Warren Furutani, the Democratic Party’s now-officially endorsed candidate for Laura Richardson’s vacant 55th Assembly District seat, has what he admits may be a cheeky plan to improve air quality–if he’s elected, and if they let him.

He wants to create another group of politicians to help push air quality issues through the state house–something the Lakewood resident calls a port caucus.

“I want to really look at these issues from the state perspective. Sometimes it gets to be bill by bill,” says Furutani, a Los Angeles Community College trustee who is endorsed by State Senator Alan Lowenthal.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Furutani is a believer in Lowenthal’s Senate Bill 974, which would impose a fee on container cargo moving in and out of state harbors–a fee which, locally, could do something about that soot all over everything.

A port caucus that could give bills and causes a concerted push might be just the ticket to get stalled initiatives like SB 974 restarted.

“Alan’s bill has been vetoed a couple of times and now it’s in kind of a holding pattern,” Furutani says. “If we could have more effort by a caucus, I think it could really be a big help.”

We’ll be interested to see how that works out; Furutani insists this wouldn’t be just another committee.

Right now, his biggest challenge in a field of five candidates is getting elected Dec. 11 with 50 percent plus one vote.

Furutani faces fellow Democrats Mervin Evans and Carson Councilman Mike Gipson (Gipson has Congresswoman Laura Richardson’s endorsement); Charlotte “Sadiyah” Gibson, an American Independent candidate, and Herb Peters, a Libertarian.

Fortunately for him, Furutani says, he ran against Richardson in the 55th Assembly District this time last year–so he was able to dig his campaign out of mothballs without too much effort.

“In its own weird way, what we’re doing now is just an extension of that campaign,” Furutani says. “When this second chance came up, it wasn’t that hard to kickstart the campaign and start talking to folks again. It’s one of those things where it’s going to just be an ongoing campaign.”

He’s right about that. If Furutani doesn’t win in December–and assuming he’s still in the field–he’ll face a runoff in February, then another election in November.

That’s state politics. Now you know where your money goes.

Tags: 55th Assembly District, Alan Lowenthal, California, Charlotte “Sadiyah” Gibson, Congresswoman Laura Richardson, Democratic Party, Herb Peters, lakewood, laura richardson, Long Beach, Los Angeles Community College, Mervin Evans, MIKE GIPSON, Senate Bill 974, Southern California, State Senator Alan Lowenthal, The District Weekly, Theo Douglas, Warren Furutani