(November 4, 2020, 8:25 a.m.) -- Second district City Council candidate Cindy Allen has outpolled the remaining Reform Ticket candidate in the 2020 election cycle, Robert Fox. Ms. Allen maintained a lead of roughly 1,200 votees from initial (early received) vote by mail ballots and through the Nov. 4 early a.m. tally.
Fox campaign consultant and Reform Coalition leader Ian Patton acknowledged by 8:39 p.m. on November 3: "Well, I’m sorry to say it’s looking like we’re in for a renewed period of corruption in the 2nd District, which has plenty of experience with that.. both recent and in the past..." Ms. Allen's election was backed by Mayor Robert Garcia, LB City Council incumbents Suzie Price, Mary Zendejas, Roberto Uranga, Rex Richardson and Stacy Mungo, exiting LBCC Trustee/now LBUSD Schoolboard member-elect Doug Otto, LBCC Trustee Sunny Zia and the LB Police and Firefighter union PACs, among other familiar civic figures. In 2017-2018, Mr. Fox, who led grassroots efforts in the 1980s to resist City Hall enabled develolper-driven "crackerbox apartment" density, re-energized LB's former "Council of Neighborhood Organizations" (CONO) to oppose aspects of a city staff desired density-encouraging revision to LB's Land Use Element (LUE.) He ran into resistance on some LUE density issues from then-2nd dist. Council incumbent Jeannine Pearce. In 2019, Fox led efforts against a city staff imposed Broadway "road diet" (that area residents blamed for causing fender-bender accidents and several businesses blamed for sending customers elsewhere.) Fox again ran into opposition or lack of support from incumbent Pearce, which he said was the last straw in motivating him to run to replace her. Pearce (censured by the Council on another issue) ultimately chose not to seek re-election, clearing the way for Garcia-backed Allen (whom Pearce then endorsed.). Fox had the endorsement of Alamitos Beach neighborhood activists and TAPS (grassroots Alamitos Beach group critical of downtown density projects diminishing available parking.) At the outset of the 2nd dist. race, Mr. Fox (an independent businessman and rental property owner) put up $50,000 of his own money to ensure his competitiveness against overwhelming establishment contributions (including "independent expenditure" committees) boosting Ms. Allen. |
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In the March 2020 election cycle, a similar Garcia/LB police/firefighter union coalition helped incumbent 8th district Councilman Al Austin push Reform Ticket candidate Juan Ovalle out of a runoff (by 121 votes.) On November 3, Austin (who supported Charter Amendment BBB allowing him to seek a third term without a write-in requirement) went on to outpoll organized labor-backed challenger Tunua Thrash-Ntuk [who was supported by 9th dist. Councilman Richardson.]
In the 6th district Council, organized labor backed challenger Suely Saro defeated Vice Mayor (2007 elected) Dee Andrews. (Charter Amendment BBB included a carve-out enabling Andrews to avoid a third term write-in requirement by not counting his initial 2007 special election cycle.)
For an open seat on LBUSD's School Board, LB Teachers Union endorsed candidate Erik Miller outpolled former 7th dist. Councilwoman Tonia Reyes Uranga.(spouse of 7th dist. incumbent Roberto Uranga.)
For an open seat on LBCC's Board of Trustees, Mayor Garcia-backed Herlinda Chico (currently an aide to Supervisor Janice Hahn) outpolled realtor Dick Gaylord and Lee Loveridge.
As of dawn Nov. 4, it's unclesr to what extent, if atl all, Ms. Allen's election may be affected by complaints submitted months ago by a 2nd district residents group (whose leader supported Fox) to the LA County District Attorney's office, CA Attorney General Office, CA Secretary of State's office and FBI. The group's complaint itemized what it alleged was voter registraton fraud in Ms. Allen having listed a downtown LB condo as her residence for voting purposes while owning a Fountain Valley home that the complaint alleged (citing addresses listed in public records by Ms. Allen) was for at least some periods her actual residence.. Ms. Allen has said she lives and has lived for several years in the downtown LB condo, cited a decision by the LB City Clerk's office deeming her qualified as a ballot candidate (based on residing in LB for at least 30 days before the election) and quashed further public and press questions pursuing conflicting details.
Under CA law, voters must register at the address where they maintain their "domicile," a sometimes complex analysis. In 2014, then-LB area state Senator Rod Wright was prosecuted for filing a false declaration of candidacy, voter fraud and perjury in connection with his voter registration when he ran for the state legislature. Sen. Wright denied the charges but was convicted and required to forfeit his state Senate seat. The state legislature subsequently amended the state law to clarify claimed ambiguities. In Nov. 2018, then-Governor Jerry Brown pardoned Wright. Ms. Allen's elected endorsers maintained their support despite media disclosure (by Steve Downing in the Beachcomber) that an Oct. 2019 announced sale of Ms. Allen's ETA agency (shortly before announcing her candidacy) was to a bogus entity created by an out of state individual. At the time, ETA had at least one six figure contract with the City of Long Beach; now expired by its terms; ETA has since bid on a new City Hall contract, a decision by city staff ia currently pending and at some point staff's recommendations will presumably come to the City Council for approval. LBREPORT.com coverage here.
In August 2020, new buyers of ETA alleged civil fraud by Allen in a civil suit seeking monetary damages. In public statements, Ms. Allen has denied the lawsuit's allegations. The lawsuit attached the buyers' ETA sale agreement which included a previously secret provision enabling Ms. Allen to receive 10% of ETA's net revenue for three years [a period during which she would be a Councilmember.] When asked about the matter at a community candidate forum, Ms. Allen declined to address the issue and walked out of the Zoomed forum, calling it an "attack" question. [LBREPORT.com believes that as a Councilwoman, Ms. Allen could recuse herself on ETA related maters, effectively leaving a decision to her Council colleagues who endorsed her.] In the closely watched race for LA County District Attorney, former SF DA George Gascon has unseated incumbent County DA Jackie Lacey. Gason was a primary author of Prop 47, by which CA voters reduced criminal penalties for several felonies to misdemeanors. (In March, Mayor Garcia contibuted identical sums to both candidates. After LA Mayor Garcetti switched his endorsement to Gasvon in early October, Garcia announced in late Ocober that he'd voted for Gascon.) On November 3, CA voters declined to amend Prop 47 (to restore increased penalties for some crimes), defeating Prop 20 by a roughly 37% to 62% margin. CA voters also defeated Prop 15 (would have allowed reassessing commercial/industrial properties to market rates not currently allowed under Prop 13) (48.3% to 51.7%). Voters statewide by a larger margin defeated Prop 16, which would have renewed the use of race ("affirmative action") as a decisional factor in college admissions and government contracts (43.9% to 56.1%). The LB City Coucvil voted (6-3, Price, Supernaw, Mungo) to endorse Props 15 and 16. It took no position on Prop 20.
On a partisan basis, as of Oct. 19, the CA Secretary of State's office says ("15 day Report of Registration") Long Beach has 279,735 total registered voters. 147,276 registered as Democrats (52.6%). 66,857 regostered as "no party preference" (23.9%). 47,615 registered as Republicans (17.0%). 2,470 registered as Libertarian. 2,323 as Peace and Freedom. 1,438 registered as Green. Statewide (since the last 15-Day Report of Registration for a general election in a presidential election year (October 24, 2016):
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