied to the [Southern California Edison] grid,” Dines said. “It would provide enough additional green power to power critical city infrastructure

like police, fire, city hall, hospitals and such.”

Dines also hopes to thin the herd of heavy freight trucks that crowd the 710 freeway by moving cargo from the port to on-dock rails. He hopes to put 2 million trucks through this process. He believes this would increase productivity while lessening traffic congestion on the freeway.

Police and fire

While Dines maintains the 5th district has always seemed to be the safest part of the city, he noted that a recent spike in crimes may threaten that notion.

If elected, Dines claims to allocate “dedicated” revenue from the general fund toward fire and police departments. He says both departments are spread thin and are dispersed into areas which are more violent and crime-ridden.

According to the Long Beach Police Department, there were over 3,100 violent crimes reported throughout the city last year. Dines said that petty and property theft are more prevalent in the district and receive less atten-

tion than violent crime elsewhere in the city.

Housing

Although he does not support rent control as proposed today, Dines believes the city should shift to affordable housing overall instead of low-income housing.

“We really need to find a way to create more affordable housing units to help drive down… costs of rent throughout the city,” Dines said.

He said that the majority of 5th District residents don’t want to increase density by adding five-story buildings in the suburban area.

Community input

Dines advocates for transparency between government officials and city residents, including who councilmembers are meeting with and what they’re working on. He firmly holds that community outreach should be done before decisions are made.

“No backdoor deals,” Dines stated.

“Everything [is done] in front of the public.”

LEE

MUNGO

continued from page 7

continued from page 7

Public transit

Law enforcement

The incumbent describes herself as a “strong supporter” of body cameras for officers. She believes that law enforcement is changing overall and standards should reflect that, stating that officers who work in the community will have to deal with social work such as domestic abuse, mental illness and homelessness.

Mungo believes the recruiting and training process should reflect this, stating that the department needs to hire officers with “maturity and compassion,” on top of the traditional physical requirements.

Marijuana dispensaries

Mungo stands by the city’s decision to allow marijuana dispensaries to operate in the city. However, she is not a fan of many of the locations since they are located too close to schools and neighborhoods.

Mungo stated that she was more supportive of a home delivery service that would allow patients to receive medical marijuana.

CONTACT INFO (310) 880-7500

City Hall Office 333 West Ocean Blvd, 14th Floor Long Beach, CA 90802

Daily 49er Miranda Andrade-Ceja Editor-in-Chief eicd49er@gmail.com

Mac Walby Managing Editor managingd49er@gmail.com

Addressing homelessness

The candidate stated that when it comes to addressing homelessness, specific actions to be taken should be determined by “the professionals,” which she described as social workers and committees dedicated to housing.

“I would support hearing out what their plans are and doing what we can to help them,” Lee said. Beyond this, Lee did not specify plans which she had.

Recreational marijuana

steve.napolitano@gmail.com

District office (562) 570-5555 district5@longbeach.gov

Lee said she believes buses should be downsized because there are more in number than the amount of people riding them requires. However, the candidate said that she does not think the city should spend money on reducing bus capacities at the moment.

At a March 8 candidate forum, Lee expressed that she believes the city should follow state law and allow the sale of marijuana for recreational use.

However, she did state that the substance should be protected by locks and require identification for purchase, similar to how alcohol and medical drugs are sold.

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Phone (562) 985-8000 Fax (562) 985-7994

1250 Bellflower Blvd., LA4-201 Long Beach, CA 90840-4601

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Phone (562) 985-8001 Fax (562) 985-1740

Design Adviser Gary Metzker Content Adviser Barbara Kingsley-Wilson

Robert Yagake Hunter Lee Jade Inglada Amanda Recio Nicole Fish Adriana Ramirez Carlos Villicana

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Multimedia Managing Editor Photo Editor Design Editor Arts and Life Editor Samantha Diaz Social Media Editor artsnlifed49er@gmail.com Copy Editor Exec. Video Editor Sports Editor Christian Gonzales Special Projects Editor sportsd49er@gmail.com

Courtesy of Corliss Lee

Corliss Lee has lived in Long Beach for 24 years and got involved in local politics when the city council was considering allowing international flights out of the Long Beach Airport.

1250 Bellflower Blvd., LA4-203A Long Beach, CA 90840-4601

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James Chow Sarah Verhs Shyanne Riberal-Norton Sabrina Flores Drew Mametsuka Luke Ramirez Kevin Colindres

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Editorials: All opinions expressed in the columns, letters and cartoons in this issue are those of the writers or artists.

