In Thinking City Politics, Blacks Must Keep Eyes on Bigger Prizes : Politics: Every other major ethnic group is fielding at least one candidate for the U.S. Senate and L.A.’s mayoralty.

The news of the past two weeks has sent a anticipatory tingle down the collective spine of Los Angeles’ African-American community: For the first time in memory, not one but two of the community’s City Council seats are open and up for grabs.

These are exciting times for this city’s black voters and young politicians, who for years have lived with a system of entrenched incumbency that has resulted in a frustrating lack of electoral choice and career opportunity. A bumper crop of young, talented politicians and community activists has already come forward seeking to represent the 8th and 9th council districts. New personalities, new positions and new programs should give a much-needed lift to both districts and the city.

However, the excitement over this opportunity should not obscure the tragedy and disgrace of a looming political crisis: Three of the most glittering political prizes in the state--indeed, in the nation--coming up for election in 1992 and 1993, California’s African-American community does not have one credible and electable candidate to field for any of them. The prizes, of course, are the state’s two U.S. Senate seats and the mayoralty of Los Angeles.

Every other major ethnic group in the state is fielding at least one candidate for both the Senate and for City Hall. Asian-American Robert Matsui has a Senate campaign in high gear, and Michael Woo is one of the early front-runners for mayor. Orange County Supervisor Gaddi Vasquez, a Latino, has been prominently mentioned as a Senate candidate and Los Angeles City Council members Richard Alatorre and Gloria Molina are expected to run strong campaigns for City Hall. White candidates for Senate include Rep. Barbara Boxer, former Gov. Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown Jr. and state Controller Gray Davis, among others, and possibly Los Angeles Councilman Zev Yarovslovsky, who may also run for mayor.

Why (assuming that Tom Bradley does not intend to seek a sixth term) are there no African-American names on anybody’s lengthy list? Simply put, the African-American political Establishment, the group that selects and funds our community’s candidates, in the past has not selected those candidates with the bigger picture in mind. Support has often been based more on past political favors than on electoral potential. Nor have African-American voters demanded sufficient accountability from longtime officials whose best years may have passed.

As leaders elected in the 1960s step aside for those who will be elected in the 1990s, the chickens have come home to roost. Because the sad fact remains that Los Angeles’ black community sat out the 1980s, as far as putting its talented politicians in positions where they could develop enough skills and credibility to contest the major offices.

In the new politics of California and Los Angeles, no one ethnic group--even whites, who will hold a plurality--will be able to act solely on its own. Coalition building will be the order of the day, and a community’s political influence will be measured not only by its numerical population but also by the extent to which its elected officials are able to work with, and appeal to, other communities.

Lamenting the fact that the African-American community did not use the past decade to place its best leaders in advantageous positions (One of them, Maxine Waters was just sworn in last week as a new congresswoman) or seeking to assign blame for the situation is less useful than learning a painful lesson. Those who care about the future of African-American political influence in this city and in this state--whether voters, fund-raisers or incumbent politicians--should evaluate the new City Council candidates more carefully than ever.

There’s plenty of talent there--but black Angelenos must select from this pool only those candidates who are young enough to have a future, talented enough to make a difference and perceptive enough to recognize that in the new politics of California, they must be leaders of all communities.

Once in office, this new generation of politicians must be held accountable under the strictest of standards. African-American voters and opinion-makers must make clear that continued support will only be forthcoming as long as an elected official is in touch, effective and providing the community with an example and an image of growth rather than stagnation.

Only through such a complete reversal of recent practices will black not be the only color missing from the rainbow the next time a major political prize in this nation’s most multicultural state comes up for grabs.