Cerritos : Knabe Launches Campaign for Green’s Senate Seat

Cerritos Councilman Donald Knabe launched his state Senate campaign this week, immediately taking aim at the man he hopes to unseat, Democrat Cecil Green of Norwalk.

Dismissing Green as a cog in the Democratic machine, Republican Knabe criticized Green for voting against the nomination of Rep. Daniel E. Lungren (R-Long Beach) as state treasurer. Asserting he would do a better job of representing the interests of the 33rd Senate District than Green, Knabe, 44, said he would work for anti-drug and pro-education legislation, as well as programs to reduce traffic gridlock.

This is Knabe’s second campaign for the 33rd Senate seat, which represents Downey, Norwalk, Cerritos, Lakewood, Bellflower, Artesia, Santa Fe Springs and Hawaiian Gardens, as well as four Orange County cities. He was briefly a candidate in the district’s special election last year, only to withdraw to avoid a Republican primary fight with Assemblyman Wayne Grisham (R-Norwalk). Grisham was later defeated by Green in the most expensive Senate campaign in state history.

Chief of staff for county Supervisor Deane Dana, Knabe is stepping down from the Cerritos City Council in April, when his second term expires. Knabe is expected to have primary competition from Republican Maggie Vineyard, a former Hawaiian Gardens councilwoman and a 1984 Senate contender who has said she intends to run again.