Results tagged “Bill Grisolia” from Press Corps

First District City Council candidate Bill Grisolia has finally submitted his campaign finance report that was due Feb. 26. He turned in the paper filing last Friday, 22 days late, which will result in a $220 fine for the embattled candidate.

Candidates also are required to file an electronic version of the finance statement, which makes it available online, but Gini Galletta of the City Clerk's office said that Grisolia had technical problems and that for now he won't be fined any further. The clerk's office is awaiting a ruling from the City Attorney's office, she said.

Grisolia's finance report for Jan. 1 through Feb. 21 lists only a handful of contributions, despite early endorsements from several powerful unions before his tax problems and an arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol were revealed this month (see story here). The report says he had $4,800 in contributions, including a $2,500 donation from the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices, and a $100 donation from 7th District Councilwoman Tonia Reyes Uranga.

The lion's share of Grisolia's campaign funding came from $18,500 in loans he made to himself. Yet, Grisolia owes back taxes to the state and federal governments from the 2005 bankruptcy of his restaurant, Island Sunfish Grill, and was laid off from his job with DaVita dialysis center in January.

Grisolia explained this week that he has been supported by his family and friends since losing his job.

I've spent a lot of time -- perhaps way too much time -- with the six candidates who are running for the 1st District City Council seat in the April 7 special election. I've interviewed them one on one and attended my fourth candidate forum Friday night.

While much of what we heard was nothing new, the forum by the League of Women Voters showed that the mostly green, inexperienced candidates are now a more politically savy group with refined and clear stances on the issues. They have found their voice and their message, and the differences between them are becoming clear.

The forum at Covenant Manor had a smaller crowd and a more intimate feel than most of the previous forums, but the League's many years of hosting such forums showed. The candidates were limited to 1 minute responses, forcing them to state a clear position quickly and allowing many questions to be asked. Many of the questions, however, seemed to lead back to one issue: the city budget.

• Among the six candidates, former council member Evan Braude, who served from 1986 to 1994, is the only one with serious political experience, and he has focused on the value of that experience in his campaign. He is a union supporter who feels city employees do a valuable service and "deserve the pay that they get." He also has the endorsement of the Democratic Party, which can be a strong influence in the liberal 1st District, even though the council seat is non-partisan.
• At the other extreme, Rick Berry, a product management consultant and musician, has emerged as the most conservative voice and the most critical of city government. He says city salaries, pensions and benefits all may need to be reduced to eliminate the city's growing budget deficit, and pledges "no new taxes."
• Jana Shields, a linguist who runs a volunteer education program, has similarly conservative views, though she has focused on Long Beach partnering with non-profit organizations to fill the void of inevitable program cuts. She also says a "shop in Long Beach" campaign could increase sales tax revenue.
• Another candidate who had seemed the clear frontrunner early in the race but now faces tough competition is Robert Garcia, a Long Beach City College administrator. Garcia is a more moderate candidate -- he switched parties from Republican to Democrat two years ago and is supported by both unions and the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. He also has raised the most campaign money to date. On the budget, he says cuts should start with the council offices and that the city should eliminate unneccesary consulting contracts.
• The Rev. Misi Tagaloa of the Second Samoan Congregational Church is a grassroots candidate who has improved his performance at the forums. However, at Friday's forum he surprisingly discounted the city's budget problems as "an accounting exercise" that city management should deal with. His campaign theme has been one of inclusiveness and "giving a voice to the voiceless."
• A sixth candidate, Bill Grisolia, a policy and legal specialist, wasn't at Friday's forum, but like Braude, he is a strong union supporter. However, he also is the most embattled candidate after being arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in January (he hasn't been convicted yet) and losing some of his union endorsements to Braude.

Today the public has a chance to meet 1st District City Council candidate Bill Grisolia during a community forum and fund-raiser at 5:30 p.m. at the Metropolitan Living Center,255 Long Beach Blvd

The event is free and open to the public. Food will be provided and there will be music.

