Class in Campaigning Does Double Duty as Forum for Bernson’s Foes

The class could have been called Booting Hal Bernson 101.

It was a seminar held a few weeks ago at Mission College. It gave pointers on running for public office. And it attracted nearly a roomful of students who said they wanted to challenge Bernson for his seat on the Los Angeles City Council.

So far, four of them have signed up to do just that.

The actual title of the four-hour class, taught at Southern California community colleges by political consultant Allan Feldman, was Running for Political Office: The Process for a Successful Campaign. It generally attracts a dozen or so students.

The Nov. 17 session at Mission drew 22, and 18 said they hoped for hints on beating Bernson in the April 9 primary election. Of the six candidates who have filed so far to run against Bernson for his 12th District seat, four took Feldman’s class.

“This was the first time I had that type of interest,” said Feldman, 35, a Granada Hills real estate agent who has been active in local politics for several years. “Most of them had one common goal: to have Hal Bernson defeated.”

Feldman said the class is “more or less a grooming course” designed to explain the difficulty of mounting a successful campaign for office. It is intended to prepare students for the rigors of a serious campaign and to help them decide if they have the mettle.

The instructor’s campaign prescription includes long hours, money, schmoozing, money, solid community support. And more money.

Feldman said he tried to resist demands for specific tips on how to run against Bernson, who has represented the northwest San Fernando Valley since 1979.

“I didn’t present the class as ‘Let’s go get Hal Bernson,’ ” the instructor said.

Bernson had no comment on the class. His press deputy, Ali Sar, said Bernson did not want to talk about the strategy of his opponents. Nor would he discuss whether he thought that the class would help his challengers.

“Some people hire consultants to teach them how to run for office, and these people are attending a school,” Sar said.

Candidate Walter N. Prince, a janitorial service owner who led a failed recall attempt against Bernson in the fall of 1989, said the class made clear that the campaign “is not going to be as simple as some people might originally think.”

“It strengthened my resolve,” said Leonard Shapiro, a candidate and critic of the City Council who attends and speaks at most of its meetings.

The four candidates who attended the class have pledged not to campaign against each other and to concentrate their efforts on defeating Bernson. They say he advances the interests of developers who contribute to his campaigns. Several are opposed to the Porter Ranch development above Chatsworth, which Bernson supports.

One concern raised in the class: Should all Bernson’s foes unite behind a single candidate?

Feldman said several candidates can defeat an incumbent by confusing voters, but it can also bite challengers in the wallet. With many opponents vying against one another, he said, donations will be harder to come by. Like a good politician, Feldman said, he declined to say which was the smarter strategy.

“There was never a definitive answer,” said Allen R. Hecht, a candidate, printer and a Bernson appointee to the city’s solid waste advisory group. “To this day, there’s still some debate” about whether many or few should run.

The fourth candidate who attended the class was Arthur (Larry) Kagele, a Los Angeles police detective.

Feldman said there is rarely a definitive answer in politics. And, for what it’s worth, he does not offer money-back guarantees of victory.

POLITICAL POINTERS

There is no simple formula for success in the unpredictable game of politics, but Allan Feldman, a consultant who teaches a course on running for public office, offered a few hints to make the game easier to play.

* Understand the commitment involved in a serious campaign. Victory requires a devotion that may tax personal relationships and affect job performance.

* Develop charisma. Candidates who make people want to follow them are able to delegate tasks and get more done. Such leadership qualities can be learned.

* Make connections. Potential candidates should get involved in local groups to find the troops they will need to help them win.

* Survey the community on key issues.

* Don’t be afraid to ask for money.