Flores’ Defeat Could Make Them Losers, Too : Elections: Potential candidates in the council race reassess their plans now that Joan Milke Flores isn’t going to Congress.

Many in the harbor area remain stunned by Joan Milke Flores’ loss to Democrat Jane Harman in last week’s 36th Congressional District race--especially those who had hoped to run for Flores’ Los Angeles City Council seat.

Stunned and deeply disappointed.

Officially, five people have filed with the city ethics commission, giving notice that they would be collecting funds to campaign for the seat. They are: San Pedro businessman Rudy Svorinich Jr., Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education member Warren Furutani, San Pedro businessman Xavier Hermosillo, San Pedro attorney Diane Middleton and Janice Hahn, also of San Pedro.

Unofficially, at least nine or 10 others were poised to join what would be a political free-for-all. Since Flores’ loss, however, many have pulled back from the arena, uncertain now of what to do.

In an interview the day after her Election Day loss, Flores promised not to speculate too long about her future.

“I’ll make a decision next week about my council seat,” she said. “The filings begin in January and the elections are in June. I’ve got a wonderful staff and constituency, but I do believe in term limits and I want to weigh (it) all.”

Two of the five who have filed papers indicating their interest in her job--Middleton and Svorinich, both of whom are critics of Flores’ performance in office--say they will run regardless of whether she seeks reelection.

Hermosillo and Furutani are waiting to see what Flores will do. Both have said they would not run against her.

Hahn, who is eager to run, said she will spend the weekend assessing the political wisdom of challenging the 12-year incumbent, if necessary.

“It changes everything,” Hahn said. “The outcome of that election certainly disappointed me because I expected her to leave that seat vacant. . . . Waging a campaign against an incumbent takes on a very different dynamic.”

Hahn, the daughter of County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn and sister of Los Angeles City Attorney James Hahn, said she will consult with her family this week to determine the political wisdom of taking on Flores.

By all accounts, the race for the 15th District seat, up for election in June, is going to be brutal. The various official and unofficial candidates already are calling each other names and using superlatives to express contempt for one another.

Should Flores choose to seek another council term, most of those who want her seat agree that she would be the odds-on favorite to win. And, most likely, only Svorinich, Hahn and Middleton would challenge her.

Joanne Wysocki, president of the Wilmington Homeowners Assn. and a member of the undeclared-but-interested group, said she remains uncertain about running now that Flores still occupies the seat.

“If she won, it would’ve been open season and you’d see everybody joining in,” Wysocki said. “She’s the incumbent and she has money, but, no, I don’t think she’s unbeatable. If feeling runs against incumbents, then she’s vulnerable on that, but when you look at how many incumbents weren’t defeated you have to wonder about the hype.”

Her favorite candidate, she said, would be Assemblyman David Elder--should he decide to run. Elder did not file papers and could not be reached for comment Thursday or Friday.

Wilmington community activist Joe Mendez, a friend and political ally of Wysocki’s, also has said he would wait to see what Flores decides before announcing whether he would vie for the nonpartisan seat.

Until Flores announces one way or the other, Hermosillo--who worked on Flores’ congressional campaign--is deftly maintaining a balance between openly running for her seat and sitting still while she decides what to do.

“I am actively seeking her endorsement, but I have the greatest respect for Joan and I’ll certainly support her in whatever she decides,” he said. “I would not run against her.”

Her bruising loss to Harman has some wondering whether the conventional wisdom--which says it would be supremely difficult to unseat Flores if she wants to stay--may now be less true.

So, in the shadows, just out of sight, circles the pack of would-be candidates, trying to assess just how badly Flores was wounded by her defeat.

“When you have two strikes, you’re almost out,” Svorinich said Friday. “Joan Milke Flores is vulnerable because of her two attempts to seek higher office and being defeated. . . . It also shows she would like to move up and out and possibly may no longer be interested in serving the people of the 15th District.”

Regardless, the politicking already has begun.

“Frankly, I don’t see a tough challenger,” he said. “I’m going to be running against a gaggle--a gaggle of opportunists, carpetbaggers and has-been career politicians.”