Garcia Wins First District Election For City Council • Long Beach Post News

With 100% of precincts reporting, Long Beach City College Dean of Students and lbpost.com co-founder Robert Garcia has won the election for Long Beach’s open First District City Council seat with 41.5% of the vote. Los Angeles consumer attorney and former First District City Councilman Evan Anderson Braude received 31.9%, while local pastor and realtor Misi Tagaloa earned 12.1% of the 2,368 votes cast.

While awaiting official results to be released, Garcia was speaking during his campaign afterparty when his mother walked onto the podium and interrupted, “I’m sorry, but you just won.”

The pair hugged to cheers from the crowd, which included a host of current Councilmembers and Mayor Bob Foster.

“I look forward to working with you and making a better district,” Garcia said to Foster. “At the end of the day, the real campaign starts tomorrow. That is a campaign that is about making our city better.”

Former First District City Councilmember Bonnie Lowenthal, now a member of the State Assembly, introduces Evan Anderson Braude at his campaign afterparty last night.

Braude also welcomed a host of supporters to his afterparty at the campaign headquarters on 3rd Street, and was optimistic as results continued to roll in.

“We will be successful,” Braude said to the crowd, “Whether that is tonight or in the future.” He went on to deliver heartfelt thanks to his family and campaign team, emphasizing that many of them had initially tried to talk him out of entering the race.

State Assemblymember Bonnie Lowenthal, who formerly held the First District seat and is Braude’s longtime domestic partner, introduced Braude to the crowd and expressed her pride in his campaign.

Misi Tagaloa stands in a recreation room in his Cedar Avenue church, which served as a meeting place for family and supporters after the election.

Meanwhile, less than a mile away, the attitude was disappointment but pride at the afterparty for supporters of pastor Misi Tagaloa. Family and friends took turns expressing their feelings about the “organic” campaign, which drew a lot of attention due to its community outreach and grassroots approach.

“I feel great,” Tagaloa said after coming in third in the voting. “I think that voices have been heard. We made a dent in voter turnout.”

Tagaloa expressed his optimism for the future of the District, and says he learned a lot about the political process during his campaign. Besides, he may have another chance when the seat reopens in June of 2010.

“I would consider it,” Tagaloa says of running for the Council seat next year. “We brought a lot of people together and that’s quite a joy for me.”

Other candidates included product management consultant Rick Berry (8.7%) and linguist Jana Shields (3.7%). Bill Grisolia and Eduardo Lara removed themselves from the race but still received 1.2% and 0.8%, respectively. The First District roughly includes the area west of Martin Luther King Boulevard, between Pacific Coast Highway and Ocean Boulevard.

Garcia speaks with Second District Councilmember Suja Lowenthal and Mayor Bob Foster after the results had been announced.