Polanco Narrowly Beats Hernandez but Faces Runoff

Former legislative aide Richard Polanco edged his closest rival Tuesday in the Eastside’s Assembly election to fill the unexpired term of Richard Alatorre, but was forced into a runoff in June against a Republican candidate.

Alatorre left the assembly last December for a seat on the Los Angeles City Council.

With the unofficial total of the vote counted, Polanco, a former Alatorre aide, had 39% of the vote compared to 37% for Mike Hernandez, a local bond and insurance agent.

Under the state Election Code, only the top vote-getter from each party can proceed to the special election runoff. Thus Polanco will run on June 3 against the lone Republican in Tuesday’s race, dentist Loren Lutz. Lutz received 10% of the vote, with 23% of the registered voters turning out.

The winner of the June runoff would serve until the end of Alatorre’s regular term, Dec. 1. Candidates for the regular two-year Assembly term will run on a separate ballot in June and again in November. With this set-up, one candidate could win the seat temporarily and another could win it for the regular two-year term. But the winning Democrat in Tuesday’s race would establish a heavy advantage in the 68% Democratic district.

Polanco, who joined enthusiastic supporters in a Lincoln Heights restaurant, called the narrow win “a sweet victory. Honestly I can state that I feel what Clint Eastwood feels. You people have made my day.”

But Hernandez, speaking before a clapping crowd at his Highland Park headquarters, said he plans to run in the regular June primary and claimed a victory of sorts too.

“Tomorrow morning we start all over again,” Hernandez said to a crowd chanting “June, June, June.” “We’re going to win.”

Polanco and Hernandez were the leading candidates among nine seeking to represent the district that includes Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights, Highland Park, Mt. Washington, El Sereno, and portions of Pasadena and Eagle Rock.

The campaign for the Assembly seat concentrated on Polanco, 35, and Hernandez, 33. Both are Democrats and with few issues to divide them, the competition turned into a personal battle fought at the voters’ mailboxes.

Elsewhere in Los Angeles County, incumbents were turned out in several races as voters went to the polls to decide city council seats and a variety of ballot measures in 59 communities.

For the first time in its history, San Fernando--whose population is 70% Latino--elected a Latino majority to its City Council. Daniel Acuna, 45, a postal carrier, and Ray D. Silva, 45, a city planning commissioner, defeated two incumbents.

In Norwalk, where the race for three City Council seats became the bitterest and most expensive in the city’s 29-year history, incumbent Councilman Louis Banas Jr. narrowly lost to Grace Musquiz Napolitano, a former member of the city’s International Friendship Commission who was fired from that post by the current council.

A City Council incumbent in Beverly Hills, Annabelle Heiferman, lost, finishing fourth in a race for two seats on the council. Robert K. Tanenbaum who criticized the current council for spending too much on City Hall expansion, was a winner, along with Maxwell H. Salter running second.

In Monterey Park, three City Council incumbents--Mayor Rudy Peralta and council members Lily Chen and David Almada--lost. The winners--Chris Houseman, Pat Reichenberger and Barry Hatch--all campaigned against overdevelopment, crowding and congestion.

In a Hermosa Beach race for three council seats, Mayor Jack Wood and Councilman George Barks finished behind Etta Simpson, a community activist, businessman Jim Rosenberger, and June Williams. Wood is under investigation for allegedly falsely enrolling his fiance on the city’s health insurance program

By a 4-1 margin on an advisory measure, Hermosa Beach voters opposed allowing the federal government to lease federally owned tracts in Santa Monica Bay for oil and gas exploration.

On another advisory measure in Azusa, voters opposed construction of a waste-to-energy plant by an 8-1 margin.

In the Eastside Assembly race, an extensive mailer campaign launched by Polanco ranged from criticism of Hernandez’s lack of experience in government jobs to a blistering attack on Hernandez’s job as a bail bondsman, saying Hernandez “made money by letting criminals out on the street.”

Hernandez fought back with mailers that labeled Polanco a “carpetbagger” who had moved into the district and owned a home in Duarte, outside of the district. Hernandez attacked Polanco as a tool of Alatorre and special interests.

Polanco’s controversial mailer program, which Hernandez called “dirty campaigning . . . attacking me for what I did as a professional,” was at one point criticized by Mayor Tom Bradley, who had endorsed Polanco.

Cites Endorsement

Polanco’s mail campaign was the brainchild of campaign manager Richard Ross, who also is chief of staff to Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco).

From the beginning of Polanco’s campaign, Brown was a factor. When Los Angeles school board member Larry Gonzalez was seriously considering running to replace Alatorre, Alatorre reportedly told him that Brown, an Alatorre friend and one of the state’s major Democratic fund raisers, would support Polanco. Gonzalez later took himself out of consideration, citing family and school board considerations. Brown’s chief aide later joined the Polanco campaign “on his own time,” Ross said.

Polanco, although not well known with district voters, managed to raise $233,000, with “at least 50%” going to finance his mail campaign, he said. He also received the lion’s share of endorsements in the race, including those of Alatorre, state Sen. Art Torres (D-Los Angeles), Bradley and police unions.

Hernandez, also not well known among voters, entered the race as an underdog and remained one until the end because of Polanco’s superior political connections and fund-raising ability.

Once Gonzalez decided not to run, Polanco was hailed for a while as the “consensus” candidate, one that Alatorre, Torres and the rest of the Latino political leadership could support. Latino politicians who had watched or had been a part of past infighting were anxious to avoid another split in community loyalties at the polls.

But Hernandez, who as a businessman had contributed money for years to various Latino politicians, decided to run anyway. He garnered the support of Assemblywoman Gloria Molina (D-Los Angeles), who had run against Polanco in another Assembly race four years ago. And when he was endorsed by Rep. Edward R. Roybal, (D-Los Angeles), the senior legislator among Latinos, Hernandez began to gain more attention. He raised $114,000, mostly from his family’s bail bond and insurance business and from immigration lawyers.

The other Democratic candidates were Lowell (Ernie) Akui, Gonzalo Molina, Thomas Williams and Clarence Clayton Moore. The lone Republican running was Lutz. Michael Zinzun ran for the Peace and Freedom Party, and Sarah E. Foster for the Libertarian Party.

Also contributing to Los Angeles election coverage were Edward J. Boyer, Young Choi, Rich Connell, Alma Cook, Norman Duarte, Warwick Elston, Cherry Gee, Victor Merina, Richard Simon and Jill Stewart. ASSEMBLY DIST. 55

(Unexpired term ends December, 1986)

100%PrecinctsReporting Votes % Richard Polanco, (D) 8,150 39 Mike Hernandez, (D) 7,821 37 Loren L. Lutz, (R) 2,069 10 Thomas Williams, (D) 1,008 5 Gonzalo Molina, (D) 682 3 Michael Zinzun, (P&F;) 441 2 Clarence Moore (D) 384 2 Lowell Akui, (D) 199 1 Sarah E. Foster, (L) 209 1