Incumbents Look Strong in State, National Contests : Challengers Face Uphill Struggles in Most Glendale-Northeast Races

Tuesday’s election in Glendale and northeast Los Angeles is shaping up as a tale of the Republican North and Democratic South that has both sides fighting contests on their own turf with neither expected to lose.

The northern portion of the area is predominantly Republican, the southern portion predominantly Democratic. Past redistricting has neatly drawn legislative and congressional districts to give overwhelming advantage to the incumbents of both parties. Name recognition and the ability to attract campaign contributions that in some cases exceed half a million dollars further establish the supremacy of the incumbents.

In the heavily Democratic legislative districts covering Los Feliz, Silver Lake and Echo Park, Assembly incumbents Burt Margolin, Richard Polanco and Mike Roos and state Sen. David A. Roberti are feeling little pressure from their challengers. Democratic Reps. Henry A. Waxman and Edward R. Roybal also face little opposition.

Republican Stronghold

On the other hand, Republicans are confident of victory in districts to the north covering the traditionally conservative communities of Glendale, La Canada Flintridge and La Crescenta. Republicans holding seemingly safe seats are Rep. Carlos J. Moorhead, state Sen. Newton R. Russell and Assembly Minority Leader Pat Nolan.

From their apparently invincible positions, several incumbents of both parties have felt free to direct their time and money to other districts where the real battle this election year--over control of the Assembly in Sacramento--is being fought. For them, the suspense of Tuesday night will be in such places as Norwalk and Bellflower where political transition is not out of the question.

A gain of a couple of key seats could keep the eroding power of Democratic Speaker Willie Brown Jr. intact; a swing the other way could turn command of the Assembly over to the conservative bloc.

Few Skirmishes

Meanwhile, on the static political landscape at home, incumbents of the Glendale-northeast area have been called upon to fight few skirmishes, and those few that occurred tended more toward posturing than engagement.

To no one’s surprise, there was no debate. The League of Women Voters tried to arrange one for five races in the Glendale-Pasadena area. The challengers all accepted. The incumbents all declined.

Other 1988 election sidelights: a gay Republican challenger was picketed by members of his own party; a respected Latino organization spurned Latino Assemblyman Polanco to endorse his Peace and Freedom Party challenger; a third-time Democratic challenger was unable to gain any advantage from an FBI investigation of Nolan, and a political novice has closed her campaign with a burst of spending almost equaling that of the still apparently unshakable Russell.

Following are profiles of the local races.

22nd Congressional

Democrat John G. Simmons has come back for his second campaign against Moorhead (R-Glendale), who is seeking his ninth term in the House of Representatives.

Simmons claims he has greater name recognition now in the 22nd Congressional District than he did 2 years ago, when he received only 23% of the vote to Moorhead’s 74%.

Simmons, 71, is a retired minister and former hospital administrator. He has been involved in health-care programs and shelters for the homeless.

As a liberal, Simmons acknowledged that he has little chance of winning in a district with only 35.2% Democratic registration. More than 55% of the voters are Republican.

The district covers portions of the San Gabriel Valley, including Monrovia, Temple City and South Pasadena, as well as Burbank, Glendale, La Canada Flintridge and La Crescenta. It also takes in territory in the northern end of the county from the cities of Santa Clarita to Palmdale.

Simmons said he expects to raise and spend about $20,000 on his campaign, which is little ammunition against Moorhead, who has more than $600,000, according to official campaign finance reports. Aides said Moorhead plans to spend about $100,000 on the race, a portion of which will be used for mailers to his 600,000 constituents.

Moorhead, 66, is a lawyer and has held public office since he was elected to the state Assembly in 1966. He has served in the House since 1972 and is dean of California’s 18-member GOP caucus in Congress. Moorhead cites among his accomplishments measures to increase border patrols to cut down on trafficking of narcotics, expansion of the federal prison system and development of alternative motor fuels.

Simmons criticizes Moorhead as “the stealth incumbent--he never does anything.”

Also on the ticket are Ted Brown, a Libertarian, and Shirley R. Isaacson of the Peace and Freedom Party.

