ELECTIONS / L.A. CITY COUNCIL : Candidate Falsely Claimed Citizenship : Raymond J. Magana listed a U.S. birthplace on a document but says he found later he was born in Mexico.

In an admission that political rivals promptly used to attack him, Los Angeles City Council candidate Raymond J. Magana acknowledged Thursday that he falsely stated that he was a California native when he registered to vote in 1978, when actually he was born in Mexico.

But he said he did so only because he was raised from the age of 10 in Los Angeles by older sisters who told him he was U. S.-born to protect him from discrimination.

Magana’s opponents swiftly pounced on his concession, saying that giving false information in a government record raises questions about his integrity and labeling his explanation implausible.

Magana is among seven candidates battling to succeed City Councilman Ernani Bernardi in the 7th Council District, a heavily Latino enclave in the northeastern San Fernando Valley. A Sylmar attorney, Magana, 37, leads the pack in fund raising and is considered a prime contender to become the Valley’s first Latino councilman.

According to Los Angeles County records, Magana listed his place of birth as California on a 1978 voter registration affidavit. After being naturalized as a U. S. citizen in 1989, Magana re-registered the following year, giving his correct birthplace in the state of Jalisco, Mexico, records show.

Prospective voters must certify that they are U. S. citizens and over 18 years old at the time they register, and the registration affidavits carry warnings that perjury is punishable by up to four years in state prison, said a spokeswoman for the county registrar of voters.

Magana explained that his mother died when he was 10 and he moved from Mexico to Los Angeles so his two sisters could raise him. His sisters told him he was an American citizen, he said, because “it was easier to say I was born in California than be harassed” as an alien from Mexico.

Magana said earlier this week he could not remember the year he was naturalized, but confirmed Thursday that it was not until 1989. In a prior interview, he said he “might have voted” in a California election before being naturalized, a violation of state law.

He said that “sometime in the early 1980s,” he traveled to Mexico and discovered in family records that he was actually born in that country.

He said he could not recall the exact year but that he was a law school student at the time.

Later, he said, he applied to the U. S. government to become a naturalized citizen, informing authorities that he had incorrectly stated earlier that he was born in the United States.

Magana insisted he did not realize until he was in his 20s that he was born in Mexico, even though he spent his first 10 years there. He compared his situation to that of an illegitimate child who does not discover his true parentage until adulthood.

“I’m not trying to deny anything. I’m not trying to hide anything,” he said.

But rivals hooted at his explanation, saying it does not make sense. They said the disclosure raises questions about Magana’s integrity and damages his chances in the April 20 primary election.

“His explanation does not ring true,” said Harvey Englander, a campaign consultant for rival candidate Al Dib.

“A 10-year-old not only knows what country he was born in, he knows what state he was born in, what city he was born in, and probably what hospital he was born in.”

Englander compared Magana to Rose Mary Woods, a former executive assistant to President Richard Nixon who testified that she erased 18 1/2 minutes of an incriminating tape recording by accident.

Another rival candidate, Lyle Hall, said: “I’m not Hispanic. I have not been subjected to racial discrimination of that type. But it does not seem like a logical, plausible story to me.”

Hall said Magana’s admission that he provided false information on the voter affidavit hurts Magana because it was a response to inquiries by news reporters, rather than a voluntary public disclosure by Magana.

“The burden of proof, of showing that it was done in a good-faith error, is on him. He admits he swore to two different statements on two different forms,” Hall said.

Richard Alarcon, another opponent, accused Magana of trying to “cover up” his Mexican heritage. He said he has known Magana for 15 years and assumed all along that he was a U. S. citizen.

“He’s been under this disguise for quite awhile. That’s why I’m so shocked,” Alarcon said.

He also questioned Magana’s statement that he could not remember the year he was naturalized, saying “that’s like saying you don’t remember when you graduated high school.”

Magana insisted that he never intentionally misrepresented his place of birth.

He said his sisters lied to him only to protect him and that such situations are not uncommon among immigrant families.

He also noted that federal immigration authorities did nothing to block his naturalization even though he informed them that he had once stated he was a citizen when he wasn’t.

“I think that people understand this for what it is,” he said. “I’m sure that some voters will be able to relate to this situation.”

But Englander predicted a different reaction.

“This story will severely hamper his credibility with voters,” he said.