L.A. CITY ELECTIONS : Police Now an Issue After King Beating

On San Fernando Valley sidewalks, in South-Central Los Angeles churches, and at election forums from Venice to Eagle Rock, Los Angeles City Council candidates are debating the age-old issue of crime.

But there is a new twist this spring, a byproduct of the police beating of black construction worker Rodney G. King on March 3.

Rather than crime in the streets, the main focus has been on allegations of crime within the Los Angeles Police Department.

“You can’t walk down the street and say hello to somebody without them talking about the Rodney King beating,” said Walter Prince, a Chatsworth businessman challenging 12th District Councilman Hal Bernson. “Everybody is shocked by it.”

Reactions to the nationally publicized furor--and in particular, to the demands from community groups for Police Chief Daryl F. Gates’ resignation--vary markedly among candidates.

All five council incumbents facing challenges have refrained from calling for Gates’ ouster. The quintet--Richard Alatorre, Bernson, Nate Holden, Ruth Galanter and Joel Wachs--have been endorsed by the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the police officers’ union, which has backed Gates in the controversy.

Challengers, in many cases, have a different outlook.

In the northwest San Fernando Valley, Bernson’s leading rival, Los Angeles school board member Julie Korenstein, has said that Gates should step down “to quickly build back the credibility” of the Police Department. Bernson counters that the chief is “a very fine professional officer” who should not be held accountable for the King beating because he never would have “condoned or encouraged” it. Prince takes a middle ground, withholding judgment pending investigation of the King beating.

In South Los Angeles, where two seats are up for grabs because of the death of Gilbert W. Lindsay and the departure of Robert Farrell, 19 contenders have sought to stake out their turf on the Gates issue and on ways to reform the Police Department.

Community activist Kerman Maddox, a candidate for Farrell’s 8th District seat, has reaped a harvest of publicity with his bid to recall Gates through an obscure provision in the City Charter. In recent days, the former mayoral deputy has appeared on numerous radio talk shows and national TV news broadcasts.

“Hey, I saw your face on television,” said postal carrier George Holt, 24, who crossed West 84th Street to shake Maddox’s hand one drizzly afternoon last week.

“It’s not easy taking on someone like Daryl Gates,” replied Maddox, who was campaigning door to door. “You and I know (because) we live down here, this stuff has been going on for a long time. Thank God for the videocassette.”

Another 8th District candidate, Mark Ridley-Thomas, is seeking to amend the City Charter to require a fixed term for the office of police chief. “I’m convinced that Daryl Gates is a liability to the health and welfare of the community and he has to be removed from office,” said Ridley-Thomas, Los Angeles director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, during a recent televised forum.

A third 8th District contender, political consultant Rod Wright, has called for Gates’ forced removal--or in the absence of that, the ouster of Mayor Tom Bradley.

“If we can’t get any justice with the police chief, the mayor is the one who ought to be recalled,” said Wright, who has been endorsed by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles). “I didn’t vote for Daryl Gates. I’m going to recall the person who I voted for.”

While the King case has dominated the campaign agenda, most council candidates say it cannot be divorced from other crime issues.

A Los Angeles Times Poll conducted earlier this month showed that 28% of Angelenos consider crime the most important problem facing the city. Next highest were the drought, 13%; drugs, 11%, and police brutality, 8%. Three percent listed Chief Gates and 2% said the King beating.

“Crime is a problem in our district, a very serious problem,” said Martin GutieRuiz, a community organizer challenging Eastside Councilman Alatorre in the 14th District.

Referring to the $11.3 million that the city spent on police-related legal settlements and awards last year, GutieRuiz said: “That money could have been put into foot patrols.”

Some candidates say that police conduct in the King incident sets a bad example and makes it more difficult to persuade impressionable youths to refrain from anti-social behavior.

Last week, Ridley-Thomas addressed a group of 30 pastors in a South-Central church, saying: “You cannot inspire law-abiding citizenship when the police force responsible for upholding the law violates the law in such a flagrant and abusive way. You can’t handle gang violence when in (LAPD’s) Foothill (Division), damn, you’ve got police officers acting in ways that are worse than gang members in some instances.”

The King case could even have a fallout on the normally coveted endorsements from the Police Protective League, which is paying legal fees for the indicted officers.

“At this point in time it’s clearly a negative,” said former mayoral aide Tavis Smiley, who is challenging first-term Westside Councilwoman Galanter. “This community has generally been supportive of the LAPD. We need them, it’s not an anti-police community. But individuals are concerned about the King incident.

“(Galanter’s) first mailer after the beating was an endorsement from the Protective League. I got a ton of phone calls from people who asked, ‘What is she, crazy?’ ”

Fellow 6th District challenger Mary Lee Gray, who says the chief’s job should be changed to an elective post, questioned whether Galanter can remain objective when she is supported by the Protective League.

“This is the same group of people who support Gates and the police regardless of what they’ve done,” said Gray, senior deputy to county Supervisor Deane Dana. “So if they are supporting Ruth Galanter, I would imagine her hands are tied.”

Galanter said that such contentions are ridiculous. “All of the police officers that I’ve worked with in the community are well-liked by the citizens they work with,” she said. “Their support will help.”

Four years ago, Galanter became the focus of the city’s festering crime problem when she was stabbed in the throat by a drug-abusing former gang member who broke into her home in the middle of the night. Police were summoned by neighbors who heard her screams and house alarm.

In her current campaign, the Venice resident has stressed the effectiveness of Neighborhood Watch-type community organizations. “I’m a living testimonial--thank God it’s living--to the fact that Neighborhood Watch groups can really make a difference,” she said. “My life was saved by my neighbors.”

In races across the city, candidates are calling for hiring more officers, beefed-up foot patrols and a stronger commitment to job training and recreational programs to encourage teens to turn away from gangs, drugs and violence.

“We need jobs for young people,” said Smiley. “They want a sense of belonging. When we can’t give them something to work on for eight hours a day, five days a week, they beat someone else on the head and take what they have.”

Korenstein and Maddox, among others, say that some funds controlled by the Community Redevelopment Agency should be targeted for child care, after-school recreation and job training.

Billy Mills, an 8th District candidate, said the impact of crime is evident as he and others campaign.

“We see people who won’t even open their doors for candidates,” said Mills, whose father served on the City Council. “So the crime issue always confronts you.”

(Southland Edition) THE LOS ANGELES TIMES POLL

In a Los Angeles Times Poll conducted March 23-24, crime was rated the number one problem facing the city of Los Angeles. The findings were based on interviews with 909 adults who live in the city. What do you think is the most important problem facing the city of Los Angeles today?

TOTAL ANGLOS BLACKS LATINOS Crime/gangs/violence 28% 31% 27% 24% Drought/water shortage 13% 13% 2% 17% Drugs 11% 7% 15% 14% Police brutality/behavior 8% 8% 14% 7% Homelessness/poverty 5% 6% 5% 4% Too much growth 4% 5% -- 3% Environment 3% 3% -- 2% Unemployment 3% 1% 3% 6% Education 3% 3% -- 3% Police Chief Daryl Gates 3% 3% 3% 3% Traffic congestion 3% 4% -- 3% Economy 2% 1% 2% 4% Racial tensions/relations 2% 2% 6% -- Rodney King beating incident 2% 2% 3% 2% Affordable housing 1% -- 4% -- Public transportation 1% 2% -- 1% Other mentions 6% 8% 11% 3% Don’t know 2% 1% 5% 4%