JUSTINRUDD.COM | JUSTIN RUDD IN THE NEWS

LA Times profile on Justin Rudd | CLICK

Rudd Enters 3d District City Council Race
LBReport.com - Long Beach,CA,USA
"Like any other proud Long Beach resident, I ... the dog zone, organizing monthly beach cleanups, bringing ... and organizing its annual 5K/10K Turkey Trot and Grunion ...

PRESS-TELEGRAM: Rudd shakes up 3rd District contest
PRESS-TELEGRAM: Tom Hennessy: Mr. Rudd aims for Council
GRUNION GAZETTE: Rudd Running For City Council Seat
LA TIMES: Justin Rudd Ponders a Wider Role in Long Beach

Mr. Rudd Aims for Council

NEW THE STORY RINGS a bit like " Mr. Smith Goes to Washington ," the 1939 film classic about a rustic idealist in politics.

But instead of Jimmy Stewart , there is Justin Rudd . Just as countrified by virtue of his Alabama twang, Rudd is aiming not for Washington , but for the Third District ( Belmont Shore — Naples ) seat on Long Beach 's city council.

At the virtual eleventh hour Wednesday, Rudd pulled his papers to enter the race against businessman Gary DeLong , attorney Stephanie Loftin , real estate broker Charles Legeman , and activist Norm (could there be an election without him?) Ryan .

Rudd even talks like Stewart 's fictional Sen. Smith , dropping phrases that seem sincere if not silver-tongued: "I will work to ensure honesty and integrity in city government. I aim to communicate clearly and give a timely response on issues that face our residents on a day-to-day basis."

FAMILY EXAMPLE
A Democrat, Rudd says friends convinced him to run. While his twin brother, Jason, is a municipal commissioner in Dothan, Ala., Rudd, 36, insists politics is not his forte. "If you had asked when I moved to California (in 1995) if I ever saw myself in politics, I would have laughed. All that sitting. All those meetings.

"Political office seems almost inert to me, not at all how I see myself. I'm active. I like to be outside meeting folks, doing things to benefit the community. I like motivating others to help me.

"But after working with the city to create the Dog Zone at the beach, organizing monthly beach clean-ups, being involved with the City Council, it became clear to me that I could do so much more if elected to represent my fellow Third District residents."

While a political neophyte, Rudd, an environmentalist who says he prefers trash bags to legal pads, brings assets to the campaign; his creation of the Dog Zone, a slew of mostly animal-related community events which he sponsors, 14 Web sites (accessible via www.justinrudd.com), and, he says, a computer list of several thousand people who share his interests.

"About 70 percent are people who live in the Third District," he says.

His professional life consists of managing his non-profit Community Action Team, conducting physical-fitness classes, and counseling beauty-pageant consultants.

As his liaison to the public, he relies in part on his 40-pound bulldog, Rosie , a familiar sight on Second Street with Rudd pulling her in a red wagon and looking right out of "Mayberry, R.F.D."

MUNICIPAL MENU
Rudd sees public safety as the city's No. 1 priority, and says, "This means allocating funds accordingly."

He is for eliminating "unnecessary and burdensome regulations on business," and favors long-range budgeting and beautification efforts. He opposes the proposed LNG terminals and supports what he calls "responsible airport improvement."

On libraries, he says, "I think they need to reinvent themselves." Saying libraries need to attract more patrons, Rudd is not above such ideas as putting coffee shops into library branches.

With libraries on shortened schedules because of funding cutbacks, he says part of their current problem is that "no one knows when they are open and when they are not."

L.B. Dogs' Best Friend

LONG BEACH, designated recently as one of America 's top 100 cities for young people, has received yet another honor.

It has been named one of the nation's top 10 cities for dogs.

Yes, indeed. If you are a pooch, the International City human population, 461,500; estimated dog population, 47,000 is one of the 10 best places to be, according to the annual "Dogtown USA' competition conducted by Dog Fancy magazine.

November's Dog Fancy, the 35th anniversary issue of the magazine, cites Long Beach for "community activism, neighborhood dog events, and (its) off-leash dog beach."

THERE IS MORE. Long Beach was singled out for having one of the nation's three most unique events for dogs: the annual Bulldog Beauty Contest. Also named as unique were Albuquerque , N.M. 's black-tie Dog Ball, and the annual Fur Ball, conducted by the SPCA in Richmond , Va.

