It’s a Good Day for Incumbents

Election Day proved to be a boon for incumbent city council members seeking to retain their seats in the San Gabriel Valley.

Of the three area cities with council elections Tuesday--Diamond Bar, Duarte and Walnut--not one elected incumbent lost his or her job.

“I think it’s just the public saying, if the thing ain’t broken, why fix it?,” said Bertha (Bert) Ashley, a 12-year Walnut City Council member who will begin her fifth term Nov. 27.

One Diamond Bar incumbent who had been appointed to a vacant seat last year, attorney Donald C. Nardella, was beaten by real estate investor Gary G. Miller. Miller is a former elected council member who served on the first council in 1989, the year the city incorporated.

In addition, Phyllis Papen, 46, has retained her Diamond Bar seat. Papen and Miller, 42, will be sworn in Dec. 3.

Walnut incumbents H. Thomas Sykes, 42, and Ray T. Watson, 57, will also keep their positions. Challenger Greg Arakelian, 37, lost with 19.1% of the vote.

Also in Walnut, voters decided to ban the sale and use of “safe and sane” fireworks. The ban will go into effect Dec. 7.

In the Duarte council election, incumbents John R. Fasana, 36, and Ginny Joyce, 53, defeated the only challenger, Lino S. Paras, 45.

In Rosemead, voters approved a low-income housing project. The project would use Redevelopment Agency money to build one 150-unit and one 50-unit apartment complex on different sites. But even though 67.5% of voters endorsed the venture, the City Council can change the project’s dimensions.

Results

San Gabriel Azusa Unified School District 2 Elected 100% Precincts Reporting: Votes (%) Ilean M. Ochoa: 617 (22.1%) Jose Torres *: 491 (17.6%) James W. Hayford: 419 (15.0%) Elizabeth Pruszynski: 348 (12.5%) John Harris: 305 (10.9%) Richard M. Montes: 297 (10.7%) Hector Roybal: 82 (2.9%) William Everton: 67 (2.4%) Alberto Prado: 65 (2.3%) Jesse Butanda: 52 (1.9%) Daryl Sanchez: 43 (1.5%)

Baldwin Park Unified School District 3 Elected 100% Precincts Reporting: Votes (%) Ralph Nunez: 1,041 (22.4%) Bruce A. Snyder *: 827 (17.8%) Clinton O. Nixon *: 770 (16.5%) Anthony J. Bejarano: 639 (13.7%) Eulogio A. Roca: 612 (13.1%) Philip Morris: 586 (12.6%) Richard D. Cooks: 179 (3.8%)

Bassett Unified School District 2 Elected 100% Precincts Reporting: Votes (%) Richard J. Rodriguez: 338 (29.4%) Brenda J. Johnson: 294 (25.6%) Carol A. Smithberg: 291 (25.3%) Roberto Vargas Yslava: 226 (19.7%)

Bonita Unified School District 3 Elected 100% Precincts Reporting: Votes (%) Jeffrey W. Templeman *: 1,359 (29.3%) Diana Au *: 1,243 (26.8%) Ed Jones: 1,233 (26.6%) Eric J. Simison: 798 (17.2%)

Charter Oak Unified School District 3 Elected 100% Precincts Reporting: Votes (%) Ronald T. Bunte: 1,078 (23.0%) Ram C. Mukherji: 678 (14.5%) Joseph M. Probst *: 634 (13.5%) Geoffrey Knight: 566 (12.1%) Robert M. Hoenig *: 509 (10.8%) J. Glenn Salter: 477 (10.2%) Jeannie Gwin: 361 (7.7%) Josie Araiza: 284 (6.1%) Brian A. Perkins: 105 (2.2%)

Claremont Unified School District 2 Elected 100% Precincts Reporting: Votes (%) Lissa H. Petersen *: 3,861 (38.0%) Paul D. Held *: 3,747 (36.9%) John Dierking: 2,550 (25.1%)

A--Special Parcel Tax. Requires Two-Thirds Vote. Yes: 3,403 (54.7%) No: 2,821 (45.3%)

Covina-Valley Unified School District 3 Elected 100% Precincts Reporting: Votes (%) Mary L. Hanes *: 1,252 (27.6%) Richard K. Harder *: 1,170 (25.8%) Agnes F. Garwacki *: 1,092 (24.1%) Marie C. Palmeri: 1,017 (22.4%)

Duarte Unified School District 3 Elected 100% Precincts Reporting: Votes (%) Antonio Duarte: 1,280 (22.7%) Janet Wight *: 1,177 (20.9%) Ken Hanson: 1,129 (20.1%) Allen R. Christensen *: 1,004 (17.8%) Spencer H. Polk: 711 (12.6%) Dennis M. Verhagen: 326 (5.8%)

Glendora Unified School District 2 Elected 100% Precincts Reporting: Votes (%) Peggy B. Harding *: 1,354 (37.0%) Doris M. Blum *: 1,252 (34.2%) Patricia A. Johansen: 582 (15.9%) Frederick Henning: 472 (12.9%)

Hacienda La Puente Unified School District 2 Elected 100% Precincts Reporting: Votes (%) Norman Hsu: 2,225 (20.6%) Kenneth R. Manning *: 2,085 (19.3%) Robert Tsang: 1,854 (17.2%) William L. Torres *: 1,128 (10.5%) Lisa M. Batistelli: 1,069 (9.9%) Anita Perez: 1,057 (9.8%) Sally Ann Holguin-Fallon: 955 (8.9%) Manuel Maldonado: 405 (3.8%)

