Four Choices in Important L.A. City Council Races : June 8 election offers voters key decisions

While voters throughout Los Angeles cast ballots for a new mayor June 8, residents of four City Council districts will also have the chance to send new faces to City Hall. But none of the “new” faces is really an outsider to local government. So forget about all that insider-outsider talk--and vote for the person who you think might do the best job. Here are our recommendations:

District 3: In the southwest San Fernando Valley incumbent Joy Picus, 62, is in a runoff against Laura Chick, 48, a community relations consultant. This is the toughest reelection battle that the likable Picus, first elected in 1977, has faced. While she has a reputation as one of the council’s strongest advocates for women, she has lately been accused by opponents of being stale and ineffectual. Often cited as typical is her defeat in an effort to block Warner Ridge, a huge office complex proposed for Woodland Hills. The council initially went along with Picus’ opposition, the developer sued and after several costly courtroom defeats the council was forced to accept the project.

Chick, Picus’ former chief field deputy, has been a successful fund-raiser and argues, rather convincingly, that she would be friendlier to business than Picus has been. Chick appears to have strong support from senior citizens, small business and younger voters. Picus has tried to paint her former aide as a crony of “downtown insiders.” But Picus is obviously part of that Establishment, too. Between the two of them, we recommend Chick. A change is needed.

District 7: This seat in the northeast San Fernando Valley was left open by the retirement of Ernani Bernardi. While neither Lyle Hall, 53, nor Richard Alarcon, 39, can match Bernardi’s many years of City Hall experience, Alarcon has been Mayor Tom Bradley’s field deputy in the Valley and Hall is a Los Angeles fire captain who was a lobbyist for the firefighter’s union.

We endorse Alarcon, who has broader experience in dealing with issues specific to the Valley and particularly the 7th District. The area is so far from City Hall that for many years it was considered the city’s “forgotten” council district. Alarcon grew up in the area and has been active in community affairs since he was a teen-ager, reflected in the fact he’s worked with more than 50 Valley civic organizations.

District 13: This seat represents parts of Hollywood, Los Feliz, Silver Lake and Eagle Rock and was left open by Michael Woo’s decision to run for mayor. Jackie Goldberg, 48, a former school board member and aide to Supervisor Gloria Molina, is running against Tom LaBonge, 39, an aide to Council President John Ferraro.

Goldberg’s long stint as a member of the L.A. Board of Education is both her greatest strength and weakness. She has experience in building political coalitions and understands what it takes to make things happen in City Hall. But while on the school board she was considered soft on students who took weapons to school. That, admittedly, is a mixed record to run on, but between her and LaBonge, Goldberg is the better choice. She has a specific agenda: citing the city’s financial woes, she would downsize government, consolidate several departments, eliminate perks for top city officials and--only as a last resort--raise taxes. LaBonge is earnest but has a more limited vision of the job. Our best call is that Goldberg is better equipped to handle the challenge.

District 15: This district stretches from San Pedro to Watts. The runoff is between incumbent Joan Milke Flores, 56, and business owner Rudy Svorinich Jr., 32. Flores, elected in 1981, is in political trouble after losing two recent bids for other offices, and some in her district feel she has not been attentive to her council job.

Svorinich got into the runoff by focusing on his family’s many years of living in San Pedro and his 10 years as a businessman in Wilmington. But he has no experience in City Hall. Flores, in contrast, is regarded even by her council colleagues as one of that body’s most knowledgeable members. She merits reelection.