Josh Lowenthal Mulling Or Planning Run For OC Assembly Seat '

' Josh Lowenthal Mulling Or Planning Run For OC Assembly Seat '

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Josh Lowenthal Mulling Or Planning Run For OC Assembly Seat

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(Sept 26, 2017, 12:35 p.m., updated 5:18 p.m.) -- LBREPORT.com is informed that Josh Lowenthal indicated at a Sept. 23 meeting of OC Democrats that he's considering or planning to seek the Seal Beach-Huntington Beach 72nd district Assembly seat. LBREPORT.com is told that Mr. Lowenthal indicated this to individuals present at the OC Democratic Party's Sept. 23 "Harry S. Truman Awards Dinner" (whose featured speaker was Dem Nat'l Committee Deputy Chair Cong. Keith Ellison (D, MN)).

[5:18 p.m. UPDATE] LBREPORT.com's attempts to reach Mr. Lowenthal earlier in the day were unsuccessful, but shortly after 5:00 p.m., he telephoned us and said he's currently undecided and looking at the race. [end UDPATE]

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The 72nd OC Assembly district doesn't include Long Beach...and although the Free Conference Call biographical sketch indicated that he lives in Long Beach, [update] Mr. Lowenthal confirmed that he has lived in an Orange County city [within the Assembly district] for some time (and he indicated his company website will be updated to reflect this.) [end update]

The 72nd district's current Assembly member is Travis Allen, a Repub who's announced a 2018 run for Governor. Scott Lay's well-regarded Around the Capitol indicates three Repubs -- Huntington Beach Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem plus a Westminster Councilmember -- may enter the Assembly race.

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At last report, the 72nd district's voter registration was 38.3% Repub, 33.2% Dem with 24.4% decline-to-state. In Nov. 2016, the district voted for Hillary Clinton (51.4%) over Donald Trump (43.1%)

In the 2018 Assembly race, if no candidate receives over 50%+1 in June, the top two district finishers will proceed to a November 2018 runoff regardless of party.

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In December 2008, Josh Lowenthal -- at the time co-owner of the Sachi disco-bar at 2nd/PCH -- introduced Robert Garcia at the press event (photo right) where Gacia declared his candidacy for LB's 1st Council district seat...which Bonnie Lowenthal (Josh's mother) had just vacated for a Sac'to Assembly seat.

Garcia had been a leader in LB's Young Republicans, an aide to Vice Mayor/Councilman Frank Colonna (a Repub) and also worked on Colonna's 2006 Mayoral campaign, but after Colonna finished second to Bob Foster (who'd hammered Colonna for voting for a 2002 "pension spike" for city employees that left LB taxpayers with "pension potholes"), Garcia moved from the 3rd district into the Dem-preponderant 1st district, flipped his voter-registration and re-invented himself as a Democrat. Garcia was elected to the Council in 2009 and as Mayor in 2014, and in 2016 was among Dem Nat'l Convention delegates who voted to nominate Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders.

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Amnesia file: Then-Councilwoman Bonnie Lowenthal (Josh's mother) also voted (with unanimous Councils) for LB's 2002 pension spike. Then-Sac'to lawmaker Alan Lowenthal (Josh's father) voted for legislation that enabled the pension spike locally and beyond.

Josh Lowenthal earned a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and attended the University of California, San Diego, where he earned a master’s degree in international affairs. He's listed as serving on the advisory board of directors of LB-based Children Today and has a wife and three daughters.

Josh's brother Daniel is an L.A. County Superior Court judge. His former sister-in-law, Suja Lowenthal, was a Long Beach Councilmember (2006-2014) and in 2013 entered the 2014 race for LB Mayor (as did her former mother-in-law, Bonnie Lowenthal.) Suja Lowenthal dropped out the Mayor's race, endorsed Garcia for Mayor, and Suja then entered the 2014 race for the LB-area Assembly seat, about to be exited under term limits by Bonnie Lowenthal. and also pursued by LB Councilman Patrick O'Donnell. In June 2014, Suja Lowenthal finished third to O'Donnell and a Repub challenger, John Goya (who headed to a November runoff in which O'Donnell was elected.)

In July 2017, Mayor Garcia appointed former Councilmembers/Vice Mayors Bonnie Lowenthal and Frank Colonna to LB's Harbor Commission.