Former LB-Area Congressman/Former Assemblyman Steve Kuykendall (Repub) Enters Congressional Race In Same LB-OC District as Councilman Gary DeLong and state Senator Alan Lowenthal

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That's the same newly drawn district encompassing most of LB and a chunk of western OC (into Westminster) in which LB Councilman Gary DeLong (Repub) and state Senator Alan Lowenthal (Dem) are running.

Under CA's new voter-enacted election rules, the top two finishers in a June 2012 initial election -- regardless of party -- will proceed to a November 2012 runoff. That means the Nov. 2012 election could have Dem vs. Dem, Dem vs. Repub, Repub v. Repub, or something else.

Mr. Kuykendall, a Republican , told LBReport.com this afternoon that he's filed the necessary paperwork to create a Congressional committee, adding that he's secured necessary approval at home ("my wife has signed off on it.")

Mr. Kuykendall, a former Rancho Palos Verdes resident, says he now lives in downtown Long Beach and has lived in Long Beach for past several years. His office (he owns/operates a government relations firm) is also located in downtown Long Beach.

Why is he running? "We've got to get back to some common sense back there [in DC]. It seems some of them get up in the morning without paying attentio to those they represent and instead listen to who gave them the last bit of money. We have to get back to a government that functions at a rudimentary level and get things back under control. "We can hardly say grace over what we've got in front of us right now," he said, adding "We've got to get our hands around us and still remember that we live in a dangerous world."

Mr. Kuykendall said that during his years in Congress, we had a Republican House and a Democrat in the White House "and we produced a balanced budget and got thigns done." He noted that he'd operated in a similar split environment in Sacramento (with power shared between Republicans and Democrats).

What does he think about the way the City of Long Beach and Sacramento are being run [unspoken but implied in our question: any comments on Councilman DeLong and Sen. Lowenthal's records in their offices]

Mr. Kuykendall declined specific comments, but said in general that in a city one has to pay close attention to public safety :because once you lose that it's very difficult to get it back." Regarding Sacramento, "the state is as dysfunctional as the feds."

Mr. Kuykendall now owns and operates a Long Beach-officed government relations firm. What can he tell us about his clients? "I used to have some federal clients, but it's now local government work, land use work and the like, handled a Marymount campus master plan, also a matter in El Segundo." Any Long Beach clients? "No."

Mr. Kuykendall represented the 36th Congressional district from 1999-2001, beating Janice Hahn in Nov. 1998, but was defeated for reelection in 2000 by Jane Harman (who recently retired and was succeeded by former L.A. Councilwoman Janice Hahn. Hahn has indicated she'll now run for a redrawn Carson-area Congressional seat, which LB-area Congresswoman Laura Richardson and Assemblyman Isadore Hall are also seeking.)

Mr. Kuykendall also represented part of LB in the state Assembly, elected in 1994 by defeating then-incumbenmt Betty Karnette. (After her 1994 ouster by Kuykendall, Karnette, a LB resident, sought and won the LB area state Senate seat in 1996; under term limits, she remained in Sacramento by basically trading places with then-Assemblyman Lowenthal, who sought and won Karnette's state Senate seat.

Mr. Kuykendall said the Kuykendall Congressional Committee will be putting its website up shortly (it's under construction today)and when it's up it'll be at stevekuykendall.com.

Further to follow on LBReport.com.