Dem Party Activists Snub Garcia-Backed Council Incumbents Austin And Andrews, Endorse Challengers Thrash-Ntuk And Saro; 2nd Dist Dem Party Endorsement (candidates incl. Fox, Allen, Barerra, Lara and others) Comes Saturday; Requires 60% Support Among Dem Party Activists Or No Party Endorsement

LBReport.com

News

If LBREPORT.com didn't tell you,
who would?No one in LBREPORT.com's ownership, reporting or editorial decision-making has ties to development interests, advocacy groups or other special interests; or is seeking or receiving benefits of City development-related decisions; or holds a City Hall appointive position; or has contributed sums to political campaigns for Long Beach incumbents or challengers. LBREPORT.com isn't part of an out of town corporate cluster and no one its ownership, editorial or publishing decisionmaking has been part of the governing board of any City government body or other entity on whose policies we report.

LBREPORT.com is reader and advertiser supported. Support independent news in LB similar to the way people support NPR and PBS stations. We're not non-profit so it's not tax deductible but $49.95 (less than an annual dollar a week) helps keep us online.

(December 11, 2019) -- The most politically active activists among LB area Dem Party partisans in the LA County Democratic Party's Central Committee have snubbed LB Dem Council incumbents Al Austin (dist 8) and Dee Andrews (dist. 6) -- both backed by LB Mayor Robert Garcia -- by endorsing Dem challengers Tunua Thrash-Ntuk (dist 8) and Suely Saro (dist. 6).

8th district, Reform Ticket candidate Juan Ovalle isn't a Dem and thus wasn't eligible for the party endorsement.

Incumbents Austin and Andrews remain supported by Garcia's local political apparatus (which recently elected Mary Zendejas to Council dist. 1) as well as by multiple local Dem incumbents, the LB Police Officers union PAC and a number of developer-corporate interests.

Austin works for the AFSCME public employee union and is seeking his third term with the endorsements of ILWU Locals 13, 63 and 94. However other organized labor groups have split with Austin over his vote against a LB hotel worker ordinance ("Claudia's Law") opposed by LB hotel/hospitality interests.

Andrews, first elected in 2007, for the first time faces a challenge from a candidate with links to LB's politically-awakeing Cambodian-American community: Suely Saro. Ms. Saro, a former aide to former state Senator Ricardo Lara, has the endorsement of her former boss Lara and former Councilwoman/now state Senator Lena Gonzalez who filled Lara's state Senate seat when he was elected statewide Insurance Commissioner.

[Scroll down for further.]

On Saturday Dec. 14, local Dem Party activists will decide whether to endorse a candidate in LB's 2nd Council district (where incumbent Jeannine Pearce declined to seek re-election.) The major candidates are all Dems: Robert Fox (Reform Ticket), Cindy Allen (Garcia endorsed), Eduardo Lara (Pearce endorsed) and Jeanette Barrera (ATU Local 1277 endorsed). Saturday's Dem Party endorsement vote could produce a donnybrook or gridlock (or both) as Dem Party rules require a candidate to receive 60% support among local Dem party activists at their endorsement meeting or the Party's position becomes "no endorsement" in the race.

Sponsor

Although LB City Council offices are nominally non-partisan, Dem voter turnout is expected to be high in March 2020 as it coincides with the Dem Party presidential primary. LB voter registration remains tilted Dem although a growing segment of voters are registering as "no party preference."

Sponsor

Support really independent news in Long Beach. No one in LBREPORT.com's ownership, reporting or editorial decision-making has ties to development interests, advocacy groups or other special interests; or is seeking or receiving benefits of City development-related decisions; or holds a City Hall appointive position; or has contributed sums to political campaigns for Long Beach incumbents or challengers. LBREPORT.com isn't part of an out of town corporate cluster and no one its ownership, editorial or publishing decisionmaking has been part of the governing board of any City government body or other entity on whose policies we report. LBREPORT.com is reader and advertiser supported. You can help keep really independent news in LB similar to the way people support NPR and PBS stations. We're not non-profit so it's not tax deductible but $49.95 (less than an annual dollar a week) helps keep us online.