Democratic Club

by Mary Larson

LW contributor

The LW Democratic Club will meet on Wednesday, April 26, in Clubhouse 3, Room 9 at 1 p.m. Members who are unable to attend the meeting in person are invited to participate online or by phone. For login information, contact sblwdemocraticclub@ gmail.com or call 562-412-0898.

Newly retired Seal Beach City Council member Sandra Massa-Lavitt will be the featured speaker for the meeting. She will provide clarification about Seal Beach’s efforts to comply with the state’s mandate to deal with increasing the amount of affordable housing.

Massa-Lavitt had been a resident of Leisure World for 24 years before being elected to represent District 5 on the city council. For the majority of her professional career, she had worked as a city planner for a number of local governments in California. She also served as a member of Seal Beach’s Planning Commission before being elected to the city council.

The oldest of three sisters, Massa-Lavitt was born in Brooklyn, New York. Her family moved to the Los Angeles area when she was only 7. She did not initially seek a career in government. After raising her three children, Massa-Lavitt returned to California State University at Long Beach to complete her bachelor’s degree in political science and public administration and earn her master’s degree in public administration.

Massa-Lavitt’s career took off as an employee of Willdan Financial Services, a consulting firm founded in 1964. The firm was contracted with cities throughout Orange and Los Angeles Counties. They assigned Massa-Lavitt to coordinate operations between city departments. During this period, she acted as interim planning director, director of community development and director of planning and building for 28 cities.

••• During the April meeting, club members will also discuss plans for getting out the vote during the 2024 primary and general elections. This will include a Neighbor to Neighbor plan organized under the leadership of the club’s vicepresident. There will be a role to play in carrying out these efforts for every club member willing and able to participate. Call 562-596-0450 or email democraticclubsblw@gmail.com

for details.

For more in-depth reporting on issues and candidates, Democrats and supporters can subscribe to the club’s free electronic newsletter by emailing democraticclubsblw@gmail. com or calling 562-296-8521. People are asked to include their full contact information, as well as party affiliation when signing up.