Was he a good City Council person from 1986-1994? If not no way would I vote for him.... Long Beach did some trashy things in the past....

sometimes people get the kind of government they deserve when only 20-30% vote and are not concerned enough to figure out the truth from fiction.

Bry Myown? Are you kidding? Alan Lowenthal hired her largely to shut her up. She was so abrasive that he finally cut her loose. I am not sure she has actually accomplished anything except irritate everyone that had the nerve to disagree with her.

Evan is strong on technology and its benefits. He listens and that is more than can be said for most of the council.

Bill Grisolia is the only lifelong, committed Democrat who'll be running for the First District council seat. I've seen Grisolia lead charity causes for years here in Long Beach, plus he's got the support of the unions.

Evan Braude? No thanks! Over the course of decade I have watched Evan trail behind Bonnie and company and act as political whip in political endorsement meetings, fixer in Democratic party endorsements and a back office political bag man for the Lowenthal’s. Braude would be another Lowenthal clan member on the council. While I may agree with Evan and the Lowenthal’s on politics, the family dynasty is undemocratic and is strangling the natural growth and leadership development of the local democratic party. Let's turn the page...

This is from the Press Telegram of July 18 of this year. "Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal spoke highly of another attendee, Robert Garcia, as a possible candidate to replace her mother-in-law on the council."

Just google "Robert Garcia" and Suja and see pages of them praising each other. Suja is the architype of the wolf (Chamber of Commerce conservative) wearing sheep's (progressive) clothing. Logic would suggest that we can expect the same of Robert.

Since Suja supports every union known (Labor Peace Agreements, Project Labor Agreements, huge raises for City union employees, wants the Teamsters to run the Port, etc. etc.), she doesn't appear to be the Chamber of Commerce to me . . .

I couldn't agree with you more Observer. Maybe Suja is having an affair with Robert Garcia too.

Re: the G. Holt / B. Lowenthal Assmbly race

I voted Gabriella Holt for the 54th because of Bonnie's Lowenthal 's relationship to Suja Lowenthal.

Are people not allowed to change political parties now? Jim Jeffords? Michael Bloomberg? Robert Garcia?

Politics is merely a necessary evil, my friends…the usually ugly and often untidy means to the ever sought after end of responsible self-government.

Would that we could concentrate even half as much on the responsible self-government piece as we do on the political piece.

I, for one, wish Robert well, whatever his aspirations.

Evan Braude has been a consistent voice for progressive causes in Long Beach for a very long time. Suja Lowenthal's hand picked candidate for District 1 is Robert Garcia who has held what seems like every Republican job known to man or woman. He now works for and pushes the LB Post, a voice for the Chamber of Commerce.

But behold, Robert is now a miraculous convert to Democratic and progressive causes. No explanation given. Will Robert, like Suja, become a Chamber of Commerce poster person? In case this has escaped anyone's attention, the Chamber is the the polar opposite of a progressive voice.

Observer: I find interesting your claim of Robert Garcia being "hand-picked" by Suja Lowenthal and his sudden change of political affiliation. If accurate -- and I'm not doubting it isn't -- then Garcia is just copying Suja's tactic of putting forth a fake veneer to cover-up his ulterior motives. It may be smart politics but obviously a tuned-in electorate (wishful thinking, I know) need not tolerate and accept it. Back in the day, I could easily see through Suja's Saran wrap campaign(I wish more voters could) and cast my ballot for Bry Myown.

Has Suja become such a power-broker that she can "hand-pick" a candidate to take over a council seat that is not her own?

Suja is, indeed, a power broker...as are most all of the Lowenthals. They are the closest thing to a political dynasty (and monopoly) this City has ever known.

This is at once understandable...considering the overall political leanings of the majority of the City's and State’s electorate...and exceedingly confusing...since all three of them have voting records that clearly cost their constituents far more in tax dollars than they ever return in effective public policy.

Still Californians, in general, have proven time and time again over the years that they are willing to tax themselves into oblivion in dogged pursuit of the ever-elusive promise of more and more publicly funded programs and services. Many of which do little to solve the challenges they were crafted to address and ultimately serve as little more than deep and dark fiscal holes into which we pour ever more millions of well-intended dollars in the hopes that government can somehow do better by us “this year”.

Thus the Lowenthals, like so many of our legislators at all levels, are, at the end of the day, public "servants" of our own creation...intelligent, pleasant and well-meaning, certainly, but ultimately there to take (and misspend) as much of our money as we will voluntarily part with under the pretext of doing their part to guide government to work still harder at making our lives better.

When, really, no one can ever do that for us but....us.

I agree also. The next present Bonnie Lowenthal is going to leave us on her way out is more funding for low-income projects. Her heart is in the right place, but the more poverty Long Beach has, the greater our financial (and crime) problems will be.

I strongly agree with much of what you state Mr. B. What is so discouraging (almost depressing) is that so much of the electorate don't get it. Or possibly do not want to get it.

At the risk of sounding like some old codger on the porch swing, in the barber shop or, better still, on the bar stool; the era of predominant self sufficiency in the U.S. has long since past and we, the people, are much the poorer for it.

The New Deal gave us the idea that government could be the answer to all our woes. And when that attempt at socialism-light failed to create some people’s idea of nirvana, the Great Society tried yet again.

This time we were taught that government not only could but SHOULD be the answer to all our woes and that if we just fed it enough of our hard earned money (in the form of taxes) it could finally succeed.

