Long Beach’s Fourth District may soon have a new representative, with a packed slate of candidates running for the seat in the Tuesday, March 5, municipal election.
Incumbent District Four representative Daryl Supernaw will compete for a third term on the council against Long Beach City College board President Herlinda Chico, former Councilmember Gerrie Schipske and political newcomer Dr. Amrit Singh.
If a candidate receives a majority of the votes on Election Day, they will win the race outright without needing to compete in a runoff during the November general election.
District 4 is home to Cal State Long Beach, El Dorado East and West Regional Parks, and Millikan High School on Long Beach’s east side.
Though all four candidates share similar views on what issues need to be prioritized in the Fourth District — like addressing homelessness, public safety and economic development — they differ in some places.
Here’s what to know about each candidate’s campaign.
Herlinda Chico, LBCC trustee
Chico has served on the Long Beach Community College District’s Board of Trustees since 2020, when she was elected to the seat with about 41% of the votes. She was elected president of that board by her colleagues in 2022.
Besides Chico’s time on the LBCC board, she has about 25 years experience in public service — including previous work with former Long Beach Councilmember Tony Reyes-Uranga and six years as Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn’s senior field deputy.
She’s also no stranger to City Council campaigns, having previously run for the Fourth District seat against Supernaw in 2015.
“I’m running for City Council because this is a new district,” Chico said in Wednesday, Feb. 7, interview, referring to redistricting. “This is a really good opportunity to run for an office that right now does not have the strong leadership that I’m hearing a lot of our neighbors are looking for in terms of policy and addressing quality of life issues.”
Among Chico’s key concerns, she said, is addressing public safety in District 4 — ensuring residents, business owners and visitors feel safe there.
“Some of those issues are tied to people who are experiencing homelessness,” Chico said, “and so that, of course, is the number one priority that seems to be affecting residents across the city.”
Chico particularly wants to address homelessness in the Ranchos Neighborhood along the San Gabriel River by developing a workgroup to suggest ideas to bolster safety, alongside job and housing opportunities, for the area.
“That will give us the opportunity to then get funding to invest in that area, make it safer and activate it again,” Chico said, “so people want to use it.”
Another priority of Chico’s is ensuring that local businesses in District 4 have plenty of support from the city by simplifying the permitting process and potentially establishing a Small Business Council, she said.
Infrastructure is also a key priority for Chico.
“We have some of the worst streets in the city,” Chico said, “With climate change and the weather patterns that we’re seeing, we’ve got to make sure that our streets are solid because as soon as they start to deteriorate — it starts to affect our infrastructure below.”
And she also wants to expand accessibility for folks with disabilities at local parks — and work to support the city’s plan to boost industries like tourism and aerospace in an effort to help end Long Beach’s reliance on oil money.
“Getting our dependence off of oil is critical — it’s not something that we can delay any longer,” Chico said. “I’m going to be a huge proponent of really uplifting our other industries to help offset any of the loss that we receive (from oil revenue).”
Daryl Supernaw, incumbent
Supernaw has represented the Fourth District since 2015, when he was first elected. He’s served two terms since, and is competing on the March ballot for his third and final term.
Supernaw’s major accomplishments throughout his first two terms in office include: Spearheading the restoration of Fire Engine 17; authoring an ordinance to address street takeovers; and helping usher in a “retail renaissance” around the Long Beach Traffic Circle.
“When I came into office, there were a lot of empty buildings and not much going on (near the Traffic Circle),” Supernaw said in a Wednesday interview. “I don’t think the average resident realizes how much time and energy go into this as the property is developed, but I’m proud of all that.”
Supernaw helped bring in a Starbucks, Rite Aid, Raising Cane’s and many more to the district — and most recently, a Planet Fitness, and a soon-to-open Sports Basement.
The councilmember also prides himself on his office’s effectiveness and ability to save money from his council office’s budget.
“Over the last eight years, 46% of my office operating budget we’ve saved by just running efficiently,” Supernaw said, “and that money goes right back into the community in the Fourth District in terms of infrastructure repairs or community events.”
He’s also helped support efforts to rebuild the El Dorado Park Duck Pond — which has had several maintenance issues for years, Supernaw said.
“I’m not taking credit for (the Duck Pond),” Supernaw said, “But I do everything in my power to make these projects go smoothly and resolve the issues when they need to be resolved.”
Another source of pride, he said, is his work to address everyday residential issues, including quality of life concerns like tree trimming and street repairs.
The incumbent plans to continue that same work in his third term, if reelected — with a focus on public safety, infrastructure improvements and business development.
“We don’t want to have to remove public safety assets,” Supernaw said. “We don’t want to balance our budget by doing that.”
He’s also interested in creating more affordable housing in the Fourth District.
“My brand is positivity, and trying to be a class act all the time. And so that’s our motto: ‘Go Fourth!’” Supernaw said. “It says, ‘Take pride in your own district,’ and we just try to reflect that.”
Gerrie Schipske, former councilmember
Schipske is no stranger to the Long Beach political scene, having been a part of it in myriad capacities for more than two decades.
