jeanine

Today at Bixby Park, labor advocate and coalition leader Jeannine Pearce announced her candidacy for the Second District seat in the 2016 Long Beach City Council race.

jeanineWith her announcement, Pearce joined Eric Gray, who announced his candidacy through his Facebook page and a YouTube video last month, in the race for the Second District seat. 

“I am running for council because the 2nd district is the heart of Long Beach and its residents deserve to have a strong advocate inside City Hall,” said Pearce in a statement announcing her candidacy. “I will work hard to ensure that all voices are represented in decision making and we create good policies that ensure a thriving local economy and a clean and safe environment.”

Pearce is the current director of Long Beach Coalition for Good Jobs and a Healthy Community, a division of Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE). A native of Houston, Texas, Pearce moved to Long Beach in 2006 and graduated from California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) in 2009 with a degree in Sociology.

Pearce said her familiarity with the community and coalition-building experience differentiates her from Gray.

Since 2010, Pearce has worked for the Long Beach Coalition and volunteered with organizations that include Building Healthy Communities: Long Beach and Housing Long Beach, according to her release. Her work at the coalition resulted in the successful passage of Measure N, which raised the minimum raise for hotel workers in Long Beach.

“I’ve been door to door,” Pearce told the Post. “I know what [residents] want and at the city council, I can be an advocate for these residents.”

The Second District is concentrated mostly downtown, spanning the Port of Long Beach to Alamitos Beach. Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal currently represents the district. She announced last month that she will not seek a third term on the council as a write-in candidate.

Above, left: photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy website.