Elections Could Bring a Series of Firsts

Freeway construction, condoms, power plants and a couple of guys named Hector are among the choices that will be on ballots Tuesday when voters throughout Los Angeles County go to the polls.

From Artesia to West Hollywood, voters in 49 cities and school districts will decide dozens of hotly contested council races, board elections and ballot measures. Plus the primary for a state Senate race hangs in the balance.

In several cities, voters will get the chance to make election history. In San Fernando, two sisters hope to become the first siblings elected to the City Council. In Huntington Park, a husband and wife are vying to become that city’s first married couple to serve as councilman and treasurer. And in San Marino, voters will get a chance to elect the first Asian to the City Council.

In the San Gabriel Valley’s 24th state Senate district, candidates are trying to fill the seat vacated by Rep. Hilda Solis when she left for Congress earlier this year. Assemblywoman Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles) is challenging former Assemblyman Martin Gallegos (D-Baldwin Park). They are on the ballot with Republican Vincent F. House and Libertarian Carl M. Swinney. The heavily Democratic district’s general election is May 1.

In South Gate, a blue-collar town in southeast Los Angeles County, voters will select two council members from a field of nine candidates, which includes two men named Hector De La Torre.

One of the De La Torres is a council member who has accused his political enemies of enlisting the other--a political unknown--to run for office to confuse voters and derail the councilman’s reelection bid--a charge the other De La Torre rejects.

Another candidate, Richard Mayer, was recently arrested on seven felony perjury charges stemming from allegations that he lied about living in the city to qualify for a previous election, which he lost.

Also on the South Gate ballot is an advisory measure to gauge public sentiment on a 550-megawatt power plant proposed for a 13.5-acre site on the city’s western border.

The measure is nonbinding but the power plant developer, Sunlaw Energy Inc. of Vernon, has promised to relocate the $256-million project if voters oppose it.

Opponents, including a majority of the South Gate City Council, say the pollution from the plant would endanger residents’ health.

Another expensive and controversial project appears on the ballot in Pasadena, where voters for the first time will have a voice on the proposed $1.4-billion Long Beach Freeway extension, which would slice through the city’s west side, as well as South Pasadena and El Sereno.

In addition to voting on three council seats, voters in Pasadena can choose between Measure A, which favors the 6.2-mile extension, and Measure C, under which the city would remain neutral but would develop a traffic plan and improve surface streets.

Supporters say the extension would take 100,000 cars off the region’s busy surface streets, cut traffic accidents and reduce pollution in Southern California.

Emotions are also strong over a measure on the ballot in West Hollywood.

If Measure A--sponsored by the Hollywood-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation--passes, as many as 152 bars, clubs, restaurants and hotels would have to display bowls of condoms and stacks of safe-sex materials near their front doors.

Business owners say the idea of what they call thrusting condoms in customers’ faces is outrageous. But initiative supporters say the AIDS epidemic makes Measure A necessary.

In Manhattan Beach, voters will decide whether to support the Coastal Conservation Act, which calls for stiffer requirements for beach-side commercial events. Supporters say an excessive number of events, such as volleyball tournaments, harms the coastal environment and diminishes the quality of life for beach-side residents.

The measure would require the City Council to review every proposed event, no matter the size, in the coastal zone--an area that includes the city’s downtown. The proposal would also limit commercial advertising on the beach.

Political Turmoil

A few miles inland, in blue-collar Gardena, Mayor Donald Dear is retiring after nearly two decades, and four candidates have emerged to take his place. All four--Terry Terauchi, Jim Cragin, Suleiman Edmonson and Kelly Fujio--are campaigning on ways to boost the town’s economic viability.

In nearby working-class Carson, which some have dubbed “Peyton Place” for its political turmoil, the mayor’s seat and two council posts are up for grabs.

Mayor Pete Fajardo, embroiled in legal troubles for violating his probation on misdemeanor convictions related to attorneys’ fees, said he would not seek reelection, but his name remains on the ballot. He is serving 45 days in federal custody.

His announcement opened the door for five candidates: Daryl W. Sweeney, Elito M. Santarina, Helen Kawagoe, James H. Peoples and Michael Mitoma.

In the South Bay community of Redondo Beach, voters will decide whether to relax term limits that were adopted 25 years ago. The measure would allow council and school board members who have already been in office for two full four-year terms to run for two additional terms after sitting out one four-year term.

Supporters of the measure say the term limits waste valuable talent and experience. Opponents of the change argue that term limits have broadened the choice of candidates and reduced the influence of special interests during elections.

In Bell Gardens in southeast Los Angeles County, a woman who left her elected post three months ago is the top campaign issue among 15 candidates vying for three council seats.

Maria Chacon, a council member since 1994, resigned in December when her colleagues named her city manager, even though she had no college degree or experience running a government agency.

Among the contenders are two slates of candidates who have publicly criticized Chacon.

On one slate are Javier Sanchez, Cynthia Sanchez (not related) and Joaquin Penilla, a former council member whom Chacon helped recall in 1998. On another are Councilmen Rogelio Rodriguez and Pedro Aceituno, both of whom voted to hire Chacon as city manager but now say they no longer support her. Chacon said her critics are simply upset that she did not endorse them, and she insists that she is not backing any candidate.

As in Bell Gardens, one name dominates the political landscape in the tiny community of Hawaiian Gardens: Irving Moskowitz, owner of the Hawaiian Gardens Casino and thought to be the most influential person in that impoverished community. Last year, a state legislative audit committee accused the city of illegally using $4 million to help build the casino.