She served as an LBCC trustee from 1992 to 1966; ran and lost a bid for Congress in 2000; and was elected to the Long Beach City Council in 2006, serving two terms as the Fifth District representative.
Schipske has also previously made bids for Long Beach mayor and city attorney — and tried to run for the Fifth District seat once more in 2021, but didn’t qualify because her home was moved into the Fourth District during redistricting.
Besides her experience as a former councilmember, Schipske is both a registered nurse and a licensed attorney.
She has long tried to force more government transparency, and in 2013 was named a “Champion for Change for Open Government” by President Barack Obama.
That’s still a key component of her campaign, Schipske said in an emailed statement on Friday, Feb. 9, noting that she wants to create an “ethical and open City Council” by establishing the “Long Beach Clean Up Government Act.”
That regulation, she said, would make it illegal for elected officials and candidates to accept money from lobbyists, contractors, developers and others involved in city business — among several other political reform efforts.
“The newly drawn Fourth District needs someone who is going to stand for the people who live here, not those who work or lobby downtown,” Schipske said. “I have had numerous residents approach me asking if I would return to the City Council because they felt I had been so effective.”
Schipske also wants to make public safety the No. 1 priority of the City Council, she said, to ensure residents feel safe in their neighborhoods and parks.
She’s also interested in creating taxpayer and ratepayer relief for Long Beach residents, arguing that the city’s sales and utility user taxes are too high.
“As I walk this district, people often say Long Beach politics aren’t broken. They are fixed,” Schipske said. “We need to work to change this view of local government and engage voters in the decisions that are made that impact their lives.”
Amrit Singh, medical doctor
Singh, a political newcomer, is also running for the Fourth District seat.
Though he’s never run for or held elected office before, Singh is not a complete stranger to government or politics, having worked on campaigns for various elected officials, including current Vice President Kamala Harris and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, he said in Tuesday, Feb. 6 interview.
Singh is also an active member of Southern California’s Sikh community, he said.
“I have been doing social work for the Sikh community and for the other communities and during COVID-19,” he said. “We distributed on behalf of the Sikh community masks to different clinics.”
Singh decided to run for City Council in the hopes of providing more representation for the Sikh community in Long Beach, he said, alongside addressing other key issues in the Fourth District.
“I thought City Council is a (way to be involved); also, I want to represent my Sikh community,” Singh said, “and also I have been noticing some other problems around the city I wanted to address.”
Those include traffic delays, such as unnecessary lane closures that clog traffic, Singh said, and working to better deal with infrastructure problems in the district, such as pothole and street light repair.
Singh is also interested in supporting and properly funding public safety, alongside ensuring Long Beach’s Fourth District is business friendly.
“There are so many regulations on stores and small community convenience stores, and people are sick and tired — they’re leaving California because of that,” Singh said, “so we have to be friendly.”
Singh is also concerned about the city’s finances, arguing that Long Beach currently spends too much money on parks and libraries.
“I don’t want to give the impression that I’m against environment; parks (are) good for health and trees are needed,” he said, “but instead of putting unnecessary budget there, they can put a nominal fee, maybe 50 cents (to enter the facility).”
Singh, as medical doctor who practices at five hospitals in the LA County area, said he also wants to make sure that Long Beach residents have access to high quality and affordable health care.
2024 presidential primary election
Election Day: March 5, 2024. Polls close at 8 p.m.
Early voting: You can vote at the Los Angeles County registrar’s office beginning Monday, Feb. 5. The registrar’s headquarters are at 12400 Imperial Highway, Room 3002, in Norwalk. That office is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday.
Vote-by-mail: Ballots began going out on Thursday, Feb. 1. You can submit VBMs in three ways: By mailing them to the registrar’s office (VBMs include return envelopes with the correct address and postage already included); by placing them in an official drop box; or by dropping them off at any county Vote Center.
VBM deadline: VBMs sent via mail must arrive no later than seven days after the election, but they must be postmarked by March 5. The deadline to place VBMs in a drop box or deliver them to a Vote Center is 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Vote Centers: Vote Centers open 10 days before Election Day. This year, that’s Saturday, Feb. 24. You can vote at any Vote Center in Los Angeles County. Prior to Election Day, the Vote Centers will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. On Election Day, they will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
About the ballots: In California, the order races are listed on ballots goes from local to federal, meaning the nominees for president will be listed at the bottom. Except for presidential races, California’s primaries for “partisan” offices – now known as “voter-nominated offices” have a top-two system. That means the top two vote getters in a given race advance to the general election, regardless of political party.
To find a drop box or Vote Center and for more information: lavote.gov.
Long Beach City Council District 4
Candidates: LBCC Trustee Herlinda Chico, Incumbent Councilmember Daryl Supernaw, former Councilmember Gerrie Schipske, Dr. Amrit Singh
Term length: 4 years
District boundaries: District 4 is in East Long Beach, home to CSULB, El Dorado East and West Regional Parks, and Millikan High School.
Key issues: Public safety, economic development, affordable housing