Grisolia is one of seven candidates running for the 1st District seat to be decided in an April 7 special election.

It's a fiesta in the 1st District this weekend as City Council candidate Bill Francisco Grisolia works to build support for his campaign.

Grisolia, a legal specialist, is running against six other candidates for the 1st District seat vacated by Bonnie Lowenthal, who was elected to state Assembly. The special election will take place April 7.

Grisolia's fiesta will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Cisco Burger, 620 W. Anaheim St. Music group Deep Cover will perform at noon. No reservations are required and the event is free.

If you're interested in local politics, and especially if you're a 1st District resident, here's a chance to talk to one of the candidates one-on-one.

Now that we officially have seven 1st District City Council candidates, I've put together all of the candidates' Web sites and dug up some videos of them. Some of the videos are for their campaigns, others are older ones that highlight them in other ways.

Here are a list of the candidates and links to their campaign Web sites, or in some cases Facebook pages, where accessible.

• Rick Berry, product management consultant and former president of the Long Beach Community Band.
• Evan Anderson Braude, attorney, former 1st District council member and president of the Long Beach Historical Society. 
• Robert Garcia, president of the North Pine Neighborhood Alliance and a Long Beach City College administrator.
• Bill Francisco Grisolia, legal specialist and homeless advocate.
• Eduardo Lara, professor at Pepperdine University.
• Jana Shields, linguist and president of the Willmore City Heritage Association.
• The Rev. Misi Tagaloa, pastor at the 2nd Samoan Church 

This is a video about Tagaloa's efforts at the 2nd Samoan Church to get the church involved in politics and hosting a candidate forum in May for the 54th District Assembly race:

A Tagaloa campaign video:

Garcia's campaign kickoff:

Garcia on the arts:

This last one is a video of Grisolia during his bid for Congress in 2007. He was one of several candidates to run for the 37th District, which ultimately went to Laura Richardson.

Want to get an early look at some of the candidates vying for the 1st District City Council seat? This week, three of them are planning to officially announce their candidacies.

• First, the Rev. Misi Tagaloa of the Second Samoan Church is to officially announce his candidacy at 7 p.m. Tuesday during a service at Peteli Christian Church, 1204 Plymouth St.
• On Friday, Jana Shields, a linguist and president of the Willmore City Heritage Association, plans to make her official campaign announcement at 7 p.m. at 640 W. 9th St. near Drake Park.
• Robert Garcia, interim dean of student affairs at Long Beach City College and president of the North Pine Neighborhood Alliance, will officially announce his candidacy at 2 p.m. Sunday at 1255 N. Loma Vista Drive.

No official campaign events have been announced by the other likely candidates in the race -- attorney Evan Braude, president of the Historical Society of Long Beach and a former 1st District council member; Harvey Cochran, a council gadfly and movie theater employee; and Bill Grisolia, a legal and policy specialist and homeless advocate.

In fact, Braude has yet to definitively say he is running for office. He also happens to be in a 20-year relationship and lives with Bonnie Lowenthal, who represented the 1st District until she took a seat in the state Assembly Dec. 1. What could make the race interesting, or tense in some quarters, is the rumor that most of the politically powerful Lowenthal clan -- Bonnie Lowenthal's sons and ex-husband, state Sen. Alan Lowenthal -- are backing Garcia. If Braude were to run, presumably Bonnie Lowenthal would endorse him in the April 7 special election.

City Councilwoman Bonnie Lowenthal will be sworn in Monday to the state Assembly, and City Clerk Larry Herrera is on top of things to get that seat filled.

Today Herrera announced his proposed schedule for an April 7 special election, which the council is expected to call for Dec. 9. Under Herrera's schedule, candidates for the seat can begin fund-raising that same day. Then, the nomination period will run from Dec. 29 to Jan. 9, followed by the special election April 7.

