Labor a force in Long Beach election

Recent campaign finance filings and April’s election results suggest business and labor remain formidable forces in Long Beach politics but that unions may have more pull in this electoral tug-of-war.

As far as the primary election was conceed, the efforts of a new pro-business super PAC called Long Beach Citizens for Good Govement appeared to signal heightened efforts by business executives and leaders to sway voters’ opinions, but ballots counted after the polls closed April 12 showed labor-backed candidates wiing the most votes.

Labor also spent heavily during the primary campaign. The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor’s political arm spent nearly $43,000 backing favored candidate Jeaine Pearce in the 2nd District council primary. The pro-business PAC, by comparison, spent nearly $8,200 opposing the candidacy of Eric Gray while also contributing to the third candidate, Joen Gaica, who ran on the most explicitly pro-business platform of the three candidates in that district.

As things tued out, Pearce took first place and Gray took second, advancing to the June 7 runoff.

“I don’t think labor controls Long Beach govement, but they are clearly the most influential special interest group in our city,” former City Councilman and Long Beach Citizens for Good Govement supporter Gary DeLong said in an email.

For now, the pro-business PAC is sitting out the 2nd District race but will likely retu to local politics.

“We will continue to support pro-economic development, fiscally conservative candidates,” DeLong said. “We believe it is essential to have representatives who know how to grow our economy and manage a budget.”

Wiing elections

The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor-supported candidates have already won this year’s other two competitive races for Long Beach council seats. Incumbents Dee Andrews and Al Austin each claimed more than half the votes cast in the city’s 6th and 8th council districts.

The labor group’s Council on Political Education spent about $6,300 on pro-Andrews campaigning during primary season and about $8,400 on independent expenditures supporting Austin, according to a filing with the Califoia Secretary of State.

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Austin also received independent expenditure support from Long Beach’s firefighters union, which spent about $13,300 supporting him, and the police officers’ union, which spent about $5,800 worth of pro-Austin independent expenditures.

By contrast, Long Beach Citizens for Good Govement spent about $18,000 on its campaign to support businessman Wesley Tubow, who took second place to Austin in the 8th District council race. The district includes the Bixby Knolls and Los Cerritos neighborhoods as well as part of North Long Beach.

Austin, who in his day job is a staff representative for the American Federation of State, Council and Municipal Employees, also received direct contributions from labor groups, but his campaign also obtained financial support from business interests, including the owner of Bundts on Melrose, Long Beach Yellow Cab Cooperative and the Califoia Real Estate Political Action Committee.

He said it’s not completely accurate to say Long Beach politics boils down to a question of whether voters want someone to represent labor or business owners.

“I think that it can be that way, but I think it is oversimplifying it,” he said.“Balance is my mission statement.”

2nd District contest

In the opinion of Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Randy Gordon, however, it’s easy to assess the dynamics of the ongoing 2nd District council race.

“This is labor versus business,” Gordon said.

Long Beach’s 2nd District encompasses such key industrial and commercial areas as the Port of Long Beach and the Ocean Boulevard corridor as well as the East Village Arts District and coastal neighborhoods as far east as Redondo Avenue.

Pearce is an organizing director for the pro-labor Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, and Gray owns a technology retailer called ITO Solutions.

Before this year’s elections, Pearce may have been best-known in Long Beach for her work campaigning for Measure N, a 2012 ballot measure establishing a minimum wage for hotel workers.

Recent campaign disclosures show that since the April primary, Pearce has obtained contributions from such labor groups as American Federation of Federal, State, County and Municipal Employees affiliates, the Califoia Nurses Association PAC and Marine Clerks Local 63. She also, however, has the support of Molina Healthcare Chief Financial Officer John Molina.

Molina Healthcare is Long Beach’s only Fortune 500 company.

Conversely, Gray’s recent contributors include Kambiz Babaoff, managing director of Ensemble Investments LLC and previously a big donor to the Long Beach Citizens for Good Govement; the Apartment Association, Califoia Southe Cities PAC; Millworks managing partner Michelle Molina, and Signal Hill Petroleum. John and Michelle Molina are husband and wife.

Earlier campaign finance disclosures showed that Gray also has contributions from labor. Past donors include the Sheet Metal Workers Inteational Association Local 105 and Southe Califoia Pipe Trades District Council No. 16.

Long Beach’s influential public safety unions have split their support between the two candidates. The firefighters union gave its support to Pearce. The police and lifeguards unions are backing Gray.

In interviews, however, both candidates said they are trying to win over voters by taking a middle-ground approach. Pearce doesn’t want to be seen strictly as an advocate for unions, and Gray doesn’t want to be just a pro-business guy.

“Is Long Beach a union-run city? I don’t know about that,” Gray said. “I think with the current council, the majority is somewhat balanced. If I’m elected, it’s going to remain balanced.”

And Pearce, who acknowledged that Long Beach’s hoteliers may be scared of her candidacy, said she values the local tourism industry and has promised business owners a seat at the table if she wins.

“I think there’s a subset of the business community and old guard that’s trying to make this business versus labor, but I think that’s shortsighted,” she said.

Other campaign disclosures show a new independent expenditure campaign called Friends of Long Beach filed papers in late April to back Gray’s campaign.

George Urch, listed on the filing as the campaign’s principal officer, would not comment on the group’s supporters having any unifying viewpoint besides their strong support for Gray’s candidacy.

Its contributors include Ruffin Hotels LP ($10,000); DeAnza Building and Maintenance ($25,000) and the Apartment Association, Califoia Southe Cities PAC ($10,000).

The labor federation’s Council on Political Education has not reported any independent expenditures supporting Pearce since the April 12 primary, but labor federation Executive Secretary-Treasurer Rusty Hicks said the coalition supports Pearce for such reasons as her past support for Measure N and a desire to see Long Beach city govement maintain its progress in enacting and enforcing a local minimum wage.

“Ultimately, our job is to try to ensure that workers have a collective voice to have a livable community,” Hicks said.