65 Council Hopefuls File in 4 Cities

Concerns over jobs, gangs, increased crime and development were the leading issues cited by candidates running in crowded fields for the city councils of Santa Clarita, Palmdale and Lancaster. Forty-two candidates are competing for seven slots on the councils of the three north county cities.

A smaller group of three candidates will square off for two council seats in the city of San Fernando in the April 14 election.

Santa Clarita

Sixteen candidates are competing for two council seats in an election likely to focus on the merits of a slow-growth measure also appearing on the April ballot.

The initiative, known as Measure A, would allow only 475 housing units to be built in the city each year through 2002.

Four candidates support the measure, seven are opposed, three are undecided and one could not be reached for comment. Another candidate, Vera Johnson, refused to divulge her position.

Councilwoman Jan Heidt, 53, is running for reelection, but Councilman Howard (Buck) McKeon is not seeking a second term because he is running for Congress.

Heidt, a local businesswoman, was elected to the council in 1987. She opposes the slow-growth measure, but has cast more votes against proposed residential and commercial projects than any other council member, according to a city report.

The other candidates include:

* Linda Calvert, 48, a real estate agent and former owner of an infant-care facility. She opposes the slow-growth measure and supports reinstating a contractor who provided dial-a-ride bus service for senior citizens rather than having the city provide it.

* Wayne Carter, 64, a retired maintenance supervisor. He opposes the slow-growth measure and supports increasing arrests of undocumented workers who solicit jobs from passing motorists.

* Ken Dean, 52, a local businessman who supports the slow-growth measure and wants the city to help fund local schools.

* Vera Johnson, 65, a retired preschool director and co-founder of a local civic group active in transportation issues. Johnson wants the city to wait five to 10 years before building a proposed $35-million civic center.

* Andy Martin, 67, an office manager. He supports the slow-growth measure and wants to limit each developer to building 50 housing units annually.

* Ed Stevens, 66, a salesman who said he is undecided about the slow-growth initiative. He said he would work to maintain the city’s semirural atmosphere.

* Linda Storli, 43, a high school teacher and parks commissioner appointed by former Councilman Dennis Koontz. Storli opposes the slow-growth measure and wants the city to begin building the proposed civic center immediately.

Calvert, Carter, Dean, Johnson, Martin, Stevens and Storli have all run unsuccessfully for the council in previous elections.

* Bruce Bell, 46, a technical editor and an opponent of the city’s successful annexation of the Pinetree area of Canyon Country. He opposes the slow-growth initiative and tough restrictions on hillside development.

* William H. French, 60, a representative of a carpenters union. He is undecided about the slow-growth measure and would not approve construction projects unless they include adequate road improvements.

* Greg Goyette, 33, a computer programmer. He is undecided about the slow-growth measure and would work to annex unincorporated land surrounding the city and to relieve traffic congestion.

* Gary Johnson, 39, a small-business owner. He opposes the slow-growth measure and supports local businesses.

* Mike Lyons, 45, a salesman and parks commissioner appointed by Heidt. He supports the slow-growth measure and wants to create a local conservation corps for teen-agers to reduce gang activity.

* George Pederson, 67, a retired captain in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and leading organizer of two unsuccessful efforts to pass a $20-million bond measure for the Newhall School District. He opposes the slow-growth measure.

* Randall D. Pfiester, 40, a research scientist. Pfiester did not return repeated phone calls and did not file a statement with the city outlining his platform.

* Lee Schramling, 49, a marketing consultant. He supports the slow-growth measure and wants the city to hire an education coordinator to work with local schools to create joint programs, such as after-school activities.

Lancaster

Twelve candidates filed papers to run for two council seats. Controversial one-term Councilman Bill Pursley is not running. Pursley said his decision was not influenced by continuing investigations into conflict-of-interest allegations concerning his real estate dealings.

Filing candidate papers were:

* George Theophanis, 68, one-term incumbent. He said he would work to have more Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies patrol streets, reduce traffic congestion and attract industry.

* Tara Gates, 42, Lancaster Planning Commission chairwoman. She would work to stimulate business growth, establish family-oriented recreation and expand public transportation.

* George Runner, 35, Desert Christian School executive director. He would work to increase jobs and fight crime, drugs and gangs.

