Redondo Voters to Fill Mayor's Seat, 2 Council Jobs on Tuesday

By BOB WILLIAMS

May 12, 1989 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

Redondo Beach voters will confront a host of issues, both new and familiar, when they go to the polls Tuesday to elect a mayor and two council members from among six candidates in a runoff election.

Among the familiar issues are controversy over whether and how to rebuild the fire- and storm-ravaged pier, limits on development and density, and the council’s responsiveness to residents’ wishes.

New issues include plans to form a unified city school district and reports that East Los Angeles gangs are becoming more visible in the beach cities, creating a threat of increased crime and violence.

All the candidates say they oppose overdevelopment, but they differ on how aggressive city government should be in limiting growth. All of them also support school unification and say the city should take whatever steps are necessary to stem gang violence.

The two mayoral candidates are Frank Bostrom, 39, an architect and community planner, and W. Brad Parton, 28, a pension and retirement investment counselor.

Each received about a quarter of the votes cast when five candidates ran for the post in the March 7 election. The winner in Tuesday’s contest will replace former Mayor Barbara Doerr, who was elected to the District 1 council post in March.

Runoff candidates for the District 2 council seat are incumbent Kay Horrell, 62, co-owner of a real estate firm, and Michael F. Ford, 38, a real estate appraiser. Horrell received 43% of the March votes, Ford got 48% and the remainder went to a third candidate who had dropped out of the race but whose name remained on the ballot.

In District 4, the candidates are Valerie Dombrowski, 53, a school board member, and Terry Ward, 51, a data processing consultant. Dombrowski fell four votes short of the 50%-plus-one majority needed to be declared a winner in March. A recount failed to change the outcome.

Tuesday’s election holds the possibility of creating a new alignment of power on the council. In the present council, Doerr and her only ally, District 3 Councilman Stevan Colin, have been consistently opposed by a majority consisting of council members John Chapman, Archie Snow, Ron Cawdry and Horrell. Chapman was defeated by Doerr in March, and Snow, who was prohibited by the City Charter from running for another term, was defeated in his bid to be mayor.

New Majority a Possibility

If Bostrom, Ford and Dombrowski are elected, they may create a new majority with Doerr, who has endorsed all three, and Colin.

If Horrell and Ward are elected, they may continue the political alignment with Cawdry, who represents District 5.

Among the important issues the new council will face is revision and updating of the General Plan, which will determine the city’s development and character for years.

Parton insists that he is an independent candidate with no ties to any faction or “machine,” as he says in his campaign flyers. However, Parton does not appear to be welcome in the Doerr camp, where candidates and supporters criticize his views and accuse him of “Madison Avenue” campaign tactics.

Parton raised $35,136 for the general and runoff elections--more than any other candidate--according to campaign finance reports filed at the end of April. Nearly half that amount came from personal loans that he made to his campaign. His mayoral opponent, Bostrom, reported raising $7,048 through April 29.

Efforts to Restrict Growth

In District 2, incumbent Horrell said she raised $15,394 and her opponent, Ford, collected $3,253. In the District 4 race, Ward reported $9,186, and Dombrowski’s total was $2,425.

In the mayor’s race, Bostrom describes himself, as he did in the March election, as a longtime activist in efforts to restrict growth and to preserve recreational space and the city’s historic buildings.

Bostrom criticized the council’s decision to move the historic Morrell House to the Perry Allison Playfield. In the face of strenuous objections from neighbors, the council decided this week to find another location.

Bostrom said he had advocated moving the house temporarily to Dominguez Park until a permanent location could be found.

“This council blew it and now they get to take the consequences,” Bostrom said.

‘False Rumors’

He said he was the first to advocate putting the pier-rebuilding issue on the ballot and “now the other candidates are jumping on the bandwagon” in response to public pressure. The pier should be rebuilt, he said, but largely for recreational uses by residents, not commercial interests.

Bostrom criticized Parton for spending so much money in the campaign and accused him of circulating “false rumors.” They include, he said, assertions that Bostrom favors a moratorium, downzoning and rent control as means of controlling density, which he called “absolutely false.”