Dog Fancy, which bills itself as the world's most-read dog magazine, says it considered 101 cities in 33 states and used such criteria as ratio of veterinarians to dogs (Richmond was tops with one vet per 156 canines), spay and neuter rates, and dog-park amenities.

The list of 10 winners was not published by rank, although one city was designated as the very best: Chicago , which, by the way, has a dog park named Wiggly Field.

Other cities in the Top 10 are: Albuquerque , Coral Springs , Fla. , Bellingham , Wa., Houston , Austin, Texas , New York , Richmond and Santa Barbara.

The finalist cities include such dog-friendly touches as a Times Square walking tour for dogs (New York), a Big Dog Parade (Santa Barbara), and a dog oxygen mask in every firehouse (Coral Springs).

Long Beach, however, made the list by virtue of having an asset the other cities do not have:

Justin Rudd.

DOGS' BEST FRIEND
The impresario of nearly a dozen annual dog-related events, including the Bulldog Beauty Contest, Rudd is clearly the person who put Long Beach into Dog Fancy's Top 10. In fact, he was the Long Beach person called by the magazine while it was studying candidate cities.

"I gave the biggest sales pitch for Long Beach in dog history," Rudd says proudly. "I told them about all the things that go on here for dogs."

Those things include such Rudd-orchestrated events as the " Howl'oween ' and Easter parades for dogs. Each attracts about 450 canine participants. "Ours is the largest Easter parade for dogs in the United States ," says Rudd.

He is also the director of Operation Santa Paws, a pet adoption fair, plus Father's Day contest for "dads and dogs."

As if that were not enough, Rudd sends a free online newsletter, the "Dog e-News' to about 3,300 subscribers in Southern California . (For a free subscription, e-mail him at JustinRudd Why does he do all this? In part, he does it for Rosie , his 39-pound, 8-year-old English bulldog.

" Rosie is my best friend," says Rudd, 36. "You do things with best friends. You don't leave them at home."

ROSIE'S REWARD

The Dog Beach Zone, on the water between Argonne and Roycroft, was created largely out of Rudd's love of dogs in general, and Rosie in particular.

He became the driving force behind creation of the zone, which is almost a year old and which, says Rudd, "has become the busiest 3 acres on the Long Beach coastline."

It was one of the selling points that led Dog Fancy to put Long Beach on its list.

"I told them that it's the only one in L.A. County , and that for 33 years it was illegal to have a dog on the beach in our city."

Rudd, who moved to Long Beach eight years ago, explains, "I grew up with outdoor dogs in southern Alabama . I had dogs all my life. Now I have Rosie, an indoor dog. I was living two blocks from the beach and wanted her to have the right to be there. I've learned since then that other people have a similar love for their pets."

Initially, the Dog Beach was opposed by some residents who feared the animals would create a mess. But people are quite responsible about cleaning up, says Rudd.

"It's not perfect, but it's pretty good," he says. "I have to pick up some, but most people understand the privilege of having this."

Rudd's "Haute Dog' activities are run under his umbrella organization, Community Action Team, which sees that profits go to charitable and dog-related activities.

WHY "HAUTE DOG"?

"A friend of mine had a restaurant in Newport Beach called Haute (pronounced hot) Cakes," says Rudd. "I thought that was very clever. It's a French term meaning, 'well to do." But we love all dogs, whether they are well to do or mangy mutts."

For a full explanation of Haute Dog activities, including the Oct. 30, (2005) 2:30 p.m., Howl'oween Parade, go to hautedogs.html

g The word "tireless" didn't exist until Rudd
Meet Mr. Tireless

SOMETIMES WE THINK if Justin Rudd never moved to Belmont Shore, the place would be overrun with feral cats and you'd be able to walk from Ocean Boulevard to the sea at Granada on a luxurious blanket of Styrofoam and cigarette butts. Instead, thanks to his work and the word 'tireless' didn't exist until Rudd began walking and talking with dogs and clean-ups and education and miscellaneous pageantry, the Shore is a better place to live.

g Local community activist receives honor from environmental group
Citizen of the Month

Justin Rudd leads parades that feature dogs in masks and Easter bonnets, sends people charging down the bike path on Thanksgiving for a walk/run so that they can stuff themselves later without remorse, and dresses up as Santa Claus to give necessities to shelter animals and bikes to needy kids.

It probably came as no surprise to anyone who has participated in any of Rudd’s numerous nonprofit events that he was selected by Keep California Beautiful as their first Hal Albertson Volunteer of the Year, for his monthly 30-Minute Beach Cleanup.

