Robbins Says He May Run for Supervisor If Board Expands

State Sen. Alan Robbins said Tuesday that he is considering running for Los Angeles County supervisor because a chronic ear problem has made flying between Los Angeles and Sacramento painful.

The Van Nuys Democrat said he probably would not challenge an incumbent supervisor. He said he is more likely to run if the five-member board is expanded and a new seat is created in his San Fernando Valley political stronghold. Enlarging the board has been proposed as a means of complying with a Justice Department demand that there be Latino representation.

“If there is an open seat in the San Fernando Valley, I would probably be a candidate for it,” Robbins said.

A few weeks ago, Robbins, who was elected to the state Senate in 1973, took the first step toward a race for supervisor. He filed a statement with the secretary of state’s office allowing him to use his $828,000 Senate campaign fund for reelection or for a supervisor’s race.

Robbins said he filed the statement because of concern that campaign financing measures on Tuesday’s ballot, if approved, would preclude use of his political fund for a supervisor’s race.

However, he said he has become increasingly interested in staying closer to home because of the health problems brought on by frequent flying.

Robbins, 45, was born with a malformed Eustachian tube that causes discomfort when flying. He said the ailment, which does not affect his hearing, has become more painful. The Eustachian tube serves to equalize pressure on both sides of the eardrum.

Affected Job Performance

“It has reached the point this year where I have to be on medication seven days a week in order to be able to fly,” he said. “It’s created an impact on my job performance.”

Robbins recently announced that he will resign from the budget committee responsible for settling differences between Assembly and Senate spending plans because of the ear problem.

The problem, Robbins said, forces him to wait 48 hours between flights. As a result, he said he could not take care of committee business during the next critical weeks and attend his son and daughter’s high school graduations in Los Angeles.

“It’s not a problem unless I fly a lot,” he said. But, he added, “Being a state senator is a job that involves a lot of flying.”

The next scheduled election for a seat on the Board of Supervisors is 1990. That also is when Robbins’ present term expires. However, the 5th Supervisorial District seat, which was up for grabs Tuesday, includes Robbins’ political stronghold in the Valley.

“There is a possibility that if George Bush is elected President that Mike Antonovich might be one of the people he would like to serve in his Administration,” Robbins said. Antonovich is the present 5th District supervisor.

An election would be held if another seat is added, Robbins noted. Supervisor Kenneth Hahn has called for a study on enlarging the board to seven members. That would permit creation of a Latino district without hurting the incumbents.

However, such a move would require voter approval. In 1978, voters turned down a proposal to enlarge the board.

Others who have expressed an interest in running for a Valley seat on the board are Los Angeles City Council members Hal Bernson and Joy Picus.