Breaking with its history of official neutrality, the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce will endorse and fund candidates in 2008 races for seats on the School Board — and may do so in City Council campaigns, too.

Randy Gordon, the Chamber’s president and CEO, confirmed the organization’s change in philosophy Tuesday night while speaking at the Beer & Politics forum at Gallagher’s Pub, a monthly event sponsored by the still-apolitical Junior Chamber of Commerce.

“We’ve never before endorsed candidates in school board races,” Gordon acknowledged, his voice growing louder as he spoke to a group of perhaps three dozen people, ”but we’re going to this time!”

Gordon’s pledge was the latest signal that the Chamber is planning to become a powerful player in Long Beach politics.

On Nov. 20  Matthew Kinley, chairman of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, showed up at a school board meeting to demand the resignation of embattled board member Michael Shane Ellis — and to threaten a Chamber-initiated election to recall Ellis if he declined to step down.

Additionally, during the past year the Chamber has marshalled signature-gathering campaigns intended to challenge two City Council ordinances — one banning Big Box stores selling groceries, the other guaranteeing workers at hotels located on city land the right to form unions. The Council rescinded both ordinances rather than spending $500,000 on the referendums.

All this has played out since 2006, when the Chamber sued the City of Long Beach to overturn a Campaign Reform Act that placed limits on the amount of political contributions–and this year won a decision that is currently being appealed.

Gordon proudly revealed that the Chamber has been raising lots of money for its Political Action Committee (PAC) in the meantime. He left no doubt that the organization intends to spend it. However, he emphasized that the PAC funds are separate from the Chamber’s membership dues and promised that no membership money would be spent on political operations “as long as I’m CEO.”

“We don’t need to do that,” Gordon gloated. “There are enough people out there to give [our PAC] money over and above that.”

While the Chamber’s stake in supporting City Council candidates and challenging business-related ordinances is understandable, several attendees at the Beer & Politics forum asked Gordon to explain the organization’s sudden interest in Long Beach Unified School District issues and school board elections.

“Unions are one vote away from running that school board!” Gordon charged, referring to contentious relations between the teachers union and the district management. ”If one incumbent loses, the school district superintendent [Chris Steinhauser] will be fired! ”

The Chamber’s demand for Ellis’ resignation stems from a series of alcohol-related incidents, many of them behind the wheel of his car.

“The Long Beach Chamber cannot sit back and let an unethical person lead one of the nation’s biggest school districts,” proclaimed Gordon. “We were put on this earth to fight for business! Nothing is more important than to fight for business! Business needs a workforce–and the school district trains our workforce!”

Tags: Beer & Politics, Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, Long Beach Unified School District, Matthew Kinley, Michael Shane Ellis, randy gordon