Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Page 1
Daniel Lowenthal to Seek Open Superior Court Seat
By KENNETH OFGANG, Staff Writer
“There is nothing more gratifying than meting out fairness and justice,” he said.
Lowenthal, 38, is the son of state Sen. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, and Long Beach Councilwoman Bonnie Lowenthal, who is also a member of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board, representing the cities in the Southeast part of the county.
The candidate’s wife, Dr. Suja Lowenthal, is the current president of the Long Beach Unified School District board, having been elected to the seat that her mother-in-law gave up to serve on the council.
Daniel Lowenthal said that he sees running for office as a “social responsibility” for those who have a perspective that they wish to contribute and as a “logical progression” for him personally. With three family members in policymaking positions, he thought it would be appropriate for him to do something different, he said.
Lowenthal has been a lawyer since 1994. He began his career at the Santa Monica firm then known as Silver, Schaeffer & Hadden, primarily representing peace officer organizations, but moved to the City Attorney’s Office a short time later.
His plan at the time, he said, was to gain some trial experience and then move on. But he stayed, he explained, because he “loved the work [and] loved the office,” which is where he met his wife, who was then administrative manager of the office’s domestic violence program.
He started out prosecuting misdemeanors before moving into labor relations, an area of longstanding interest. A psychology major at UC Santa Barbara, he got his law degree at Cornell University, where he also studied at the famed School of Labor and Industrial Relations.
He currently heads one of the office’s labor relations units.
Lowenthal said he has not sought a judicial appointment, in part because he believes that judges should be “elected and accountable to the public.”
He said he expects to spend about $300,000 to $400,000, which would be among the highest sums ever expended on a judicial campaign in Los Angeles County, and has hired Cerrell Associates, Inc. to run the campaign. He also plans to retain consultant Parke Skelton’s firm to oversee a direct mail campaign, he said.
He also has collected endorsements from Attorney General Bill Lockyer, City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, and many of his father’s legislative colleagues, he said.
The 2006 election qualifying process officials begins Friday, the first day that candidates may begin collecting petition signatures in order to avoid having to pay filing fees. Those signatures must be filed by Feb. 23 and nomination papers must be filed between Feb. 13 and March 10; the primary election is June 6.
The process of qualifying has changed somewhat since the last election cycle, in that candidates no longer have to file a separate declaration of intent to run prior to the period for filing nomination papers.
Copyright 2005, Metropolitan News Company