LOCAL ELECTIONS / SEAL BEACH CITY COUNCIL : Housing Plan Divides Candidates in Quiet Race : Eight are vying for two open seats. The campaign has been noticeably free of the city’s often-divisive politics of the last 20 years.

It is not uncommon to hear residents here refer to their seaside community as an island, but when it comes to politics, few would describe the city as a paradise.

Tuesday’s City Council election, however, is shaping up to be different from many others in recent years. Eight candidates are vying for two open seats and are evenly split on the hottest election issue, a huge proposed housing development.

Still, the campaign has been noticeably free of the often-divisive politics of the last 20 years--two decades that included a recall of three council members and a bitter 1988 fight over a slow-growth initiative.

“This election is a lot more quiet than some people thought it would be. People were all geared up for more mudslinging,” said candidate Douglas Hoxeng, who has lived in Seal Beach for 31 years and runs a downtown tavern. “It’s nice to have the candidates get along.”

The seats up for grabs represent two of the most diverse council districts in Seal Beach, a city of distinctive neighborhoods that is an island surrounded by the Naval Weapons Station, the San Gabriel River and the Pacific Ocean.

In District 1, which covers downtown and Surfside, the candidates are Orange County planner Charles Antos, firefighter James Cook, property management specialist Marilyn Bruce Hastings, tavern operator Hoxeng and engineering contractor Joe Rullo.

In District 3, which covers part of the Leisure World retirement community and the area just between Pacific Coast Highway and Gum Grove Park known locally as the Hill, the candidates are financial controller Galen F. Ambrose, Planning Commissioner Gwen Forsythe and insurance executive Dennis K. Pollman.

The current council members from the districts--Victor S. Grgas and Joyce Risner--are prohibited from running again because of a two-term limit.

The mild tone of this election can be explained in part by a common campaign theme: Keeping Seal Beach basically the way it is now.

Quality of life--or what a recent newspaper real estate advertisement described as the “charisma of Seal Beach living”--has been the central issue in much of the city’s political battling.

All the candidates say they fear anything--especially development--that might make the city an undesirable place.

“Seal Beach has been the same for the last 15 years and will essentially stay that way,” said Grgas, noting that there has been deep-seated opposition by residents to major changes in the city.

The issue that divides the candidates is what to do with a 149-acre piece of picturesque land in the heart of town. The Hellman Ranch property, one of the few remaining chunks of developable land in the city, offers sweeping views of downtown Long Beach and the surrounding beaches and is centrally located off Seal Beach Boulevard, one of just two roads that directly connect Seal Beach with the rest of the world.

In October, the City Council voted, 4-1, after months of hearings and debate, to approve a 329-home project that sets aside 41 acres for wetlands restoration.

Half the candidates are dissatisfied with that Mola Development Corp. plan. And an Orange County Superior Court decision delivered March 16 may require the incoming City Council to vote on the project, thrusting the Hellman plan on center stage in the election.

Proponents of the development hail the project as far better than the original 773-unit plan and say it represents a fair balance of environmental and commercial concerns.

“This is a good compromise. It’s important to be open and receptive to all sides,” said Forsythe, who helped work out an agreement between Mola and the city and believes it represents the best deal the city can get.

Other supporters of the compromise are Cook, Rullo and Pollman, all of whom stressed that they are for controlled slow growth but believe that some development is needed to provide more city revenue.

Most supporters of the plan say the Mola project will not harm the city and fear what other kind of development could be built on the private land. “My main concern is that if it isn’t Mola, what is going to go in there?” Rullo said.

For critics of the project, however, the compromise does not go far enough in addressing environmental and traffic concerns. Ambrose, Antos, Hastings and Hoxeng oppose the project, saying they would like a plan that offers more wetlands and fewer homes.

“Although property owners have rights, any development must be acceptable to the community, because the (residents) inherit any problems,” Antos said.

The staunchest development foe is Ambrose, who has made the evils of development the centerpiece in his campaign.

As vice president of the Seal Beach-based Wetlands Restoration Society, he helped prepare the lawsuit that resulted in the Superior Court ruling that is forcing the city to revise its outdated General Plan and review the Mola development for a second time.

“Seal Beach is in a crisis . . . as massive developments go through that will change our city,” Ambrose said at an election forum. “Is the city of Seal Beach going to sell itself like a whore to the first person who comes along with a checkbook?”

Mola foes say they believe that the project will cause traffic, pollution and even crime in the city of 26,000 people and that the diplomatic attitude taken by project backers will lead to overdevelopment.