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DISTRICT 7 9

MARCH 19-23, 2018 DAILY49ER.COM

Incumbent: Roberto Uranga

By Samantha Diaz Arts & Life Editor

R

oberto Uranga is running for re-election as the 7th District councilmember.

He wants to focus on job creation and decreasing crime.

Housing

Uranga believes that rent control is not an effective solution for addressing renters and the housing needs they face. Instead, he thinks working closely with apartment owners to ensure quality housing and fair rent would be more beneficial to residents.

“A lot of times when a person moves, owners will make improvements to that space and raise the rent so we need a process to keep that from happening that’s more fair to everybody,” Uranga said.

He feels that the housing issue goes hand-in-hand with homelessness, and that one way to address both issues is to create more affordable housing and job opportunities for those struggling.

The incumbent said he thinks working with nearby cities will be more efficient when coming up with a plan of action for the crisis. Uranga is proud of the work that has been accomplished through Measure A, that addresses issues of mental health and drug abuse in homelessness.

Another way Uranga believes that the city can decrease the number of homeless individuals is to create more jobs available to people living in Long Beach.

The council member cited the project labor agreement currently in place with many construction companies as a way to ensure those living in Long Beach get priority as an ideal method to create these job opportunities.

“Unemployment is down in the city,” Uranga said. “But we still have issues with getting people jobs in Long Beach, clearly, because we [still] have this homelessness issue.”

Public safety

Uranga feels that in order for the police and fire departments to be more effective, they need to be provided with more equipment and staff. He believes that once our public workers are given the resources they need, they will be able to do their jobs more effectively and efficiently.

“There’s never enough resources for public safety,” Uranga said. “We need to make sure… they can do their jobs more effectively and protect the public.”

In the same vein, Uranga

Courtesy of Courtney Lindberg Photography

Roberto Uranga helped create the Long Beach College Promise during his tenure as a member of the Long Beach Community College District Board.

CONTACT INFO Campaign (562) 200-9828 roberto@robertouranga.com City Hall Office (562) 570-7777 333 West Ocean Blvd, 14th Floor Long Beach, CA 90802

believes not only that police should be held accountable for their actions, but that “everybody should be held accountable for their actions.”

The council member said Long Beach is currently taking the correct steps to ensure this, such as getting body cameras for the police and working with a reviewing commission to look over complaints and issues anyone might have with the department.

Uranga commended the efforts of the city’s police department, citing the fact that crime has gone down in recent years, but acknowledged that there is always room for improvement to ensure that the people in Long Beach feel safe.

Public services

Among his ideas for improv-

Field Office (562) 570-4461 district7@longbeach.gov 2125 Santa Fe Avenue Long Beach, CA 90810

ing public services are extending the public library hours, expanding on the public transit system routes and making what he referred to as small, but necessary changes to public parks such as renovated bathrooms and fields.

“We always need improvements,” Uranga said. “We’ve used Measure A funds to make improvements to parks. We put a soccer field with turf and good drainage, we’ve fixed backstops in Little League. We’re making a lot of improvements in places all over the district.”

He also acknowledged that parking is an issue in many parts of the city.

“We do have parking issues in different parts of the city,” Uranga said. “It’s not an issue in 7th District, but I’ll support any measure to improve parking in other districts.”

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10 DISTRICT 7

MARCH 19-23, 2018 DAILY49ER.COM

Challenger: Jared Milrad

By James Chow

Senior News Assistant

J

ared Milrad is a prospective candidate for the 7th District and believes the best way to increase revenue in Long Beach is by encouraging spaces for local and independent businesses to thrive.

Local businesses

Milrad, who founded his own production company and nonprofit, believes he is the right candidate for city council to promote the growth of small businesses, which he said is not prominent in the Westside. He thinks incentivizing mom and pop shops to stay in the city would best increase city revenue and grow the tax base.

“To grow here — that’s something we need to be proactive about,” Milrad said.

Social justice

Courtesy of Natalie Perez

Jared Milrad became a vegan at the age of 14 and served in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel.

A member of the LGBTQ community, Milrad wants to provide resources for health equity. He plans to do this through advocating for LGBTQ senior housing in the city, and by having strong HIV prevention and treatment services.

“We do need a strong leader to make sure we get a strong health care reform and we fight back

against anything the Trump administration has done to take away and reverse the affordable care act,” Milrad said.

ating a mobile app to help Long Beach residents get access to library resources, specifically targeting college-age students and the elderly.

