Election Day is Almost Here. What Should We Expect?

We’re about two months from Election Day and it seems like the United States is up in what can only be described as Political Fervor. As Vice President and Democratic Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris and Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump continue down a very close race to becoming our country’s next president, citizens everywhere are following updates and coverage on the upcoming election with great intensity.

And the city of Long Beach is no different. So, as we inch closer and closer to begin voting for the country’s next president, Beachcomber would like to share with the local public some of the recent information that has been released.

Garcia Becomes National Co-Chair for Harris-Walz

In a recent announcement made on Aug. 28, Long Beach’s own Rep. Robert Garcia was officially named as a national co-chair for the presidential campaign of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.

A former mayor of Long Beach, Garcia currently serves as the U.S. representative for California’s 42nd congressional district – a district that is made up of the several cities in south-central Los Angeles County, including city of Long Beach, Lakewood, Downey and Huntington Park to name a few.

In this new role as a national co-chair for the Harris-Walz campaign, Garcia’s responsibilities will include acting as a form of messenger, providing insight to Harris’s presidential campaign on the opinions and thoughts of local voters.

Garcia will also be working alongside other Members of the Democratic Party that were also recently named co-chairs. These members include Reps. Jasmine Crockett and Veronica Escobar from Texas, Sen. Chris Coons from Delaware and Rep. Steven Horsford from Nevada.

Outside of this new role, Robert Garcia is also focusing on his own reelection campaign for Congress. His political opponent for the election is John Briscoe, a Republican business owner in California.

Three New Measures for Long Beach Voters

On Aug. 6, Long Beach City Council made the decision to add three measures to the ballots of local voters.

The first of these measures, according to an official press release from the City of Long Beach, is to vote whether or not to combine the city’s Civil Service and Human Resources Departments. If voted for yes, the unified department would manage all employee recruitment and certifications, as well as implement classified hiring preferences for residents, local college and university students, current employees in Long Beach.

The second measure for Long Beach is one that aims to quick the hiring practices of the city’s Harbor Department, by giving voters the decision to whether or not to reduce the Harbor and Public Utilities Commissioner terms to a total of 4 years; a decision that could result in shorter terms in a position that required a maximum six years served per term.

The measure would also see that authority over Harbor Department employment and personnel matters from the Board of Harbor Commissioners, would be transferred over to the Department’s Chief Executive Officer – who at this time is Mario Cordero, who has been the Port of Long Beach’s Chief Executive Officer since 2017.

The third and final measure to be introduced on the ballot for local voters is whether to remove a 5% tax exemption for two local electrical power plants, a decision city staff predict will generate approximately $15,000,000 annually for the city’s General Fund, until ended by voters.

The tax exemption of these two power plants, if voted yes, will also help Long Beach maintain many of its general services, including but not limited to:

• 911 Emergency Response
• Street Repairs
• Afterschool Programs
• Homeless Services
• Public Health

The Current Polls and the Upcoming Debate

As of Sept. 2, Kamala Harris is currently ahead in the polls with a national 47.1% of Americans in support of her campaign, according to the website known as FiveThirtyEight. Donald Trump follows behind Harris with a National Average of 43.8% of Americans in support of his campaign.

Harris and Trump will face off at their first presidential debate against each other following Prsident Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 election in July. The debate will be held in Philadelphia, inside the National Constitution Center, on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. PST.

The Presidential Debate will be moderated and broadcasted by ABC, as well as live streamed on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.

Elections in the Unted States will officially begin on Tues. Nov. 5. Residents of California have until Oct. 21 to register to vote, which can be done by visiting the website https://registertovote.ca.gov.