The Great Society failed also, in so many areas, but many didn't seem to notice. Many, in fact, seemed to believe - and believe to this day - that it succeeded and that we, as a society, are somehow better off with our staggering debt, crumbling infrastructure and a government-run or sponsored (and tax-funded of course) program or service for virtually every aspect of our lives.

This is unfortunate, because the more authority we delegate to government, at all levels, the more responsibility over our government, at all levels, we tend to cede.

Whenever we cede responsibility to government, it becomes extremely difficult to recover.

This truism was no better exemplified recently than when Vice President-elect Biden actually intimated that those who demonstrate an unwillingness to cede still more authority, responsibility and funds to the federal government was somehow less than patriotic.

Really?

The patriots I learned about from our own U.S. history were proudly self-sufficient and doggedly self-reliant; they were decidedly anti-establishment and steadfastly against confiscatory tax rates...sometimes violently so.

Once upon a time we saw fit to fight a war to assert our independence from an unjust, hyper-controlling and over-taxing centralized government. In short, back then it was patriotic to resist such a government…rather than to support it.

But perhaps I misunderstood.

President-elect Obama was quite right…“change” is most assuredly needed…but a change *away* from increased government intrusion and toward greater self-reliance; a change *away* from bigger central government and toward a smaller, leaner, far less-expensive version; a change away from career “politicians” and toward “short-term legislators”.

President-elect Obama most certainly does NOT represent that sort of "change".

Governance was never intended to be a career, at any level. It was intended to be something that folks aspired to do for a brief period of time in their lives…and to the best of their ability…and then return to whatever it was they were doing previously.

Those who choose a career in governance eventually and necessarily become farther and farther removed from those they presume to govern…the common people - the populace - the rank and file…and their governance likewise becomes less and less representative.

We are a Representative Republic. Government, at every level, is intended to represent the true desires and direction of the majority of those thus represented. Governance was intended to be only a part-time gig and the rest of us were intended to be and to remain far more directly involved in the entire process whenever possible.

But somehow we forgot that part also.

I don't agree with everything DeLong does, but I do sense that he is not running for higher office. He's going to be a Councilman for 4 or 8 years, and then go back full time to what he was doing (where he is obviously much better rewarded financially).

If we can ignore all the substantial public works projects the New Deal built and consider the New Deal to have been a colossal failure, then maybe we should stop demonizing Adolph Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Emporer Hito, and instead revere them for rescuing America from the Great Depression through creation of World War II.

DWR: You oversimplify my remarks. Some good did, indeed, come out of the New Deal but it did not create the ideal conditions (i.e. the nirvana) in our nation that was intended. It proved to be an entirely government-mandated and government supervised collection of social programs that were predominantly politically motivated.

The many WPA projects you allude to (only some of which built any worthwhile and lasting infrastructure) were fraught with graft and corruption and rife with worker disincentive.

In short the New Deal proved to be an overall failure. As has the Great Society and as will any other pithily named program of social change that relies primarily upon government for its success.

Several of us remember Mr Garcia working with Republican Frank Colonia for a long time,. If memory serves us, didn't he take a leave of absence to work against the Democrats on Mr Colonia's Mayoral effort ? Afterwards, didn't he then work for His Majesty , King Gary The First ? An ultra conservative Republican ? Interesting point..

So help us think this through, if Bonie supports her domestic partner, who has a long, fine resume, why would her daughter in law, Suja, step out on her own with Garcia? Could this be some sign of friction, or 'trouble in paradise' ? Possibly related to the Suja separation scandal ? Who will the Chamber endorse ? We'll see.

Where do you guys chime in on the 'Old Guard' v ' Young Lion' 'Fresh Face' component ?

If I recall correctly, Mr. Garcia never worked for Councilmember DeLong.

Perhaps Garcia was too "liberal" . . .

I don't know a lot about Frank Colonna politics, but one thing I think you -- and I -- can appreciate about Mr. Colonna GoodGovt/CoastalAdvoc., is that he opposed the Home Depot and favors restoring the remaining wetlands.

If you any contradicting information, I'd sure like to know...

However, Frank Colonna supported the hugh density and huge traffic associated with the proposed Lennar project at 2nd & PCH.

I'd rather have Home Depot over Lennar . . .

Plus, Frank never did anything for his constituents, which is why the 3rd District voted for unknown Foster over known Colonna.

On The Home Depot, he actually supported it, then was neutral and studying it with a rezoning effort intended to resolve many issues,, then again in favor of the 2nd try as a Design Center, then opposed while campaigning, but he was out of office before the vote at Council.

And many believe that he couild have killed it had he really wanted to. Many appreciate that he did his best because the Developer and his agents really pounded him, unfortunately. What a waste of time and money. The stalling allowed too much momentum and expectation for the Applicant , and too much waste and aggravation elsewhere.

He did a fine job on the Wetlands, The JPA formation, The Bryant acquisition , The initiation of the Colorado Lagoon restoration, the Wetlands walk at the North end of Marine Stadium, and more.

Also , FYI, a lot of these posts are mostly from various files , or groups, several sources and certain friends on a 'team'' '. And of course, this is all based upon information and intended merely to try to inform.

Please consider Voting NO...On Gary's Wetlands Area Development Plan too.. It has terrible negative impacts upon the Wetlands and many more concerns.

What is "Gary's Wetlands Area Development Plan?" From what I can see, his advisory committee completed it's work a year or so ago, and staff is now working the issue at Council direction.

I don't think his "plan" will ever come to a vote. That process is done and over.