When 1st District City Councilwoman Bonnie Lowenthal ran successfully for California State Assembly, she vacated her City Council seat. A special election was scheduled for April 7, 2009 to fill the vacant 1st District seat. The candidates who ran were Robert Garcia, William Grisolia, Evan Braude, Jana Shields, Misi Tagaloa and Rick Berry. William Grisolia dropped out of the race the last week of March. The community group Greater Long Beach ICO partnered with The Neighborhood United Methodist Church to put on a candidates' forum. ICO and The Neighborhood prepared this presentation to lay out the issues facing the 1st District in order to frame the questions posed to the candidates.