Bradley May Be Vulnerable on Growth Issue in ‘89, Berman Says

The stunning defeat last week of Mayor Tom Bradley’s key ally, City Council President Pat Russell, illuminated the mayor’s vulnerability on the potent issue of development, says Rep. Howard L. Berman, a politically influential Democrat and longtime Bradley supporter.

“I think he is definitely vulnerable unless, by his words and his actions, he indicates a change in direction and a change of policy and . . . a reinvigoration,” said Berman, who supplied financial and staff aid to Russell’s victorious 6th District challenger, Ruth Galanter.

Mayor Seeking a Fifth Term

“People want to put the brakes on and have more planning, more analysis of the consequences of specific projects,” Berman said, calling this a rejection of Bradley’s pro-growth policies.

Berman’s criticism of Bradley, which he delivered in an interview last Friday, is indicative of the challenge the mayor may face if he pursues his announced intention of seeking an unprecedented fifth term in 1989.

Berman and his like-minded liberal Westside political colleagues, known collectively as the Berman-Waxman political organization, are expected to back Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky if Yaroslavsky follows through on his preliminary steps to oppose Bradley.

The other namesake of the organization--who can bring credibility, money, and state-of-the-art political techniques to a campaign--is Rep. Henry Waxman, a Los Angeles Democrat. The Westside operation has also been criticized by opponents for the behind-the-scenes power it wields and its hard-ball campaign tactics.

Berman, whose 26th Congressional District is divided between the East San Fernando Valley and the Westside, said he was not prepared to make a mayoral endorsement this early but he spoke of the shared philosophy and close ties he and his cohorts have forged with Yaroslavsky. He also said Yaroslavsky has “a potentially significant ethnic base”--the city’s politically active Jewish community--which is the foundation of the Berman-Waxman powerhouse.

“I think Zev has his finger on the pulse of the electorate better” than Bradley, Berman said. He said this was apparent in “the development issue and just that sense of freshness and doing things that are exciting and making the city government exciting and bold.”

Russell had led the pro-Bradley coalition on the council that reflected the mayor’s support of controlled growth throughout the city. In a district that mirrors the city’s demographics, Galanter made Russell’s pro-growth record, and the congestion that Galanter charged development has spawned, the central issue. Galanter won a surprisingly lopsided June 2 victory.

Though Yaroslavsky supported Russell, he is a leading proponent of limited growth and was a co-sponsor with Councilman Marvin Braude of the restrictive Proposition U adopted by voters last year.

Yet, despite the apparent backlash against growing congestion, Berman emphasized that Bradley remains a formidable incumbent who commands support among minority voters and good will citywide.

“It was a setback,” Berman said of Russell’s defeat. “It doesn’t mean he’s dead in the water. It is true that his name wasn’t on the ballot. . . .

“I still think a lot of people like Tom Bradley as a person,” Berman continued. “If you had to pick right now, Tom Bradley would still have to be the favorite.”

Relationship Cooled

Berman noted he has supported Bradley in every race the mayor has run, including both of his unsuccessful gubernatorial bids, since Bradley was first elected to the City Council in 1963. But Berman and Waxman’s relationship with Bradley has cooled in recent years.

Berman, Waxman and their supporters had openly sought an alternative to Bradley as the Democratic nominee for governor last year. They eventually supported Bradley when that effort failed.

“Fundamentally, I thought he would not be a strong Democratic candidate for governor in ‘86,” Berman said. Bradley won only 41% of the vote against Republican Gov. George Deukmejian last November.

Anger Over Drilling

In 1985, Berman and Waxman publicly hesitated before endorsing Bradley for mayor to signal their anger over Bradley’s approval of Pacific Palisades oil drilling.

The Westside organization’s relationship with Yaroslavsky has moved in the opposition direction.

When Yaroslavsky first ran for the council in 1975, Berman and Waxman endorsed his opponent, Bradley aide Fran Savitch. Yaroslavsky, then a 26-year-old community activist, won a major upset and has since established links to Berman and Waxman that could prove critical in a 1989 mayoral bid.