1st Debate in Race for Robbins’ Seat Draws 9 of 10 Candidates : Politics: Sen. David Roberti cites pressing legislative business for not attending. The others focus on the economy, health coverage and child care.

In their first public joust, nine candidates for Alan Robbins’ former seat representing the central San Fernando Valley in the state Senate politely debated Monday night over how to reinvigorate the economy, improve health care and reduce the cost of child care.

But the candidate considered the most likely winner of the April 7 special election, Democratic Senate Leader David A. Roberti--did not appear at the forum sponsored by the San Fernando Valley chapter of the Black American Political Assn. of California.

Standing in for Roberti at the debate was his chief deputy, Mel Assagai. Roberti campaign manager Cathy Keig said Roberti was unable to be present because he had left for Sacramento earlier in the day to attend to legislative business in the state capital.

“To turn around and come back here was something he wasn’t able to do,” she said. “Plus, there was fairly late notice on this event and his schedule was already set in Sacramento.”

Assagai said Roberti is working with other legislative leaders to put together a $6-billion state bond package to build new schools and other public works projects. The bonds are expected to create 40,000 jobs statewide, he said.

“A good portion of those jobs will be in the San Fernando Valley,” Assagai said.

Each candidate had three minutes to make an opening statement, then fielded questions from the audience of about 45 people.

Republican candidate David Honda, president of the United Chambers of Commerce of the San Fernando Valley, said an “unfriendly climate to business,” combined with high health care and housing costs, has hurt efforts to attract small business to the Valley.

Glenn Bailey, a Green Party candidate, said overbuilding of malls in the Valley has dampened the growth of small businesses.

He also urged that abandoned industrial plants, such as the soon-to-be-vacated GM facility in Van Nuys, be retooled to produce electric cars and other high-tech products.

Asked what he would do to combat gangs in the Valley, Democratic candidate Drew M. Angel said state government should “colonize the moon, build new transit systems between here and Sacramento . . . and improve the justice system.” During the debate, Angel wore a blue and white baseball cap reading, “We Are Robots. We Should Colonize the Moon.”

He did not elaborate.

Honda and several other candidates seemed miffed by the 30-second time limits that Black American Political Assn. organizers imposed on their answers to questions from the audience at the Boys & Girls Club of the San Fernando Valley in Pacoima.

Assagai said Roberti plans to meet with state Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi regarding Garamendi’s comprehensive health insurance program to provide coverage for 5 million working-class Californians who cannot afford to pay premiums.

Libertarian candidate John Vernon said he supports a proposal by Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) to establish tax-deductible accounts for people to pay health care costs.

The debate marked the first public clash among the 10 candidates in the special election in the 20th Senate District to succeed Robbins, who resigned in November after agreeing to plead guilty to federal corruption charges.

A candidate who gets a majority of votes in April wins the election outright. Unlike most California elections, this is an “open primary,” in which Democrats can vote for Republican candidates and vice versa. If no candidate captures a majority, the top vote-getters from each party go into a June 2 runoff election.