Former Opponent Backs Bernardi in Council Runoff Race

Los Angeles City Councilman Ernani Bernardi, facing a June 6 runoff against firefighter Lyle Hall, announced Monday that he has picked up the key endorsement of Al Dib, the third-place finisher in last week’s primary in the northeast San Fernando Valley’s 7th District.

The 77-year-old Bernardi, a 28-year council veteran, also said at a City Hall news conference that, if reelected, his next term would be his last.

“I just happen to think this next term ought to be enough,” he said.

Bernardi finished first in the April 11 primary with 42% of the vote but fell short of the 50%-plus-one vote required to avoid a runoff against Hall, who finished second with 26%. Dib, past president of the Arleta Chamber of Commerce, received 12% of the vote.

“He said he is not running again after this term, which tells me he will not owe developers and special interest groups anything,” Dib said of Bernardi.

Business, GOP Support

Dib, who was the only Republican in the nonpartisan race, is expected to bring business and GOP support to the veteran councilman. Bernardi and Hall are Democrats, as are most of the district’s voters. But Republican support could be critical in a close race.

Bernardi and Hall have been aggressively courting another also-ran--Irene Tovar, a Latino activist who has strong roots in the district’s increasingly Latino community. Tovar, a former head of the Hispanic Caucus of the state Democratic Party, finished fourth in the field of eight candidates with 10% of the vote.

Those who hope to elect a Latino to the seat someday are urging Tovar to back Bernardi because the councilman probably would vacate the office sooner than would the 49-year-old Hall.

Dib, who met privately with Bernardi and Hall last week, said he chose the councilman because Bernardi has “love, feeling and care for our community.” He said Bernardi has been working to reduce crime and to control growth in the district since he inherited much of the area in the 1986 council redistricting.

“In all my years working in this community, I have never seen Lyle Hall in our community,” Dib said. “Just looking into his eyes. . . . They just look cold and icy.

“I must endorse the one who I believe will do the most for our community,” Dib added.

‘Disappointed’ By Endorsement

When told about Dib’s reading of his eyes, Hall laughed.

‘I’m disappointed,” the challenger said of Dib’s endorsement of Bernardi. “But while it is disappointing on a personal level, the bottom line is that 60% of the people voted against the incumbent.”

Bernardi said he has not committed to support any of the also-rans should they run for the seat in 1993. Dib said he will not be a candidate in 1993.

Bernardi, meanwhile, criticized Hall for failing to identify the employers and occupations of many of his contributors in his last campaign fund-raising report.

City elections officials have asked the Hall campaign to provide the additional information. Hall said contributors have been slow in providing the information, but he is making every effort to obtain it.