Uranga jump-starts campaign with IAM endorsement

Seventh District City Councilwoman Tonia Reyes Uranga may have jumped into the race to keep her seat a little late, but she jumped in with a big splash.

Uranga kicked off her write-in campaign for a third term with a major endorsement this morning. The campaign kick-off and press conference was held at District Lodge 947 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which represents 3,800 of the city's rank-and-file workers. IAM spokeswoman Janet Schabow said the union is giving the incumbent its endorsement because of her commitment to support working families and city employees. Uranga is arguably the strongest labor proponent on the council.

"You have to recognize when someone has been your champion, and we do," Schabow said. "She's been our champion."

Uranga entered the race after her husband, Long Beach City College Trustee Roberto Uranga, dropped out two weeks earlier. Reyes Uranga was elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2006 to the council's 7th District, which includes parts of Wrigley, California Heights and the Westside. After two full terms, council members' names can't appear on the ballot, but they may run for a third term as a write-in.

However, having to run a write-in campaign may further weaken the strength of Uranga's incumbency, which may already be diminished because of the budget cuts the council was forced to make this year. The only Long Beach politician to get elected to a third term as a write-in candidate was the immensely popular Mayor Beverly O'Neill in 2002.

Uranga faces three opponents so far: Assistant City Auditor James Johnson, who has already raised a sizeable campaign war chest; Jill Hill, president of the Wrigley Area Neighborhood Alliance; and Jack Smith, who works as a Hollywood line producer and is a local homeless and housing advocate. More challengers may yet surface as the April 13 election draws near. The candidate nomination period begins Dec. 21 and ends Jan. 15.