Long Beach may soon have several new representatives on the City Council, with the primary election slated for Tuesday, June 2.
Voters, though, have already received their vote-by-mail ballots, which were sent out beginning May 4 — so ballots are already being cast. More than 100 Voting Centers opened across Los Angeles County on Saturday, May 23, including multiple polling places in Long Beach.
This year, Long Beach residents will be tasked with electing representatives for the City Council’s odd-numbered districts, including the First, Third, Fifth, Seventh and Ninth Districts.
Unless one candidate wins a majority vote during the primary — that is, more than 50% — the top-two candidates will carry on their campaigns until the November general election.
The City Council has multiple responsibilities, including implementing local legislation, citywide budget oversight and approval, hiring and overseeing the City Manager, City Clerk and city commissioners, and representing the constituents of their respective districts. City Council members are elected to four-year terms.
Keep reading to learn more about the candidates running for City Council.
District 1
District 1 includes much of the downtown area, including the Pike Outlets, the Queen Mary Harbor, the Civic Center and the Long Beach Entertainment & Convention Center.
This year, there are six candidates vying for the District 1 seat in the primary election, including incumbent Mary Zendejas, who originally joined the nine-member panel after winning a special election in 2019 following former Councilmember and current state Sen. Lena Gonzalez’s departure.
Zendejas won her first full term on the City Council in 2022, and is now seeking reelection to her seat for a second time. This time around, Zendejas’ campaign priorities include investing in public safety, building affordable housing, supporting the local economy and businesses, and addressing homelessness, according to her campaign website.
“Our efforts are making real impacts on the lives of people experiencing homelessness and helping move people off the street,” Zendejas said in response to the Southern California News Group’s Voter Guide questionnaire regarding homelessness. “In District 1, we’ve made targeted investments to advance that progress, including securing $6.5 million for the shelter on West Anaheim. That site provides up to 125 beds, expands our indoor shelter capacity and connects individuals with critical services.”
Mary Zendejas is a candidate for Long Beach City Council District 1 in 2026. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
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Mary Zendejas is a candidate for Long Beach City Council District 1 in 2026. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
If elected, Zendejas added, she aims to continue strengthening the city’s homeless prevention efforts in District 1 through rental assistance, stronger rental protections and legal support.
Read Zendejas’ entire Voter Guide questionnaire at shorturl.at/Tp7Fz.
Those challenging Zendejas’ reelection include community organizer and activist Anthony Bryson, trucker and U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary member Brock Goleman, Realtor and small business owner Deb Kahookele, Long Beach Continuum of Care board co-Chair Tamika Wagner-Osio, and retired laboratory technician Lori Logan.
Bryson’s campaign is focused on reimagining policing, finding a way to keep U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents out of Long Beach, expanding the city’s Community Crisis Response Teams, and implementing “common-sense” safety improvements in the district, according to his website.
Anthony Bryson is a candidate for Long Beach’s First City Council District in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Anthony Bryson).
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Anthony Bryson is a candidate for Long Beach’s First City Council District in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Anthony Bryson).
If elected, Bryson would want to implement stronger protections for renters, expanding the hours of operation for the city’s homeless shelters and more, he said in his response to the Voter Guide questionnaire.
“Human solutions for our unhoused neighbors and cleaner streets without homelessness,” Bryson said. “Shelters should allow families to remain together. Partners should not have to separate based on gender. Solutions for people with pets who need shelter.”
Read his full Voter Guide questionnaire at shorturl.at/HZfDN.
For Goleman — who, besides his career in trucking and U.S. Coast Guard experience, also serves on the Long Beach Police Department Citizens’ Advisory Committee — said he would focus on a housing-first policy to address homelessness, if elected.
“It (housing) is a basic right like healthcare, education and police/fire protection,” Goleman said in response to the Voter Guide questionnaire. “As the population grows and the city fights inequity, we will need to create spaces of housing for our fellow citizens.”
Brock Goleman is a candidate for Long Beach’s First City Council District in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Brock Goleman).
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Brock Goleman is a candidate for Long Beach’s First City Council District in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Brock Goleman).
He would also seek to expand capacity at Long Beach’s existing shelters and seek to improve economic prospects and educational opportunities for Long Beach residents. Besides addressing homelessness, Goleman’s campaign priorities include supporting small businesses, public safety improvements and being available to address the concerns of District 1 residents.
Read his full Voter Guide questionnaire at shorturl.at/I1cUB.
Kahookele, meanwhile, is running for the City Council to address the concerns of residents, according to her website. Her main campaign priorities include bringing back the district’s community spirit, improving safety and cleanliness and addressing homelessness, according to her campaign website.
