Statement Omission Dismays Candidate

City Council candidate Jeff Christ has brought some attention to his otherwise low-key campaign with complaints that a city election mailer failed to include his candidate statement.

Christ’s statement is on the official sample ballot mailed by the county, but his objections have caused the city to send out “supplemental” election information that includes his campaign statement.

“There may not have been a legal requirement, but it’s infringed on my campaign efforts and caused damage,” Christ said.

Christ, a 46-year-old Los Angeles Police Department narcotics detective, is running against Councilman George Brown, 71, who represents the eastern section of Leisure World, College Park West and a section of Rossmoor. Brown did not submit a candidate statement.

In the March 26 council election, most of the attention has been focused on the two candidates to succeed Councilman Frank Laszlo, who is stepping down because of term limits. Planning Commissioner Patty Campbell, 54, and former Commissioner Phillip Fife, 54, have made development the issue in their race for Laszlo’s seat.

Campbell took a stand against the proposed 223-home Bixby Ranch Co. development. Fife supports the project as preferable to an all-commercial development.

Christ has consistently refused to challenge Brown’s record, saying he did not want to engage in negative politics.

Though the city campaign mailing included candidate statements from Campbell and Fife, who are running in Council District 4, City Clerk Joanne Yeo said she was concerned about the fairness of including only one statement from the two District 2 candidates.

Yeo said residents should receive copies of the supplemental campaign mailer on Saturday.