Styles, Renewal Stands Focus of Downey Race

The issues may be hazy, but it is clear that voters in Downey’s 2nd District will have a choice of two distinct styles in the candidates running in the June 3 election for a seat on the City Council.

Incumbent Robert Davila, 58, portrays himself as a folksy, down-home candidate. He is eager to show off photographs of his family and discuss why he thinks Little League baseball is an important issue in Downey.

“I think the people appreciate that they have someone there who is representing them and not some special-interest group that has no consideration for the individual voters in the district,” said Davila, whose district is in the southwest section of the city. “I talk to the people, I go door-to-door through my district. That is what won the election for me last time and that is what will win it for me this time.”

Challenger Roy Paul, 36, has the crisp demeanor of an attorney, which he is. He notes that he was a councilman in Bell Gardens for four years and says his legal skills could help a town that has run up thousands of dollars in legal fees because of mistakes in redevelopment.

Davila, a retired juvenile court liaison with the Los Angeles Police Department, points out that he has lived in Downey for 21 years, while Paul has been in the city just two years. “Paul says he is going to bring something new into the community. . . . but I know this community,” Davila said.

‘Davila . . . Is a Victim’

Paul responds: “When I moved to Downey, I started attending City Council meetings, and it was clearly obvious to me that the district I was living in was not being represented. I felt it was not only my obligation, but absolutely necessary to get involved.”

Indeed, Davila’s tenure on the City Council has been stormy. Councilwoman Diane P. Boggs, who supports Paul, puts it this way: “Mr. Davila is not a hero, he is a victim. He cows to the dissidents in the city to the point where it has made him ineffective. . . . I just feel he is inept.”

Although the council somewhat grudgingly went along with the traditional rotation and named Davila to the mostly ceremonial position of mayor last July, it then tried to oust him two weeks later.

The ouster attempt came when Councilman Randy Barb charged that Davila violated the city Charter by asking a city employee to translate a letter written in Spanish after City Manager Don Davis said the staff would not take the time to translate the letter. Davila allegedly asked the employee later to translate the letter and not tell any other officials about it.

“Oh, yeah, that silly thing,” Davila said with a laugh as he recalled the incident. “I don’t think I have ever had any of the council’s support before, but that doesn’t bother me now.”

‘Sincere Person’

Councilman Robert G. Cormack said he also supports Paul. “Roy Paul is definitely far better equipped, and I think he would work to make a more harmonious council,” Cormack said. “But I think Bob Davila is a sincere person who does what he thinks is best for the City of Downey.”

Beyond Paul’s short residency in the city and Davila’s problems with the council, redevelopment might be the single biggest issue in the campaign. Paul is an advocate of redevelopment as a way to energize the city’s economy; Davila says he supports redevelopment, but he has opposed use of the city’s eminent domain powers to gain property for redevelopment.

“Downey is at the crossroads where it has got to continue to rebuild and revitalize or else the community will deteriorate,” Paul said in an interview. “My experience as a lawyer has taught me how to settle and deal with disputes. Growth without grief and with a clear line of communication. That is how you avoid lawsuits.”

Paul was referring to the suit brought against the city last year by Downey Citizens Against Redevelopment Excesses, called Downey CARES. The city spent more than $150,000 in the losing court fight and had to back away, at least temporarily, from a 380-acre redevelopment plan. The core of Downey CARES’ argument was the city’s refusal to promise not to use its powers of eminent domain, which allow a government to acquire property as long as the owner is paid fair market value.

Paul, who specializes in divorce cases, said redevelopment is an economic necessity for Firestone Boulevard, which city officials have described as a blighted commercial strip.

Favors Auto Mall

“City government has got to be responsive to the community and to the businessman’s needs,” Paul said. “I think I understand the businessman’s needs and I think it is important to attract and keep the large sales tax businesses in Downey.”

Paul said he would favor an auto dealership mall along Firestone Boulevard, which the city has been trying to develop for more than two years. The mall was proposed as part of the redevelopment project, but many Downey auto dealers have threatened to move to proposed auto malls in South Gate and Norwalk because of the delay.

The redevelopment issue was another area where the council majority split with Davila. “We have seen the deterioration of the community around us,” Barb said.

“But in the past four years, he (Davila) has opposed every redevelopment proposal that has come forward. He may say he is for it, but basically he opposes redevelopment.”

