(Feb. 22, 2007) -- The LB Area Chamber of Commerce's Board of Directors has endorsed all seven bundled Charter Amendments (Props A-G) offered to LB voters by the City Council in a special May 1, 2007 election, plus Prop H to increase the sum collected by City Hall from entities extracting oil in Long Beach (with revenue to be used, City Hall says, for police/fire).

And in the key 6th district Council race to replace now-Assemblywoman Laura Richardson, the Chamber Board endorsed Ahmed Carl Saafir, president of LB's Civil Service Commission. Like all LB Councilmembers regardless of their district, the new 6th district (Central City) Councilmember will have a vote on development and policy issues affecting neighborhoods and taxpayers citywide...from NLB to Belmont Shore.

A Chamber release called Mr. Saafir "the candidate best equipped to promote the enterprise of business through his advocacy for quality jobs for Long Beach and the 6th District." Chamber PAC Chair Dave Neary said in a release, "Ahmed Saafir is just the type of consensus-building leader we need on the City Council right now. The Chamber PAC is pleased to join with a wide-range of community leaders, including former-Mayor Beverly O’Neal, in supporting Mr. Saafir’s bid for the Council."

Reached for comment by LBReport.com, 6th district Council candidate Al Austin had none...but candidate Lillian Parker did. She said that Mr. Saafir isn't from the 6th district -- while she was is -- and she expected that "most of his endorsements will be from businesses and those outside the community."

[Mr. Saafir's campaign bio indicates he was born in San Diego amd settled in Long Beach after Naval service in the late 1960s. His campaign website says, "Ahmed Carl Saafir has been your neighbor for over 40 years. He knows the community and has invested time, talent, his money, and his future in the Sixth District of Long Beach. He has rooted his family and raised his children in the Sixth District..."]

LB Chamber endorsements aren't made by Chamber's rank and file membership. They're made by the Chamber's Board of Directors (full 2006-07 membership listed below) and (this year as in most elections) followed the recommendations of the Chamber's Government Affairs Council (full 2006-07 membership also listed below).

Chamber Board of Directors chair Byron Schweigert called the Council-proposed Charter Amendments "reforms [that] are really just what the doctor ordered. These seven measures will empower the City Council to really get things done for the citizens of Long Beach."

Chamber President/CEO Randy Gordon said, "What this really says about the Chamber is that we are serious about improving the quality of life for all citizens of Long Beach. At the same time, our support for a measure like the Oil Production Act solidifies our role as a job-creating organization, as the revenue from this fee will put more police on the streets." He added, "We now look forward to working with Mayor Foster and other city-leaders in getting these important measures passed by the people."

We list below the members of the LB Chamber's Board of Directors and Government Affairs Council for 2006-07, as listed on the Chamber's website. Caveat: The Chamber's endorsement releases don't indicate which (if any) members of these bodies may have been absent or dissented on the endorsement votes.

LB Area Chamber 2006-07 Board of Directors

Howard Abrams
Marketing Director/Fleet, Ford West
Bellflower, CA

Audrianne Adams-Lee
President, HR NETwork, Inc.
Garden Grove, CA 92845

Dan Alf
Manager, Public Affairs, DENSO Sales California, Inc
Long Beach, CA 90810

Efren Baca
Investor
Cerritos, CA 90703

Fred Board
Publisher, Gazette Newspapers Inc.
Long Beach CA 90803

Lou Anne Bynum
Assistant Superintendent
Long Beach City College, Economic & Resource Development
Lakewood, CA 90712

Doug Carpenter
President, Paragon Steel
Long Beach, CA 90810

Curt Castagna
President/CEO, Aerolease/Aeroplex Group
Long Beach, CA 90806

Diana Cesenas
President, Construction Consultant Services
Long Beach, CA 90803

Scott K. Choppin
Managing Partner, Urban Pacific Builders, LLC
Long Beach, CA 90802

Blake Christian
Partner, Holthouse Carlin & Van Trigt LLP
Long Beach, CA 90802

Ted R. Cote
President, The Marketing Arm, LLC
Long Beach, CA 90802

John Crochet
Investor
Long Beach, CA 90808

Joanne Davis
President, Davis Group
Long Beach, CA 90803

Sandy Devich
Financial Consultant, Smith Barney
Long Beach, CA 90803

DeVoss, Mark
Director, Supplier & Materials Management
Integrated Defense Systems of Boeing
Long Beach CA 90807

LaDonna DiCamillo
BNSF Railway Company
Los Angeles, CA 90023

Chris DiCicco
President/CEO, St. Mary Medical Center
Long Beach, CA 90813

Tom Donini
DeVry University
Long Beach, CA 90806

James Eaton
President & CEO
Airdrome Holdings LLC
Long Beach, CA 90806

Joel Fierberg
Vice President/CFO Snugtop
Long Beach, CA 90813

Victoria R. Fullerton
President, Partners in Health
Long Beach, CA 90814

Tom Good
V.P./Area Manager, Matson Navigation Company, Inc.
Long Beach, CA 90813

Ivy Goolsby
Marketing Director
International Realty & Investments, Inc.
Long Beach, CA 90807

