Juan Ovalle: Candidate for Long Beach City Council District 8
Juan Ovalle says he’s not a politician looking for higher office. However, Ovalle says he’s been compelled to run not just to protect those who have invested their life savings and their work in that community.
“But also, to also improve the quality of life for all of us.”
The District 8 candidate, Juan Ovalle, wants to make sure that everybody is well represented, that everybody is at the table and that everybody’s quality of life issues is protected.
Ovalle is one of two candidates (him and Tunua Thrash-Ntuk) seeking to unseat the incumbent, Councilmember Al Austin.
PalacioMagazine.com interviewed City Council candidates for Districts 2, 6, and 8. We asked each candidate the same three questions with follow-ups for clarification and more in-depth information.
- Why are you running?
- What is your vision for the District?
- Name and discuss two or three Policy issues
PalacioMagazine.com sat down with District 8 candidate Juan Ovalle to get his answers to these questions.
More on Juan Ovalle
“Juan Ovalle’s story is a tale of the American Dream fully realized for him and his family right here in our western Long Beach community. The son of émigrés, who left Guatemala in order to breathe free in America, he immigrated with his parents and four brothers at the age of two. As immigrants, despite his father’s advanced technical training, his parents had to work hard to make ends meet. Nonetheless, they persevered, and all five kids went on to college and greater opportunity in life.
Juan graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a degree in political science/public administration and went on to work for fifteen years at the Long Beach Water Dept. as an administrative analyst, before transitioning to work in finance at Lehman Brothers and eventually to his current career as, along with his wife, a full-time housing provider, owning and managing a portfolio of rental housing properties in the region.
“I still remember helping my mother clean houses in the neighborhoods of Long Beach and watching how hard my parents struggled. Through their hard work, and the opportunities provided by this country and this city, we were eventually able to live the lives we dreamt of.”
“But now the hard-won nest eggs of so many, like ourselves, are under threat from irresponsible budgeting, forcing us to pay some of the highest local taxes in America. And all the while, we lack sufficient public investment and services, from our parks to public safety, while failing to address our massive liabilities. This is the clear result of the negligence and neglect of unresponsive, callous officials, like the incumbent councilmember.”
“I made the decision to run for office not just to help protect those who have invested their life savings in Long Beach but also to help improve the great inequality we see all around us. We must address public safety, housing affordability, homelessness, and lack of community investment, for us all to achieve the Long Beach we dream of. It’s time we had the energetic representation we truly deserve.” Source: Campaign website
For more information on Juan Ovalle, visit his campaign website HERE.
More on the March 3, 2020 Election
- Feb 03, 2020-Feb 25, 2020: Vote by Mail — First and last day to apply. VBM Applications may be submitted between these dates (both dates inclusive). Applications received prior to the 29th day preceding the election will be kept and processed during this period.
- Feb 18, 2020: Last day to register to vote.
- Feb 22, 2020-Mar 03, 2020: Vote Centers Voting Period. Vote Centers open beginning 10 days prior to the election day.
- Mar 03, 2020: Election Day
Visit the Long Beach City Clerk website for more information on the candidates and ballot measures.
