Long Beach City Council

Elections will be held in even-numbered districts of Long Beach. There are contested races in Districts 2, 4 and 6. But in District 8, Jeffrey A. Kellogg will gain his second term without a challenge.

2nd District

Election: April 14

District population: 49,195

On the ballot: Three candidates for one seat

INCUMBENT

Wallace Edgerton

Age: 58

Occupation: Stockbroker

Remarks: Edgerton, in office since 1975, says the city needs to change its priorities and its demographics. “The emphasis has been on low-income housing, poverty housing. We need to put the emphasis on the protection of neighbhorhoods and encouraging a stable constituency that will support the kind of retail trade we need to support.” He says challenger Alan Lowenthal would bring more high-density housing for the poor to Long Beach. Edgerton is against contracting with the county Sheriff’s Department for citywide law enforcement and says he would not cut fire, police or city employees to balance the budget. He supports reducing some top management salaries, but not the council’s, which he described as “on a poverty level.” Council members, who are officially part-time, earn $19,836 a year.

CHALLENGERS

Alan Lowenthal

Age: 51

Occupation: Psychology professor at Cal State Long Beach

Remarks: Lowenthal charges that the 2nd District has “suffered years of neglect” under the stewardship of the longtime incumbent, Wallace Edgerton. During Edgerton’s tenure, Lowenthal complains that rampant apartment development destroyed neighborhoods, and crime spiraled out of control. Lowenthal advocates the creation of neighborhood planning boards to establish development guidelines, vigorous code enforcement and the use of rehabilitation loans to preserve existing housing stock. In the area of law enforcement, he wants to keep the Long Beach Police Department, advocates community policing and the establishment of storefront police substations. He also supports term limits for city office holders and limits on campaign contributions.

Dan Rosenberg

Age: 63

Occupation: Substitute teacher, Long Beach Unified School District

Remarks: “The major symptom of our problem is crime. The major cause is this crazy, irrational development. I would redirect the Redevelopment Agency to develop what the people need. Instead of continuing to build these big office buildings, these condominiums that are empty, subsidize super supermarkets. A super-supermarket is my term for very good markets. You have to bring in magnet businesses.” Rosenberg advocates maintaining the Police Department and funding an additional 75 officers with money raised by a new tax on apartments.

4th District

District population: 49,034

On the ballot: Four candidates for one seat

INCUMBENT

Thomas Clark

Age: 65

Occupation: Optometrist

Remarks: The council’s senior member says he believes the city has “made some excellent strides” in improving police service in recent years. He opposes a proposal to disband the Police Department and replace it with citywide sheriff’s patrols. “I think it’s essential for a city the size of Long Beach to have control over its own department.” Regarding the budget, he says he has to wait for budget sessions before he can recommend cuts, but says the council will not be raising taxes. The establishment of a local sales tax rebate program for new businesses and a state enterprise zone should help the city woo companies, he says.

CHALLENGERS

Sharon Lee Douglass

Age: 41

Occupation: Former postal employee. Zaferia Neighborhood Assn. president

Remarks: “I want to put police precincts in every district so that policemen work right there in substations and know who is not supposed to be in the neighborhood. They would be closer to you. I don’t want the sheriffs taking control of Long Beach. You’d have to go all the way to L.A. to complain about anything.” Douglass wants to convert soon-to-be abandoned U.S. Navy housing into a youth camp to rehabilitate gang members. She says the city needs to give financial incentives to businesses to encourage them to stay in Long Beach and to attract other companies.

Donald Pound

Age: 43

Occupation: Refrigeration contractor

Remarks: “People will not shop downtown. They’re scared to go down there because they’ll get mugged or their cars will be vandalized. Once you have the streets cleaned up and the crime removed, you’re going to have a vacancy here and you’re going to have businesses moving here.” Pound advocates community-based policing, with officers on foot patrol, assigned to neighborhoods for at least one year. “Gang members mark their territory with graffiti. Let the Police Department mark their buildings with signs that say ‘This block is policed by the Long Beach Police Department.’ ”

Charles G. (Jerry) Westlund

Age: 26

Occupation: President of family auctioneering firm

Remarks: “Crime is out of control in this city. Nobody’s happy. . . . We do not have time to coddle criminals. We do not have time to teach them to play shuffleboard.” He says local law enforcement “currently is unacceptable,” but adds that he does not yet have a position on whether Long Beach should keep its Police Department. Westlund argues that council members should reduce their travel, cut their staff budgets by 25% and that the “city shouldn’t be competing with churches and charitable organizations to provide services. . . . We need to run this city like a business.”

6th District

District population: 46,406

On the ballot: Five candidates for one seat

INCUMBENT

Clarence Smith

Age: 61

Occupation: Retired city recreation administrator

Remarks: Smith says he “will continue to do” the kinds of things he has done since first elected to the council in 1986. “Crime has escalated because of drug activities, and we’ve been fighting drug activities.” He points, for example, to a law he introduced that allows the city to order landlords to clean up drug-ridden apartment buildings or face legal action. He also says he has worked to develop youth programs, such as the Conservation Corps. He is adamantly opposed to citywide sheriff’s patrols. “To me, the sheriffs are more brutal when it comes to the handling of minorities.”

CHALLENGERS

Ronnie L. Barnes

Age: 47

Occupation: Private legal investigator

Remarks: “We’ve created an appetite in our youth (for material goods) but we haven’t given them a way to earn money.” Barnes plans to work with local educators to revise the curriculum taught in public schools, placing greater emphasis on job skills. He would also encourage local businesses to employ area youths. “I’m for community-based policing, for hiring officers from within the community. The sheriffs work here today and then go back to their own area. We have to be able to be in touch with the people who are serving us.”

Dan Cangro

Age: 45

Occupation: Assistant operations superintendent at county sewage treatment plant

Remarks: “We’ve spent the last four years waiting for him to do something,” Cangro says of incumbent Clarence Smith. Cangro says the police should “get back in the neighborhoods,” and advocates the expansion of reserve officer programs. Cangro also would like to see an independent economist review the Police Department budget to recommend cost-saving measures. He argues that the city should be more solicitous of business. “Now the city says ‘What can you do for us?’ instead of ‘What can we do for you?’ ”

Terry McClure

Age: 42

Occupation: Contract administrator for the U.S. Department of Defense

Remarks: “I have a 12-point plan for saving the inner city. Several of those points have to do with bringing in gang diversion programs, targeted at breaking the cycle of recruiting new gang members. I would target the private sector and not the city to raise funds, especially the movie industry and garment and apparel industries. They are making a tremendous profit off of gangs.” McClure aims to raise $1 million to upgrade the 6th District alone. As part of his campaign he is trying to register 5,000 new voters to give the district more political clout.

Doris Topsy-Elvord

Age: 60

Occupation: Retired deputy probation officer for the county

Remarks: “We haven’t had effective leadership. We haven’t gotten our share of the pie, and we don’t have any respect at City Hall.” She wants to keep the local Police Department but thinks it is top-heavy with administrators. More officers should be put on patrol and the department should embrace community-based policing, she says. Topsy-Elvord advocates more recreation programs for youths, even if the funds aren’t available. “If they don’t have (the money), you have to get creative, use alternatives.” She also criticizes Smith for supporting tax increases. “He’s never met a tax he didn’t like.”