On Tuesday, the staging-live.lbpost.com will cover the 7th District candidates James Johnson and Tonia Reyes Uranga LIVE starting at 7:00pm including LIVE results on our home page starting at 8:00pm.
 
12:30am | More than one year of campaigning, posturing and debating will finally come to an end on Tuesday, when Long Beach voters in the westside 7th District will decide whether incumbent City Councilmember Tonia Reyes Uranga deserves a third term or challenger James Johnson earns the seat.

During April’s general election, Johnson won 45.0% of the vote while Uranga earned 30.7% as a write-in candidate, forcing this Tuesday’s run-off election because neither candidate could capture a majority of the vote.

Since then, Johnson – current Assistant City Auditor – has gained the endorsement of Mayor Bob Foster and outgoing 9th District Councilmember Val Lerch. Uranga also gained support from 5th District Councilmember Gerrie Schipske and has been an ally of the Long Beach Police Officers Association for years.

A recent Press-Telegram article investigating the candidates’ fundraising and spending shows that this has become one of the costliest races in recent City Council history.

Johnson ran on a platform of financial responsibility – and, with an economics degree from Harvard, expertise – and long term sustainability. He was raised in the 7th District before setting off for college. A political newcomer, Johnson cast himself as a fresh face in a climate of economic uncertainty and touted the highly-regarded work that has been done during his time with the City Auditor’s office. Critics say Johnson is too close to re-elected Mayor Bob Foster and other local politicians and that his election signals business as usual, not change.

Reyes Uranga is well known in the hard-working 7th District for her fierce support of environmental and neighborhood issues. She decided to seek a third term after initially stepping aside so her husband, Long Beach City College trustee Roberto Uranga, could run for the seat. But Roberto instead accepted a national job offer with the Association of Community College Trustees last October and Tonia decided to mount the write-in campaign.

Click here to find your polling place for next Tuesday’s 7th District election. The staging-live.lbpost.com will provide up to the minute updates, news and reaction from candidates as the polls begin to roll in.

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