Civic leaders in the Valley stand by Alarcon

One day after Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon was accused by a grand jury of defrauding voters, a group of civic leaders from his San Fernando Valley district declared its support for the beleaguered politician and vowed to wage a campaign on his behalf.

Ministers, labor leaders, former city commissioners and other activists mapped out their strategy at a storefront church in Panorama City, where participants were urged to write letters to newspapers, post comments on blogs and show up at City Council meetings as early as Friday to praise Alarcon’s accomplishments. The showing on behalf of the three-term councilman — who, along with his wife, is the target of a 24-count criminal indictment — stood in sharp contrast to the outrage voiced by residents in Bell over revelations of hugely inflated city salaries. Indeed, some constituents brushed aside prosecutors’ assertions that Alarcon and his wife repeatedly lied about living in the district he represents.

“I don’t care where he lives. I’ve seen the things he’s done” for the district, said Saul Mejia, a member of the Panorama City Neighborhood Council, and a participant in the Alarcon strategy session.

Almost from the moment the grand jury indictment was unsealed, Alarcon declared his innocence and asked his City Hall colleagues and constituents to keep an open mind about his pending criminal case. But some community leaders signaled they are prepared to go even further, by working to bolster his reputation and questioning the motives of prosecutors.

Frank Jacobs, a former president of the Sylmar Chamber of Commerce, said he believed the criminal case was part of an effort by Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley, who is now running for state attorney general, to make a name for himself and end Alarcon’s political career.

“They couldn’t beat him when he was running for council, so now they think this will unseat him,” Jacobs said.

The indictment made public Wednesday accused Alarcon and his wife, Flora Montes de Oca Alarcon, of committing perjury and voter fraud when they declared that their residence is a 1950 tract house on Nordhoff Street.

The City Charter requires that candidates for a council office live in the district they seek to represent. The house on Nordhoff was identified by Alarcon as his residence during his last two council campaigns.

Alarcon’s wife owns a second house in a nearby district represented by Councilman Paul Krekorian.

A spokeswoman for Cooley said the case was one of several that he has filed involving politicians who claimed a false residence.

“We don’t pick targets,” said Cooley spokeswoman Jane Robison. “We respond to complaints from citizens in their community.”

Alarcon has already opened a legal defense fund that, so far, has raised $9,000. But alongside that effort is the community campaign involving, among others, longtime Alarcon friend Bobby Arias, who runs the nonprofit Communities in Schools, a youth-services organization.

Arias, whose group receives city contracts for gang-intervention services, said he asked to be interviewed by investigators in the Alarcon case but was ignored. He also said that Alarcon has been living at the Nordhoff Street residence while serving on the council.

“I remember going in the house and seeing a flat-screen television,” said Arias, who sang at Alarcon’s wedding in 2007. The house “was definitely lived in.”

Perhaps the most critical comment about Alarcon came from Monica Rodriguez, who ran unsuccessfully against him three years ago. In that campaign, she sent mailers accusing Alarcon of lying about living in the district.

“I just believe that when you run for office, you agree to this set of rules,” she said.

Still, even some community members who have disagreed with Alarcon on political issues voiced sympathy. Tony Wilkinson, vice president of the Panorama City Neighborhood Council, said many residents were not troubled by the fact that Alarcon “hasn’t been there 24-7” at the Nordhoff Street address.

Wilkinson did not expect the grand jury indictment to change that.

“I don’t think you’ll find people up in arms over it in Panorama City. People have such a good relationship with Mr. Alarcon,” he said.

david.zahniser@latimes.com