Jewish Long Beach & the Alpert JCC Hosts Candidates Forum September 22

The doors will be open at the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Jewish Long Beach campus for the community to come hear from the candidates in many races, hosted by Jewish Long Beach’s new Advocacy Subcommittee. Admission begins at 6:00 pm and is anticipated to last until 9:00 pm. Coffee and dessert will be provided during the candidate meet-and-greet from 6:00-7:00. RSVP requested.

The talk-show format will include candidates for Long Beach Mayor, 42nd U.S. Congressional District, California State Assembly, and California State Senate. Long Beach City Council run-off election candidates (Districts 3, 5, and 9) will have table space to meet the attendees and answer questions of their constituents directly.

Moderated by former Long Beach First District Councilmember Evan Braude, the candidates will have an opportunity to state their platforms and answer questions. He explained, “This forum is an opportunity for the Jewish community in the greater Long Beach area to become more familiar with the political process and the candidates who will play a role in shaping the future of our community. In addition, the candidates will hopefully have a better understanding of the concerns and values that the Jewish community has for the future.”

Zach Benjamin, the organization’s CEO added, “Jewish Long Beach is committed to serving as the central address for Jewish communal advocacy in the Long Beach area, which means ensuring that the Jewish and broader communities are able to remain as engaged as possible in civic processes. In that spirit, am incredibly pleased to be able to bring these distinguished candidates to our campus for this first-of-its-kind program.”

Candidates who have been invited to participate, include:

Mayor: Suzie Price, Rex Richardson.

U.S. Congress 42nd District: John Briscoe, Robert Garcia

State Assembly 69th District: Al Austin, Josh Lowenthal*

State Senate 36th District: Kim Carr, Janet Nguyen

City Council:

District 3: Kailee Caruso, Kristina Duggan

District 5: Megan Kerr, Ian Patton

District 9: Ginny Gonzales, Joni Ricks-Oddie

“This evening will be an exciting opportunity for our local Jewish Community to have direct access to candidates in the upcoming election and have their questions answered. I encourage all, especially those between the ages of 18-40 to attend,” said Ken Schlesinger, who chairs the organization’s advocacy subcommittee.

For more information and to RSVP visit www.JewishLongBeach.org . Parking is free.

Jewish Long Beach serves the Jewish and broader communities through strategic grant-making, development of emerging leaders, advocacy, and management of the community’s philanthropic funds. The organization awards over $500,000 in grants annually to nonprofit organizations throughout Long Beach and West Orange County. The Alpert Jewish Community Center, part of Jewish Long Beach and the focal point of the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Jewish Long Beach Campus, seeks to inspire community by improving lives, building bridges of understanding and inclusion.

*Evan Braude will not be moderating the senate race discussion.

Other ways to stay in touch with Jewish Long Beach:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JewishLongBeach

Instagram: @jewishlongbeach

Twitter: @jewishlongbeach

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jewish-long-beach