“It’s a program established by a volunteer to encourage other volunteers, which is unique,” said Jim McCool, manager of the Environmental Services Bureau in Long Beach, whose office nominated Rudd for the award. “Usually, the award goes to a volunteer for his individual efforts.”

Rudd received the honor in Sacramento at a lunch banquet and ceremony. The award was named for a Placer County resident who became tired of seeing litter everywhere he looked. In the 10 years prior to his death in July, 2004, Albertson and his friends logged nearly 2,500 miles of road cleanup.

“Justin was selected because of his commitment, dedication and willingness to go the extra mile,” said Marlene Mariani, KCB’s executive director.

“We’re so appreciative of the volunteers who do their work one, two or three times a year, but he’s 1 million miles ahead, organizing everything. I’ll support anything he wants to do.”

Mariani may find herself nearly as busy as Rudd if she wants to actively support his efforts. Rudd came to Long Beach in 1995 from Alabama with a banjo on his knee and a burning desire to do something constructive for his adopted city.

“I have a genuine love for people, for animals, for the environment and for my God,” said Rudd in his soft southern voice that could charm an entire city council into giving the go-ahead for the Dog Zone Beach in Belmont Shore — and did just that. “I want to give back to my city.”

The Dog Zone, located between Roycroft and Argonne avenues, is the only dog beach in Los Angeles County. It is also the project with the highest profile of any that Rudd spearheaded. Between its experimental stage and its official installation, Rudd and a bevy of bathing canines were featured on network television news and in Rudd’s five e-mailed letters.

“I did a number of dog special events on the beach, with permits from the city,” Rudd said. “I got a lot of support [for the beach]. For 30 years, I was cheerleader, diplomat, everything to push it. I answered questions posed by naysayers and spoke to the media. I got total support from the city council.”

The beach opened in 2003 to a ribbon cutting ceremony, with Rudd’s beloved bulldog Rosie leading a happy pack into the ocean. The beach was open for three hours in the morning and three in the evening . After a year’s trial period, the hours were extended from dawn to dusk.

Rudd’s activities are generally centered in Belmont Shore, which is close to his residence, but they draw participants from everywhere. His annual spelling bee brings participants from San Diego to Ventura County. Animal lovers from far and wide walk their costumed pets in the Haute Dog Howl’oween and Easter parades. He also hosted support groups for people suffering from the AIDS virus.

Kids enjoy sidewalk chalk contests and Fourth of July parades, and the gay community has participated in the Five-Minute Sprint Dating and supper club he organized. The stalwart sand-encrusted hardbodies doing abdominal crunches in the sand are members of Rudd’s Sand Challenge (which takes place indoors when it’s too cold).

“I’m surely forgetting something,” Rudd said after listing the events he organizes.

Oddly, it’s not sleep. Rudd gets seven hours a night, which he says is enough for him. He doesn’t have what people think of as a regular job, but supports himself through fitness training and advertising on his Web site (which has an exhaustive list of Rudd’s events). All of the profits from his events go back into his Community Action Team, an umbrella organization for all his projects.

“The spelling bee’s for March, and there will be a poetry contest in April featuring poems about people’s dogs,” Rudd said.

No cats? No weasels?

“I guess I really should,” Rudd said, adding that poems about other pets will be accepted.

“I never wanted a nine-to-five job,” said Rudd, who previously worked in his parents’ furniture store, Frank Groff’s public relations firm and in various venues — including Disneyland — as a singer and performer. “I want to be my own boss and set my own hours. And I have an arsenal of more events that I want to do.”

Rudd said that he’s not presently including a political career, although people have suggested it.

“My heart isn’t in politics right now,” Rudd said. “I’m content doing what I’m doing without the pressure. I want to devote what time I have to Rosie and my partner Ralph, both of whom mean everything in the world to me.”

Rudd’s individual efforts have been more instrumental in creating community than any organized group.

“You don’t have to wait to get the party started,” Rudd said. “I can create my own.”

Visit Justin Rudd on his Web site at www.justinrudd.com. For information about Keep California Beautiful, visit www.keepcaliforniabeautiful.com

Flossin' and Fightin'

g He Treads the Scene Like the Scarlet Pimpernel
Rudd Takes On Long Beach

L.B.'s civic engine churns out new ideas. Columnist Tom Hennessy takes us through the life and work of Alabama native, Justin Rudd, who in the last year has brought Long Beach Sprint Dating, Haute Dogs on the Beach and a candlelight vigil for the victims of September's terrorist attacks.

