Independent Expenditure Committee Collects $91,000 From These Eleven Contributors To Support Electing Garcia Mayor; Foster Told <i>LBRegister</i> Reporter In February: "You Don't See My Name On It."

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(March 20, 2014) -- An independent expenditure committee that surfaced in the Long Beach Mayor's race in late January has collected $91,000 from a relatively small number of contributors, many of whom list addresses outside Long Beach.

On Feb. 1, 2014, LBREPORT.com was first (again) to report that "Friends of Long Beach, A Committee Supporting Vice Mayor Robert Garcia For Mayor" filed organizational paperwork on Jan. 27 indicating that it's not controlled by an officeholder or candidate (and thus must operate independently of Garcia and Garcia's campaign.)

Public record materials visible on the LB City Clerk's webpages (as of 9:30 a.m. Mar. 20) indicate that "Friends of Long Beach" has collected $ 91,000 to date from the following (occupation and employers listed below as indicated on the filed form.)

Mar. 13	California Laborers for Equality and Progress, Sacramento address	$20,000
Mar. 10	Donald Attore, Public Affairs, Attore & Associates, Villa Park, CA	$2,500
Mar. 1	Advanced Environmental Group, LLC Carson, CA	$10,000
Mar. 1	Michael Gless, Los Angeles, attorney with Keesal, Young & Logan	$3,500
Mar. 1	Progressive Transportation Services, Inc., Long Beach, CA	$2,500
Feb. 13	Price Transfer Group, Rancho Dominguez	$5,000
Feb. 12	Victor Larosa, Rancho Palos Verdes, CEO/Pres. Total Transportation Services, Inc.	$2,500
Jan. 29	Affiliated Development Group, Long Beach	$5,000
Jan. 26	West Coast Agencies, LLC, Long Beach 90806	$10,000
Jan. 26	De Anza Building and Maintenance, Los Altos (SF Bay Area)	$25,000
Jan. 24	TMSI, Long Beach 90815. [TMSI's President/CEO is 3rd dist. Councilman Gary DeLong]	$5,000

On March 19, the independent expenditure committee reported cumulative expenditures to that date including sums for mailers, consulting services and services supporting Garcia of $46,767.

On February 25, outgoing Mayor Bob Foster appeared at a press event organized by the Garcia campaign to announce Foster's endorsement of Garcia. Mayor Foster initially declined to take questions, but LBRegister reporter Joshua Stewart and LBREPORT.com publisher Bill Pearl chased after him as he exited with Garcia.

As visible on the video clip at right, LB Register reporter Stewart reached Mayor Foster first and asked if Foster will be involved with the independent expenditure committee supporting Garcia. Garcia distanced himself as Foster told Stewart "I may, I don't know, we'll see, I haven't, I haven't, you don't see my name on it. Not right now."

LBREPORT.com's Pearl tried a second time in a slightly different formulation (asking in the present, not future tense): "Do you have anything to do with the independent expenditure committee?" Mayor Foster replied "not right now," got in his car and exited.

"Friends of Long Beach" lists its principal officer as George Urch, an Orange County based campaign consultant and publicist with ties to Dems.

Further to follow on LBREPORT.com.