An uphill battle

Eron Ben-Yehuda

In their battle over the 67th Assembly district, which includes

Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley, the Republican candidates have

largely ignored Democrat Andy Hilbert.

“I don’t think they’re going to spend a lot of money to fight me,” he

said.

The GOP considers the district a “safe seat,” Hilbert said, but he hopes

voters have tired of politics as usual.

“I think it’s time for a change,” he said.

As a Democrat, the 33-year-old said he’ll fight harder for measures to

protect the environment, especially considering the ongoing pollution

problems plaguing nearby coastal waters.

“The most important issue facing Huntington Beach and the 67th district

is beach contamination,” he said. “A Democrat will do a better job of

cleaning up the beaches than a Republican.”

If elected, the Seattle native also will push for state funding to

restore and preserve the Bolsa Chica wetlands, “for eternity,” he said.

That struck a chord with Huntington Beach resident Adrienne Joyce, who

spoke to the candidate while eating breakfast at Java City Cafe Friday.

She offered to vote for Hilbert, who’s never held elected office, but

cautioned him about the road ahead.

“They’ll chew you up and spit you out,” she said.

Hilbert, a La Palma resident who works as a business development manager

for an engineering firm in Cerritos, is running unopposed so far. He’ll

probably have to wait until after the March Republican primary before

facing a challenge.

Former Assemblyman Dennis Brown, 50, works as chief of staff for state

Senate Minority Leader Ross Johnson (R-Irvine). Jim Righeimer, a

40-year-old real estate consultant, is a close friend of U.S. Rep. Dana

Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) and Assembly Minority Leader Scott Baugh

(R-Huntington Beach), who is wrapping up his final term as the 67th

District’s representative. City Councilman Tom Harman has represented

Huntington Beach since 1995.

Despite facing an opponent with such formidable backing, Hilbert doesn’t

plan to give up.

“It’s going to be worthwhile because I’m going to fight for the issues,”

he said. “If I make a difference as a candidate, I won’t lose anything.”

The 67th Assembly district also includes Seal Beach, Los Alamitos and

Cypress.