Already, five possible candidates have announced they may run to represent the 1st District, which encompasses part of downtown, neighborhoods north and west of there, and part of the Port of Long Beach.

The likely candidates are the Rev. Misi Tagaloa of the Second Samoan Church; attorney Evan Braude, president of the Historical Society of Long Beach and a former 1st District council member; Harvey Cochran, a council gadfly and movie theater employee; Robert Garcia, interim dean of student affairs at Long Beach City College and president of the North Pine Neighborhood Alliance; and Bill Grisolia, a legal and policy specialist and homeless advocate.

Until the special election happens, Mayor Bob Foster's office will handle 1st District affairs, per the City Charter, though residents of the 1st District will still be able to call the regular district office number for assistance.

In case you missed my column last week, the field of likely candidates for the 1st District City Council seat -- soon to become available when Councilwoman Bonnie Lowenthal takes office in the state Assembly next month -- has grown.

Now, five people have said they will run or are considering running for Lowenthal's position representing neighborhoods north and west of Downtown.

So, who should we be watching? Though it's early in the race -- heck, the race hasn't even started yet and the runners are still warming up -- a couple potential candidates stand out.

Just to be clear, I am by no means endorsing any candidate. This is just an objective analysis of the field so far.

• One obvious contender is Evan Braude, an attorney and president of the Long Beach Historical Society who represented the 1st District from 1986 to 1994. He has the political experience, local connections and of course, he is in a 20-year relationship with Lowenthal, which I would imagine ought to get him her endorsement. Because term limits were enacted during his second term, Braude can still serve out the remaining two years of Lowenthal's term and serve one more four-year term. Braude has only said he is considering running, not that he will for certain.
• Then there's Robert Garcia, the president of the North Pine Neighborhood Alliance who professionally has moved up through the Long Beach City College ranks. Formerly the college's director of media and public relations, Garcia recently was named the interim dean of student affairs. Garcia has been very visible in the community and seems well-positioned to build support, though like Braude, he hasn't officially announced his candidacy.

Three other candidates appear less politically connected and may have a harder time getting their campaigns off the ground, but each has his own advantages.

• Last week I reported that the Rev. Misi Tagaloa of the Second Samoan Congregational Church is running for 1st District as well, and though he hasn't been involved in local politics, I imagine having a sanctuary full of backers and possible campaign volunteers will give him the manpower to spread his message -- the political one, not the spiritual one.

Two other announced candidates have a clear disadvantage -- when they announced their intent to run, they weren't actually 1st District residents yet, though both said they intend to move there from their 2nd District homes.

• One is Bill Grisolia, a homeless advocate, musician, former restaurant owner who ran for the 37th Congressional District last year against about a dozen candidates in a race that went to now-Congresswoman Laura Richardson. Grisolia didn't fare particularly well in that race, but at least it gave him some campaign experience.
• The final candidate is Harvey Cochran, whose only real qualification for the 1st District seat is that the gadfly hasn't missed a council meeting in almost two years. He usually makes comments to the council on several issues, eating up anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes of meeting time, often belaboring the point and annoying both Mayor Bob Foster and members of the audience. But his comments also often exhibit a deep knowledge of Long Beach history and city policies. Of course, Cochran too must move into the 1st District, and his admitted mental disability -- he is bipolar and occasionally can be heard talking to himself at council meetings -- may turn off voters.

What do you think, my good blog readers? Who will be a frontrunner in this race? And do you know of anyone else out there considering a run for the 1st District?

Evan Braude, who served on the City Council from 1986 to 1994, is "considering" running for his old 1st District seat if the current council member Bonnie Lowenthal is elected to the state Assembly next week.

That makes Braude, who is in a 20-year relationship and lives with Lowenthal, the fourth known potential candidate for the position.

"I've talked to people about it, but I haven't made any decision yet," Braude said. "I won't make a final decision until after the (November) election."