24th Congressional

Waxman (D-Los Angeles) is expected to easily win his ninth term in the 24th District, which includes Los Feliz, Atwater, Silver Lake and parts of Echo Park, Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley. Facing only nominal Republican opposition, Waxman has focused most of his attention on the Democratic get-out-the-vote effort.

The 49-year-old congressman, best known as a health-care advocate, said voters seem to be happy with the job he’s doing. “In my time in Congress I have tried to do the kind of job for my constituents that will merit my reelection,” he said. “I try to fight for things that people in the district care about.”

Waxman’s Republican opponent is John N. Cowles, a 38-year-old manufacturing executive from the Hancock Park area. Cowles, who favors tuition tax credits for child care, a balanced budget amendment and the line-item veto for the President, acknowledges that he has had difficulty getting his message to voters.

“The power of incumbency has really taken the electoral process out of the voters’ hands,” said Cowles, who has raised about $50,000. “The incumbents are basically entrenched, and the chances of a challenger defeating them is practically nil because of the power of political action committees.”

Waxman has spent $300,000 on races in other districts.

The other candidates in the race are mailing consultant George Abrahams of the Libertarian Party and union organizer James Green of the Peace and Freedom Party.

25th Congressional

Roybal (D-Los Angeles) has no Republican opposition in the 25th Congressional District, but he faces two minor party candidates in his bid for a 14th term.

Roybal has represented the district, which includes Eagle Rock, Highland Park, El Sereno and parts of Pasadena, Altadena, metropolitan Los Angeles and East Los Angeles, since 1962. Before that, the 72-year-old congressman served 11 years on the Los Angeles City Council.

His election opponents are Ralph Reyes, 42, of Los Angeles, the Peace and Freedom Party nominee, and John C. Thie, 83, of Pasadena, running on the Libertarian ticket.

Reyes, a teacher formerly employed by the Los Angeles Unified School District, is campaigning on his party’s socialist platform and emphasizing opposition to aid to the Contras in Nicaragua and to restrictive immigration laws. Thie, who said he is self-employed as a health consultant, promises to restore honesty and morality to government and to eliminate the income tax.

Jorge Lambrinos, Roybal’s administrative assistant, said that even though there is no Republican on the ballot, Roybal is running a full campaign, meeting with groups of voters and sending political mailers.

There are 119,896 registered Democrats in the district, and only 37,530 Republicans, 1,368 Peace and Freedom Party members and 652 Libertarians.

21st State Senate

One of the strongest challenges against a local incumbent is being waged in the 21st State Senate District where Democrat Louise C. Gelber is spending a significant amount of money in her campaign to unseat Russell, the Republican veteran from Glendale.

Gelber, an Arcadia attorney and community activist, reported spending more than $81,000, compared to $89,000 by Russell, according to statements filed six weeks before the election. Almost $39,000 of Gelber’s funds had come from her own pocket, even though she lists a large number of small contributors.

Russell, on the other hand, began the race with more than $200,000 in reserve. Like most incumbents, Russell’s contributors include large corporations and political action committees.

Russell’s campaign workers said they expect to spend about $100,000 on the state senator’s bid for reelection, about the same amount spent in 1984 when Russell handily beat his Democratic challenger by winning 75% of the vote.

Gelber, 66, said she is uncertain whether she can muster enough money to match Russell’s efforts, even though her supporters have staged a series of fund-raising events in the final weeks before the election. Despite the monetary handicap, large numbers of volunteers have joined the Gelber campaign.

Russell, 61, said he is taking the challenge seriously. He has been campaigning heavily in the district for the last few weeks.

In addition to his 24 years in the state Legislature, both as an assemblyman and senator, Russell has the voter registration weighted in his favor, with Republicans outnumbering Democrats 55% to 35%. Russell holds the powerful position of Senate minority whip.

Gelber has the added obstacle of attempting to gain name recognition in a district that sprawls across communities in the northern San Gabriel Valley to Glendale and north to the desert into Palmdale and Lancaster.

Also on the ballot are Robert N. Scott of Pasadena, a Libertarian, and Michael Blumenthal of Monrovia, a Peace and Freedom candidate.

