Picus ‘Hiding From Public,’ Foes Assert

The five challengers of West Valley Councilwoman Joy Picus gathered Monday to accuse the heavily favored incumbent of “hiding from the public” by agreeing to only one face-to-face appearance with them before the Los Angeles city election on April 9.

They also contended that the one planned joint meeting, a March 28 candidates’ forum, is biased in Picus’ favor because it is sponsored by the League of Women Voters and American Assn. of University Women. Picus was a director of the Los Angeles chapter of the league and the Valley chapter of the association.

Plan to Show Up

Despite their criticisms, however, all five challengers said they probably will show up at the 7:30 p.m. forum at Emerson Unitarian Church, 7304 Jordan Ave, Canoga Park.

“Joy Picus is hiding from the public by refusing to appear at the many open forums throughout the district,” said Matt Lynch, who was joined at a Los Angeles Press Club news conference by fellow Picus opponents Gil Eisner, Gary Klein, Jon Lorenzen and Jeanne Nemo.

Picus said later she believes it is better to appear at one well-attended candidates’ forum, as she believes the March 28 meeting will be, instead of several small ones. The forum will be televised on Valley Cable.

Picus said she was unable to attend two other candidates’ forums because of prior commitments. She also disputed her opponents’ contention that she is hiding from the public, noting she has been averaging six campaign appearances a day in her district.

Criticism Rebuffed

Picus also took issue with her opponents’ questioning the fairness of the upcoming forum. “If league-sponsored debates are good enough for presidents, they should be good enough for my opponents,” she said.

Thea Brodkin, a league officer who set up the candidates’ forum, added that the challengers are “just looking for an issue.” She pointed out that the bylaws of the league and the American Assn. of University Women prohibit the groups from supporting candidates.

Nonetheless, Brodkin said she has agreed to the request by the challengers to drop Murray Fink, president of the United Chamber of Commerce, as a moderator for the forum. Fink has endorsed Picus. She said that a member of the league probably would be selected to replace Fink.