Local News in Brief : Political Tension on Board

Relations might be a bit strained at the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for the next few months--now that Supervisor Mike Antonovich has decided to oppose the election bid of fellow Supervisor Deane Dana’s son.

Deane Dana III, the 35-year-old son of the supervisor, is running against incumbent Assemblyman Gerald Felando (R-Torrance) in the June Republican primary. The elder Dana had endorsed Antonovich in his unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate two years ago, and the two are conservative allies on many issues. They also regularly attend each other’s fund-raising dinners.

Word that Antonovich was taking sides hit the Dana camp hard Thursday.

“It’s inappropriate that he would meddle in this district,” said Michael Pohndorff, an aide to Supervisor Dana on leave from the county to run the Assembly campaign. “There is no point in what he is doing except to divide the conservative majority down at the board. It has the potential to cause unhappiness.”

Antonovich, the former chairman of the state Republican Party, is running for reelection himself in June and may need the help of his colleagues on the board. Pohndorff said that Dana’s backing of Antonovich now is unlikely.