Flores Faces 5 Opponents as She Tries for 4th Term : Politics: At least two of the declared candidates might not have entered the City Council race if she had announced her candidacy earlier.

City Councilwoman Joan Milke Flores might be facing an easier run for reelection in April if she had been quicker to decide whether to seek another term.

After losing Nov. 3 in a bid for Congress, the San Pedro Republican waited until Christmas Eve to declare her candidacy for a fourth term in the 15th Council District, which stretches from San Pedro to Watts.

The delay has prompted at least two candidates with broad name recognition to formally enter the race: Los Angeles Unified school board member Warren Furutani and Janice K. Hahn, daughter of former Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn.

“With an incumbent that has a history of winning, needless to say she will be the odds-on favorite,” said Furutani, who plans to announce his candidacy later this week. “So normally you just sort of wait your turn for when they decide not to run again.

“But she kept delaying and delaying so we kept working. Our concern was that if she didn’t run and we didn’t do the legwork, then we’d be caught flat-footed.”

After Flores’ loss in the congressional race to Democrat Jane Harman--an upset that astonished many in the Harbor area--Hahn too was skeptical about taking on the incumbent. But like Furutani, Hahn--who has publicly declared her candidacy--became increasingly encouraged to jump in the longer Flores delayed her decision.

“I think the fact that she has wanted to move on, running for other offices, sends a clear message to constituents that she no longer wants to represent them in City Hall,” Hahn said. “Had she come back right after the election and said to voters, ‘I wanted to serve you on the Congressional level but that wasn’t to be, so I’d still like to serve you,’ I probably would not have run.”

To be sure, Flores’ decision to seek reelection, no matter how late it came, has dissuaded some council hopefuls from running. Among them is San Pedro businessman Xavier Hermosillo, who had long said he would bow out if Flores sought a fourth term.

But Flores still may face numerous rivals from her home base of San Pedro, which normally contributes 45% of the 15th District vote. (Wilmington accounts for about 15% of the vote, Watts for 25%, Harbor City for 7%-10% and Harbor Gateway for 5%-8%.)

In fact, four of the five declared candidates in the 15th District live in San Pedro--Flores, Hahn, attorney Diane Middleton and businessman Rudy Svorinich.

Svorinich, whose family has lived in San Pedro for 70 years, expects to have strong grass-roots support. Middleton, who has worked extensively with the longshoremen’s union and labor in the Harbor area, is also counting on a substantial slice of the San Pedro vote. Furutani, who recently moved from Gardena to Harbor Gateway, was born in San Pedro and will also claim local roots.

With the San Pedro vote likely to be carved up, voters in Wilmington and Watts may play a more important role in the outcome of the 15th District election than they have in the past.

“If you look at everybody vying for San Pedro, whoever can build a coalition across the entire 15th will have the best advantage,” Furutani said. “Watts and Wilmington are going to be hitting hard to step in where Pedro has been. I think that’s going to be really a significant part of this campaign.”

For other candidates, carpetbagging is also expected to be a high-profile campaign theme. Svorinich, for instance, is already drawing attention to Furutani and Hahn’s moves into the district within the last year.

“I truly believe that Mr. Furutani and Mrs. Hahn both should serve on the city council--the Gardena and Long Beach city councils,” Svorinich said. “After all, that’s where they lived until the last few months.”