Three of the four candidates for the 54th Assembly seat debated for the last time Tuesday night, in preparation for the June 3rd election that will eliminate two of the candidates in the race for Assemblymember Betty Karnette’s vacated seat.
Democratic candidates and Long Beach City Councilmembers Bonnie Lowenthal and Tonia Reyes Uranga participated alongside Republican candidate Michael A. Jackson, a former Naval officer and aerospace engineer. Jackson’s opponent, registered nurse Gabriella Holt, was not in attendance. Next week’s election will eliminate one candidate from each party, and the remaining two will campaign for the Assembly seat in a general election to be held in November.
Air quality and pollution was a main point of discussion throughout the night, after past attempts to introduce legislation have fallen short. Lowenthal insisted that she would make it a priority to push legislation within her first 90 days in office, while Reyes Uranga favors a plan similar to Assemblymember Warren Furutani’s, in which an organized coalition would form to push the legislation through. Jackson agreed that pollution is a major problem that must be addressed, but that he sees gaining control of government spending as a more pertinent issue and would address air quality in the future. The importance of the issue reflects community concern over the quality of air in the Long Beach area, and growing frustration with stalled efforts for improvement.
The event was hosted at Gallagher’s Pub & Grill as part of the monthly Beer & Politics series. More information about the event, as well as playable video, is available at the Beer & Politics website, here.