Long Beach’s District 5 is heading into a June 2 primary with a very local set of marching orders: quieter skies, safer streets and a City Hall that can make the math work on a multibillion-dollar budget. Incumbent Councilwoman Megan Kerr is facing Tara Riggi, a small-business owner and neighborhood-association president, in a race that voters say is less about party labels and more about how it feels to live under a flight path.
The stakes are not small. The City Council helps steer more than $3 billion in annual spending, and a looming budget shortfall hangs over every decision. If either candidate captures a majority on June 2, they win the seat outright. If not, the contest rolls on to the Nov. 3 general election.
Who’s on the ballot
The City of Long Beach’s official candidate roster lists Kerr as the District 5 incumbent and Riggi as her lone challenger, with both qualifying for the June ballot. According to the City Clerk’s candidate list, Kerr filed to run for reelection and Riggi filed as a small-business owner and neighborhood leader. The roster was finalized after candidate qualification closed in early March.
What’s at stake
District 5 stretches west and east from Long Beach Airport into neighborhoods including Bixby Knolls and Lakewood Village, where residents often put traffic safety and airport noise at the top of their complaint list. Council decisions here touch everything from policing and street repairs to broader infrastructure projects, all while the city navigates budget pressures that could shape policy for years.
Voters are weighing the trade off between economic development and the everyday reality of living near a busy airport. As LAist has reported, traffic fatalities and airport complaints now surface regularly in district debates, turning what might seem like routine council business into a running quality-of-life argument.
Endorsements and coalitions
Megan Kerr has lined up establishment support while her challenger leans into a grassroots pitch. The Los Angeles County Democratic Party lists Kerr on its endorsement roster for the June primary, according to Blue Voter Guide.
Riggi and a handful of other political newcomers have tried a different playbook, working together to build neighborhood-level momentum. They even shared the stage at a joint campaign event in Bixby Knolls, coverage that the Long Beach Post noted as part alliance, part test run for whether district frustration can be turned into votes.
Space Beach and the airport
Hovering over all of this is Long Beach’s “Space Beach” strategy. City leaders have been courting aerospace and advanced manufacturing firms to set up shop near the airport, pitching high-wage jobs and an emerging industry hub. The city’s own initiative, described in more detail at Space Beach, casts the corridor as a key piece of Long Beach’s economic future.
Neighbors, however, keep coming back to noise and enforcement. Many support job growth in theory, but they also want stronger safeguards on airport operations and better follow through on existing rules. That tension jobs versus neighborhood impacts has become a recurring theme at campaign forums and community meetings, where the Space Beach brand collides with late-night flight anxiety.
How the June 2 primary works
Long Beach uses a primary nominating election that can settle things early. As Long Beach Current has noted, any council candidate who secures more than 50 percent of the vote in the June 2 primary wins the seat outright. If no one clears that bar, the top two finishers advance to the Nov. 3 general election.
That winner-take-all threshold puts extra pressure on turnout and messaging in the final weeks. Expect campaigns to hammer home district-specific priorities traffic calming, airport enforcement and how to stretch limited dollars in the city budget as they try to lock in a first-round victory.
For residents tracking the fine print, official filings and the full candidate roster are available through the City Clerk’s candidate list.