* Frank Roberts, 60, dean of Technical Education Division at Antelope Valley College. Roberts, who ran for council in 1990, would work to attract industries to produce jobs.

* Michael Singer, 38, a captain with the Los Angeles County Fire Department. A homeowner activist who was a write-in council candidate in 1990, he would work for slow, managed growth.

* Deborah Shelton, 35, co-secretary of the Lancaster Coalition of Neighborhood Organizations. She would work for planned quality growth, and the implementation of a senior citizen day-care program.

Also running are:

* Richard Brown, 56, a Lancaster School District supervisor of operations. He would conduct surveys to gauge public opinion on issues and says he would carry out the wishes of the majority.

* Behrooz Farhangi, 56, an Antelope Valley College economics and political science instructor. He did not file a statement and could not be reached for comment.

* Glenn Martin, 68, an Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency board member. He did not file a candidate statement and could not be reached for comment.

* Paul Malone, 65, a retired Air Force mechanic. He would work to establish a medical center on the east side of Lancaster and advocates the start of a city-operated refuse agency.

* William Seargeant, 64, a retired teacher. He would work for orderly, responsible growth.

* Ronald Thomason, 46, a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy. He would work to make parks safe and to curb gang activity.

Palmdale

Two measures will also appear on the April 14 ballot. Measure B would make illegal the sale of fireworks in mid-July. The other initiative, Measure C, would allow the city to form an assessment district to collect fees from property owners to construct a $24-million recreation center.

Running for a two-year term as mayor are two council members and two challengers who have run before and lost. The current mayor, Pete Knight, is leaving the council to seek a seat in the Legislature.

* Janis DeLaTorre, 48, will give up the council seat that she was elected to four years ago to run for mayor. She will push for more sheriff and fire protection.

* Jim Ledford, 38, elected to the council two years ago, will hold on to his council seat unless he is elected mayor. He wants to be elected on his City Council record of making developers pay their share of taxes.

The other mayoral candidates are:

* Kamal Chalabi, 65, a retired engineering professor, real estate broker and civil engineer who ran unsuccessfully for City Council in 1988 and mayor in 1990. He said bringing jobs to the city is his top priority.

* Inez Neilson, 58, a real estate broker, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 1988. She said her experience as president of the Palmdale Chamber of Commerce in 1987, and as a Palmdale School District governing board member from 1973 to 1981, gives her leadership experience to improve the city.

Ten candidates filed papers for two council seats:

* Joseph Davies, Jr., 69, one-term incumbent, would work to provide incentives for businesses to stay and expand in the city.

* John Mayfield, 45, Palmdale Planning Commission chairman, would work to bring jobs to the city and redevelop its old portion.

* Teri Jones, 49, Palmdale planning commissioner and real estate broker. She would work to bring new businesses, parks and affordable housing to the city and improve flood control.

* David Myers, 33, Palmdale planning commissioner, wants to work with local businesses to keep and create jobs in the city.

* Celeste Eckley, 28, president of the Inco Neighborhood Assn., who ran unsuccessfully in 1990. She said she wants to improve the flood control system and would encourage new industries.

Also running are:

* Albert Beattie, 48, a reserve deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. He would work to bring jobs to the city and improve recreational facilities and police protection.

* Dominic Bellasperanza, 65, a retired engineer, wants the City Council to meet two or three times a month instead of once.

* Durwood Bland Jr., a retired aircraft tool engineer, who ran in 1990. He said he would work to curb gang activity.

* Patrick Conover, 31, a free-lance writer and college student who ran in 1988. He wants to create jobs.

* Stephen Ogunjobi, 62, a retired lawyer. Did not file a candidate statement and could not be reached.

San Fernando

One incumbent and two challengers are vying for two seats on the San Fernando City Council.

After serving on the council for two years, appointed incumbent Salvador Ponce, 53, is running for the first time. Ponce was appointed to the City Council in September, 1990, to replace Councilman Jess Margarito, who resigned to accept the position of director of Parks and Recreation.

Councilman James Hansen, who served for two terms as a planning commissioner and most recently nearly two terms as a councilman, also is stepping down.

The challengers are Rosa Chacon, 42, a city planning commissioner and a contact representative for Social Security, and Raymond Ojeda, 53, a self-employed businessman.

Staff writer Lorna Fernandes contributed to this story.