Because term limits restricting council members to two terms weren't approved until 1992 during Braude's second term, he can serve out the remainder of Lowenthal's term and still serve another full term as well, according to Chief Assistant City Attorney Heather Mahood.

If Lowenthal wins the Assembly seat Tuesday -- she's the favorite in the race -- and if Braude and the other men who have expressed an interest in the council seat go ahead with their campaigns, that will create an odd dynamic in the race.

While Braude is in a relationship and lives with Lowenthal, another person who has expressed an interest in running has connections to her son.

That possible candidate is Robert Garcia, the recently promoted dean of students at Long Beach City College and president of the North Pine Neighborhood Alliance. He sits on the board of the Long Beach non-profit group Children Today, and is friends, with Josh Lowenthal, Bonnie Lowenthal's younger son.

Endorsements from any members of the politically powerful Lowenthal family -- from Bonnie Lowenthal as the previous 1st District council member (assuming she goes to Assembly); from her ex-husband, state Sen. Alan Lowenthal; or from Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal, who is married to Bonnie's older son -- likely would be highly prized in a 1st District race.

The other unofficially announced candidates in the still unofficial race are council gadfly Harvey Cochran, a movie theater employee, and Bill Grisolia, a Long Beach homeless advocate, former restaurant owner and musician.

After attending every Long Beach City Council meeting for almost two years, it may seem a logical step that council gadfly Harvey Cochran would try to move from behind the podium and onto the council dais.

Cochran told me late Tuesday night as the weekly council meeting was drawing to a close that he is unofficially throwing his hat into the ring to run for the 1st District council seat. It's unofficial because 1st District Councilwoman Bonnie Lowenthal first must get herself elected to the state Assembly in November.

Lowenthal, a Democrat, is considered the frontrunner in the 54th District, which is dominated by Long Beach and Democratic voters. She is running against Republican Gabriella Holt, a Palos Verdes Peninsula nurse.

With many people assuming that Lowenthal will move up the political ladder, Cochran becomes the third person to confirm an interest in the seat. However, Cochran doesn't actually live in the 1st District. He intends to move there from his 2nd District home, he said.

Cochran is a unique character, to say the least. The lifelong Long Beach resident works at a movie theater and has mental disabilities that he frequently references in council meetings. He explained Tuesday that he is bipolar.

He is also considered the successor to longtime gadfly Thomas Murphy, who died last year, and often makes long-winded statements to the council on multiple, sometimes up to a dozen, agenda items. This often frustrates the council, particularly Mayor Bob Foster, who tries to move meetings along at a steady clip.

The other two likely candidates, so far, are Robert Garcia, president of the North Pine Neighborhood Alliance who was recently promoted to dean of students at Long Beach City College, and Bill Grisolia, a Long Beach homeless advocate, former restaurant owner and musician.

A second likely contender for the 1st District City Council seat has emerged, assuming of course that Councilwoman Bonnie Lowenthal is successful in her bid for the 54th Assembly District in the Nov. 4 general election.

Bill Francisco Grisolia, a legal and policy specialist, confirmed for me tonight during the monthly Beer & Politics event at Gallagher's Pub and Grill that recent rumors are true -- he plans to run for Lowenthal's council seat if she goes to the state Assembly.

Grisolia has long been involved in Long Beach organizations, is an advocate for the homeless, is former owner of the Island Sunfish Grill and is a musician. Though he has many local political connections, the 50-year-old Grisolia has only run once for office in Long Beach, when he was among a slew of candidates last year that vied to replace the late Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald in the 37th Congressional District. That seat, of course, went to Laura Richardson, a former council member turned state Assembly member.

Another unofficially announced candidate for the 1st District council seat is Robert Garcia, who is the communications director for Long Beach City College.

While Garcia and Grisolia's candidacies rely on Lowenthal, a Democrat, winning the Assembly seat, she is considered a virtual shoe-in in the heavily Democratic 54th District.