A slate of candidates, including incumbent council members Lupe A. Cabrera and Placido Alvarez and challenger Ralph J. Cesena, is campaigning as being “free of political and financial support” from Moskowitz.

Moskowitz is supporting the slate of incumbent Betty J. Schultze and challengers John Heckerman and Michiko A. Oyama-Canada, who have defended Moskowitz and the casino.

Election history may be made in several municipal elections.

In the city of San Fernando, a predominantly Latino community in the northeast San Fernando Valley, newcomer Maribel De La Torre is among four candidates running for two council seats. If elected, she would join her sister, Councilwoman Cindy Montanez, on the council dais.

In Huntington Park, a working-class city in southeast Los Angeles County, voters can put a married couple into City Hall. Recreation Commissioner Manny Avila is among four candidates vying for two City Council posts. His wife, City Treasurer Rebecca Avila, is running for reelection.

Many Candidates for Each Seat

In San Marino, an affluent city in the San Gabriel Valley, the main issues are easing traffic and preserving the city’s charming character.

Voters in that city could, for the first time, elect an Asian to the council. The seven candidates running for three council seats are Mayor Betty Brown, Jeffrey E. Groseth, Eugene C. Sun, Tin Kin Lee, Matthew Lin, Se-Yao Hsu and Robert G. Twist.

In Calabasas, an upscale suburb in the San Fernando Valley, the seven candidates for three city council seats say the key campaign issue is the 3,000-acre Ahmanson Ranch development and its potential effect on the city.

Challengers Karmen Brower and Marcus Allen Frishman said they will work with the developers to reduce the effects. Incumbent Lesley Devine and challengers Michael Harrison and Leslie Abraham-Wolf said they oppose the project. Challengers James Bozajian and Matthew Hooper said they want to preserve the development property.

In West Covina, the 11 candidates running for three council seats include retired race car driver St. James Davis, who has gained notoriety in recent years for his battle with the city to keep Moe, a pet chimpanzee. The chimp, who was deemed dangerous after he bit off the tip of a woman’s finger, is being held at an animal refuge. Davis has launched a petition drive to persuade the city to let the chimp return.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Tuesday Elections

Voters in 49 cities and school districts in Los Angeles County will go to the polls Tuesday. In addition, a primary election will be held for a vacant state Senate seat in the San Gabriel Valley.

State Senate

Special Primary Election, 24th District

*

Artesia

City Council

*

Azusa

City Council

City Clerk

City Treasurer

Measures:

A--Business license changes

B--License tax on rental properties

*

Baldwin Park

Mayor

City Council

City Treasurer

Baldwin Park Unified

School Board

*

Bell Gardens

City Council

*

Bellflower

City Council

*

Beverly Hills

City Council

*

Calabasas

City Council

*

Carson

Mayor

City Council

*

Cerritos

City Council

*

Claremont

City Council

Measure A: Taxpayer Protection Act ordinance adoption

*

Commerce

City Council

Measure A: Business license tax increase

*

Covina

City Council

*

El Monte

Mayor

City Council

City Clerk

City Treasurer

*

Gardena

Mayor

City Council

City Clerk

City Treasurer

Measure A: Business license fee increase

*

Glendora

City Council

*

Hawaiian Gardens City Council

Measures:

A--Hotel/motel tax ordinance

B--City clerk hiring by city administrator

*

Huntington Park City Council

City Treasurer

*

Irwindale

City Council

*

La Canada Flintridge

City Council

*

La Habra Heights

City Council

Measures:

A--Fire and life safety services B--Planning commissioners appointed by City Council

*

La Mirada

City Council

*

La Puente

City Council

*

La Verne

City Council

*

Lakewood

City Council

*

Manhattan Beach City Council

Measure A: Local coastal program changes

*

Maywood

City Council Primary

*

Monrovia

Mayor

City Council

*

Monterey Park

City Council

City Clerk

City Treasurer

*

Norwalk

City Council

*

Palos Verdes Estates

City Council

Measure A: Fire/ paramedics tax

*

Paramount

City Council

*

Pasadena

City Council Primary for Districts 5 and 7

Measures:

A--Should the city of Pasadena support the construction of the 710 Freeway extension? B--Should the charter be amended to bar officials from accepting income and campaign contributions from those with city contracts?

C--Should the city take a neutral stance on 710 Freeway extension until a local traffic plan is implemented?

Pasadena Unified School Board Primary

Seats 1, 3, 5, 6, 7

*

Pico Rivera

City Council

*

Redondo Beach

City Council Districts 2 and 4

Measures:

A--Amending term limits for city officials

B--Amending term limits for school officials

C--Design-build concept for public works projects.

D--Transferring administration of financial affairs

Redondo Beach Unified School Board

*

San Dimas

City Council

*

San Fernando

City Council

*

San Gabriel

City Council

*

San Marino

City Council

*

Santa Fe Springs

City Council

*

Signal Hill

City Council

*

South El Monte

Mayor

City Council

*

South Gate

City Council

City Clerk

City Treasurer

Measure A: (Advisory) Should city permit construction of power plant in South Gate?

*

South Pasadena

City Council

*

Temple City

City Council

Measure A: Rescind City Council term limits

*

West Covina

City Council

City Treasurer

*

West Hollywood

City Council

Measure A: Requires businesses serving alcohol to offer free condoms and safe-sex literature

*

Note: Uncontested local offices are not included.

*

Sources: Los Angeles County registrar, city clerks

*

Times staff writers and correspondents Oscar Johnson, Thuy-Doan Le, Roberto Manzano, Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson, Antonio Olivo, Bob Pool, Laura Wides and Richard Winton contributed to this story.