Lowenthal For Mayor Mailer Says She Gets Things Done for Long Beach...But Uses Photo Of San Diego; Campaign Consultant Says It's His Error

(Mar. 5, 2014, 5:20 a.m.) -- On Monday Mar. 3, Governor Jerry Brown, Jr. endorsed Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal for Mayor of Long Beach. "Bonnie Lowenthal has the experience, the vision, and the independence to be a great Mayor," said Governor Jerry Brown in a release issued by the Lowenthal campaign.

On March 4, a mailer landed from the Lowenthal for Mayor campaign swiftly touting Governor Brown's endorsement but included the graphic below.

The photo isn't Long Beach. It's San Diego.

Lowenthal for Mayor campaign consultant Mike Shimpock takes responsibility, saying he transposed the image number with the graphic artist. "This is entirely my fault," he told LBREPORT.com.

LBREPORT.com also noticed that the same mailer indicates Bonnie Lowenthal is supported by Senator Ricardo Lara (D., LB-Huntington Park). Garcia announced early in the campaign (July 2013) that he had Sen. Lara's endorsement (who chairs Sacramento's Latino Legislative Caucus), but the Lowenthal campaign says Sen. Lara has also endorsed Assemblywoman Lowenthal for Mayor and it's a dual endorsement. [Ed. note: we're unclear at dawn Mar. 5 on the timing in this; stay tuned.]

Retired Gov. George Deukmejian and former CA First Lady Gloria Deukmejian endorsed Doug Otto for Mayor. "I want to thank both Governor Deukmejian and Mrs. Deukmejian for their very kind endorsements today...I am proud to add these two very special people to the growing list of state, regional, and city endorsements I have been privileged to receive as this campaign moves into the final months before the April primary," said Mr. Otto in a release.

In 2006, Gov. Deukmejian endorsed then-Councilman Frank Colonna in the June runoff against then-candidate Bob Foster, who went on to prevail over Colonna. Colonna's then-campaign volunteers included Robert Garcia, a then-staffer in Colonna's Council office and a then-leader in LB's Young Republicans. When Colonna exited City Hall, Garcia moved into the 1st Council district where then-Councilwoman Bonnie Lowenthal was expected to seek an Assembly seat; Lowenthal won the Assembly seat and Garcia, who re-registered as a Dem, won a "winner take all" special election (with less than a majority vote in a multi-candidate field) to fill Lowenthal's vacated Council seat. Colonna has endorsed Garcia in the 2014 Mayor's race.

The Garcia campaign has been endorsed by Lt. Governor (and former San Francisco Mayor) Gavin Newsom. As previously reported by LBREPORT.com, Garcia has also been endorsed by Mayor Bob Foster (coverage here) who had little to say about whether he's involved with an independent expenditure committee backing Garcia for Mayor (coverage here.)

On Feb. 24, Garcia told an audience at a Mayoral forum organized by arts supporters that he had been a quiet boy until a music teacher gave him a trombone and "that attachment to the arts is what saved me."

On Feb. 12, 2014, Garcia told the audience at a Mayoral candidate forum organized by the "Long Beach Early Childhood Education Committee" that he'd propose a March 4 agenda item to have the City of Long Beach establish an Early Childhood Education program, modeled on the City of Antonio. When the agenda item appeared (co-sponsored by Assembly candidate/Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal), it didn't mention that San Antonio's "PreK-4" program required passage of a local sales tax increase (1/8 cent per $1.00) visible on the City of San Antonio's website at this link. At Mar. 4 Council meeting, organizers of the Feb. 12 Mayoral forum thanked Garcia and Lowenthal for bringing the item. The Council voted 9-0 to have city management prepare and send a report on municipal and state run early education programs within 120 days [i.e. after the April and June elections] to the Council's LBUSD Joint Use Committee. "

An earlier version of this story misidentified Monday as Mar. 2 when it was Mar. 3.