Teetotaler on Ticket Keeps Beverly Hills Election Alive

Acting just in time to save an election that was about to be canceled for lack of interest, pediatrician Tricia Roth filed Thursday to run for Beverly Hills City Council--on the temperance ticket.

“I certainly think Bob and Max are nice guys,” she said of the two incumbents, attorney Robert K. Tanenbaum and businessman Max Salter. “But I think a lot of people are going to go into the voting booth and say, ‘This gal has something important going on, and I want to give her one of my votes.’ ”

Some call her the Carry Nation of Beverly Hills, after a 19th-Century temperance fanatic who smashed up saloons with her little hatchet.

She does not mind the comparison, but she says political action works better than hatchets.

In a city devoted to the good life, Roth has made a name for herself by speaking out against the dangers of drink, and particularly against drinking parties for teen-agers in private homes.

Using Proposition 65, which requires establishments to post warnings about the dangers of alcohol to pregnant women and their fetuses, she called in the district attorney to investigate at least 38 restaurants and other establishments, including her own synagogue.

She wrote letters, made phone calls and addressed the City Council on the subject, although she says she is not a prohibitionist. Once not averse to an occasional drink, she became a teetotaler to set an example for her four children.

If elected, she said, she would propose legislation that would give the city better control over alcohol sales and encourage restaurants and hotels to make sure that at least one member of a drinking group remains sober to drive the rest home.

“These are things that I’ve brought up to the City Council and I’m trying to get some action on,” she said.

She said she will also speak about the dangers of AIDS and challenge the incumbents on their support for a parcel tax intended to bring more money to Beverly Hills schools.

Salter, who is currently serving as mayor, said the parcel tax is the most important issue facing the city. It is scheduled to go before the electorate in a separate election in June.

“That is why I’m delighted that Tricia Roth is running,” Salter said, recalling that last fall’s election for the Beverly Hills school board was canceled after no one filed to run against the incumbents.

“Within a few short weeks we had a strike and the citizens up in arms,” he said. “We don’t want an apathetic citizenry.”

Roth turned in her papers on the last day of the filing period.

Like Salter, Tanenbaum said he favors the parcel tax and opposes alcohol abuse, drug abuse and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

“I’m also in favor of motherhood and apple pie,” Tanenbaum said. “We’re very clear on this. My wife is the president of the PTA. Do you think I’d go home and not be in favor of the parcel tax?”