“People are concerned about traffic on Seal Beach Boulevard once this thing is in,” Hastings said. “When they’re done, I don’t know if anyone is going to get through if there’s an emergency. The traffic will be terrible.”

Grgas, who supports Rullo, described some of the statements made by anti-growth candidates as “hysteria” and said the city could be vulnerable legally if it tries to violate people’s property rights.

Because of the General Plan revisions, it is uncertain whether the vote on the Hellman Ranch plan will come before the current council or the newly elected council, which will take office May 15. Both supporters and opponents of the Mola development agree that the project faces an uncertain future if anti-growth forces win at the polls.

Grgas and Risner were part of the 4-1 majority that supports the project. Their open seats could make possible a shift to a 3-2 majority against the plan.

Growth has traditionally been a hot issue in Seal Beach. A 1988 initiative that would have restricted the City Council’s power to vote on certain development issues prompted a furious and divisive campaign. The measure ultimately failed at the polls.

However, the current debate over development is tame in comparison with the politics of the mid-1970s, when pro- and anti-growth candidates repeatedly clashed over the General Plan.

Earlier that decade, three city councilmen were recalled and two city managers were ousted in power struggles over control of the council.

In this year’s election, other issues have been discussed in the race besides development, but there seems to be more agreement on them. Most candidates have called for better communications between the council and the citizens, and many support repairing old sidewalks and maintaining strong police and fire departments.

“The infrastructure is a less-than-glamorous thing, but it still must be taken care of,” Cook said.

Hastings, Antos and Cook have focused attention on the loss of sand on several city beaches, calling for sand replacement and other measures. Hoxeng and Pollman have stressed their ties to the Seal Beach business community and say they would best represent all the elements of the city.

Pollman wants the city to sponsor athletics programs for teen-agers as a deterrent to drugs.

SEAL BEACH CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES

On Tuesday, voters in Seal Beach’s District 1 and District 3 go to the polls to elect two new members to the City Council.

District 1 covers the downtown and Surfside areas and has 3,052 registered voters. The polling places are at Fire Station 44, St. Anne’s Church Hall and the Surfside Colony office.

District 3 covers the Hill area and part of Leisure World and has 3,264 registered voters. The polling places are at the Marina Community Center, McGaugh Elementary School’s gym and Clubhouse 1 in Leisure World.

The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

DISTRICT 3

Galen F. Ambrose

Age: 49

Occupation: Financial controller

Background: Ambrose helped found and is now vice president of the Seal Beach-based Wetlands Restoration Society. The environmental group, which is opposed to the proposed Hellman Ranch development, won a court battle to have the city take a second vote on the project.

Gwen Forsythe

Age: 35

Occupation: Financial manager for advertising agency

Background: Forsythe is a city planning commissioner and has worked on the traffic safety committee and coordinated an anti-substance abuse committee with the Seal Beach Police Department. She has also been active in the local schools.

Dennis K. Pollman

Age: 44

Occupation: Insurance executive

Background: Pollman, whose business is located in Seal Beach, is active in the Seal Beach Chamber of Commerce, Seal Beach Business Assn. and Long Beach Chamber of Commerce. He is past president of the Seal Beach Coastline Kiwanis.

DISTRICT 1

Charles Antos

Age: 44

Occupation: Planner for Orange County

Background: Antos worked as a Seal Beach planner from 1972-83 and served on several county committees. He ran for the District 1 seat four years ago, losing to Mayor Victor S. Grgas.

James Cook

Age: 37

Occupation: Firefighter

Background: Before moving to Seal Beach, Cook served on the Azusa City Council for five years. He also worked as a legislative liaison for the Southern California Watershed Fire Council in Washington and served on the board of directors of the Los Angeles division of the League of California Cities.

Marilyn Bruce Hastings

Age: 61

Occupation: Property management specialist

Background: Hastings served on the board of directors of Children’s Memorial Hospital Auxiliary in Long Beach and was a founding member of the Long Beach chapter of GOP Juniors. She also was given an honorary lifetime membership to the Long Beach Parents-Teachers Assn.

Douglas Hoxeng

Age: 35

Occupation: Tavern operator

Background: Hoxeng is co-owner of a tavern in the downtown area and has been involved in several city groups. He is also past president of the local chapter of the Lions Club.

Joe Rullo

Age: 54

Occupation: Engineering contractor

Background: Rullo has served on the city Planning Commission for three years. He is also active with the Surfside Colony Homeowners Assn. and has served on the Civil Service Board.