Primary Presents Little Challenge to Area Incumbents

Incumbents won handily in Tuesday’s election, including a Glendale Municipal Court judge who was involved in the area’s most hotly contested race.

Municipal Judge Barbara Lee Burke was reelected with 52.74% of the vote, according to semi-official results released Wednesday by the Los Angeles County registrar of voters.

Challenger Scott H. Howard, a senior assistant city attorney in Glendale who campaigned heavily, finished with 35.24% of the vote. Burbank lawyer Patrick T. McCormick, who garnered 12.01%, was last.

“I’m very pleased and gratified that the voters made the right decision,” Burke said Wednesday. “I’m very happy that I will be here for another six years serving the community.”

Appointed in 1981

Burke, 46, was appointed to the bench in 1981. She was elected to the post a year later by 70% of the voters. Burke said she spent about $5,000 in this year’s race.

Howard, who estimates that he spent about $30,000 on the race, his first bid for elective office, was satisfied despite his loss. “I would have loved to have won, but I’m very, very pleased,” Howard said. “I’m so, so happy and so proud to have the people that back me come out and support me in my first attempt at any kind of office.”

Howard received 12,852 votes, compared to Burke’s 19,235. McCormick drew 4,380 votes.

Incumbents also easily won their party’s endorsement in four contested primary battles in Glendale and northeast Los Angeles. Challengers in the 22nd Congressional District and in the 46th Assembly District drew only 13% of the vote.

David Rodger Headrick of Pasadena said he had neither the money nor the exposure to seriously challenge Rep. Carlos J. Moorhead (R-Glendale), the 16-year veteran in the 22nd Congressional District. Headrick finished with 10,039 votes compared to 65,261 for Moorhead.

Sal Genovese met the same fate in his bid to wrest the Democratic nomination from 11-year veteran Assemblyman Mike Roos in the 46th state Assembly primary. Genovese won only 2,191 votes compared to Roos’ 14,626.

Three Republicans defeated challengers to win the right to face incumbent Democrats in November.

In the 24th Congressional District, John M. Cowles won the Republican nomination with 49.54% of the vote over Sol Annenberg and Dean de Gruccio, who both ended up with slightly more than 25% of the votes.

In the 23rd Senate District, Tom Larkin emerged the victor with 58.89% of the vote over his opponents, Alannia E. Michael and E. Jan Roberts.

Tony Trias garnered almost 73% of the votes cast for the Republican nomination in the 46th Assembly District, easily beating Gary Passi.

In other issues affecting the area, voters statewide easily approved Proposition 70, which provides funding to preserve wildlife and coastal areas and new parklands.

The city of Glendale expects to receive at least $2 million from the bond issue to complete the purchase of the Inter-Valley Ranch, a 702-acre wilderness recreation area and the city’s largest remaining undeveloped hillside parcel.

The city has been waiting for funds to complete the purchase since it made a $3.2 million down payment for the property in February, 1986, said Robert K. McFall, assistant city manager.