Congressional, state reps for the Island will be changing
State Assemblyman Patrick O’Donnell recently announced that he would not be running for re-election to the state legislature in the newly-redrawn 69th Assembly District. Avalon, and Catalina Island will be part of the new district and are currently represented by O’Donnell as part of the 70th District, prior to the redrawn maps that were approved in December.
In his statement O’Donnell also quashed rumors that he might run for mayor of Long Beach by noting that he will not be running for mayor either. He also stated that he will continue to work towards making communities and neighborhoods better places.
“I value my time as an elected representative of the people, but the time has come for new challenges and opportunities,” O’Donnell said in his release on social media.
The new district still includes most of Long Beach, but no longer includes San Pedro or the Port of Los Angeles. O’Donnell noted his efforts towards improving the ports, as well as his work as Chair of the Education Committee to increase per pupil funding and what he called “historic investments in our public schools.”
“I want to thank everyone I’ve worked with to make our community better, including my family, staff, friends, and colleagues who have sacrificed so much of the years to move our agenda forward,” O’Donnell said.
O’Donnell served in the state assembly since 2014 and had four years of eligibility left. Previously he served on the Long Beach City Council. According to the Secretary of State website, O’Donnell still has more than $700,000 in cash for 2022 election cycle.
O’Donnell is the second Catalina elected official to announce intention to not run for re-election. Congressman Alan Lowenthal also announced recently that he will not seek re-election in 2022. Lowenthal represented Catalina in the 47th Congressional District.
Catalina now falls within the 42nd Congressional District, which still includes much of Long Beach, but lost its section of Orange County. The district now moves northwest to include parts of Lakewood, Bellflower, Downey, etc.
In the state Senate, Catalina representative Ben Allen seems unlikely to represent the island either way. The island has moved from the 26th State Senate District to the 33rd District with much of Long Beach and Lakewood. It also includes parts of Paramount, South Gate and Bell Gardens, among others.
The former 26th District had Catalina, but its mainland incumbents started in Palos Verdes and moved along the coast to include cities such as Manhattan Beach and Santa Monica. Locally, the seats of Mayor Anni Marshall, as well as Councilmembers Cinde MacGugan-Cassidy and Michael Ponce will be up for re-election.
