Eastside Vote Becomes Test of Alatorre’s Political Clout

On the same rainy night last week that Assemblyman Richard Alatorre (D-Los Angeles) was in a high-rise downtown restaurant dining on scallops and jumbo shrimp with Mayor Tom Bradley and other city officials--and raising $25,000 for his campaign for a seat on the Los Angeles City Council--his rivals were in a drafty Highland Park high school auditorium, debating and complaining that Alatorre had not shown up.

Such has been the pattern of much of the Eastside’s 14th District race. Alatorre, a 13-year legislator, has skipped all but two of the forums for candidates pursuing the council seat vacated by Arthur K. Snyder in October after 18 years. The winner must get 50% plus one vote on Tuesday or face a runoff against the next highest vote-getter from among the six other candidates running.

Because all of the major candidates are Latino, the only sure bet is that the new council member will be Latino--the first seated on the council since 1962. Alatorre said he is taking nothing for granted. Instead of appearing with other candidates, Alatorre has concentrated on lining up endorsements from well-known people, most recently those of three police officers’ associations.

Every day last week, Alatorre’s campaign loaded the mailboxes of Eastside voters with upbeat, “Hi, here’s-why-you-should-vote-for-me” brochures. With Alatorre’s campaign contributions totaling $238,000 at last count, no other candidate has come close to competing with him at the mailbox.

Race Seems Closer

In the two public forums at which Alatorre appeared with the other candidates, both in Boyle Heights, the race has appeared closer than many have said it should be. Alatorre received a less-than-rousing reception from the audiences, packed with supporters of candidates Antonio Rodriguez and Steve Rodriguez (no relation).

One of those forums, sponsored last week by United Neighborhoods Organization, an influential Eastside community group, gave some insight into Alatorre’s advantages and disadvantages in the race.

UNO officials, seeking support in their bid for some of the grant money still available from the 1984 Olympics surplus, had invited five of the seven candidates to the meeting to express their support. the group had “assigned” each candidate to take to the meeting a letter from an influential person endorsing UNO’s Olympics project.

Alatorre was to bring written word from Assembly Speaker Willie Brown; Antonio Rodriguez, state chairman last year of Latinos for Jesse Jackson, was to bring a letter from the former presidential candidate; Steve Rodriguez, who first hit the public eye as an El Sereno resident who played host overnight to former President Jimmy Carter in 1979, was to bring a letter from Carter; Gilbert Avila, a former aide to Gov. George Deukmejian who has been endorsed by the governor, was to bring a letter from the governor; Ross Valencia, a former Snyder aide, was to bring a “similar-high level endorsement,” UNO officials said.

Applause Refused

Valencia brought three letters from union and religious officials, thus fulfilling his “assignment.” Of the others, only Alatorre was able to produce the desired letter. Alatorre told the group that he had also asked the California Roundtable, an influential business group, to meet with UNO to discuss possible contributions.

The exercise, however, was not the smooth demonstration of political clout that Alatorre intended. His ability to corral the high-powered business group meant little to the roomful of Eastside residents. When a UNO member said Alatorre had done all that the group had asked and suggested a round of applause, moans of “no!” rippled throughout the audience.

Alatorre also was greeted by boos at the other community meeting where he appeared, and his aides attributed the reaction to an audience stacked in favor of the other candidates. Steve Rodriguez said the audience reaction in the two public forums was instead “an indication that Richard Alatorre really doesn’t have the community support, only that of the power brokers.”

Steve Rodriguez, a city planner known during a previous campaign for his aggressive attack style, has abandoned combativeness as of this weekend in favor of positive, upbeat themes stressing family values and his roots in the community.

He is considered by the Alatorre camp to be the major competition. As the candidate who got nearly 9,000 votes last year in an unsuccessful recall election against Snyder and the man who came within four votes of forcing Snyder into a runoff in 1983, Rodriguez is the only other recent proven vote-getter besides Alatorre.

Alatorre has established a voter following in much of the council district because his Assembly district overlaps 75% of the council district.

Echoes of 1971

When Alatorre first ran for the Assembly in 1971 and lost, however, the candidate who got the credit for his defeat was La Raza Unida candidate Raul Ruiz, who got just enough of the Latino vote to weaken Alatorre; Republican Bill Brophy won the race. Some observers see a similarity in the current race because rival Antonio Rodriguez, an attorney, draws support from some of the same grass-roots sources as Ruiz did.

The Republican in this race, Avila, has big-name endorsements but has not shown much evidence of the money or manpower. He has the governor’s endorsement and has used a few mailers, including an attack on Alatorre’s liberal voting record and a Deukmejian letter targeted to Republican and conservative voters.

The Eastside district, more than 75% Latino, has about 60,000 registered voters. The northern section of the irregularly shaped district, which includes Eagle Rock and Highland Park, contains the highest concentration of Anglos and is connected to the largely Latino southern part by a strip that narrows to 295 feet. The registration is about 70% Democratic and 30% Republican. Avila has specifically targeted his campaign to the latter group and has done most of his personal campaigning in Eagle Rock.

Valencia, the former Snyder aide, is on a limited budget and has sent just one mailer to voters. Candidates John Silva and Dorothy Andromidas have not waged active campaigns.

The race has generated few exciting moments. One community activist lamented that the campaign has been like a movie that had great reviews but, once released, cannot seem to find its audience.

‘In the Same Camp’

The campaign “just hasn’t had the intensity of what we’ve been used to in the past,” said Mike Clements of UNO.

One high-level campaign aide, who asked not to be identified, agreed. “Philosophically, most of these guys are in the same camp. Too many of them have known each other and fought on the same sides for too many years,” he said. “There were incredible feelings of animosity toward Snyder that aren’t here to the same degree.”

“The difference to me,” said Clements, “is that Sndyer provoked extreme reactions. People either either loved him or hated him.”

Snyder, who retired from the council to practice law full time, was the most controversial council member in recent memory. From accidents in city-owned cars to a drunk driving trial that ended in a hung jury to conflict of interest violations and an allegation from his 9-year-old daughter that he molested her several years ago (no criminal charges were ever filed), Snyder seemed more often than not to be at the center of some storm.

Despite the years of bad publicity, however, he had fiercely loyal supporters, both Anglo and Latino, who swore by his service to the constituents and the district. He beat two attempts to recall him from office, including a particularly bitter one last year.

35% to 45% Turnout Expected

With the race lacking the fire of a highly charged political duel or issues, City Clerk Elias Martinez is predicting voter turnout of 35% to 45%, saying the figures could be revised downward later.

If voters are not inclined to turn out in force at the polls, absentee ballots will become more important. In the 1984 Snyder recall election, Snyder strategists appealed strongly for absentee votes by targeting older, conservative residents who are accustomed to voting by mail. The strategy also secured an early edge for Snyder, because the mail-in votes were cast before the full extent of anti-Snyder mail was sent to voters’ homes. In the end, the nearly 12,000 absentee votes cast in that election accounted for nearly 40% of the total and added significantly to Snyder’s margin of victory.

Alatorre has hired the same firm that Snyder used to make his pitch to absentees. Only 3,300 absentee ballots had been cast and counted by Friday, however.

With all the talk of Alatorre being a favorite, those favoring underdog candidates point to the 1975 special election won by Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky. In that race, Frances Savitch, now a top aide to Bradley, was heavily favored to win and had all the major endorsements and campaign contributions, but she was forced into a runoff and lost.