Stephen Downing on Muck Rack

Stephen Downing

Long Beach
As seen in: Beachcomber, HuffPost, Los Angeles Times, New York Magazine, Yahoo, Newsday, Reason, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Pioneer Press, The Sacramento Bee, The San Diego Union-Tribune and
Retired cop, writer/producer. Interested in criminal justice reform. Writes a column and occasional news piece for the Long Beach Beachcomber- a reform hobby.
Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work. Claim your profile

Get in touch with Stephen

Contact Stephen, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.

Learn more about Muck Rack

Actions

Share this page

Is this you?

As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile

Articles

Court Defeat Spun as ‘Clarification’

|
By Stephen Downing
| Beachcomber Verified
A Sacramento Superior Court judge’s ruling last week delivered a clear rebuke to the City of Long Beach for unlawfully accelerating a voter-approved sales tax increase. Yet in a press release issued Friday, City Hall portrayed the decision as a mere “clarification” that will “allow planning for 2027.” The contrast between the court’s findings and the city’s spin has drawn sharp criticism from civic watchdogs, who say transparency and accountability – not wordplay – should guide local governance.
Open in Who Shared Issue with article?

City Loses Lawsuit Over Early Sales Tax Hike

|
By Stephen Downing
| Beachcomber Verified
Sacramento Superior Court Rules Measure A Must Be Implemented Exactly as Voters Approved On Friday, Nov. 7, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Stephen Acquisto ruled against the City of Long Beach’s attempt to impose the Measure A sales tax increase two years early. The decision represents a major legal victory for the Long Beach Reform Coalition (LBRC) and a taxpayer savings of roughly $48 million over the disputed period.
Open in Who Shared Issue with article?

Business and Political Voices Stall Behind PR

|
By Stephen Downing
| Beachcomber Verified
When the Belmont Shore Business Association (BSBA) released its statement more than a week following the La Verne Avenue killing, it was framed as a moment of unity – a community standing together in grief. But to many residents, it read as something more self-serving: a public-relations response meant to protect the business district’s reputation rather than confront its contribution to the ongoing violence spilling from 2nd Street into nearby neighborhoods.
Open in Who Shared Issue with article?
See all 219 licensed articles (227 Total)
 •  Privacy  •  Terms  •  Security and Legal  •   •   •   • 

© 2026 Muck Rack

SOC 2® Certified