Antonovich Challengers Near End of Rocky Road

The political unknowns who met at the county’s registrar-recorder’s office three months ago were jubilant as they posed for pictures after filing for office.

The fledgling candidates thought they had discovered a sure-fire way to defeat Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who had seemed invincible. Their strategy was a lot like unleashing ants at a picnic. There would be too many opponents for Antonovich to squash them all.

With little more than a week left before the June 7 nonpartisan primary, the picnic’s almost over. Most political insiders give the nine challengers--two Republicans and seven Democrats--only an outside chance of forcing Antonovich into a November runoff.

“If I had to bet, I’d bet Antonovich wins. But I would only bet 50 cents on it,” said one political observer. “Stranger things have happened.”

Antonovich, who presided over a ground breaking at a new sheriff’s station in Calabasas on Friday, was even more confident: “We have strong support communitywide. It crosses party lines and ethnic communities.”

Opponents Face Problems

Lack of money, name identification and credibility are among the problems besetting the pack of political opponents.

Only Baxter Ward, the former supervisor and longtime television broadcaster, can assume that many voters will recognize his name on the ballot. Another challenger, Don Wallace, a Los Angeles city fire captain, may be unfamiliar to voters, but he has managed to win most of the endorsements up for grabs among the challengers.

For many of the neophytes, the political road has been rocky.

One had risked antagonizing his wife by putting off landscaping his new home so he could lend money to his campaign. Another borrowed money from friends and relatives. Contributions to the underdogs arrive in dribs and drabs, while potential donors with big bucks wait to see whether anyone manages to push Antonovich into a runoff. Meanwhile, Antonovich probably spent more money on one television commercial aired during a Los Angeles Lakers playoff game than most of his challengers have raised.

Instead, the candidates have spread their message at a blur of local Rotary, chambers of commerce and homeowners’ meetings. Antonovich has not appeared at these events, and often many others haven’t, either. A few times, the candidates have almost outnumbered the audience. But as interest in the race has grown in the last days of the campaign, the crowds have, too.

Tactics More Aggressive

Tactics have become more aggressive as the campaign has evolved. Supporters of some candidates have tried to embarrass the supervisor by waving protest signs at many of his functions. One of the picketers usually dresses in an inflatable pink kangaroo suit, which has shown up at various protests over the years. And recently, several candidates began questioning Antonovich’s role in arranging a meeting in his office between businessmen who were later charged with defrauding about $1 million from the state Department of Transportation. The supervisor has said he left the meeting and was unaware of what was discussed.

Antonovich’s staffers grumble at the opponents’ manners. “They generally show up with that blow-up kangaroo, and all they do is take potshots at Mike,” complained Roger Scott, the campaign’s press spokesman.

Beyond that, Antonovich’s critics have been dismayed that the campaign has sparked little excitement. The expectations, however, might have been too high, said political experts, who note that voter apathy is not unusual in supervisorial contests.

The supervisor’s job often is a puzzle to voters, who identify more with the role of the City Council. What’s more, the supervisorial districts are too large for candidates without lots of money. A politician could woo every voter in Westlake Village on the western edge and not be known by a soul in Pearblossom on the east. That’s especially true in the Fifth District, which at 2,615 square miles, could comfortably swallow the state of Delaware.

What has tantalized the political junkies watching the race is how Ward will effect the outcome.

Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sepulveda), who Democrats had hoped would enter the race, observed that Ward “is the wild card.”

No one knows how many people remember him, the unorthodox politician whose muckraking days ended when Antonovich, flush with Big-Business contributions, beat him in 1980. Ward, who vanished from public view after his defeat, said he has no idea whether he can rouse his past supporters.

His entry into the race whetted the appetites of a lot of people who believed Ward, probably the closest thing the board ever had to a sitting investigative reporter, would stir up trouble for Antonovich.

Rail Plans

Ward has criticized Antonovich’s proposal for a monorail down the Ventura and Hollywood freeways as unworkable, offering instead a plan for a comprehensive heavy-rail system--such as the Metro Rail subway--throughout the county.

He plans to file a lawsuit against the county transportation commission, which he said has violated provisions of Proposition A, the half-cent sales tax approved by voters in 1980. The county is illegally using the money for light-rail rather than heavy-rail systems for which it was intended, Ward asserts.

But Ward, 68, has conducted a lonely campaign--relying only upon his wife to help him. Few have heard his message because he refuses to spend money on the race. He returns all his campaign contributions, and said he will not print a single campaign brochure. If he survives the primary, he said, he will consider taking contributions under $45.

In turn, he has blasted Antonovich for accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars from the building industry and various other businesses.

