(May 25, 2018, 8:30 a.m.) -- As heard (first again) and seen on LBREPORT.com's front page (with extended on-demand VIDEO and PODCAST AUDIO accessible on links below), cheers and some jeers peppered a May 23 candidate forum in which 7th district City Councilman Roberto Uranga faced challenger Jared Milrad.

The event, organized by the Los Cerritos Neighborhood Association, drew over 200 people to the Petroleum Club (with more now accessing LBREPORT.com's extended video and audio coverage.) To our knowledge, LBREPORT.com is the only LB media outlet to provide this level of coverage on this citywide impacting event. Each LB Councilmember has an equal citywide decisionmaking vote on land uses, proposed developments, city spending and budget priorities.

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Challenger Milrad went on the offensive early and didn't let up, inserting barbed citations in virtually all of his responses to what he said was Councilman Uranga's record, Milrad criticized Uranga for supporting a Metro-staff-backed expansion of the I-710 freeway [unmentioned: also supported by Metro boardmember Mayor Garcia] and repeatedly referred to what Milrad called "260 missed votes" by Uranga [a figure that includes Uranga's absences to attend Coastal Commission meetings.]

Councilman Uranga chose not to offer specific denials, dismissed Milrad's attacks with generalized disparaging words, and didn't put Milrad on the defensive by citing claims by Milrad's campaign that Uranga's campaign has previously called false, or mentioning the now-pending request by the Long Beach City Attorney's office that the state's Fair Political Practice Commission investigate a WLB resident's five pages of allegations against Milrad's campaign, coupled with a separate City Attorney investigation of allegations related to LB campaign contribution limits. (Mr. Milrad has called the complaint a "desperate attempt" to distract from incumbent's "failed record," says allegations are filled with "numerous legal and factual errors.")

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Both men supported General Fund ("blank check") Measure M. Milrad said he'll allocate the sums better than Uranga; Uranga said Measure A has worked out well as he and Council have allocated the sums for infrastructure and police and fire.

Milrad said he opposes rent control on grounds it has discouraged building housing elsewhere, favors more supportive housing; Uranga said he personally opposes rent control but if a now-circulating petition initiative qualifies for the ballot it'll be up to LB voters to decide.

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Meanwhile, as of dawn May 25, there remains no runoff candidate face-off scheduled in ELB's 5th Council district between incumbent Councilwoman Stacy Mungo and challenger Rich Dines. On May 16, Dines campaign spokesman Thomas Johnson told LBREPORT.com "We have been working on trying to set up a debate with her campaign team, but her team has not been able to come up with a date that would work for her."

On May 22, Mr. Dines held a solo Town Hall at McBride High School attended by roughly 40 people at which he fielded audience questions submitted on cards. Mr. Dines stressed his opposition to General Fund Measure M on the June 5 LB ballot (called it a "blank check" with no assurance of restoring police officers); opposed international operations at LB Airport (called LGB a great Airport as it is) and pushed-back on hit-piece mailers that accused him of taking vacations with his wife on Port money (denied it) and linked him to cost overruns on the Gerald Desmond bridge (said it's legally a CalTrans project with costs stemming from CalTrans design changes plus abatement of former oil field on bridge site.)

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