Davila contends that he favors redevelopment, but opposes the government taking private property.

“I support redevelopment to the degree that we move forward but not to the degree that we shove it down people’s throats,” Davila said. “I voted against redevelopment for one reason only, and that is because of eminent domain.”

No CARES Endorsement

Downey CARES has not made an endorsement in the council race, according to Paul Sarvis, president of the group. But Sarvis commended Davila’s stand on redevelopment, while criticizing Paul.

“It disturbs me that he (Paul) has not taken the time to inform himself on the redevelopment and yet he says redevelopment is one of the crucial issues facing Downey,” Sarvis said.

“We are basically pleased with Davila’s stand on redevelopment. He has always been against the eminent domain powers we oppose and he has also consistently been in favor of well-planned and well-thought-out redevelopment.”

Another issue both candidates say they are concerned with is drug problems in the schools. Both have cited, as an example of the problem, a recent undercover narcotics investigation in Downey high schools that resulted in the arrests of 17 students.

Paul, who said he directed a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program while in the Navy, said that, if elected, he would introduce a drug-abuse prevention program at the elementary and high schools.

“I would like to see a cooperative effort between the city and the school board in the education of stopping drug and alcohol abuse,” Paul said. “I am a firm believer that if you stop drug abuse, you stop burglaries.”

Davila discussed another approach to the problems facing young people in Downey.

Campaign Manager Hired

“I would like to expand Little League and Pony Tail contributions in the city,” he said. “That is an issue I think is important because it is our future generation that we are dealing with, and if we don’t work with our younger people and guide them in the right direction, our future won’t be much of a future.”

The campaign itself has been a point of contention between Davila and Paul, with the challenger criticizing the incumbent for becoming the first Downey councilman to hire a professional campaign manager.

“I say Mr. Davila is unable to garner community help and support. He has got an incumbent’s advantage yet he has to hire someone to come into the district from the outside,” Paul said. “When you run a city council campaign and you have to hire someone to campaign for you, you have done something wrong as an incumbent.”

Davila said he hired political consultant Ralph Pacheco of Norwalk after discovering that Dale Hardeman, a public relations consultant and former aide for Assemblyman Wayne Grisham (R-Norwalk), was involved in Paul’s campaign.

Paul said Hardeman occasionally volunteers campaign advice but that he is not working for him.

“Everyone who is helping me are local residents who care about their community,” he said.

Two city labor unions--the Downey Police Officers Assn. and Teamsters Local 911, which represents city employees, have endorsed Paul.

Disagreement With Police Chief

Davila claims that he lost the endorsement of the police union because of a disagreement with Downey Police Chief Bill Martin over a Police Department policy of destroying personnel records after five years. “If the complaints of police officers from the citizens are destroyed, that is like giving a pardon to someone who has committed an offense,” Davila said. “I don’t think that is right, because whatever the officer’s behavior is on the department, it should remain in his package in case it did happen again, even after five years.”

Sgt. Mike Hadley, president of the 99-member association, said this is the first time the association has endorsed a City Council candidate since it was formed in 1958. He said the group endorsed Paul after its five-member board interviewed both candidates.

“This is not a personal thing,” Hadley said. “People assume that because he (Davila) was a police officer he will be supported by the Police Department, but that is just not true. He has embarrassed the department many times in open council. We are endorsing Paul because we feel he is doing a better job and he is more aware of what is going on.”

Attorney Dan Wilson, who is volunteering as Paul’s campaign manager, said he and a dozen volunteers working out of Paul’s campaign office on Imperial Highway have raised about $3,500 in contributions. According to financial campaign statements filed with the city clerk in March, Paul has received $200 from the Engineering Contractors Assn. and $3,070 in contributions of less than $100 apiece.

According to Davila’s statement, he received a $200 donation from attorney Richard A. Leonard and a $100 donation from retired Municipal Judge Leon Emerson. Emerson is also honorary chairman of Friends of Bob Davila, his campaign committee.

Davila hired Pacheco at an initial $1,500 fee, but Pacheco said he could not estimate what the total costs for the campaign will be. Pacheco said he has not organized any fund-raisers yet, but he plans to hold a fund-raising barbecue this month.

In the only other City Council election, Barb, an executive at Newco Purina in Fontana, is running unopposed in District 4, the northeast part of the city.