In advance of the upcoming election on April 10th, the Arts Council for Long Beach, in partnership with Arts for LA, is inviting the public to a non-partisan Long Beach Candidate Forum, which is taking place on Wednesday, March 21st from 6 – 9 PM at the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA), located at 628 Alamitos Avenue. Questions will first be presented by Long Beach Community Foundation Vice President Sandy VandenBerge, and then community members will be invited to participate.
The process began more than a month ago when City Council and School Board candidates were sent a survey by Arts for LA, which asked fairly broad questions about the candidates’ experience with, and thoughts on, the arts. Council candidates Janet Ballantyne, Mike Kamer, Lillian Kawasaki, Suja Lowenthal, Gustavo Rivera, and John Watkins responded to the survey. Al Austin, Patrick O’Donnell, and Daryl Supernaw did not. School Board candidates Ricardo Linarez and Felton Williams did not provide answers either.
Two additional non-partisan candidate forums are scheduled for Monday, March 26th. One, being hosted by The Downtown Residential Council (DRC) at MOLAA, will feature candidates running for the 2nd City Council District, and the 47th Congressional District. The DRC represents 6 downtown neighborhood associations and, according to DRC Secretary Eric Gray, has approximately 150 members.
There’s also a Long Beach Candidates’ Forum at the Liberal Arts Campus of Long Beach City College from 5 to 7 PM. This forum is sponsored by a coalition of local community groups, including LBCC’s Model United Nations Student Group, the Long Beach NAACP, Shift Long Beach, and the Long Beach Coalition for Good Jobs and a Healthy Community. The event is taking place in the large new building just South of Carson Street and West of Clark Avenue, in room T1200. Paid parking is available in the adjacent lot.
For more information about the Arts Council for Long Beach, visit ArtsLB.org.
For more information about Arts for LA, visit ArtsForLA.org.
For more information about the Downtown Residential Council, visit LongBeachDRC.com.
To learn more about MOLAA, visit MOLAA.com .
For more information about Shift Long Beach, visit ShiftLB.BlogSpot.com