L.A. Council Endorsements

Los Angeles is a big city with big problems. Dirty air, clogged traffic, rapid development, murderous gangs, not enough cops, overflowing landfills, inadequate sewers and a housing squeeze are among the city’s most pressing concerns.

The Los Angeles City Council must choose among competing needs. The best members consider not only their own districts but the needs of the whole city. Because of their experience--and in one race the lack of strong challengers--we endorse the eight incumbents on the April 11 primary ballot.

In the 3rd District--which covers the West San Fernando Valley--Joy Picus, 58, a three-term veteran, deserves high marks for pushing through an ordinance banning discrimination against women, minorities and Jews at private clubs. Picus is knowledgeable about toxic wastes, the environment and personnel matters.

In the 5th District--which covers much of West Los Angeles and Sherman Oaks--Zev Yaroslavsky, 40, a four-term veteran, has worked to expand the Police Department and has been active in planning issues. His vigorous leadership is needed on the council.

In the 7th District--which covers the Northeast San Fernando Valley--Ernani Bernardi, 77, spends public money as if it were his own. He challenges any hint of exorbitance or waste and makes do with a smaller staff, a smaller car and a more modest office than his colleagues. He faces two attractive challengers--Lyle Hall, a veteran firefighter, union leader and lobbyist from Reseda who outlines a strong vision for the district, and Jules Bagneris III, a bright young minister from Lake View Terrace who offers forthright strategies for crime prevention, jobs creation and housing stimulation. But, Bernardi, the conscience of the council when it comes to spending, deserves another term.

In the 9th District--which covers downtown, Little Tokyo and South Central Los Angeles--Gil Lindsay, 88, and a councilman since 1963, is justifiably proud of the towering downtown skyline, but the gleam has not touched much of the city’s poorest district. Home to stable working-class black communities, growing Latino neighborhoods and thousands of homeless people, the district needs jobs, housing, more police and just about everything else. He has no credible challenger.

In the 13th District--which covers Hollywood, Silver Lake and Studio City--Mike Woo, 37, a hard-working, first-term councilman, tempers his vision of a vibrant Central Hollywood with support for reductions in the massive redevelopment plan and concerns about runaway traffic. He depends on his planning background when reconciling the district’s growing anti-growth sentiment with the growing need for more affordable housing and more jobs.

In the 15th District--which covers San Pedro, the Harbor, Wilmington and Watts--Joan Milke Flores, 52, a two-term veteran, pushes for redevelopment in diverse communities that would be otherwise ignored. She champions a more even-handed delivery of city services and takes a keen interest in the Housing Authority.

Two incumbents are unopposed. In the 1st District--which covers part of the Eastside, Mount Washington and Pico-Union--Gloria Molina deserves reelection. In the 11th District--which covers the Far Westside, Tarzana and Encino--Marvin Braude merits another term.

The Los Angeles City Council governs on behalf of at least 3.3 million people who live within boundaries that encompass 463.7 square miles. We believe Molina, Picus, Yaroslavsky, Bernardi, Lindsay, Braude, Woo and Flores should be returned to the council on April 11th.