Dallas Haun
Executive VP, City National Bank
Long Beach, CA 90802

Randal Hernandez
Senior Government Relations Executive
Bank of America - Government Relations
Los Angeles, CA 90071

Ray Jankowski
President/CEO (Co)
Community Hospital of Long Beach
Long Beach, CA 90804

Matthew L. Kinley, Esquire
Partner, Tredway, Lumsdaine & Doyle LLP
Long Beach, CA 90802

Frank Komin
President, THUMS Long Beach Company
Long Beach, CA 90801-2900

R. Whitney Latimer
Board CFO, Bancap Commercial Real Estate Services
Long Beach, CA 90803

Lori M. Lofstrom
Partner, Holmes & Lofstrom LLP
Long Beach, CA 90803

Priscilla Lopez
Trade Coordinator, LBCC-Center for International Trade Dev
Lakewood, CA 90712

Joseph P. Magaddino
Chairman exofficio, CSULB - Department of Economics
Long Beach, CA 90840

Janet McCarthy-Wilson
President and CEO. Goodwill Industries of Long Beach & So.Bay
Long Beach, CA 90806

Michael J. McCarthy
Vice President. Moffatt & Nichol
Long Beach, CA 90806

Fran McGrath
CEO Color Broadband, Inc.
Long Beach, CA 90802

Michael Omiya
Real Estate Manager, Boeing Realty Corporation
Irvine, CA 92618

Kelly Pierce
Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Matt Rezvani
Mgr, Government & Community Relations
BP America Inc.
La Palma, CA 90623

Larry Rice
Seaside Printing Co., Inc.
Long Beach, CA 90802

Byron Schweigert
Chairman of the Board, Chief Education & Government Affairs Officer
MemorialCare Medical Centers
Huntington Beach, CA 92647

Steven J. Smith
General Manager, Hyatt Regency Long Beach
Long Beach, CA 90802-4553

Bob Stemler
Partner exofficio
Keesal, Young & Logan
Long Beach, CA 90801

Mark Stevens
Publisher, Press Telegram
Long Beach, CA 90844

Barbara Sullivan
CEO, Sullivan International
Long Beach, CA 90802

Kathleen Thurmond
Long Beach, CA 90804

Constance Turner
Region Manager, Southern California Edison
Long Beach, CA 90806

Chris Wacker
Founder, Laserfiche Document Imaging
Long Beach, CA 90807

W. Henry Walker
Executive V.P., "Farmers & Merchants Bank - Corporate Office
Long Beach, CA 90802-2326

Pei Pei Wang
Windes & McClaughry Accountancy Corp.
Long Beach, CA 90802

Kimball Wasick
Senior Director, Cushman & Wakefield of California, Inc.
Long Beach, CA 90806

Joseph P. Yurosek
Senior VP, Comerica Bank-California
Long Beach, CA 90802

Jim Zehmer
General Manager, TABC, Inc./Toyota
Long Beach, CA 90801

2006-07 Government Affairs Council Voting Membership

LORI LOFSTROM
2006-2007 GAC CHAIR
Holmes & Lofstrom, LLP

AUDRIANNE ADAMS LEE
HR NETwork, Inc.

HELENE ANSEL
Long Beach Community College

NANCY AHLSWEDE
Apartment Association of California Southern Cities

BECKY BLAIR
Blair Commercial of Long Beach

BLAKE CHRISTIAN
(VICE CHAIR, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT)
Holthouse Carlin & Van Trigt

ERIC CIOFFI
Attorney at Law

JOEL FIERBERG
SNUGTOP

DIANA CESEÑAS
Construction Consultant Services

JOHN CROCHET
Investor

CHARLES GALE
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

MICHELLE GRUBBS
Pacific Merchant Shipping Ass'n

JOHN HOWARD
Chick-Fil-A

MATT KINLEY (IMMEDIATE-PAST GAC CHAIR)
Tredway, Lumsdaine & Doyle, LLP

MARTY KURNER
Office Furniture Group, Inc.

DONOVAN MAUGA
Edgewater Convalescent Hospital

MIKE MURRAY
(FORMER CHAIR OF THE BOARD)
Verizon

DAVE NEARY (PAC CHAIR)
WestLand Construction

CHUCK PINE
CA Pine Insurance Services

LARRY RICE
Seaside Printing Co., Inc

DAN ROSENFELD
Long Beach Transit

JOHN ROMUNDSTAD
Attorney at Law

RYAN SMITH
Pacific West Association of REALTORS®

RANDY TERRELL
Croshaw Printing and Direct Mail

CONSTANCE TURNER
Southern California Edison

LUPE VALDEZ
Union Pacific

Chamber Staff:
Brandon Kline
Vice President for Public Policy
Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce