Jill Hill, a longtime Wrigley District community activist, on Thursday announced her candidacy for City Council.
Though it had been reported that Hill had pulled election papers, she had not formerly announced her campaign for the 7th District, a territory that includes the Wrigley, California Heights and the Westside.
Hill, 50, is president and co-Founder of the Wrigley Area Neighborhood Alliance, or WANA.
She chairs the city's Community Development Advisory Commission and works as a consultant in the city's Environmental Services Bureau's litter abatement and awareness program.
"I realized 25 years ago the necessity of making a contribution, working for and giving back to the community and that is exactly what I will continue to do as councilmember for the 7th District," Hill said in a campaign statement. "I know I have something of value to offer Long Beach."
Hill moved to Long Beach in 1985. She became active in community issues, such as the effort to scuttle flood insurance for homes near the Los Angeles River, about five years later.
Joan Greenwood, a city sustainability commissioner, environmental consultant and well-known Wrigley activist, is supporting Hill's candidacy.
"I have lived in Wrigley for almost 23 years," Greenwood said. "Jill has been in the Wrigley for over half of those years. She is a proven and tenacious advocate for quality of life in the neighborhoods.
"She takes her positions on citywide issues based on a thorough investigation of the facts, not rumors and false perceptions."
The race to replace termed-out Councilwoman Tonia Reyes Uranga is heating up. Uranga's husband, Roberto Uranga, a personnel office at the city Health Department, is seeking the seat, as is Assistant City Auditor James Johnson.
Along with the citywide offices for mayor, auditor, attorney and prosecutor, odd-numbered council district seats are up for election on April 13, 2010.