Mountain View School District 2 Elected 100% Precincts Reporting: Votes (%) Georgino George Caraveo: 587 (35.1%) Margie Ruiz: 569 (34.0%) Armando R. Esparza *: 271 (16.2%) James Galvan *: 247 (14.8%)

Mt. San Antonio Community College District 3 Elected 100% Precincts Reporting: Votes (%) Leroy W. McDaniel: 13,774 (22.9%) G. Stanton Selby: 13,523 (22.5%) Barbara W. Booth *: 13,485 (22.4%) Howard H. Hawkins *: 11,236 (18.7%) Chris Gilbertson: 8,066 (13.4%)

Pomona Unified School District 2 Elected 100% Precincts Reporting: Votes (%) Nancy J. McCracken *: 2,832 (40.0%) Brenda Engdahl *: 2,712 (38.3%) Monte Moore: 1,531 (21.6%)

Rio Hondo Community College District

Trustee Area No. 2 100% Precincts Reporting: Votes (%) Maria Elena Martinez: 1,989 (72.0%) Bill E. Hernandez *: 774 (28.0%)

Trustee Area No. 4 100% Precincts Reporting: Votes (%) Alex Morales: 1,638 (66.1%) Edward D. Ortell: 839 (33.9%)

Rowland Unified School District 2 Elected 100% Precincts Reporting: Votes (%) Pete Lamphere: 1,309 (27.4%) Jerre Davenport: 1,002 (20.9%) Leland McElhaney: 948 (19.8%) Robert J. Wilson *: 547 (11.4%) Phil Anderson *: 529 (11.1%) Joe Leon: 450 (9.4%)

San Marino Unified School District 2 Elected 100% Precincts Reporting: Votes (%) Bob Gayl: 2,243 (42.0%) Bob Reed: 1,604 (30.1%) Frederick Seares: 1,490 (27.9%)

Partial Term 1 Elected 100% Precincts Reporting: Votes (%) Bruce F. Rutherford: 1,534 (50.6%) Selma L. Sax: 1,499 (49.4%)

South Pasadena Unified School District 2 Elected 100% Precincts Reporting: Votes (%) Margaret Ann Abdalla *: 1,844 (42.2%) Susan LaCombe *: 1,579 (36.1%) Angel McGaha: 946 (21.7%)

F--Special Partial Tax. Requires Two-Thirds Vote. Yes: 1,841 (63.7%) No: 1,049 (36.3%)

Temple City Unified School District 3 Elected 100% Precincts Reporting: Votes (%) Charlotte Bria *: 1,125 (32.1%) Joan Vizcarra *: 1,060 (30.2%) Wesley Robert Wolfe: 703 (20.1%) Scott R. Norwood: 618 (17.6%)

Walnut Valley Unified School District 2 Elected 100% Precincts Reporting: Votes (%) Carol Herrera *: 3,187 (44.6%) Chris McPeak *: 2,933 (41.0%) Geoffrey Novall: 1,033 (14.4%)

West Covina Unified School District 3 Elected 100% Precincts Reporting: Votes (%) Mike Spence: 1,365 (25.4%) B.J. Mount *: 1,023 (19.1%) Elias Martinez *: 1,020 (19.0%) B. D. McBride: 1,018 (19.0%) Kenneth Chappel: 938 (17.5%)

Diamond Bar

City Council 2 Elected 100% Precincts Reporting: Votes (%) Phyllis Papen *: 1,529 (18.7%) Gary G. Miller: 1,407 (17.2%) Clair W. Harmony: 1,356 (16.6%) Lavinia Rowland: 1,266 (15.5%) Jim Paul: 902 (11.1%) Don Nardella *: 866 (10.6%) Thomas F. Oritz: 834 (10.2%)

Duarte

City Council 2 Elected 100% Precincts Reporting: Votes (%) Ginny Joyce *: 1,420 (39.6%) John R. Fasana *: 1,226 (34.2%) Lino S. Paras: 938 (26.2%)

Rosemead D--Measure. Low Rent Housing for Seniors and Handicapped. Yes: 710 (67.5%) No: 342 (32.5%)

Walnut City Council 100% Precincts Reporting: Votes (%) Tom Sykes *: 1,383 (27.3%) Bert Ashley *: 1,378 (27.2%) Ray T. Watson *: 1,338 (26.4%) Greg Arakelian: 965 (19.1%)

Walnut L--Measure. Ban Sale, Use or Possession of Fireworks. Yes: 1,160 (57.4%) No: 860 (42.6%)

La Puente Valley County Water District 100% Precincts Reporting: Votes (%) Max E. Ragland *: 297 (37.0%) Keith C. Eaby *: 220 (27.4%) Robert W. Fallon: 161 (20.0%) Bernard J. Acton: 125 (15.6%)

Key to Election Tables

An asterisk (*) denotes incumbent candidate.

Elected candidates and measures are in bold type.

Partial Term indicates that the election is to complete the remaining term of a vacated office.

Technical assistance: Paul Orwig and Victor I. Pulver, systems architects, Publishing Systems.

Contributing: Times editorial researcher Michael Meyers, transcription typist Jim Walker, copy messengers Mike Alvarez, Garry Dunn, John Hernandez, John Malnic and Onna Young.