LB's 4th District Council candidates share views on tax hikes, med pot, international flights at forum

Sean Belk
Staff Writer
With Long Beach’s April 14 special election less than two months away, three candidates vying to fill the currently vacant 4th District Council seat for a one-year term attended a forum this week to share their views on a variety of topics, ranging from increasing taxes to regulating medical marijuana to adding international flights at the airport.
Fifth District Councilmember Stacy Mungo, who hasn’t endorsed any candidate, moderated the forum and pulled questions that were submitted on cards by audience members. Sponsored by the East Anaheim Street Business Alliance (EASBA), the event on Tuesday, Feb. 24 drew a crowd of about 75 people to the Long Beach Playhouse.
The first candidate chosen to give opening remarks was Daryl Supernaw, a lifelong 4th District resident and a business consultant who ran for the Council seat three years ago but lost in a runoff against former councilmember Patrick O’Donnell, who then left the seat empty after being elected to the State Assembly last year.
Herlinda Chico, a public-affairs specialist for the City of Commerce who once worked as an aid for former Long Beach Councilmember Tonia Reyes Uranga, was next to give an introduction, followed by Richard Lindemann, a retired retail-sales manager.
Supernaw, 62, touted a long list of projects that he has either spearheaded or has been involved in, adding that he nearly won the last election through a “grassroots” campaign without any endorsements after being heavily involved in the community.
Chico said she is a 15-year resident of Long Beach who has been involved in business-improvement districts (BIDs) and local nonprofits while working for five different cities, giving her “the understanding of the way city governments work.”
Lindemann, 62, said that, while he appears to be the “dark horse” in the race, his goal is to make sure the entire district is represented, particularly the west side, where he lives, noting that there should be increased police patrols in the area.
The candidates agreed on some issues, such as not supporting rent control and backing the City’s proposal to impose a mandatory spay-and-neuter policy for pets, an ordinance expected to go before the Council on March 3.
However, when asked if they would support increasing the utility users tax (UUT) and/or sales tax in Long Beach to balance the budget, the candidates had differing responses.
Chico, who has received endorsements from U.S. Rep. Janice Hahn (D-CA 44th District), State Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-33rd District), a majority of the Council and the City’s three public-safety unions (fire, police and lifeguards), said she’s “not in favor of raising taxes.” Chico added, however, that the City should have some “tough conversations” ahead as it tries to balance the budget this year.
The City’s financial management, for instance, has forecast less one-time revenues because of the drop in oil prices while warning about rising costs for employee pensions.
Chico, 41, said raising the UUT should only be used as a “last resort,” adding that the City should first identify inefficiencies. Chico noted, however, that voters in the City of Commerce, where she works, recently increased their sales tax by a half a cent.
Lindemann, who said he is self-funding his campaign and refuses to take any donations so as to not be financially beholden to any individuals or groups, somewhat agreed with Chico on the issue but stated that he’s “basically against” raising taxes, “unless they show me otherwise.”
In contrast, Supernaw gave a “definitive no” as his answer to the question, adding that 70 percent of registered voters in Long Beach voted down a past proposal to raise the UUT.
“Utility-users tax and sales tax both, by definition, are regressive taxes,” he said. “They affect the poor far more than any other segment of society.”
Supernaw said the City should focus on creating a more “robust economy” and look into new revenue streams, such as corporate sponsorships.
He pointed to “public-sector unions” as the group that supports raising taxes, implying they wouldn’t have to give up as much on retirement plans.
Still, Supernaw said that, while he’s against raising taxes, he’s not against unions and that his father was a Long Beach firefighter while his mother and his wife have Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) pensions.
Issues over public-sector unions, endorsements and raising taxes continued to come up throughout the forum.
In closing remarks, Chico said that she “heard a little bit of union bashing” from the other two candidates, who, she pointed out, asked for endorsements from the same public-sector unions as she did.
“All three of us went in for those endorsements seeking their support,” she said. “So I think that’s important to note.”
Chico said she also asked for the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce’s endorsement, which ultimately went to Supernaw. Chico said she is willing to listen to all perspectives of issues, but she added that it doesn’t make her beholden to any one group.
“I also want to convey and underscore my willingness to hear everybody,” Chico said. “I am not a rubber stamp for anybody, but my door is always open. I’m always willing to listen to ideas and listen to the different perspectives of issues.”
Both Supernaw and Lindemann, however, took issue with Chico’s remarks about union bashing, stating that they both have relatives that have been union members.
On a somewhat related topic, the candidates were asked whether they support Measure N, a ballot measure that voters passed in Long Beach in 2012 raising wages for hotel workers to $13 an hour and imposing a 2-percent annual raise thereafter, on hotels that choose not to unionize. The candidates were also asked whether they would support a similar ballot measure for restaurant workers.
Lindemann said he voted against Measure N, adding that such ballot measures become a “neverending cycle.” Supernaw said he’s also against it, noting that the issue is too big for any one industry. Chico, however, after being heckled by an audience member, said she supports Measure N, adding, though, that all different stakeholders should be able to provide input.
Another question that evoked some varying responses was when the candidates were asked whether they would support adding international flights at the Long Beach Airport.
According to a letter obtained by the Signal Tribune, JetBlue has officially requested that the Airport and the City of Long Beach look into establishing a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility at the airport that would enable international flights.
JetBlue sent a letter to Airport staff and made the request official on Feb. 23, just days after the City Council conducted a study session on the airport’s noise ordinance.
In response, Chico said that she supports the concept of adding international flights but is “committed” to protecting the City’s noise ordinance and is fearful of opening up new litigation, adding that the City should be “cautious in moving forward.” She said “significant impacts on the health and safety of our residents” would “always take precedence.”
Lindemann said he also supports international flights at the airport but echoed Chico’s concerns of safeguarding the City’s noise ordinance, adding that the issue needs to be “vetted very, very carefully.”
Supernaw said he would defer to the judgment of Assistant City Attorney Michael Mais and City Prosecutor Doug Haubert on the issue. However, Supernaw added that there are “some issues and some inherent threats with bringing international flights forward.”
The candidates were also asked whether they are involved in the medical marijuana issue and if they support having collectives in Long Beach. All candidates said they are not personally involved in the medical marijuana discourse.
Chico said the City should be “proactive and not reactive,” predicting that California voters will likely pass a marijuana initiative in 2016 and that the City should work with law-enforcement and city staff to come up with “very, very tough regulations so that we have a stronghold in this business that will likely come into our community.”
Lindemann said that while the smell of marijuana makes him “nauseous,” he supports it, adding that the City should “support it, control it, tax it” and “make sure people who need it or want it can get it” in their area. He said the City needs to figure out what places in the city would be best to make it available.
Supernaw said he’s for “compassionate use,” however he added that the issue is so “complex” that the City may have to “go back to the drawing board” if the Council is going to draft a new ordinance. ß