A little ambition and a lot of coffee is all that Shaun Lumachi needed to carve out a niche for himself.

At an impressively young age, Lumachi became vice president of government affairs for the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce more than a year and a half ago.

Championing the cause of local businesses, he serves as an advocate before local, state and national government, regularly heading up to Sacramento to fight for business rights.

He can often be found in Belmont Shore with a cup of Starbucks coffee in his hand, working on the chamber's business advocacy Web site as early as before 6 a.m.

Lumachi served as the statewide student body president for all the state's 23 Cal State University campuses in 2000-2001. He also worked for the California Energy Commission during the state's energy crisis from 2001 to 2002.

Lumachi discussed his current role with the chamber and his views with reporter Don Jergler.

Q: You lobby government on behalf of businesses. What's the biggest hurdle you face in doing that?

A: Our purpose is to provide leadership for the community and advocacy on business issues. Frequently we run into barriers which can best be handled through relationship- building based on trust. The more hurdles we jump over the more effective we become in developing meaningful relationships, which can help for a better Long Beach.

Q: The area's politicians have a decidedly liberal stance. Does this hurt or help local businesses?

A: It definitely hurts local businesses. Our area has elected liberal state legislators who vote anti-business. I believe Long Beach knows that progress will not come from the left or the right but it will come from the middle. In the recall, 42 percent of Long Beach voters supported Schwarzenegger and 29 percent supported Bustamante. Our community sent a clear message.

Q: Local legislators don't have a voting record that exactly agrees with the views of the California Chamber of Commerce. What are you doing to work with these people on your issues, and how have your efforts been received?

A: Many times our local legislators do not exactly support our positions either. But we communicate. We write letters and prod our business community via our Web site, www.longbeachadvocacy.biz Last year our political action committee took the lead recruiting a candidate for the 2004 54th Assembly race. It's not personal towards our legislators. They almost always vote with their partisan leadership in Sacramento and not with the needs and interests of their business community.

Q: Do you feel Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposition proposals will help or hurt the state's businesses?

A: They will help. Governor Schwarzenegger has done a year's worth of work in two months and he is offering solutions without digging into my wallet. Proposition 57 will deal with the budget deficit. Proposition 58 will make it harder to get into this mess again. These solutions will build a healthy state which will attract businesses to California.

Q: How will local businesses be impacted by George Bush's illegal immigration proposal if it passes?

A: That is hard to say until it goes through the Congress and we see it in its final version and how it is implemented. The president's goal is to ensure that employers continue to have a reliable work force and workers in Long Beach can continue to have jobs and provide for their family.

Q: Would you give the City of Long Beach passing marks as business -friendly governmental body?

A: Mayor O'Neill means business. She understands the importance of a strong job market. The City Council is generally supportive some more than others and it sometimes depends on their issue. We are aware of the nightmares some businesses have had dealing with the city bureaucracy. So things are not perfect at City Hall. The council is united behind Jerry Miller and I believe he will leverage that to set a positive tone so the business community will find it easier to work with the city.