Long Beach mayoral candidate acknowledges San Diego picture mistake
Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal, a 40-year Long Beach resident who is running for mayor, is apologizing for sending out a campaign mailer to thousands of voters that features the skyline of San Diego instead of the hometown she wants to lead.
The mailer featured the face and endorsement of Gov. Jerry Brown on one side, a quote from a local business owner, and a photo of the wrong waterfront skyline on the other, with the words “Getting things done for Long Beach.”
Lowenthal said she originally approved a nighttime photo of the Long Beach skyline for her campaign brochure and was “shocked” when she received the campaign piece in the mail.
The skyline photo that ended up running is of San Diego and features the distinctive One America Plaza overlooking the harbor and a Navy vessel hugging the shoreline.
“Everyone,” Lowenthal said, “makes mistakes.”
Mike Shimpock, Lowenthal’s campaign manager, took full responsibility for the error and attributed it to a mixup with the printer.
Shimpock said he mistakenly flagged the photo, one of many stock images his firm had purchased for mailers throughout Southern California.
The error was caught, and Lowenthal approved a mailer featuring a photo of the Long Beach harbor at night, Shimpock said, but the wrong file was later sent to the printer.
The mailer came just one day after the governor announced his endorsement of Lowenthal, and a week before voters are expected to receive absentee ballots for the start of early voting.
While one political consultant said the mixup could paint Lowenthal as an out-of-touch, Sacramento-based politician, Shimpock disagreed, arguing voters are more worried about “potholes being filled and police on their streets.”
Twitter: @cmaiduc
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