Four years after coming to Long Beach, Justin Rudd treads the scene like the Scarlet Pimpernel. He's here, he's there, he's everywhere. But unlike the swashbuckling fictional hero of the French Revolution, Rudd aims to revolutionize city life.

After ambling down the freeway from North Hollywood, the Southern-bred Rudd (Ozark, Ala.) founded and put into high gear several enterprises new to the local scene. Among them are his "Haute Dog'' activities: "Haute Dogs on the Beach," the "Haute Dog Charity Easter Parade'' and "Haute Dog Howl'oween Parade for Charity,'' plus "Operation Santa Paws,'' a sort of Christmas festival for shelter animals.

He launched the "30-Minute Beach Cleanup,'' a third Saturday of the month event geared to people who like to volunteer, but in limited fashion. Participants of all ages gather once a month where Granada Avenue meets the sand.

(Justin) put together the community candlelight vigil, which, organized in only 48 hours, brought an estimated 5,000 people to Long Beach's World Trade Center after the Sept. 11 tragedy.

g Nearly Pollyannaish Do-gooder
Justin Rudd Signs His Name With an Exclamation Point: Justin!

And while that might be seen as anything from an attention-getting scream to a blazing self-image, the actual Justin is a self-effacing, nearly Pollyannaish do-gooder of the highest degree. And he has, in fact, earned his exclamation point.

We live in an era defined by visible people who are either, as they say, in it for the money or the glory. We live in an era defined by visible people who are definitely angry. They are distrustful, interruptive, narrow-minded, mean-spirited bullies. If they don’t prevail, they file lawsuits. If they win one battle, they think they should win them all. They are the scourges of our community and I simply don’t like them. I do like Justin Rudd.

Here’s a polite 32-year-old Alabama boy who arrived in Belmont Shore in 1997 and proceeded to prove by example that volunteers can accomplish nearly everything and anything they want — especially when they’re energized and coordinated by a dedicated and organized cheerleader.

“We were always organizing,” the fit Rudd told me this week of his youth. “I have a twin brother and three sisters. We used to have pool parties for 50 kids. My mom loved it.”

In case you’ve missed it, his three-year accomplishments in Long Beach include the enormously successful and productive 30-Minute monthly beach cleanups, the soon-to-be-regular Haute Dogs on the Beach, the cigarette butt receptacles on Second Street and a series of events and communications to members of the area’s gay and lesbian community.

These are not easy accomplishments. As you can imagine, dealing with city officials, reluctant merchants, besieged gays and a mistrusting public can be daunting, if not downright disconcerting. The fact that each of his endeavors has proven to be both popular and positive has always confirmed his original instincts.

It’s probably for his English Bulldog, Rosie’s, sake that he’s worked so hard to establish Long Beach’s first dedicated dog beach. After two successful outings, Rudd is convinced that the four-hour monthly romp — where dogs can run free of their leashes and the sand will be totally cleaned afterwards — will be a regular addition at the beach near Granada in the Shore. It’s sort of an outgrowth of his regular 30-Minute Beach Cleanup that takes place at 10 a.m. on the third Saturday of every month at the same location.
Every Monday night he organizes the Monday Night Supper Club, a gathering of gay men at Long Beach restaurants. Attendance averages nearly 50 per week.

Every week he leads (several) fitness classes at the Belmont Athletic Club and on the beach.

Every week he compiles and distributes a free weekly e-newsletter to more than 2,000 subscribers. The missive contains information and listings for gay men and women in our community.

He launched a monthly program called “Gay Sprint Dating” and “Lesbian Sprint Dating,” programs that allow men and women to meet others in an alcohol- and drug-free environment at the Gay and Lesbian Center. Money raised from the event goes to Helping Hands and AIDS Walk of Greater Long Beach. The activity has been featured in US News & World Report.

He orchestrates bonfires for gay men at Bolsa Chica Beach. He organized a holiday clothing drive for Santa Maria House AIDS Hospice. He was been a leading fundraiser for the past two years for AIDS Walk Long Beach. He spearheaded the campaign to raise money to fly 10-foot colorful banners on Second Street.

He helped organize the Belmont Shore Haute Dog Charity Easter parade with more than 350 dogs and regularly leads gathering of dogs and their owners on organized walks down Second Street.

He works part time for a local public relations agency and has no plans, at least yet, to run for public office.

“I love the Shore,” he concludes. And I suspect the Shore loves him, too. ---JB

5  BACK TO TOP OF PAGE