Mayor Robert Garcia will have a second term, so far crushing his sole opponent.
Stacy Mungo, the incumbent in East Long Beach’s District 5, will likely face a June run-off against former Harbor Commissioner Rich Dines. With all precincts and votes-by-mail counted, she had 48.5 percent of the vote.
When the first round of votes were released at about 8:15 p.m., she was at 52 percent – but her lead decreased with each update.
Incumbent Roberto Uranga will also face a runnoff, if the unofficial results hold from early this morning. Uranga had 47.9 percent of the vote, with his closest competitor, Jared Mildrad, capturing roughly 30 percent.
The count will likely not finish until early next week, with the City Council scheduled to certify the election on Wednesday, April 18.rn
Mayor’s race
rnGarcia held an 79 percent to 21 percent lead over James Henry “Henk” Conn, as of 1 a.m.
Garcia was a shoo-in almost from the start.
The incumbent’s first-term coincided with a national economy fully on the rebound, which has filtered down to the local level: the Port of Long Beach had its highest cargo volume ever in 2017 and the city’s labor force is near full employment. But, Garcia said, the city also instituted its own economic blueprint and saw the largest drop in unemployment among California cities.
The city’s total crime rate also dropped during his term and in 2016, and voters approved the Measure A sales tax to pay for a $384 million infrastructure plan.
“It’s larger than what we thought,” Garcia said of his lead. “I’m very honored the people of Long Beach have given me another chance to serve.”
It was also hard for his opponent in the race to gain traction. Garcia and Conn, a substitute teacher, never debated each other. Conn raised about $800 in 2018, compared with roughly $65,000 for Garcia.
And the biggest difference between the two was rent control, with Conn advocating for it and Garcia against it. Unfortunately for Conn, the areas of Long Beach that would benefit the most from rent control, such as the lower-income areas in the north and south, historically have had the lowest turnout among the districts.
“First thing we are going to do is double down on the basics of what government should do,” Garcia said. “That means focusing on safe neighborhoods, repairing streets and sidewalks, and having healthy communities.”rn
District 3
rnSuzie Price, the District 3 incumbent, also crushed her competition.
She had 79 percent of the 5,600 votes counted for the district in the first dump of vote-by-mail ballots.
Gordana Kajer and Robert Savin were at 11.5 percent and 9 percent, respectively.
Price, a career prosecutor seeking her second term on council, had a wide-ranging yet hyper-local campaign, saying she’d work to get a skate park in her southeast district, reducing bicycle thefts and hosting more small business workshops.
Kajer is an environmentalist and Savin is a former public school teacher. Kajer, an environmentalist, put climate change at the top of her agenda. But she also said the council needs to be more fiscally conservative.
Savin’s stances on issues, meanwhile, did not seem fully formed – at least on his website. He said he wants to reduce homelessness, rebuild an Olympic pool in Belmont Shore, and make the city better prepared for disasters.
Price raised far more money than both of her challengers. In 2018, the councilwoman received $31,500. Kajer brought in $12,361 – and Savin received $175.rn
District 5
rnMungo had 48.5 percent of the vote, slightly below the threshold to avoid a run-off as of about 1 a.m.
Rich Dines, her toughest opponent, had about 30 percent of the vote. Corliss Lee and John Osborn II were out of sight of Mungo and Dines.
Billed as the most competitive race, Mungo had to square off against a former public official, Dines, who served on the Harbor Commission until 2017.
During the first part of the year, the Land Use Element, which laid out building density regulations throughout the city, became the most controversial issue in the district – with all four candidates decrying it and calling for the northeast district to be left alone.
Mungo, for her part, successfully got her colleagues on the council to reduce most of the density in her district and voted yes on the proposal in March – though she also said the district should get its own specific plan. Other areas of Long Beach, such as midtown and downtown, have their own specific areas.
Mungo, who raised $30,700 in 2018, also campaigned on working with Los Angeles County to solve homelessness, increasing police resources, and improving sidewalks and streets.
Her opponents took an aggressive tack against Mungo: Dines, who brought in $12,263, said Mungo doesn’t listen to her constituents. Lee – who gave herself nearly $16,000 in loans to supplement the $8,800 in donations she received – said the councilwoman “shouted me down at a neighborhood meeting” when she criticized the LUE. Mungo, Lee said, accused her of “spreading misinformation.”
“I’m not happy with Stacy’s performance,” said Chris Lubner, 66, an engineer who has lived in District 5 for 20 years.
Instead, he voted for Dines – but not necessarily because he thought he was the best candidate.
“I didn’t think Corliss would get enough votes,” he said. “If I voted for Corliss, it would go to mush.”
Osborn, who has not accepted any donations, centered his campaign around improving infrastructure, and correcting the city’s finances.rn
District 7
rnRoberto Uranga, meanwhile, is worse off than his colleague Mungo – sitting at 47.9 percent.
Jared Milrad, who has a law degree and is a nonprofit advocate, has 32 percent of the vote and nonprofit consultant Kevin Shin has 16 percent of the vote.
The other two candidates are hovering between 1 and 3 percent of the vote.
“We’ve known all along the community is hungry for change,” Milrad said late Tuesday.
Uranga, who has represented the West Long Beach area since 2014, was seen as an easy favorite to win re-election, more than doubling his closest challenger in fundraising.
The husband of former Councilwoman Tonia Reyes Uranga, Uranga had better name recognition than his three opponents.
District 7 is predominantly Latino and Filipino, with lower-income residents. The challengers said the district is largely forgotten, with fewer services than other parts of Long Beach, dilapidated streets and a history of being ignored by the council.
But Uranga received support from the unions and his fellow council colleagues.
“The establishment counted us out before any votes were cast,” Milrad said. “I think people are calling out for change across the district.”rn
District 9
rnRex Richardson is also on his way to a second term.
He had 80 percent of the vote; his opponent, Mineo Gonzalez, had 20 percent.
Gonzalez always had an uphill climb.
With only he and Richardson in the race, a runoff became unlikely – barring an unexpected number of write-in votes – and in Richardson, he faced an incumbent who was also Chief of Staff for former District 9 Councilman Steven Neal. Richardson crushed Ben Daugherty in the 2014 election.
Gonzalez ran for mayor in 2014 – and received 185 votes.
In January, two fake campaign websites popped up – and were used in news stories – saying Gonzalez had conceded to Richardson. Gonzalez said he became “disillusioned” with politics and a few days later conceded for real.
But because he dropped out so close to the election, his name remained on the ballot; so, Gonzalez said in an email last month, he changed his mind again and began campaigning.