If elected, she plans to address homelessness through prevention and accountability, she said in response to the Voter Guide questionnaire, including auditing city partnerships with nonprofit service providers, shifting funding toward homelessness prevention, and more.
Deb Kahookele is a candidate for Long Beach’s First City Council District in 2026. (Courtesy of Deb Kahookele)
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Deb Kahookele is a candidate for Long Beach’s First City Council District in 2026. (Courtesy of Deb Kahookele)
“Instead of expensive, temporary hotel renovations, we need diversified shelters that offer a true path to permanent housing,” Kahookele said, adding that the city needs to track the long-term success of its efforts. “Many individuals cycle back into homelessness; we need long-term drug rehabilitation and support to break that loop.”
To read Kahookele’s full Voter Guide questionnaire, visit shorturl.at/TmjFa.
Wagner-Osio, founder and executive director of Connections for Women, an organization that provides temporary emergency shelter and services for homeless families, has also focused her campaign on homelessness and housing solutions.
While Wagner-Osio hailed some of Long Beach’s existing efforts to address homelessness and housing affordability in her response to the Voter Guide questionnaire, she argued that the city is not doing enough.
Tamika Wagner-Osio is a candidate for Long Beach’s First City Council District in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Tamika Wagner-Osio’s campaign)
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Tamika Wagner-Osio is a candidate for Long Beach’s First City Council District in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Tamika Wagner-Osio’s campaign)
“Expanding shelter beds that don’t impede residential neighborhoods is a start, but that’s a band-aid, not a permanent solution,” Wagner-Osio said. “We can cut homeless spending significantly, as my organization has done, by implementing data tracking, outcomes and cost allocations tied to length of stay in shelters and realistic housing plans at intake, which has saved millions in spending.”
Her other campaign priorities include bolstering public safety, helping resolve Long Beach’s ongoing financial challenges, and putting additional protections for seniors in place.
Read her full Voter Guide questionnaire at shorturl.at/MNkgk.
The final District 1 challenger, Lori Logan, did not respond to the Voter Guide questionnaire and did not have an active campaign website at the time of writing.
District 3
The Third District — which includes Belmont Shore, Bixby Village, Naples and Alamitos Heights — consists mostly of single-family homes, includes gated communities and yacht clubs, and has the city’s highest average income.
Four candidates are campaigning for the District 3 seat, including incumbent Kristina Duggan, who was first elected to the position in 2022. A key concern facing the Third District is public safety along Belmont Shore’s Second Street corridor, which has seen an uptick in violent crime in recent years.
For Duggan, addressing residents’ concerns about public safety is a major focus of her campaign, she said in response to the Voter Guide questionnaire.
“District 3’s biggest issue is public safety, which is foundational to maintaining the quality of life in our neighborhoods,” Duggan said. “Residents need to feel safe at home, in our parks and beaches and in our business corridors. When safety is compromised, it affects daily life and erodes trust in the city.”
Kristina Duggan is the incumbent candidate for Long Beach’s Third City Council District in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Kristina Duggan)
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Kristina Duggan is the incumbent candidate for Long Beach’s Third City Council District in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Kristina Duggan)
Duggan also said that during her first term, she has worked to address those concerns by pushing to increase police staffing levels in the district, leading neighborhood-based solutions such as the “Lights, Camera, No Action” program, and more.
“I have fought to give our police department more tools, including championing Proposition 36, and supported a district attorney committed to restoring accountability in our justice system,” Duggan said. “If reelected, I will continue pushing for more action on public safety, restoring staffing, investing in proven solutions and delivering the visibility and responsiveness residents deserve.”
Duggan’s full voter guide questionnaire is available here.
One of Duggan’s opponents, design engineer Ronald Sampson, agrees that public safety is the Third District’s main concern. He supports increasing Fire Department and EMS services in the district, and will not support budget cuts that could impact public safety, he said in response to the Voter Guide questionnaire.
“Cutting fire and emergency services puts residents, neighborhoods and first responders at unacceptable risk and should never be used as a short-term budget solution. There should never be a time when profit is put over public safety,” Sampson said. “To ensure long-term stability, I support securing public safety funding through multiple reliable sources, including grants, dedicated revenues and voter-approved local funding, where appropriate.”
Ronald Sampson is a candidate for Long Beach’s Third City Council District in 2026. (Courtesy of Ronald Sampson)
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Ronald Sampson is a candidate for Long Beach’s Third City Council District in 2026. (Courtesy of Ronald Sampson)
Read Sampson’s full Voter Guide questionnaire here.
Neither of the other challengers, Brian Cochrane and Rebecca Hinderer, responded to the Voter Guide questionnaire. Cochrane also did not appear to have an active campaign website at the time of writing.