23rd State Senate

Democratic incumbent Roberti, 49, one of the state’s most powerful figures as Senate president pro tem, is seeking his fifth term in the district, which includes Burbank, Hollywood, West Hollywood and Silver Lake.

Roberti has amassed $609,000 in campaign contributions, most of which he intends to use to support other Democratic senators. He has concentrated his efforts within the district on voter registration, in which Democrats have a 59% to 29% margin over Republicans.

Roberti’s Republican challenger, Tom Larkin, 49, a commercial real estate broker and gay activist, has touched off more controversy within his party than in his campaign to characterize Roberti as an “ultra-liberal.”

A $22,000 contribution to Larkin from party leaders prompted a demonstration outside the state Republican Central Committee in Burbank by a group of self-styled pro-family activists bearing signs such as “Perverts Pervade Political Parties.”

The group’s leader, a South-Central Los Angeles teacher, said most of its members were lifelong Democrats who recently switched to the Republican Party because they preferred its position on family issues.

Larkin, who defeated two other Republicans in the June primary, said he believes the Republican Party “should be a party of inclusion.”

He said he was able to persuade Senate Minority Leader Ken Maddy (R-Fresno) to invest in his campaign in support of his efforts to recruit Korean-Americans, Filipino-Americans and gays, three groups that are increasing in the district.

41st Assembly

Democratic challenger John Vollbrecht says he is running in his third and last Assembly race to offer voters an alternative to Nolan, the powerful Assembly Republican leader of Glendale.

Vollbrecht, 40, an Eagle Rock contractor, said he has never expected to unseat Nolan in the overwhelmingly conservative district that includes Glendale, La Canada Flintridge and parts of Eagle Rock and Pasadena.

However, he contends that there is a possibility that he could win if Nolan is indicted by the FBI for allegedly accepting campaign contributions and honorariums in exchange for legislative action. Nolan is one of four Assembly members under investigation by the FBI.

“If in the event things do not go Mr. Nolan’s way, there may be a recall election,” Vollbrecht said. “I think there’s still a chance. I think there’s a small light at the end of the tunnel. As the stand-up comics say, hopefully it’s not another train.”

A meager campaign budget is Vollbrecht’s greatest problem, he said. With campaign mailers costing as much as $20,000 he is having difficulty getting his name and ideas before the voters.

Vollbrecht has received only $2,260 in campaign contributions since January, according to campaign disclosure reports. Already, he has overspent his budget by nearly $400.

By contrast, Nolan, 38, who was elected to the seat 10 years ago, has raised $825,241 in contributions since January, according to campaign disclosure reports. Of that, he has donated $743,341 to Republican candidates in other districts in an attempt to win a Republican majority in the Assembly by 1990.

Also running in the race are Libertarian Party candidate Curtis S. Helms, a registered nurse, and Peace and Freedom Party candidate Ivan W. Kasimoff, an optical technician.

45th Assembly

Margolin, 38, has encountered virtually no opposition in his bid to win a fifth term in the district that includes Burbank, Hollywood and much of Los Feliz. The district is weighted 59.5% Democratic to 28.3% Republican in registration. Margolin said he is ready to campaign aggressively but has so far done little because he has seen no signs of political action by his opponents.

Margolin has about $55,000 in campaign funds available and said he plans a pre-election mailing but will not go door-to-door in his district unless his opponent forces his hand.

“Historically, the Republican has not conducted a major campaign,” Margolin said.

Opposing Margolin are Republican challenger David Frankel, a certified public accountant, and Peace and Freedom Party candidate Julie Fausto, who lists her occupation as worker.

Frankel could not be reached by The Times.

46th Assembly

Like Roberti, Assembly Majority Leader Roos has channeled large chunks of his campaign’s $477,000 in contributions this year to Democrats in other Assembly campaigns.

The Roos for Assembly Committee has donated $160,000 to the California Democratic Party Victory Fund. In an effort to build support for his close political ally, Assembly Speaker Brown, Roos has taken on the job of campaign coordinator for Norwalk attorney Bob Epple’s challenge of Assemblyman Wayne Grisham (R-Norwalk).

