In April, Ms. Chico will face Daryl Supernaw, who finished first in an April 2012 initial election against write-in candidate O'Donnell, but second in a June runoff with O'Donnell on the ballot (who was endorsed by LBPOA's PAC and other labor interests.) Also on the April ballot is candidate Richard Lindemann.

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Below is the text of a release issued by Ms. Chico's campaign. It contains a substantive inaccuracy. The Long Beach Police Officers Ass'n doesn't make endorsements; LBPOA's PAC (political action committee) does. (Details on the LBPOA PAC's endorsement process follow below.)

[Begin Chico campaign release] Herlinda Chico announced today (Jan. 27) that she has earned the support of the Long Beach Police Officers Association (LBPOA) in her campaign for the Long Beach City Council.

"Herlinda has a long history of working alongside multiple law enforcement agencies," said LBPOA President Steve James. "She is committed to making the city's public safety a priority. We feel that she will be an outstanding representative for the community and we strongly endorse her campaign for city council."

"This endorsement is incredibly meaningful," said Chico. "There is nothing more important to me than the safety of our residents. The men and women who wear our city's police uniforms have chosen me as their partner in protecting our families and for that I am grateful."

The LBPOA represents the over 900 rank and file officers of the Long Beach Police Department. In addition to protecting and preserving the rights of peace officers, the LBPOA supports the Long Beach community through sponsorships, donations and participation in community events.

The LBPOA join Councilmembers Rex Richardson and Lena Gonzalez as well as Long Beach Unified School District Board Members Megan Kerr and John McGinnis and Long Beach Community College Board of Trustees member Sunny Zia in supporting Herlinda Chico for the Long Beach City Council...

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In previous election cycles (and we presume this one), the LBPOA PAC's endorsement decision has been made by a vote of the LBPOA Political Action Committee which is comprised primarily of the LBPOA's Board of Directors but is also open to rank and file officer(s) who may choose to participate [we don't have a number or vote tally.]

LBPOA's webspage states the following in connection with its PAC endorsement process:

...Endorsements made by the LBPOA are on behalf of the organization, and they are only recommendations. Every individual association member has the right to vote for the candidate or cause of his/her own choosing.

...[Endorsement] [i]nterviews will normally be video recorded and the recordings are subject to the control of the LBPOA.

In previous election cycles, LBREPORT.com has asked LBPOA President Lt. Steve James to release a copy of the endorsement interview of the LBPOA PAC's endorsee and Lt. James has politely declined. LBREPORT.com will be asking Lt. James for a copy of the recording of Ms. Chico's endorsement interview and we'll report the results here as received.

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In the 2014 election cycle, the LBPOA PAC endorsed Robert Garcia for Mayor and Council candidates Lena Gonzalez (1st dist), Suzie Price (3rd dist.), Carl Kemp (5th dist. runoff), Roberto Uranga (7th dist) and Rex Richardson (9th dist.). On taking office, Mayor Garcia recommended, and all of the LBPOA PAC Council endorsees voted to approve, a FY15 City budget that eliminated LBPD's field anti-gang unit and didn't restore police officers (roughly 20% of LBPD's previous citywide deployable staffing) cut by Councils since 2009.

In a 2009 special election to fill a 1st dist. Council vacancy, the LBPOA PAC endorsed Garcia, who after taking office voted with Council majorities to approve the largest reductions in LBPD sworn officer staffing within a five year period in the more than 100+ year history of the City of Long Beach.