Long Beach Republican candidates...where are you?

With the exception of the 4th seat on the Long Beach Unified School District, not one Republican filed for ANY of the elected seats for the three Long Beach government bodies. Five of the incumbents were able to file for re-election without any challenger, including the 2nd, 4th & 8th Districts of the City Council, and both open seats on the Long Beach Community College District board. The only three races with challengers were the Long Beach City Council 6th District, and both open seats on the school board. I understand the issues of party registrations in Long Beach districts, but this never stops Republicans in other tough cities and legislative districts from at least filing and challenging incumbents. What happened to reduce Republican activism in Long Beach? Who is leading the charge to restart the political motivations in districts throughout Long Beach? I think I know this answer, and want to point out some key local Republicans who have recently stepped up to take on this challenge.

At last night's Long Beach GOP Straw Poll event at the Reef restaurant, co-sponsored by the Long Beach Area Republican Party (LBARP) club and the Long Beach Lincoln Club, I witnessed the revitalization of both organizations that have worked hard for years but have been mostly dormant; almost as dormant as the previous central committees prior to the current term. The electricity in the room and the interest by attendees to get involved in local upcoming races was a true testament to the new leadership that has become involved to work for the benefit of all of Long Beach. The new LBARP chairman, Hilary Poochigian, has worked hard to get the club's activities reorganized and staffed with local volunteers. The new chapter chair for the Long Beach Lincoln Club, former council member Frank Colonna, has led the efforts to bring Long Beach Republican donors and supporters together and to provide a much-needed forum for Republican leadership, discussion and cooperation. I encourage all Long Beach Republicans to get involved with one or both organizations. (Links to both organizations are in the "Relevant Websites" section to the left.)

Another motivated volunteer that I expect to watch take a stronger and more profound leadership role in Long Beach Republican efforts is Randy Terrell. Randy has brought enthusiasm and dedication by researching Long Beach politics, and has been getting the word out throughout Long Beach for the need for Republican locals to get involved. The online newspaper, LBPost.com, has given Randy a dedicated column, and I go to it regularly. (The link is also in the left margin.) I look forward to more young Republicans joining Randy in helping take back the great city of Long Beach.

Before I conclude, I wanted to give a quick snapshot of the one race where Republicans actually filed. Incumbent LBUSD board member Jon Meyer is being challenged by fellow Republican Karen Hilburn, liberal Democrat lawyer and TALB (LB teacher's union) supporter Paul Crost and Linda Sanchez Democrat congressional aide Patrick Rodriguez. The primary concern for this race, which was very openly discussed at last night's event, was that Republicans would split our voter base, likely allowing the TALB loyalist to take the seat. Both Republicans in this race bring strong credentials to their campaigns, but we must do everything we can to not turn over this seat, the only Republican opportunity in April's election. This is where the local Republican Central Committee must step up and do its job...even if a few Republicans do not agree. Our committee will be listening to both candidates and evaluating both their platform & their strength to win the seat. We will discuss and debate who should be recommended for endorsement to the county party executive committee. Republicans are always encouraged to support whichever candidate they feel they want to support, but we also want to ensure we hold this important seat.

As for the other two races, I will evaluate each in a future post and give a recommendation regarding which candidate would do more to promote our principles and values, and possibly be a coalition builder with us on future races, including the assembly race later this year. I believe each race offers such an opportunity. However, I would much rather prefer to have encouraged fellow Republicans that live in and understand these Long Beach districts. But building networks and foundations like that take time; we'll have to continue working within these districts to promote the party principles and how their implementation helps residents of all income levels.

I believe both Republican support organizations in Long Beach are on a solid path toward future victories and gains, and I look forward to supporting and contributing to these. I hope all of you are as well. Success in Long Beach is critical toward the success of our party throughout the 54th Assembly District.