Bellflower : Assemblyman Murray Moves Into Zeltner’s Old Office

Assemblyman Willard H. Murray (D-Bellflower) has taken over the Bellflower Civic Center office that was occupied by Republican rival Paul Zeltner, the incumbent who was defeated by Murray in the Nov. 8 election.

Murray, who won the 54th Assembly District seat by 3 percentage points, said he is planning to house his 4-member staff in the second-floor office space he inherited from his former political opponent. The rental agreement with the city of Bellflower is on a month-to-month basis, officials said.

“At this time I’ll be staying here,” Murray said last week. “We have no place else to go.”

Murray said he is looking forward to the start of the next Assembly session Jan. 3, and is interested in gaining a seat on the Assembly Ways and Means Committee.

Since the election, Murray said he has been holding informal conferences with officials of the various cities in his district, including Bellflower, Paramount, Compton, Lakewood and part of Long Beach. Each member of his staff will be responsible to serve a specific geographical area, Murray said.