Dib Announces He Will Seek Bernardi Seat on City Council : Politics: The Sylmar businessman said Councilman Hal Bernson, a longtime friend, will be the ‘backbone’ of his election campaign.

Sylmar businessman Al Dib, who Wednesday formally announced his candidacy for the City Council seat held by retiring lawmaker Ernani Bernardi, is getting a major boost from Councilman Hal Bernson.

“Hal Bernson is going to be the backbone of my campaign,” the 58-year-old Dib acknowledged Wednesday. “He’s supporting me 100%.”

“Hal is definitely supporting Dib,” said Ali Sar, Bernson’s press deputy. Bernson, who had been attending a convention of municipal officials in New Orleans, could not be reached for comment.

Dib, the former owner of a produce company, and Bernson are longtime friends who share conservative values, which have helped to cement their emerging political alliance in the upcoming 7th District race. Dib also has been a volunteer in Bernson’s political campaigns.

Bernson, the powerful chairman of the council’s planning committee, will play a particularly important role in raising money for his campaign, Dib said.

For example, Bernson is helping organize a Jan. 14 fund-raising event for him at the Sportsmen’s Lodge in Studio City and Tuesday will host a breakfast strategy meeting of the co-chairmen of the Sportsmen’s Lodge event, Dib said. The co-chairmen each will be responsible for selling 10 seats at the January event at $250 per seat.

Dib said he has already picked about 20 co-chairmen, while Bernson has selected another 40.

“It’s sad to say but true that money is the mother’s milk of politics,” Dib said.

Dib, who ran against Bernardi in 1989 and came in third, blamed that loss on a lack of money. “That’s why I didn’t win before,” he said.

Bernson has already helped arrange a political marriage between Dib and Bernson’s former political consultant, Harvey Englander, of Orange County.

Englander helped score a victory for Bernson last year in his bitterly fought runoff campaign against school board challenger Julie Korenstein.

Dib said he plans “to follow the Bernardi tradition of as far as being the conscience of the City Council and being a taxpayer watchdog.” Bernardi has long been known as a fiscal conservative and as the city’s most vocal champion of campaign-finance reform.

Another major plank in his platform will be to boost the Los Angeles Police Department to 10,000 officers without new taxes, Dib said.

This position echoes a plan of Bernson’s, who is pressing for a City Charter amendment to require the city to add 550 officers each year without new taxes until the force reaches 10,000.

To find the money for more officers, the city “needs to cut the fat out of all the other departments,” Dib said.

Meanwhile, Englander, Dib’s campaign consultant, will also be running Laura Chick’s campaign to unseat incumbent Councilwoman Joy Picus in the upcoming spring elections, it was also announced Wednesday.

Chick, a former top aide to Picus, has maintained that her former boss has failed to provide adequate leadership on the issues of Warner Ridge and Warner Center in her district.

Englander has a long history of involvement in Los Angeles politics.

In 1981, he ran Howard Finn’s successful attempt to succeed Councilman Bob Ronka, and in 1985 he directed Councilman Michael Woo’s campaign, in which he ousted incumbent Peggy Stevenson.

In 1989, Englander ran Fire Capt. Lyle Hall’s strong campaign to defeat Bernardi. Hall earned a berth in the runoff against Bernardi but lost in the final showdown.

Bernardi plans to step aside next year when his current four-year term expires.