Among the offices on the ballot for the Tuesday, Nov. 4 General Election in Long Beach will be the 47th Congressional District, the 70th District in the State Assembly and the Water Replenishment District’s (WRD) Division 3 seat.
The Signal Tribune requested that each of the candidates seeking those seats submit information on his or her campaign, the results of which are published below, in the order in which they were emailed. We asked the candidates to limit their nonprofit/professional affiliations and endorsments to five each and their goals if elected/platform to 150 words. (The Signal Tribune is only publishing the responses received before the imposed deadline.)
Party affiliation Republican
Age 53
Years residing in district 28
Previous offices held None
Occupation Property manager
Education B.S. Aerospace Engineering, University of Michigan
Family information Single, no children
Nonprofit/professional affiliations
The Apartment Association California, Southern Cities
El Capitan Homeowners Association
Rotary Club of Signal Hill
Long Beach Area Republican Party
Goals if elected/platform
I’m not a politician but a hands-on independent thinker who will seek viable solutions for this district’s toughest challenges:
•Fighting poverty with better jobs and education
•Healthcare and access to choice
• Insuring public safety and stopping human trafficking.
We need a Congressman who will be an outspoken advocate for those who cannot help themselves, someone who will stand in the gap.
We should be responsibly shrinking government, allowing people to work so we’re putting people before politics with an open, candid, transparent and accountable government.
Washington has forgotten that basic American freedoms are what makes America great and what made the “American Dream” possible.
As an engineer, I solve problems in a focused and pragmatic way. As your Representative, I will attack problems until they are solved. We must work together because it’s the right thing to do.
Endorsements State Senate Minority Leader Bob Huff
State Senator Mimi Walters
Assemblyman Travis Allen
Orange County Supervisor Shawn Nelson
State Board of Equalization Member Michelle Park-Steel
Campaign website andywhallon.com
Party affiliation Republican
Age 56
Years residing in district 12
Previous offices held None
Occupation COO WestOceanMD
Education New Jersey Institute of Technology – B.S. Chemical Engineering
Family information Single
Nonprofit/professional affiliations
United Small Business Alliance
Long Beach Rotary Club
Century Club
Republican National Hispanic Assembly
Republican Jewish Coalition
Goals if elected/platform
When elected, I will establish an enterprise zone to create jobs, protect Port business and improve roads. I will work to make streets safer in Long Beach, San Pedro, Signal Hill and Avalon for businesses, residents and tourists— not a haven for vagrants, gangs and felons. I am the candidate running for this office that has managed budgets, negotiated trade union contracts/agreements and worked with government agencies to solve problems.
I will present a bill to audit educational funding and then address poor school ratings and bring art, trade courses and more sports activities back to schools. Plus, place a nurse in every school. I will work to keep school tuitions low and ensure proper instructor staffing.
I will work to: guarantee that your doctor is your selection and protect services for seniors, veterans and special-needs citizens; protect Prop 13; and establish no-kill animal shelters.
Endorsements
Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association
405/605 Tea Party Patriots
California Chiropractic Association
California Orthopaedic Association
Log Cabin OC/LA
Campaign website johngoya.com
Party affiliation Democrat
Age 48
Years residing in district 25-plus
Previous offices held Long Beach City Council, 4th District (2004-present)
Occupation Teacher, teaching high school U.S. Government
Education BA and MA from California State University Long Beach
Family information Married, wife Jennifer, two school-age daughters
Nonprofit/professional affiliations
Minnie Gant PTA
Sierra Club
Surfrider Foundation
California Teachers Association
Goals if elected/platform
Our schools are our future, and we need to make sure that all students have the opportunities to succeed in college or career by providing adequate funding to schools and affordable access to community colleges and universities.
Jobs are the cornerstone of our economy. I will make job training and creating a top priority in Sacramento, making sure our schools, community colleges, and universities are providing relevant, applicable training for the jobs of the 21st century.
I will also fight to streamline and simplify the regulations and requirements for opening a business in our state and fight for smart re-investment in our infrastructure and highway system.
Safe neighborhoods. On the council, I helped contribute to Long Beach’s dramatic reduction in crime, and I will continue to be an unflagging advocate for the safety of our neighborhoods, giving our front-line police officers and firefighters the tools they need to keep us safe.
Endorsements
Democratic Party
Sierra Club
Mayor Bob Foster
Long Beach Firefighters Association
Assemblymember Bonnie Lowenthal
Campaign website odonnell2014.com
Party affiliation Democrat
Age 56
Years residing in district 22
Previous offices held Board Member, Compton Unified School District
Occupation Retired associate professor, CSULB
Education BA, Communications/Sociology, UC San Diego; MA, Business Management, University of Redlands; Juris Doctorate, Whittier College School of Law
Family information Divorced widow; one child (son) Christian Dymally-Lee, graduate student at CSULB and head coach boys basketball team, LAUSD’s Mervyn M. Dymally High School; father, Former Lt. Govenor and Congressman Mervyn M. Dymally; brother, Mark Dymally, retired Metropolitan Water District Board Director and employee, as well as Board Director, West Basin Water District; first cousin, Edgar Dymally, current longtime senior employee, Metropolitan Water District
Nonprofit/professional affiliations
President, Mervyn M. Dymally Legacy Institute, Inc.