But Hinderer, a restaurant owner, says on her campaign website that she is running for the seat in hopes of addressing District 3 residents’ concerns about rising costs, public safety, infrastructure and neighborhood investment.
“She’s watched District 3 neighbors struggle with rising costs, public safety concerns, and a City Hall that doesn’t always listen,” Hinderer’s campaign website says. “She decided it was time to do something about it.”
While Hinderer’s campaign website lists public safety as one of her top concerns, it does not state her plans to improve safety in District 3.
“Long Beach needs a real public safety strategy,” the website says.
District 5
District 5 runs east and west from the Orange County border to the Los Angeles River, and includes most of the Long Beach Airport. The western section of the district includes Bixby Knolls and California Heights.
There are just two candidates running for this seat, incumbent Megan Kerr and challenger Tara Riggi.
For Kerr, who was first elected to the council in 2022, her biggest priorities for the Fifth District are improving infrastructure, safety and economic development.
Megan Kerr is a candidate for Long Beach City Council District 5 in 2026. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
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Megan Kerr is a candidate for Long Beach City Council District 5 in 2026. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
“Residents across District 5 believe that whether it’s driving, walking or biking, we all want safer and better-maintained streets and sidewalks,” Kerr said in her Voter Guide questionnaire. “Like all districts, District 5 faces significant infrastructure needs, including street rehabilitation, sidewalk repair and tree and park maintenance. As the economy continues to slow along our business corridors, we are seeing increased business closures and empty storefronts, leading to vandalism and blight.”
Boosting economic development, Kerr said, is a key solution to those problems, alongside continued investment in public safety and emergency services.
“We must support economic engines such as the Port of Long Beach, our downtown entertainment district and the emerging opportunities around the Queen Mary,” Kerr said. “As a tourism-driven city, enhanced amenities along the waterfront draw people to our hotels, restaurants and special events, increasing much-needed revenue for our city.”
Kerr’s complete Voter Guide questionnaire is available here.
For Riggi, a Realtor who also serves on the California Heights Neighborhood Association, D5’s biggest issues include public safety, homelessness and infrastructure improvement needs on both the east and west sides of the district.
“My promise is to make sure both sides of the district feel heard, supported and equally represented. That means being present, accessible and responsive, working closely with residents and prioritizing resources where they are most needed so no neighborhood feels overlooked,” Riggi said. “This district requires balanced, thoughtful leadership that understands its differences and delivers real improvements to quality of life across the board.”
Tara Riggi is a candidate Long Beach’s Fifth City Council District. (Courtesy of Tara Riggi’s campaign)
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Tara Riggi is a candidate Long Beach’s Fifth City Council District. (Courtesy of Tara Riggi’s campaign)
Riggi’s other campaign priorities include stronger fiscal accountability across the city, increasing street safety by addressing dangerous driving behaviors, addressing residents’ concerns about general aviation noise pollution at Long Beach Airport and neighborhood preservation.
“I’m not a career politician,” Riggi said. “I bring a hands-on, problem-solving approach grounded in experience, accountability and responsiveness. I understand how to listen, how to work through challenges and how to get things done.”
Riggi’s full Voter Guide questionnaire can be found here.
District 7
There are three candidates running for the open District 7 seat on the City Council, all of whom are hoping to replace longtime Councilmember Roberto Uranga, who has been termed out.
The Seventh District is mostly consolidated on the west side of the Los Angeles River and 710 Freeway. It includes Arlington, the upper and lower Westside, Wrigley Heights, North and South Wrigley, and the Port of Long Beach.
The three hopefuls are longshore worker and Long Beach City College Trustee Vivian Malauulu, Long Beach Homeless Coalition President Jamies Shuford, and homeless case manager Dameon Gordon.
Malauulu, the only candidate with prior experience in an elected office, said in her Voter Guide questionnaire that a key priority for the district is addressing the decades-long burdens its residents have faced as a result of pollution from the port and port-related traffic on the 710 Freeway.
Long Beach City College Trustee Vivian Malauulu. (Courtesy photo)
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Long Beach City College Trustee Vivian Malauulu. (Courtesy photo)
“My priority is to make sure District 7 is no longer treated as a pass-through corridor, but as a community worthy of investment and protection,” Malauulu said. “That starts with fighting for cleaner air and stronger mitigation strategies tied to goods movement, including definitive accountability from industry partners. It also means investing in street repairs, traffic calming and green space improvements that directly impact quality of life.”
Malauulu said that if elected, she would work to identify and secure resources for the Seventh District’s neighborhoods, including support for small businesses, workforce development, and investments in parks and public spaces.
Her full Voter Guide questionnaire is available here.
For Shuford, creating a better quality of life for residents is also a key priority, he said in his Voter Guide questionnaire.
