Eramo voted out as L.B. City Council president

In what came as a shock to many residents at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Council President Anthony Eramo, who was sworn into the position just last month, was unanimously voted out as president by his Democratic colleagues while he was absent, and replaced by Vice President Len Torres.

Eramo, who is away on vacation with his family, told the Herald that he was disappointed that the council took such drastic action in his absence, denying him the chance to vote on the matter, but he declined to offer more details. He will retain his council seat, and pledged to continue to serve.

At the meeting, the city clerk, Dave Fraser, read a statement submitted by Eramo: “In my first absence as a councilman I am deeply disappointed with the actions of my colleagues. I will always continue to represent the people of Long Beach with a true independent spirit. The people deserve representation that always puts good government ahead of politics. Long Beach can always count on me to do that.”

Residents expressed shock after the council voted on a resolution to elect a new president, which did not appear on the meeting’s agenda. The vote elicited shouts and boos from some in the crowd. “What just happened?” one resident called out.

According to the city charter, the council may vote to change presidents at any time, and it had resumed its practice of rotating the presidency every six months in January. Asked why his colleagues chose to vote him out so soon, Eramo told the Herald, “I would think you’d have to ask them, because if I was there I would have voted no.”

Some sources told the Herald that a rift had emerged in the past month or so after some council members claimed that Eramo was “not a team player,” while others said he had expressed differences of opinion with other council members behind the scenes and refused to toe the party line. Some said, however, that Eramo had put his own interests and political career above the priorities of the city, which became a source of frustration among council members.