11:00am | While election night in Long Beach was bittersweetly blessed with both winners and losers, there were a few clear prominent highlights. Here’s our list of the night’s three big standouts — and don’t hesitate in letting us know your own.
Al Austin
Councilman-Elect Al Austin won an election that many observers thought would go to a run-off. He faced off against the well connected and funded Water Replenishment Board Member Lillian Kawasaki. Kawasaki had (much) more money and key institutional support — Mayor Bob Foster, State Senator Alan Lowenthal, Supervisor Don Knabe, and the Chamber of Commerce. And given these powerful endorsements, many believed Kawasaki to pull ahead when it was revealed she had a minute lead on Austin after absentee voting. Austin, however, eventually not only pulled ahead, but ousted Kawasaki by an impressive 12.2% points — clearly the most impressive victory of the evening. Some attribute it his strong turnout to the overwhelming backing by Councilmembers Rae Gabelich and Steve Neal (who undoubtedly played a key role in his win); some attribute it to the strong labor support from Police, Fire, and others. Either way, most of the political establishment that originally backed Kawasaki will now have to work with Austin.
Darryl Supernaw
The candidate with the most votes in the 4th District (and the only one who appropriated the Superman logo for his campaign) is also the candidate who raised the least amount of money and had the least amount of established, institutional support. Darryl Supernaw raised just $3,000 compared to likely-second-placer Patrick O’Donnell’s $35,000. Simply put, Supernaw and his grassroots campaign powered his win and altered the perception of how voters appeal to candidates in the 4th District. Having to wait a week to see who his challenger is, his win is similar to the win by Councilman Dee Andrews who — against all odds — beat out then candidate Al Austin in the 6th District in 2007. Supernaw, who is well liked and respected by members in the community, enters the run-off in an extremely strong position: not only does he have the votes, he now has a mythical-like campaign behind him that appeals to the people.
Labor
Simply put: Big Labor had big wins last night. They spent heavily on both Austin and O’Donnell and one of those investments has certainly paid off (while the other might just as well payoff). In both races, the Police, Fire, and County Federation Unions invested in direct mail, workers, and get-out-the-vote operations with some heavy cash. Austin, a former labor organizer, was an especially important win for the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), where he worked prior to the election. This practically guarantees he’ll be a strong voice for workers. And while labor also spent heavily and worked hard on Patrick O’Donnell’s race, he is only ahead by 4 votes to make the run-off after provisional ballots have been counted — making labor investors cross their fingers until next week.