“One of my biggest concerns is the environmental quality of life, including clean air, safe streets and ensuring that our neighborhoods are not carrying more than their fair share of industrial impact,” Shuford said. “If the Westside carries the load, it should see the benefit. This includes ensuring cleaner trucks and port operations, providing street maintenance on high truck routes and creating green buffer zones between industrial and residential areas.”
James Shuford is a candidate for Long Beach’s Seventh City Council District in 2026. (Photo courtesy of James Shuford)
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James Shuford is a candidate for Long Beach’s Seventh City Council District in 2026. (Photo courtesy of James Shuford)
Shuford’s other campaign priorities include addressing homelessness. He serves as president of the Long Beach Homlessness Coalition and as a board member of the Continuum of Care, and previously experienced homelessness himself.
“I’ve seen that the system the city has put in place can work. Nothing is perfect, and there is always room to improve it; I’m living proof,” Shuford said. “That starts with stronger outreach, meeting people where they are and helping those ready to transition into housing, even if that placement is outside of Long Beach.”
Shuford’s Voter Guide questionnaire is online here.
For Gordon, who also works in homeless services, improving Long Beach’s homelessness prevention and response efforts is a key campaign priority.
“District 7 is in crisis. Families are getting priced out, rents are rising and too many residents are left without safe, stable housing,” Gordon said in his Voter Guide questionnaire. “People should not have to choose between paying rent, feeding their family or keeping a roof over their heads. This is the most immediate issue facing our community, and it demands bold action now.”
If elected, Gordon said, he would push for policies that help keep people housed and expand resources for people struggling with housing instability, alongside improving services for mental health and substance use disorder.
“We cannot wait while people fall through the cracks. District 7 needs a councilmember who will fight for housing, hold the system accountable and create pathways for stability,” Gordon said. “Long Beach can rise to this challenge, but only if we act boldly, strategically and with the people of our community leading the way.”
Read Gordon’s full Voter Guide questionnaire here.
District 9
District 9 is the northernmost district in the city. It includes the neighborhoods of College Square, Starr King, Hamilton, McKinley and Powell. There are two candidates running for this seat, incumbent Joni Ricks-Oddie and business owner Sequoia Neff.
For Ricks-Oddie, who is also the director of UC Irvine’s Center for Statistical Consulting, her key concern for the district is addressing human trafficking and other public safety concerns along Long Beach Boulevard, she said in her response to the Voter Guide questionnaire.
Joni Ricks-Oddie is a candidate for Long Beach City Council District 9 in 2026. (Photo courtesy of the City of Long Beach)
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Joni Ricks-Oddie is a candidate for Long Beach City Council District 9 in 2026. (Photo courtesy of the City of Long Beach)
“This has long been a struggle for our community, and I am proud to have collaborated with my colleague, Councilmember Tunua Thrash-Ntuk, to spearhead a comprehensive response,” Ricks-Oddie said. “I am committed to executing the recently approved Strategic Plan, which shifts the focus beyond conventional policing to address the underlying causes of this issue.”
To address the problem, Ricks-Oddie said, she has worked throughout her first term to implement safety measures such as traffic cameras, better lighting, no parking zones and decriminalization efforts for human trafficking victims. She has also worked with regional and statewide leaders to address the multi-jurisdictional issues.
“By pairing these deterrents with intensified enforcement against traffickers,” Ricks-Oddie said, “we are creating lasting change.”
Ricks-Oddie’s Voter Guide questionnaire is available here.
Human trafficking is also the key concern for Neff, she said in her Voter Guide questionnaire.
“Families are seeing practically naked women on the corner, children are being exposed, residents feel unsafe, homes are losing value and local businesses are struggling. We need a dedicated investigation team/targeted enforcement,” Neff said. “We need stronger penalties for repeat offenders, with enhanced consequences when minors are involved, or activity occurs near schools.”
Sequoia Neff is a candidate Long Beach’s Ninth City Council District. (Courtesy of Sequoia Neff’s campaign)
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Sequoia Neff is a candidate Long Beach’s Ninth City Council District. (Courtesy of Sequoia Neff’s campaign)
If elected, Neff added, she would want to implement stricter enforcement for nuisance prevention measures at motels, businesses and other properties tied to human trafficking in an effort to hold them accountable through permit or license revocation.
“We need to strengthen partnerships with underfunded outreach and support programs for victims/survivors,” Neff said. “Prevention is just as important as enforcement. I support strategically placing cameras, increasing public awareness and community education, and more police presence.”
Neff’s Voter Guide questionnaire is available here.
To check out the candidates’ full Voter Guide questionnaires, go to presstelegram.com/voter-guide.
To learn more about Long Beach’s local elections, go to longbeach.gov/cityclerk. You can also check your voter registration status or register to vote at lavote.gov.