{"id":307560,"date":"2026-05-09T10:46:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T10:46:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/307560\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T10:46:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T10:46:16","slug":"in-race-to-replace-longtime-councilman-one-candidate-amasses-huge-institutional-backing-long-beach-post-news-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/307560\/","title":{"rendered":"In race to replace longtime councilman, one candidate amasses huge institutional backing \u2022 Long Beach Post News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Get a comprehensive look at the June 2 Primary Election in our voter guides at LBPost.com\/elections<\/a>. Dive deeper into this race by reading answers to our policy questionnaire from candidates Dameon Gordon<\/a>, Vivian Malauulu<\/a> and Jamies Shuford<\/a> \u2014 or get a quick overview here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

West Long Beach will soon get a new City Council representative for the first time in more than a decade.<\/p>\n

After 12 years in the job, 7th District<\/a> Councilmember Roberto Uranga is termed out. That gives three candidates the rare chance to win an open Long Beach City Council seat. One of those contenders, however, has already amassed a powerful political coaltion that\u2019s more commonly seen from incumbents.<\/p>\n

Social worker Dameon Gordon and nonprofit CEO Jamies Shuford are both running grassroots campaigns. They\u2019ve raised only a couple of thousand dollars each and turned to social media to get their message out. They\u2019re both political newcomers who haven\u2019t held office before.<\/p>\n

By contrast, Vivian Malauulu is a current trustee on the Long Beach City College board. She\u2019s amassed institutional political support and has an eye-poppingly well-funded campaign. As of Tuesday, Malauulu had raised more than $122,000. Large chunks of that money have come from people with interests at the Port of Long Beach, right next door to the Westside. About $23,000 is from people connected to the Pacific Maritime Association \u2014 which represents shippers \u2014 or members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. (Malauulu herself is a longshore worker and ILWU member.)<\/p>\n

\"\"Vivian Malauulu
Courtesy photo<\/p>\n

She\u2019s already spent tens of thousands of dollars on mailers, consulting and campaign signs.<\/p>\n

Malauulu has also benefitted from nearly $76,500 in outside spending, according to campaign finance records. Most of it is from the local ILWU chapter\u2019s political action committee.<\/p>\n

Her endorsements include many of the same Democratic politicians who backed Uranga last time he was up for re-election in 2022, including Congressman Robert Garcia, State Sen. Lena Gonzalez and Assemblyman Josh Lowenthal. She\u2019s also got high-profile backers like U.S. Senator Alex Padilla and Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.<\/p>\n

Gordon does not have a campaign website, but has been pushing hard for months on Instagram<\/a> to win over local voters.<\/p>\n

His local roots run deep. He grew up in the Carmelitos housing project in North Long Beach and attended Cabrillo High School before buying a home and raising four children in West Long Beach. Now, he works with homeless individuals and families as a social worker for Catholic Charities of Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

If elected, he promised to fight rising housing costs and invest in small businesses to boost the West Long Beach economy.<\/p>\n

\"\"The painted walls known as the Irie Park Art Gallery on Santa Fe Avenue in West Long Beach on Friday, May 8, 2026. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/p>\n

The issue of homelessness is also close to heart for Shuford, a former Skid Row resident who founded a nonprofit that advocates for the rights of homeless people.<\/p>\n

Shuford also serves as president of the Long Beach Homeless Coalition and is a member of the Long Beach Continuum of Care, the city\u2019s network of organizations working to end homelessness.<\/p>\n

He vowed to expand the Westside Promise to ensure West Long Beach gets \u201cthe same level of investment, coordination and urgency that we see in other parts of Long Beach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more about all the candidates\u2019 platforms in our voter guide<\/a>. Looking for a different race? Check LBPost.com\/elections<\/a>. <\/p>\n

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