The arts

Youth engagement

The candidate advocates for arts among the youth and has previously worked with undocumented families and recipients under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals in studio projects.

“It’s time for a new generational leader or advocate to do that work,” he said. “So if I were elected I would want to be an advocate for increased arts funding, resources and opportunities.”

First responders

Milrad said he wants to allocate more funding toward police and fire departments. He supports instituting neighborhood watches and believes having a police and community partnership with city council is essential in the 7th district.

Public libraries

Milrad said that if taxpayers are paying for public libraries, their technology needs to be up-to-date.

He wants to make sure libraries throughout the city have the latest computer and broadband access.

The candidate also suggested cre-

To engage youth in the 7th district, Milrad wants to create a young leaders program within the district and offer workplace opportunities for them by implementing vocational programs at Long Beach City College and apprenticeship services.

Homelessness

He wants to impose permanent supportive housing initiatives to combat homelessness. This housing model would balance low-barrier affordable housing, health care and supportive services to help families in need. Alongside federally funded resources, he encourages nonprofit developer partnerships to help create the housing units in the city.

“In terms of innovative solutions... we don’t currently have a champion on our city council for [the 7th] district who is standing up for supportive housing,” Milrad said.

CONTACT INFO Campaign (562) 270-3970 info@jaredforlb.com

Challenger: Oscar S. Delacruz ary city, Delacruz took a neutral stance, maintaining that the city should do background checks for criminal records of undocumented people.

“I have no objection to the sanctuary issue,” he said. “[But] if they are criminals, we don’t want them here.”

This applies to certain types of crimes, which he described as the “bad ones.” When asked for examples of what those are, Delacruz said “rapists,” “drug pushers,” “killers” and “thieves.” He made sure to clarify that “thieves” referred to someone stealing things like cars or guns, not people stealing food so that they can eat.

By Christian Gonzales Sports Editor

O

scar S. Delacruz is a resident of District 7 and a former outreach minister for the Grace United Methodist Church.

Housing

Delacruz stated that he supports rent control and expected the initiative to pass. However if rent control didn’t pass, he said that he has no plans to pursue the matter further.

The candidate voiced his concerns for building density and congestion within the city, stating that he would like to implement a program that would encourage residents to move to other cities or less populated areas. When interviewed March 15, he did not share any ideas for incentives this program could offer but said that some could be found by conducting a study.

Banning bars

Delacruz made it clear that he would like to rid the 7th District of bars serving alcohol, stating that they attract crime — specifically

Carlos Villicana | Daily 49er

Oscar S. Delacruz served the United States Navy after he migrated to the United States from the Philippines in 1968.

shootings. He also expressed his discomfort with the presence of drunk drivers and bar patrons occupying parking spots in the area.

Parks

He said he would like to increase police presence at outdoor parks, saying the move would help reduce crime. He also said he would like to introduce some kind of program focusing on cleaning

up parks. As of March 15, he did not detail how this program would operate.

“The police patrols are not there all the time, we need to promote safety in those areas so that people will use the park more often and comfortably,” Delacruz said.

Sanctuary city

When asked whether or not Long Beach should be a sanctu-

Addressing homelessness

Delacruz said that he often sees families of homeless people out

on the streets, even after they visit shelters. He attributes this to the shelters separating families.

“I would recommend they build shelters that accommodate the whole family,” Delacruz said.

Recreational marijuana

Delacruz stated that marijuana dispensaries attract crime, but he does think that these can be regulated. He had no suggestions for regulations as of March 15, but did express doubt that anyone was using marijuana for medical purposes.

CONTACT INFO Campaign (562) 706-9179 gogolungos@gmail.com

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DISTRICT 7 11

MARCH 19-23, 2018 DAILY49ER.COM

Challenger: Kevin Shin

By Daniel Green Opinions Editor

K

evin Shin is a candidate running to represent Long Beach’s 7th District. After hearing complaints from residents, he said that he would be a stronger advocate for the community than the incumbent.

Public engagement

Shin said that his walks through the neighborhood are a way for him to be connected to residents.

“As I [have] been talking to a lot of folks, one of the two challenges they reflected to me is that they feel that the current council member isn’t really present at community events,” Shin said. “They just feel that when they reach out to him he isn’t responsive enough to their needs.”

