Rival Factions Line Up for 2nd Campaign

Long before the last vote had been tallied in Tuesday’s election, two political alliances already had maneuvered into position for a runoff to elect the first Latino to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors this century.

Each of the candidates--Los Angeles City Councilwoman Gloria Molina and state Sen. Art Torres (D-Los Angeles)--conferred on election night with influential politicians representing two competing factions of Eastside Latino Democrats.

At 10 p.m., as 200 of his supporters danced in the ballroom of Stevens Steak House in Commerce, Torres huddled privately with influential political allies in a second-floor conference room.

The Eastside’s leading power broker entered the room first, Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alatorre, followed by one of his proteges, Assemblyman Richard Polanco (D-Los Angeles). Then came Community Redevelopment Agency Board Chairman James Wood, Los Angeles City Councilman Michael Woo and Deputy Mayor Mark Fabiani.

Meanwhile, a few miles away at a Pico Rivera union hall, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Gloria Molina mingled with her supporters, including another deputy mayor, Ed Avila. Assemblywoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Los Angeles) was there too, along with Reps. Esteban Torres (D-La Puente) and Edward R. Roybal (D-Los Angeles), the elder statesman of Latino Democrats.

With Molina and Art Torres differing little on basic issues, the Feb. 19 runoff election is likely to be a clash that will test the candidates’ campaign skills and the sheer strength of their competing political machinery.

While Torres marshals support from trade unions, Mayor Tom Bradley and Alatorre’s Eastside power base, Molina looks to what she describes as independent Latino politicians and Westside women’s groups.

On Wednesday, Torres indirectly attacked Molina for appealing to limited special interests.

“I believe I am the mainstream candidate,” Torres said. “I have been able to appeal to a broad base of voters in this district.”

Ironically, Torres and Molina share common political roots. Both worked on Alatorre’s election campaigns for state Assembly in the 1970s. Molina at one time ran Torres’ Los Angeles field office.

Molina split from Alatorre when she ran for state Assembly in 1982.

In the runoff election, Molina will square off against the same political coalition that she faced in her 1987 bid for City Council. Molina then easily defeated a school board member supported by Torres and Alatorre.

For Molina, forgetting the enmities of the past will be difficult. She said she still feels betrayed by Torres and Alatorre for their failure to support her in her campaigns for Assembly and City Council.

“On a personal level, we don’t interact at all,” Molina said of Torres. “After I got elected (to the Assembly) and started working, Art (was) a little heavy handed with me. My response was to operate at distance. . . . It’s very similar to what Richard Alatorre has done. It’s still part of that deal-making that I reject.”

The competing factions of Latino Democrats have also begun to quietly discuss who in their ranks will compete for either the City Council seat or state Senate seat that will be vacated by the winner of the Feb. 19 election.

Molina’s campaign manager, Alma Martinez, has been mentioned as a possible candidate for Molina’s council seat. “Many people are encouraging me (to run),” Martinez said. “That would be something that I decide the day she wins. . . .”

Campaign staffers say that Assemblywoman Roybal-Allard also could be a possible candidate for the council seat.

According to one campaign insider, Assemblyman Polanco has been mentioned as a possible candidate for Torres’ state Senate seat. And if Polanco or any other Latino elected official were to move into Molina’s or Torres’ vacant seat, the game of political musical chairs would be carried one step further.

“No matter what happens, people are going to be moving around,” the campaign staffer said.