Like the other candidates, Bostrom said he supports local school unification and “any measures that are necessary” to deal with gang intrusions into the city. But he said authorities should not overreact.

Parton, who ran unsuccessfully for Colin’s District 3 seat last year, said his campaign expenditures are not out of line for a citywide candidate. He described Bostrom’s supporters as a “tight little group that has attacked me . . . but doesn’t get down to the issues.”

Economic Incentives

He restated his position in the general election that the city should provide economic incentives for property owners who say they would lose money by building single-family homes. Such losses could be offset by waiving various building fees imposed by the city, he said.

Traffic congestion can be eased in the short term, he said, by banning parking on more streets during rush hours and, in the longer term, by participating with other cities in building a light rail system from Los Angeles International Airport to Torrance and Hawthorne.

If voters approve rebuilding the pier, he said, it should be given an upscale image so it will be a place “where Redondo residents want to go . . . that will not attract bad elements.”

Besides supporting adequate police measures to control gang intrusions, Parton said he would work on his own to try to help “straighten out the lives of these young people.”

25 Years as a Volunteer

In District 2, incumbent Horrell, who cited her 25 years of volunteer community service, said she has worked to control density since her election in 1985. That effort is bringing results, she said, citing city statistics that show net growth of less than 1% in 1988.

At the same time, she said, “we can’t use a meat-ax approach on our housing density problems.” A rapid appreciation of property values in recent years, she said, helps offset losses when lots are downzoned.

The pier “belongs to the people, so they should decide what to do with it,” she said. If the pier is rebuilt, it should have more community attractions, like a marine museum, she said.

Ford said the “primary issue . . . is the council’s lack of responsiveness to the needs of residents, when those needs conflict with business interests.”

He accused his opponent of “regularly initiating zone changes and General Plan amendments” that benefitted certain commercial interests. But those interests, he added, do not include local, small businesses that are “the salt of the earth” and place community betterment above their profits.

A Problem With Gangs

Ford said he supported moving the Morrell House to the Playfield, but criticized the council for making a “rushed decision” and not formally notifying neighbors.

The people should vote on the pier, he said, and the city should get answers to many questions, such as financing and liability. He said Redondo Beach’s “growing problem” with gangs may require increased police measures.

Dombrowski, who lost a 1985 bid to unseat Archie Snow, who is making her second run for the District 4 council seat, said “we’ve got a real problem with gangs, especially in my district.”

“Hiring more police costs a lot of money, but we need to see what is needed, look at the budget and decide what we should do,” she said.

The flap over the Morrell House, Dombrowski said, illustrates the determination of residents “not to give up one square inch of parkland.” To help relieve pressure on off-street parking, builders should be required to provide more parking for tenants, she said.

School Unification

Dombrowski, who is serving her third term on the Redondo Beach school board, said she strongly supports city school unification and that she favors putting the pier issue on the ballot.

“There’s nothing flashy about my campaign,” she said. “It’s strictly a grass-roots effort to bring better representation to this district.”

Ward said he also wants to do his best to serve people in the 4th District. “I’ve been doing a lot of walking and talking and listening,” he said. “It’s helped give me a much better feel for the district and what the people want.”

He agreed that the Morrell House issue showed that “people don’t want anyone threatening to take away their open space, and I will heed that concern.” Dilapidated houses are another concern in his district, he said, and “people are worried about the influx of gangs and the appearance of graffiti.”

‘Neutral Turf for Gangs’

“People say Redondo Beach is a neutral turf for the gangs and we need to make our city less attractive to them,” he said.

Ward said he would be glad to see the pier issue put on the ballot, “if that’s what people want, but it’s passing the buck for council members who are elected to make the hard decisions.” On the development issue, Ward said he wants to “hear both sides . . . so that we can find a fair balance between the most desirable density and individual property rights.”

THE CANDIDATES Frank Bostrom

Mayoral candidate

Age: 39

Occupation: Architect and community planner

W. Brad Parton

Mayoral candidate

Age: 28

Occupation: Investment counselor

Kay Horrell

District 2 incumbent

Age: 62

Occupation: Co-owner, real estate firm