Roos, 43, still has $242,000 on hand, but is running a low-key campaign in pursuit of a sixth full term in the district, which includes Silver Lake, Hollywood and parts of Echo Park, Griffith Park and the mid-Wilshire district.

Consultant Lynn Montgomery said the Roos campaign plans a light mailing program, but that Roos’ campaign activities will be limited to his usual schedule of visits to community events. Roos appeared Thursday night, for example, at a meeting of the Silver Lake Residents Assn.

His Republican opponent is Los Angeles businessman Anthony A. Trias, 56, who ran unsuccessfully for Roos’ seat in 1986. Trias, who describes himself as a Reagan Republican, first entered politics as an ally of state Sen. Alan Robbins (D-Van Nuys) when he was appointed to the Los Angeles Board of Education by its anti-busing majority in 1981. He was defeated by liberal Jackie Goldberg in 1983.

Trias said he has raised $35,000 and hopes to double that in a campaign to link Roos to special interests.

“Most of the money he’s got is special interests,” Trias said. “Most of my contributions are small, individual contributions, enough to manage my campaign.”

Trias said he intends to remind voters that Roos was a target of an FBI investigation in the early 1980s because of his connection with fireworks magnate W. Patrick Moriarty, who was convicted of bribery and fraud over his attempts to win legislation outlawing local bans on fireworks.

Roos, a key supporter of that legislation, made a 100% profit on an investment in a Moriarty-owned condominium project that ultimately failed.

The U.S. attorney determined, however, that criminal charges were not warranted against Roos.

Trias was himself the target of a Los Angeles city attorney’s investigation in 1982 when he was listed as director of a corporation that was identified as a front for properties owned by slum lord Surya (John) Gupta. A judge eventually convicted Gupta of criminal health and safety violations and ordered the buildings repaired. Trias was not mentioned in the order, however, because the company he directed was no longer in control of the properties.

Even at the height of publicity over the Moriarty probe, Roos had no difficulty winning reelection in a district that is 60% Democratic and only 28% Republican in registration. Trias said he expects to profit from a poor Democratic voter turnout in this year’s election.

Also on the ballot will be Libertarian William T. Lake, a gay activist, and Peace and Freedom Party candidate Robert Taves, who lists his occupation as worker.

55th Assembly

The Republican Party is not contesting the reelection bid of Democrat Polanco, 38, in the overwhelmingly Democratic district that includes Highland Park, Eagle Rock, parts of Atwater, Glassell Park, Lincoln Heights and Pasadena.

Polanco won the 1986 special election to fill the seat vacated by the appointment of Richard Alatorre to the Los Angeles City Council. In the heavily Latino district, 67% of registered voters are Democratic and 22.4% are Republican.

In the absence of a major-party challenge, Peace and Freedom candidate Evelina Alarcon, a 39-year-old community organizer, has mounted the most conspicuous opposition. Her campaign received a morale boost last month with the endorsement of the Mexican American Political Assn., a statewide Latino organization whose endorsements were once highly sought by politicians on both the state and local level.

But the endorsement, which Polanco did not seek, is not considered likely to sway a significant number of Latino voters as it might have when the organization was at its peak in the 1960s. Democratic registration in the district outruns Peace and Freedom Party registration by more than 75 to 1.

Alarcon argues that she has gained support by opposing a controversial insurance initiative introduced by Polanco on behalf of an insurance company. Still, Alarcon has shown no inclination to expand her appeal by softening an ultra-liberal platform that includes proposals to give all immigrant workers equal rights with U.S. citizens and work for the conversion of all military industries in California to “peaceful production.”

According to campaign reports filed last month, Polanco has received $216,997 in campaign contributions and spent $122,372. Alarcon has received $8,727 in contributions and spent $7,668. Libertarian candidate William H. Wilson received less than $1,000 in contributions and thus was not required to file a campaign report.

Staff writers Alan Citron, Stephanie O’Neill, Esther Schrader, Doug Smith and Mike Ward contributed to this story.