NeWS
8 SigNAL TriBuNe
MArCh 9, 2012
Contenders for the LB eighth district council seat face-off again at Los Cerritos elementary School forum CJ Dablo Staff Writer
Lillian Kawasaki and Al Austin II faced off again Wednesday at a second candidate forum for the eighth district Council seat at Los Cerritos Elementary School. Before dozens of attendees, both contenders challenged their opponent’s experience and ties to the local community and ability to represent the eighth district. “I know that, if elected, on day one I can come in. I don’t need to learn the job,” Kawasaki said Wednesday at the event hosted by the Los Cerritos Neighborhood Association. “I can spend my
time actually meeting the challenges that face Long Beach today.” Kawasaki highlighted her publicservice experience of more than 30 years. She said she was an assistant general manager at the Department of Water and Power and worked with the Los Angeles Community Development Department. At that department she had a budget of more than $300 million a year and 500 people. Currently, Kawasaki serves on the board of directors of the Water Replenishment District of Southern California (WRD). Austin also touted his own experience. He acknowledged that he has
served as a union representative for the past eight years and a fundraiser who has worked in 11 states. Kawasaki asked Austin how that experience would help small businesses. “I was able to gain a great amount of experience working in municipalities and cities and states throughout the West,” Austin said Wednesday. “Specifically it has given me organizational skills. It’s given me the ability to bring people together. It’s given me the ability to identify the problems and to problem-solve with large groups of people, often with their very diverse interests.” Austin hesitated for a brief moment. “I
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don’t know…if I’ve answered your question specifically, but I can tell you that I have the experience, the energy and [conviction] to get it done.” A little later in his rebuttal, Austin clarified himself. “I believe my organization skills, my ability to bring organizations together, to bring people together to advocate will be very, very useful in helping…our small businesses grow and develop in the eighth district,” he said. Austin praised the business district along the Atlantic corridor and recommended that it should be a model for the rest of the city. Kawasaki explained her ties to the business community and described her experience managing small business programs. She also offered one idea to help this particular group. “If I’m fortunate enough to be elected, I will ensure that in my office, there will be a small-business ombudsman,” Kawasaki said, explaining that an ombudsman can “navigate the City Hall” and can recruit businesses to the area and even retain and grow the existing businesses. Austin also spoke about how his public-sector experience could help businesses and recognized the important role that business plays in providing jobs. “I will work with our business community as a stakeholder, but beyond that I’m going to push back on our business community because I think they have a greater obligation in our city,” Austin said as he noted the number of Baby Boomers who are set to retire in a few years and the need to create institutional knowledge among the youth. He hoped that businesses will create internship opportunities for young people. But where Kawasaki emphasized her local government experience, Austin emphasized his ties to the community. According to his campaign literature, Austin has served on the Fairfield Family YMCA Board, the Los Cerritos Elementary PTA and the Long Beach Citizen Police Complaint Commission. In answer to a question posed by Austin that asked for her volunteer experience with the eighth district, Kawasaki highlighted several areas where she has served. Kawasaki said she was appointed to the Long Beach Water Commission, served on the board of the historical society, and volunteered at Hughes Middle School and Longfellow Elementary School. She also spoke of her efforts to save the Will J. Reid Park and that she supports the Long Beach Shakespeare Company and the First Fridays art walk events and also shows cars at the Dragster Expo. Austin criticized Kawasaki’s involvement with the community.
Photos by CJ Dablo/Signal Tribune
Lillian Kawasaki
Al Austin II “I do think that it speaks to the nature of the ability to effectively represent this entire district,” he said. Austin blasted his opponent’s participation with the First Fridays event. “If I were to go before a judge and ask for community service, First Fridays and a car show would not qualify,” Austin concluded. During two “lightning rounds,” the candidates were given 30 seconds to respond to a spectrum of questions that included topics like rent control, increasing the utility tax and same-sex marriage. With a limited time to answer whether they supported, opposed or had no opinion, there was not much of an opportunity to fully explain a position. Some of the questions were vague, and others asked for stances on recent decisions by the current City Council. At the conclusion of the forum, Austin said in an interview said that he hoped that the attendees will remember his commitment to safe neighborhoods. He emphasized his concern for public safety. Kawasaki said in an interview that her priorities include expanding the Atlantic Avenue and Long Beach Boulevard business corridors, seeing a “riverlink” around the Los Angeles River, and keeping the Will J. Reid Park, a key open space near the L.A. River. Both Kawasaki and Austin acknowledged that the forum was missing one other another candidate whose name will be on the ballot for the open Council seat– Gustavo Rivera. According to the moderator, Jeff Kellogg, Rivera had been invited, but he had not responded to the invitation and did not appear at the forum on Wednesday night. Kawasaki and Austin confirmed Wednesday that Rivera has so far failed to engage them in any public debate or forum. He also did not respond to media requests before press time. Both Kawasaki and Austin have raised a substantial amount of money for their campaigns. According to the most recently available campaign finance statements from the Long Beach City Clerk’s office, Kawasaki has raised $24,969 from loans and monetary contributions and spent $30,734.40 so far on this campaign. Her cash balance was $36,974.77 as of Feb. 25. During the debate Kawasaki acknowledged that she gave money to her own campaign. Records reflect that Kawasaki loaned her own campaign $10,000 last year. Austin raised $14,909 in monetary contributions and spent $11,584.34. Austin reported a cash balance of $20,361.23 on his Feb. 25 campaign statement.