7 to Challenge for Seats of 3 on Corona Council : Lot-Size Initiative Expected to Be Pivotal in Campaign; Norco Election Still Open for Filings

Seven challengers, including some well-known local political figures, will battle three incumbents for their seats on the Corona City Council this fall in campaigns expected to focus on the city’s rapid growth and plans to revitalize its aging commercial strip.

In neighboring Norco, candidates for three City Council seats have five more days to submit their names for the November ballot because Councilwoman Naomi Feagan has decided not to seek reelection. By Friday afternoon, 11 residents already had filed to run there.

Initiative Placed on Ballot

In Corona, the so-called Franklin Initiative--after Councilman William Franklin--was put on the November ballot by a unanimous City Council vote this week.

Four of the five councilmen oppose the initiative, which would require single-family homes to sit on lots of at least 7,200 square feet. It also would require the city to give residents two weeks’ notice before the council votes that a project near their homes would have no significant environmental impact.

Candidates for the three Corona council seats include Dr. Ralph D. Dean, a family physician; James J. Deegan, sales manager for a Corona radio station; incumbent Richard (Dick) Deininger Jr., owner of a hardware store; incumbent S. R. (Al) Lopez, consultant and magazine publisher; and Clyde D. (Wayne) McIntosh, a semi-retired used-car dealer.

Also running are Earl C. McNamara, an electrical-systems consultant and city planning commissioner; incumbent Bill Miller, an entrepreneur, developer and cable TV operator; George C. Nierlich, a retired telephone company employee; Ray L. Radtke, a retired production and maintenance supervisor; and Tariq M. Shamma, a structural engineer and planning consultant.

Each candidate submitted a petition with at least 20 signatures from registered voters to qualify for the ballot. Six of the Corona candidates’ petitions have been certified, and the others will be verified next week, said June Green of the city clerk’s office.