CANOGA PARK : Diamond to Run for Council Seat

Morton S. Diamond, a 60-year-old free-lance paralegal from Canoga Park, has declared his intention to raise money to run for the seat now held by Los Angeles City Councilwoman Joy Picus.

As part of his fledgling campaign, Diamond has signed a contract pledging to serve only two four-year terms if elected.

Diamond also was a candidate in 1989 for the 3rd District seat Picus holds. He placed fifth with 1,500 votes, compared to 14,500 for Picus, who won handily. In that race, Diamond was widely known as the hot dog vendor candidate because he sold hot dogs from a mobile cart at the corner of Owensmouth Street and Sherman Way.

Diamond said he became a paralegal, in part, so that he would not again be called the hot dog candidate for the council. “But I’m not ashamed that I sold hot dogs,” Diamond said. “It was an honest living.”