Rent control and taxes

The candidate actively supports rent control and claims that it helps stabilize the housing market. He says that rent control helps reduce speculation which helps renters as well as homeowners. Shin said that a stabilized market will help prevent homeowners from seeing major differences in their tax bills. He

believes that rent control should be a temporary solution and the city should be committed to creating more housing. He also supports concepts such as “just cause” eviction.

Public transit

Shin thinks it is important for the city to support public transportation and provide adequate access to it. He said that public transportation is one of the best ways to help reduce greenhouse emissions.

Addressing homelessness

He said that the best way to address homelessness is to address underlying issues such as mental illness, addiction and the lack of housing. His goal is to help the homeless enter programs that will help them. The candidate also stated that he wants to do more to help homeless veterans and work with Veterans Affairs to take advantage of the military benefits and resources available to them.

Marijuana

Shin stated that it should be regulated similarly to alcohol. He believes that history has shown that the criminalization of marijuana has had a negative effect on communities of color. His goal is to

regulate it appropriately and plan out areas so dispensaries do not become overly clustered.

Airport noise

One of the major complaints that Shin has heard from the community is the noise from the Long Beach Airport.

He believes the best way to cut down on noise is to strengthen the noise ordinance for Long Beach, which is one of the most lenient codes in the region, according to Shin. He said that its current structure gives airplane companies a number of strikes before being fined for violation of the ordinance. He said it is important to work with the companies.

“The last thing we want to do is take someone who is providing great jobs to our local community and drive them out of the city by being too harsh or not working with them to find appropriate solutions to some of the challenges [presented by the ordinance],” said Shin.

CONTACT INFO Campaign (562) 548-0881 shinfordistrict7@gmail.com

Courtesy of Rudy Espinoza

Kevin Shin is a co-founder of the organization “Walk Bike Long Beach,” a nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing residents’ walking and biking needs.

Challenger: Chris Sereno

By Hunter Lee Photo Editor

A

late entry in the race for Long Beach City Council, Chris Sereno is running for 7th District council member.

With a background in aerospace and realty, Sereno aims to improve housing and development while creating jobs in the process.

Housing

One of his main goals is to establish affordable housing in Long Beach. To address this, he plans to implement a manufacturing plant to develop modular housing, or prefabricated houses.

Requiring a building site to carry this out, Sereno suggests the old C-17 manufacturing site at Long Beach Airport.

“It would be my dream to see a huge modular home manufacturing facility [at the C-17 manufacturing site],” Sereno said. “To make modular homes, you need an overhead crane and that would be the perfect site for that.”

The houses, according to Sereno, would be affordable for most residents and create more jobs by establishing the manufacturing site in Long Beach.

Public parks

Sereno aims to improve and

maintain local parks in the city instead of creating new ones.

His interest in parks comes from the role they play with the youth of the city, especially those with facilities like basketball courts and pools. Being a candidate with no background in politics, Sereno is taking a “learn as you go” approach to implementing his plans.

“I’d have to find out where the money is relative to the budget,” Sereno said. “Whoever is talking about building more parks, I’d like to know where that money is coming from.”

Government transparency

Sereno’s opinion on government transparency is uncertain, but ultimately he believes there is a decent amount of it in local politics.

Sanctuary cities

Sereno stated that he is in favor of Long Beach’s status as a sanctuary city. Though not versed on the topic, he sees Long Beach as a city that prides itself on being accepting of all.

“If we’re really an international city, and that’s really how I would describe it, sanctuary should just blend right in with that,” Sereno said.

Rent control

With rent spikes becoming a rising issue, Sereno sees a need for tighter rent control laws.

“I believe rent control has a purpose,” Sereno said. “I also believe it’s not enforced enough to the right applications in categories like seniors, veterans [and] low-income housing.”

Sereno said he recognizes that some use rent control to abuse tenants. He looks to provide better, stricter rent control policies to protect those being abused by landlords.

With no political background, Sereno said he is unsure of how the city budget is used and was unable to provide a plan for approaching this issue.

With his mother living in Long Beach, the topic came up in a discussion about the off chance of her husband’s passing.

“My mom, who just turned 80, had a talk about it the other day,” Sereno said. “If her husband goes first she’s going to have a hard time paying where she’s renting.

We need to have plans implemented for situations like that.”

CONTACT INFO Campaign (562) 991-3027 sbsereno@sbcglobal.net

Courtesy of Chris Sereno

Before retiring last April, Chris Sereno spent 32 years working for McDonnell Douglas, an aerospace manufacturing corporation that has since merged with Boeing.

12 MARCH 19-23, 2018

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