Election Rivals Zero In on Alatorre

In the first debate to include all the major candidates running for the Los Angeles City Council’s Eastside seat, Assemblyman Richard Alatorre (D-Los Angeles) found himself under attack from four candidates, whose common goal is to chip away at Alatorre’s better-known and better-financed campaign.

Several statements by the veteran assemblyman, who is considered by many to be the front-runner in a crowded council field, were greeted by boos and hisses at the Monday night debate sponsored by the Mexican American Political Assn. There were few Alatorre supporters in evidence.

The other four candidates--Gilbert Avila, Antonio Rodriguez, Steve Rodriguez and Ross Valencia--had brought with them cheering sections, something that all of the candidates were allowed to do.

Alatorre aide Tom Sullivan said the assemblyman “didn’t want to shut down our campaign operations to corral enough people to get there.”

“This election is going to be won in the streets, not in debates,” he said.

However, the debate also showed that it is Alatorre against the field, with the assemblyman’s opponents joining in a him-against-us strategy designed to weaken his hopes of winning outright in the Dec. 10 special election being held to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Arthur K. Snyder from the council. In order to avoid a runoff, one candidate must receive 50% of the votes, plus one.

In between the questions and answers about the issues, Alatorre’s four opponents repeatedly referred to “special interests” and “machine politics” associated with Alatorre, who has received heavy campaign contributions from corporations and has been endorsed by several prominent Democrats.

Alatorre countered that those contributions “have never . . . controlled” him and that the endorsements, including one from Mayor Tom Bradley Tuesday, have come because “they know I’m the best qualified for the job.”

The debate drew some clear distinctions among the candidates. Avila, the only Republican seeking the seat, stressed law and order and lower taxes, saying he would “redeploy resources” of the Northeast police division and relocate a substation to serve more of Highland Park and Glassell Park.

Antonio Rodriguez, an attorney, said he first would attack the problems of unemployment and education by pushing for a special city program to bring professionals in to tutor students, along with requiring downtown corporations to hire some of the Eastside’s unemployed.

Steve Rodriguez, a city planner on temporary leave from his job, touted a similar corporate plan. He also spoke of “family values” that parents should impress on their children.

Valencia, once an aide to former Councilman Snyder, said he would favor an “enterprise zone” to bring more business into the area. Valencia, although not as well known as most of the candidates, drew some of the biggest applause from the crowd when he said that after several years of working in City Hall, “I’m tired of seeing ‘for sale’ signs on elected officials’ doors.”

Alatorre promised an “open door” to constituents and to work for affordable housing.

The Mexican American Political Assn. debate also highlighted a feud between Alatorre and the organization’s metro region director, Virginia Reade. Alatorre last month spent approximately $1,700 from his own state political funds to buy the memberships for a Mexican American Political Assn. chapter in his Assembly district.

According to Reade, Alatorre ultimately hopes to control the chapter and force a new election that would oust her, making it easy for Alatorre loyalists to convince the statewide organization with 700 members in the local area to endorse him.

“Richard Alatorre is throwing his imagined weight around, and he has turned a lot of people off,” said Reade, who supports Antonio Rodriguez for the council. “He’s got a vendetta, because I led the charge to keep him from getting appointed to that seat, so that he had to run for election like everybody else.”

Alatorre said Reade “is trying to make life difficult for me during the campaign.” He said he is “comfortable” with a previous Mexican American Political Assn. position that the organization make no endorsement in the race.

Alatorre had better luck Tuesday at a Montecito Heights senior citizens center, where he was endorsed by Bradley, who said Alatorre would provide “skillful leadership” as a councilman.