GOP Activist to Run for La Follette’s Seat

Paula Boland, a Granada Hills real estate broker and longtime Republican activist, said Thursday that she will run for the GOP nomination for the Assembly seat being vacated by Marian La Follette of Northridge.

Boland, 50, is the second Republican candidate to jump into the race to succeed La Follette, who surprised observers this week by announcing that she will not seek reelection in the 38th Assembly District, which arcs across the northern San Fernando Valley from Hidden Hills to Tujunga.

La Follette on Tuesday endorsed an aide, Rob Wilcox, 24, to take her seat. Wilcox, who also has been on the staff of state Sen. Ed Davis (R-Valencia), has been active in La Follette’s long-running but unsuccessful campaign to break the Los Angeles Unified School District into smaller school systems.

Boland, who is making her first run for public office, is a member of the conservative California Republican Assembly and has frequently volunteered in GOP campaigns. She has been endorsed by two influential fellow conservatives, Assemblywoman Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley) and Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson.

The winner of the June 5 GOP primary will face the Democratic nominee in November. The district is generally considered GOP turf, and Republicans outnumber Democrats 87,000 to 74,500.