{"id":228027,"date":"2026-03-20T04:56:24","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T04:56:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/228027\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T04:56:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T04:56:24","slug":"3-political-newcomers-join-forces-in-bid-to-unseat-city-council-incumbents-long-beach-post-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/228027\/","title":{"rendered":"3 political newcomers join forces in bid to unseat City Council incumbents \u2022 Long Beach Post News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Three candidates for Long Beach City Council have joined forces in their bid to unseat the incumbents they\u2019re challenging in the primary election this June.<\/p>\n

Deb Kahookele, running for District 1<\/a>; Tara Riggi, running for District 5<\/a>; and Sequoia Neff, running for District 9<\/a>, announced their combined ticket in a video published on social media<\/a> earlier this month.<\/p>\n

At a joint campaign event in front of around 100 people in Bixby Knolls on Wednesday, they reiterated their goal of \u201cbreaking up the 9-0 votes\u201d they say are all too common on the mostly closely aligned Long Beach City Council, where it\u2019s rare to see a narrowly-split vote.<\/p>\n

All three are political newcomers, coming from careers in real estate.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve claimed the grassroots lane this election, winning backing from resident groups like the Long Beach Reform Coalition that views itself as a check on City Hall power, occasionally suing \u2014 and winning<\/a> \u2014 on tax issues.<\/p>\n

Kahookele, Riggi and Neff say they feel disenfranchised from the current city government, something they emphasize in their slogan: people over politics.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re taking on three well-established incumbents: Mary Zendejas in the downtown area\u2019s District 1, Joni Ricks-Oddie in North Long Beach\u2019s District 9 and Megan Kerr in District 5 that extends east and west from Long Beach Airport. The three have already raised tens of thousands of dollars each for their reelection races and won endorsements from the mayor, other local politicians, labor and business groups.<\/p>\n

\"\"Tara Riggi, center, and Sequoia Neff, left, talk with voters before a campaign event in Long Beach on March 19, 2026. Riggi is running for the District 5 seat. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/p>\n

Riggi said she decided to run for office after moving to the Cal Heights neighborhood and becoming president of the neighborhood association.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy allegiance is to my community,\u201d Riggi said at the event. \u201cWe are a truly grassroots campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kahookele, who moved around a lot at an early age because her father was in the Army, said she found Long Beach home after moving to the city in 2010 and has since risen to prominent roles in several local organizations, including the Promenade Area Residents Association, Long Beach Pride and Long Beach Rotary.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy votes aren\u2019t going to be bought,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Deb Kahookele speaks with voters at a campaign event in Long Beach on Wednesday, March 19, 2026. She is running for the District 1 City Council seat. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/p>\n

Neff, a Poly High School grad and mother of six who founded a local youth basketball league and track club, owns a brokerage firm that operates in multiple states. Early this year, she held a walk to raise awareness about human trafficking in her district.<\/p>\n

\u201cNorth Long Beach has been unheard and overlooked for too long,\u201d Neff said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s time we\u2019re a part of the conversation, and I just want to step up and do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Wednesday\u2019s campaign event, they repeatedly hit on the theme that current representatives aren\u2019t doing enough to represent their constituents, and they vowed to dig into the city\u2019s spending to remedy a looming $80 million deficit<\/a>. They pledged to vote against the possibility of any new tax measures<\/p>\n

\"\"Sequoia Neff speaks with voters before a campaign event in Long Beach on Wednesday, March 19, 2026. Neff is a candidate for the District 9 seat. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/p>\n

North Long Beach resident James Murray said he showed up Wednesday to hear more from Neff after she attended a recent Starr King Neighborhood Association meeting, and he came away convinced.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s time for a change,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Dan Pressburg, a longtime neighborhood organizer in the DeForest Park neighborhood, said the three candidates joining together was the right move: He wants people outside the current political structure to have a chance to rise to power.<\/p>\n

You can see a full list of candidates who will appear on the June ballot here<\/a>. The Long Beach Post will have continuing coverage, including a full voter guide to be published in the coming months.<\/p>\n

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