Three candidates from three different city council districts across Long Beach all came together on Wednesday for a campaigning event that included open discussions with community members, where they shared their goals and outlined their future plans to improve the city.
Deb Kahookele for District 1, Tara Riggi for District 5, and Sequoia Neff for District 9 are running for City Council under one movement, The People Over Politics Movement.
“People Over Politics” is a political movement that aims to include the voices of students, the community, and aims to take their voices into consideration when making decisions.
“For me, the People Over Politics movement is very simple, It’s putting the people first,” Neff said.
All three candidates are new to politics, having previously worked in real estate, and each of them have personal connection to the community of Long Beach, having all attended schools in the area.
This shared educational foundation established a base for community engagement and indicates the candidates comprehensive understanding of the area’s distinct needs.
The event was supported by the Long Beach Reform Coalition Center, a local political action committee dedicated to promoting transparency and accountability within the Long Beach Government.
“The reform coalition is here for you standing up to hold the city accountable, to make sure it’s transparent, to make sure it’s responsive to residents, that’s our mission,” volunteer executive director of the Coalition, Ian Patten said.
During the discussion all three candidates emphasized what exactly “People Over Politics” meant at a personal level.
“For me people over politics really means making decisions that are not influenced by political alliances, special interests, and really being an independent voice on council,” said Riggi.
The discussion was used for the community to highlight some of their concerns as well as pinpoint what some of the council’s current members are failing to do.
During the Q&A section, a Long Beach community member and mom, Raylene Childe, expressed frustration over the transformation of a standard park into being a dog park during the pandemic, recalling memories of her son always playing there before it was taken over.
“I’m putting on my mom hat. My son is a third grader at Cesar Chavez Elementary School, the park he uses, that park during the pandemic turned into this makeshift dog park which was great for the residents! However, my son comes home from school because it is still used as a dog park and he has feces on his pants, feces on his shoes.” Childe said.
Residents in attendance expressed not only concern, but hope as well, while they shared some of their personal experiences and asked questions about policies the candidates would put into place.
As the June election approaches, these three candidates have come together in a campaign to unseat their opponents and current council members, all three unsatisfied with the current state of the city.
“The money that could be spent in our own communities, our backyards we don’t see it. So the decisions that are being made are not involving what we, what I feel, is the community which is the people,” Kahookele said.
One volunteer, Carmen Valdes, was in attendance for Neff’s campaign table, has a history of being engaged in the community noted why it’s important for students to get involved.
“More so than anybody else, what’s happening in city hall is going to affect students, because they’re coming into what’s being said by the city, what the city is voting for and doing.” Valdes said.
Kahookele, Riggs and Neff gave residents a chance to hear directly from candidates, and fostered meaningful conversations about the future of the community by encouraging participation from all age groups, including students, highlighting the importance of diverse voices in shaping local policies.
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