Past member, Long Beach Bar Association Board of Directors
LBUSD former member of the School Site Council, PTA, and Superintendent’s Roundtable
Goals if elected/platform
Lynn Dymally completed the term of Lillian Kawasaki. Like Lillian, Lynn is a reformer and fierce public advocate. Lynn hit the ground running, leading the effort to prevent an increase to the annual water rate, in fact, her first vote as a board member was to not raise water rates.
Not a career politician, Lynn has worked tirelessly, meeting with local, state and federal officials to develop solutions to combat the drought we now face. Her active engagement has made her the best choice to guarantee that WRD becomes 100-percent independent of imported water from northern California and Colorado River by 2017.
Lynn’s platform includes: funding and technical support of local water projects in small and disadvantaged cities suffering from well and groundwater contamination; greater regulatory acceptance of recycled water for recharge of the groundwater basin and for direct potable use; and funding for greater storm and effluent water capture.
Endorsements
Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters
National Women’s Political Caucus
Lakewood Chamber of Commerce
Assemblyman Steven Bradford
Los Angeles Sentinel Newspaper
Campaign website dymallyforwrd2014.com
Party affiliation Democrat
Age 71
Years residing in district 42
Previous offices held Long Beach Transit, Director (1985-93) and President once
Occupation Long Beach Water Commissioner, formerly head deputy district attorney
Education UCLA, Hastings College of the Law
Family information Married, one son
Nonprofit/professional affiliations
Explorer Scouts chair, Long Beach Area Council, Boy Scouts of America (1989-94);Long Beach Bar Foundation, Board of Directors (1993-1997); WomenShelter 1998-2003, Board of Directors; Long Beach Bar Association
Goals if elected/platform
California is in a historic drought, and yet the Water Replenishment District mismanages the Central Basin, the underground aquifer beneath our feet that supplies 60 percent of the water that flows from our faucets. The water table has fallen to levels not seen since 1961 and is falling at least a foot a month.
In this crisis, we need people with experience solving water problems, not politicians looking for a place to land.
I’m John Allen and have seven years as a Long Beach Water Commissioner, twice as president.
While keeping rates low, I secured federal funds for a desalinization demonstration project. During my service, Long Beach’s conservation efforts have seen water consumption fall by 13.5 percent.
With shrewd alliances, we can recharge Central Basin by forcing Metropolitan Water District to sell us the needed water they’ve withheld. If I’m elected, the Basin will recover.
Endorsements
District Attorney Jackie Lacy
Supervisor Don Knabe
Former Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster
Former DA Steve Cooley
Democratic 70th Assembly District Nominee Patrick O’Donnell
Campaign website See Facebook: “John Allen, Long Beach Water Commissioner”
Party affiliation Democrat
Age 60
Years residing in district 45
Previous offices held Councilmember, City of Long Beach
Occupation Nonprofit consultant
Education Bachelor of Arts, University of California, Los Angeles
Family information Married, mother of three
Nonprofit/professional affiliations
Board of Directors, Coalition for Clean Air
Board Member, Goals for Life
Steering Committee Member, Coalition for Good Jobs and Healthy Community
Goals if elected/platform
Increased water storage— It takes more money and energy to import water than to recycle/recharge our water. I will push for a comprehensive, regional water policy that addresses the need for an effective and strategic plan for clean, safe and affordable ground water storage that includes recycling sewage water and capturing rainwater runoff.
Independence from imported water— There are negative effects on natural habitats when water is diverted from other sources in order to satisfy our usage. We must utilize our water appropriately so that other areas have access to their own water and natural habitats. As a director, I will work towards an independent district free from imported water.
Keeping water clean— Water reservoirs provide us with access to water, serve as natural habitats for wildlife and recreational spaces. As a director, I will push for state legislation that ensures our reservoirs are tested for and are free of toxins.
Endorsements
Congresswoman Linda Sanchez
Suja Lowenthal, Vice Mayor, City of Long Beach
Lena Gonzalez, City of Long Beach Councilmember
Suzie Price, City of Long Beach Councilmember
Rae Gabelich, City of Long Beach Councilmember (ret.)
Campaign website ToniaReyesUranga.com
Party affiliation Republican
Age 60
Years residing in district 39
Previous offices held None
Occupation Small-business owner (American Short Load Concrete and Masonry & Tile Tool)
Education BA— Religion
Family information Not married, four daughters and eight grandchildren
Nonprofit/professional affiliations
Signal Hill Chamber of Commerce
Cerritos Optimist Club
Cerritos Republican Club
Goals if elected/platform
To implement an effective drought-management plan that serves the citizens, businesses and ecosystems of Los Angeles County, and working to keep the cost of water affordable. This will require bringing together rate payers, business and industrial, conservation, government and agriculture interests to establish a comprehensive water/drought management plan, as well as ending the useless lawsuits in which WRD has been embroiled. Useless lawsuits have cost ratepayers over $7 million.
WRD has been collecting $40 million per year for the past three years to be used for replenishing our aquifer, yet no water has been replenished into the aquifer.
I will work to implement a comprehensive water policy that increases storage, that protects the environment, safeguards our water supplies.
Keeping our drinking water abundant and safe, by establishing an effective water/drought management plan, we will be able to improve allocation of water to residential, businesses and ecosystem concerns.
Endorsements (none submitted)
Campaign website
tinyurl.com/qgofyxo
