Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal to run for Long Beach mayor

FILE PHOTO: Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal announced Tuesday that she will run for mayor. (Staff File Photo)

LONG BEACH - A third member of the Long Beach City Council is jumping into the already crowded race for mayor.

Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal announced Tuesday that she will run for the seat, one week after Mayor Bob Foster said he would not seek a third term.

"Long Beach is my home. She is home to my family," Lowenthal said in a statement. "I am deeply committed to the future of our great city."

Lowenthal, an urban planner and former vice mayor, is in her second term as Second District representative, which includes parts of downtown and the Port of Long Beach.

She is also a past president of the Long Beach Unified Board of Education.

"The essence of effective government is balance. Balance has been the hallmark of my years of service on the school board and city council," Lowenthal said.

"The challenge is to find the right balance promoting business and creating jobs that pay a decent wage. The balance between strong law enforcement and keeping young people out of trouble. And, of course, balancing what government provides with what we can afford."

Now that Foster is out of the April 8 primary, candidates are jockeying for position to become mayor of Los Angeles County's second largest city.

Immediately following

Foster's decision, Vice Mayor Robert Garcia started his campaign for the top spot. Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske, who is termed out of office, has been running for the position for months.

Others who have started mayoral campaigns include: Damon Dunn, a businessman and former NFL player; Long Beach City College Trustee Doug Otto; and Jana Shields, a linguist, treasurer of the Willmore City Heritage Association and past 1st Council District candidate.

If the field holds, the variety of candidates make it likely that the race will continue to a June runoff, and that's before considering another big name looming over the race: Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal.

Bonnie Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, served on the Long Beach City Council and the LBUSD Board of Education and is Suja Lowenthal's ex-mother-in-law. She has said she is thinking about running.

The Suja Lowenthal for Long Beach Mayor website is at votesuja.com.

Eric Bradley can be reached at 562-499-1254

Source: http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_23713541/councilwoman-suja-lowenthal-run-long-beach-mayor?source=rss

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