THE TIMES POLL : Vast Majority Think Bernson Swayed by Developer Donations

By a 7-to-1 margin, San Fernando Valley residents expressing an opinion believe that Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson is influenced by the developers of the massive Porter Ranch residential and commercial plan in his 12th District, last weekend’s Times Poll found.

Since 1982, Bernson has received about $50,000 in campaign contributions from Porter Ranch developers and their hired consultants. He also chairs the City Council’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee, which will decide this month whether the plan to build 3,000 residences and nearly 6 million square feet of commercial and office space should go forward.

Poll respondents were told that critics, including opponents of the Porter Ranch project and California Common Cause, believe that Bernson has a conflict of interest on the issue. They were also told that council President John Ferraro has determined that Bernson does not have a conflict and that he has conducted himself objectively at public hearings.

When asked whether they thought that Bernson was influenced by the developers, 57% of those polled said they thought that he was. Only 8% said he was not, and 35% said they did not know. In Bernson’s district, 61% of the respondents said he was influenced by Porter Ranch developers, and only 7% said he was not.

‘Legal Bribes’

In addition, 56% of those polled said they agreed that campaign contributions are little more than “legal bribes.”

“These figures indicate that Bernson has a conflict of interest in the opinion of many people in the Valley,” said I. A. (Bud) Lewis, director of The Times Poll.

Bernson said it was “grossly unfair” to imply that he had “received $50,000 from people in connection with the Porter Ranch plan.”

He said the contributions came from a variety of consultants and other companies that do business with Shapell Industries, the key Porter Ranch developer. But he said the contributions were spread over the past seven years, beginning even before a Bernson-appointed Citizens Advisory Committee began reviewing the Porter Ranch plan. He also said his campaign committee, to avoid the appearance of impropriety, had returned a $500 donation that Shapell made earlier this year.

“You can make polls sound like anything you want,” Bernson said. “It is no wonder that people think that politicians are dishonest.”

Bernson said he had never made a decision based on whether a developer was a contributor or a supporter.

“I think I’ve been a very responsible elected official,” he said. “I’ve listened to people and I always try to do what’s best for the community.”

A conservative Republican first elected to the council in 1979, Bernson is nonetheless generally viewed as a moderate who has twice won reelection by substantial margins. He has supported some developments but has opposed others, such as the office complex that a developer wanted to build earlier this year on the site of Northridge Little League’s baseball fields. In February, he proposed that developers seeking to build in a large section of Northridge be subjected to City Council requirements to provide parking and street improvements to reduce traffic congestion.

Poll respondents gave Bernson’s performance a mixed mark, with most saying they did not know enough to judge him. Bernson was viewed favorably by 22% of those polled in his district and was viewed unfavorably by 21%. Those numbers are subject to a higher margin of error--plus or minus 9 percentage points--than other poll results because only 210 of those polled were in Bernson’s district.

Bernson is also the target of a fledgling recall effort, backed by Northridge businessman Walter N. Prince. Prince is opposed to a Bernson plan to designate about 80 acres on Parthenia Street as a redevelopment area.

“I definitely think he’s biased in favor of developers,” Prince said. “He continues to ignore whatever the voters want. He was elected to represent the people and he doesn’t even attempt to represent them.”

Prince said the Porter Ranch project is a key example. The Times Poll found that 63% of those in Bernson’s district oppose the plan, while only 27% favor it. Bernson supports the plan on the grounds that its large size will allow the city to require the developer to spend between $80 million and $100 million to build a fire station, library and parks and to make significant improvements to streets and to the Simi Valley Freeway.