Campaign mailer photo mixup: Long Beach, San Diego, whatever

Doh! Imagine Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal’s surprise when she received one of her own campaign mailers only to discover the photo on it was not her longtime home of Long Beach, where she wants to be mayor, but a picture of San Diego.

The giveaway was the skyline, which was obviously different, and the giant Navy vessel docked in the harbor.

Lowenthal told Times reporter Christine Mai-Duc that she had approved a nighttime photo of the Long Beach skyline for the brochure and was “shocked” when she received the piece in the mail. Her campaign staff apparently flagged the wrong photo and has apologized profusely.

Ah well, if you’ve seen one coastal California city, you’ve seen them all. And, really, how different are Long Beach and San Diego anyway?

Will the mix-up hurt Lowenthal? It’s unclear. She’s a front-runner among the 10 candidates running for mayor. She just snagged the endorsement of Gov. Jerry Brown. But the field also includes familiar local names who could suggest she and her staff are out of touch with Long Beach. Other candidates include Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske; Damon Dunn, a former NFL player and real estate investor; Jana Shields, a local nonprofit executive; Erick Rock; Richard Camp; Mineo L. Gonzalez; and onetime Los Angeles mayoral candidate Steven Mozena. The primary is April 8 with a June runoff.

One beneficiary of the mistake may just be the local printing company. Tim Grobaty with the Long Beach Press Telegram noted that Long Beach-based Seaside Printing was shut out of all the mayoral candidates’ mailing business. When he asked Lowenthal’s consultant Mike Shimpock if the local company would have allowed the mistake, Shimpock admitted, “I believe they would’ve caught it.”

Must-read headlines from L.A. to CA:

Senate Democrats proposing revamp of campaign, gift laws, Los Angeles Times

Countering a series of scandals, including criminal charges against two of its members, state Senate Democrats plan Thursday to propose sweeping changes to the state Political Reform Act, including stricter limits on accepting gifts and campaign contributions. The legislation will prohibit elected state officials from accepting many entertainment-related gifts, including spa treatments, golf games and tickets to plays, concerts and sporting events from special interests, Capitol sources said. It will also cut roughly in half the $440 annual limit on gifts to state officials.

Charles Calderon paid son, Ian, $40,000 for ‘consulting’ in uncontested election, Whittier Daily News

During his 2010 reelection campaign, former Assemblyman Charles Calderon paid $40,000 to his son for Web-consulting services, but an investigation by this newspaper turned up no evidence of a campaign website or social media presence.

Los Angeles faces financial shortfall heading into next year, KPCC

The city of Los Angeles could be short hundreds of millions of dollars when it starts its next fiscal year in July, according to a financial report presented to the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday.

Putting LAFD’s hiring practices to the test, Los Angeles Times

Exams for applicants seem largely meaningless, and many of those accepted at the academy are relatives of LAFD employees. Mayor Garcetti vows to cut through the smoke.

Peer Into the Purple Line’s Fossil-Filled Exploratory Shaft, Curbed LA

Of course the Purple Line extension “exploratory shaft” they’re digging across from LACMA and the La Brea Tar Pits turns up awesome fossils. It would have been so disappointing if deep digging on Wilshire didn’t unearth anything of note—it’s so close to those mammoths. What exactly did Metro find?

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