Patch will be querying the candidates vying for the 33rd Congressional District as the June 5 primary election campaigns shift into high gear.
Rep. Henry Waxman, a staunchly Democratic candidate who has served in Congress since 1975, is the front-runner and earlier this month reported having more than six times as much cash to spend then his next opponent ahead of the primary.
We'll be gathering biographical information and presenting the candidates with a questionnaire to help voters understand where they stand on the issues.
The 33rd Congressional District was redrawn to reflect population changes reported in the 2010 U.S. Census and now includes Beverly Hills, cuts east to Malibu and then stretches south down the coast and includes Westwood, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, Venice, Marina del Rey, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach and Palos Verdes.
We're asking for your help. What questions do you want us to ask the candidates?
Here's the field for the June 5 primary with links to their campaign Web sites or Facebook page so you can get familiar with their politics:
- Bill Bloomfield: No party / Manhattan Beach resident / Small business owner
- Steve Collett: Libertarian / Hermosa Beach resident / Certified Public Accountant
- Christopher David: Republican / Los Angeles resident / Entrepreneur
- Bruce Margolin: Democrat / Beverly Hills resident / Marijuana legalization attorney
- Zein E. Obagi: Democrat / Westwood resident / Business attorney
- Tim Pape: Democrat / Santa Monica resident / TV Editor
- David William Steinman: Green / Topanga resident / Consumer rights advocate
- Henry Waxman: Democrat / Los Angeles resident / Congressman
The top two vote-getters in the June 5 primary election will advance to the Nov. 6 general election regardless of party preference or whether one candidate receives a majority of votes in the primary election. The June 5 primary election will include elections for U.S. President, the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House, as well as state Senate and state Assembly seats.
The winner of California's 33rd congressional race will serve a two-year term starting Jan. 3, 2013. The expansive district is heavily Democratic. Of the 430,618 registered voters, only 28 percent are Republicans.
