As the June 7 primary election day nears, there are a few opportunities in the coming weeks where you can see candidates speak or debate each other for offices ranging from the mayor to the five open City Council seats.
The next opportunity to see candidates speak will be hosted by three neighborhood associations in North Long Beach including the Los Cerritos, Bixby Knolls and California Heights Neighborhood Associations.
The three groups are hosting two candidate debate-style forums, with an April 25 event dedicated to the 5th City Council district race and three citywide positions: City auditor, city prosecutor and city attorney. That event will be held at the Expo Arts Building in Bixby Knolls at 6:30 p.m.
The second event on April 27 will have mayoral candidates participating in a forum at the Masonic Lodge, also at 6:30 p.m.
A May 3 candidate forum at Bethany Lutheran School hosted by the Lakewood Village Neighborhood Association will feature four candidates vying to replace Councilmember Stacy Mungo Flanigan, who was drawn out of the 5th through redistricting.
A May 9 event hosted by Leadership Long Beach at the Aquarium of the Pacific will include candidates for mayor, city attorney, city auditor, city prosecutor and the LBUSD Board of Education on hand for an evening candidate forum.
In that setting, candidates will answer questions posed by Leadership Long Beach graduates and other screened questions from the audience. Space is limited for this event and people wanting to attend are being asked to reserve space at this link.
On May 12, residents of the city’s 1st District, which now includes all of Downtown, could have their only chance to see candidates answer questions in person during a forum at the Scottish Rite Temple.
The forum is specifically for candidates running for the city’s Downtown City Council district, which is currently represented by Councilmember Mary Zendejas, who is seeking reelection.
A meet and greet with the candidates is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. with the forum portion of the event scheduled to start at 6 p.m.
Here’s a list of upcoming debates/forums, with offices participating in parenthesis:
- April 23 candidate brunch at the Pressburg home located at 167 E. South St. The brunch is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. RSVP to 562-572-1602 (Mayor, City Council, LBUSD Board of Education)
- April 25 at the Expo Arts Building, 4321 Atlantic Ave. The forum is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. (District 5, City Auditor, City Prosecutor, City Attorney)
- April 27 at the Masonic Lodge, 3610 Locust Ave. (will also be streamed). The forum is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. (Mayor)
- April 30 virtual debate (Mayor) The forum is scheduled to start at 10 a.m.
- May 3 at Bethany Lutheran School, 5100 E. Arbor Road. The forum is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. (District 5)
- May 5 at Bayshore Congregational Church 5100 East The Toledo. The forum is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. (District 3, City Auditor)
- May 7 at the Museum of Latin American Art, 628 Alamitos Ave. The forum is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. (Mayor)
- May 9 at the Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way. Forum is scheduled for 6 p.m. (Mayor, City Attorney, City Auditor, City Prosecutor, LBUSD Board of Education)
- May 12, at the Scottish Rite Temple, 855 Elm Ave. Forum is scheduled for 6 p.m. (District 1)
- May 19, at the Scottish Rite Temple, 855 Elm Ave. Forum is scheduled from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. (Mayor)
Edtiors note: This story has been updated with additional forums.