Democratic party leaders are frustrated at Ward’s unwillingness to accept donations, which they say jeopardizes his chances.

“There is nothing wrong with being unorthodox. I assure you of that,” Ward responded. “I’m sure if one had all the television ads in the world it would be helpful, but the price you pay isn’t worth it.”

Wallace, O’Neil

At least two challengers, Don Wallace, 47, and Peter O’Neil, a 25-year-old businessman from Pasadena, maintain they have decent shots at bumping Ward from second place.

Wallace, a commissioner of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and a past homeowner-group president, has captured numerous Democratic endorsements, including those of the Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley; Congressmen Howard Berman of Panorama City and Matthew G. Martinez of Monterey Park; Assemblymen Katz, Terry Friedman of Beverly Hills and Mike Roos of Los Angeles, and Jim Clark, who chairs the Los Angeles County Democratic Central Committee. He has also been endorsed by environmental and labor groups.

Wallace, whose large rustic home in Calabasas commands a spectacular view of the Santa Monica Mountains, is alarmed at the fast pace of development in the Fifth District. The former president of the Los Angeles city firefighters union also contends that Antonovich has been unresponsive to his constituents, has allowed the county’s trauma care network to erode and has done nothing to stop escalating gang warfare.

“We have to hold Mike Antonovich responsible for the deterioration of government in Los Angeles County,” Wallace said at a recent campaign forum in Agoura Hills.

O’Neil has displayed an incredible knack for attracting media attention. A former administrative assistant for the Los Angeles Raiders, he has founded two television syndication companies that have gone bankrupt.

County Sued

Last month, O’Neil humbled the Board of Supervisors by suing the county for approving raises for department heads in secret. The board capitulated and approved the increases at a public meeting.

The candidate attracted more attention when he proposed eliminating fares on RTD buses. He theorized that free trips would attract droves of new riders and save the state countless millions in freeway repairs and expansion costs. He promoted his proposal on KABC radio with talk show host Michael Jackson--urging listeners to turn on their headlights.

O’Neil also caused a stir when he redesigned one of Antonovich’s campaign flyers and mailed out hundreds of copies of the resultant spoof. The original mailer featured the supervisor, wearing blue jeans, talking to a small group of people in a field, whom he praised as decent taxpayers who deserve a good county government.

O’Neil changed the wording to make it look like Antonovich was ordering them out of the field, by saying: “Would you people get out of the way? The bulldozers will be here any minute.”

O’Neil observed, “We’re good media hounds,” explaining he puts more stock into creativity than cash.

The other Democratic candidates are Glenn Bailey, 32, an Encino resident and environmentalist who coordinates a reading program at Cal State Northridge; Sally Chase Clark, 48, a secretary and community activist from Canyon Country; Jose Galvan, a bank computer processor and chairman of the San Fernando Valley chapter of the Mexican-American Political Assn. from Sylmar; and Jules Kimmett, 69, a Burbank janitor and perennial candidate. The two Republicans are Robert Benjamin, a Glendale attorney, and Martin A.C. Enriquez-Marquez, 27, a doctoral student from Pasadena.

Drawing Away Votes

Most of the candidates belong to a coalition formed by homeowner activists earlier this year to oust Antonovich from office. They hoped that running candidates from various parts of the district would siphon enough votes from the 48-year-old supervisor to force him into a runoff. Antonovich needs 50% of the vote plus one vote to avoid a November showdown.

The primary could become a referendum on the slow-growth movement sweeping the Southland. The nine candidates are bound by a common belief that Antonovich has overseen massive development in unincorporated areas without requiring necessary streets, schools, parks and fire stations.

“The taxpayers are subsidizing the sprawling development being approved by Antonovich, and all residents suffer with the increases in traffic congestion, smog and longer police and fire response times,” Bailey said.

But Antonovich doesn’t think growth is a dirty word. Rather, it’s essential if the county is expected to provide enough housing for newcomers, he argues. He maintains he only endorses “planned, orderly growth that protects the environment, the quality of life and ensures affordable housing.”

Despite the huge odds against them, Antonovich’s critics believe the prize is worth fighting for. The supervisor represents the swing man in the three-member conservative majority on the five-member board. And only one supervisor in the history of Los Angeles County has survived a runoff, said Teven Laxer, political director of the Service Employees International Union, Local 660, which represents county workers.

Sen. Ed Davis (R-Valencia), who shares parts of Antonovich’s district, predicts that his fellow Republican will be a different kind of supervisor if he wins.

“I think Mike will probably be reelected in the primary and will say, ‘Wow!’ He will be a much more sensitive supervisor when he goes back in.”