The L.A. City Council’s Fresh Faces

Tuesday’s election resulted in four new members on the 15-person Los Angeles City Council, the largest turnover in memory. Here is a look at the winners, who take office July 1.

LAURA CHICK

3rd District

Age: 48

Background: Worked as chief field deputy to Councilwoman Joy Picus.

Laura Chick easily defeated her former boss, Councilwoman Joy Picus, by hammering away at the “time for a change” theme. Chick pointed out in one campaign mailer that when Picus was first elected 16 years ago, Jimmy Carter was President and Elvis Presley was alive.

After emerging as the strongest of four challengers in the April primary, Chick outspent Picus during the fierce seven-week campaign. Picus, seeking her fifth term, never recovered from garnering only about a third of the votes in April’s primary. Picus angrily compared Chick to an employee who steals the boss’s clients and trade secrets to establish a business.

As the council’s representative from the southwest San Fernando Valley, Chick has promised to cut her administrative budget by $100,000 and transfer the money to the Los Angeles Police Department for additional officers. She also plans to form a Valley Economic Council of business leaders who will try to attract jobs.

Chick has a bachelor’s degree in history from UCLA and a master’s degree in social work from USC. She lives in Tarzana with her husband and four children.

JACKIE GOLDBERG

13th District

Age: 48

Background: Member of the Los Angeles school board from 1983 to 1991.

By defeating Tom LaBonge, a longtime aide to Council President John Ferraro, Jackie Goldberg becomes the first openly gay or lesbian member of the City Council. The seat was vacated by Michael Woo in his bid for mayor. Goldberg won 51.5% of the vote in one of the city’s more ethnically diverse-and politically progressive-districts by faring well among union workers, gays and lesbians, feminists, teachers and low-income groups. Her district stretches from northeast Los Angeles to Hollywood.

Goldberg teaches government, economics and English as a second language at Grant High School in the San Fernando Valley and has worked for Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina as an adviser on children’s issues.

An unabashed liberal, her politics were shaped by participation in the Free Speech student protest movement as an undergraduate at UC Berkeley in the late 1960’s. She has a master’s degree in history teaching from the University of Chicago. She preaches city government reform, tax incentives for employers who provide child care, a privately funded Urban Youth Corps and wider representation for the poor and minorities.

Goldberg and her partner, writer Sharon Stricker, live in Echo Park with Goldberg’s 18-year-old son, Brian.

RICHARD ALARCON

7th District

Age: 39

Background: Former top aide to Mayor Tom Bradley in the San Fernando Valley.

Pending results of uncounted absentee ballots, Richard Alarcon appears to have won the seat representing the northeast San Fernando Valley area in which he grew up. Campaigning in his first election, he portrayed himself as a grass-roots champion of the heavily Latino 7th Council district.

Plagued by anemic fund raising, he managed to stay abreast of his opponent, former city Fire Capt. Lyle Hall, by going heavily into debt. His campaign showed nearly $40,000 in unpaid bills as of June 2, although he managed to spend slightly more than Hall-nearly $96,000.

Alarcon painted the better-financed Hall as a captive of the City Hall Establishment. Seeking to become the first Latino to represent a Valley district, Alarcon benefited from strong volunteer support, including a cadre of young Latinos who telephoned voters and walked precincts for him. He was endorsed by City Council members Richard Alatorre and Mike Hernandez and by the Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley. Alarcon will take over the seat of retiring Councilman Ernani Bernardi, 81.

Alarcon graduated from Cal State Northridge in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He and his four children live in Mission Hills.

RUDY SVORNICH

15th District

Age: 33

Background: Paint store owner, chief of staff to former Assemblyman Gerald Felando

Six months ago, residents of the 15th District who live outside San Pedro said they were as likely to vote Rudy Svorinich into office over incumbent Joan Milke Flores as they were to get his name right on one try.

But enough voters from outside Svorninich’s home turf of San Pedro banded together with people in his community to help him oust the three-term incumbent. But Svonrinich (pronounced Sev-OR-nich) knows that he wond the election because of San Pedro support.

The Wilmington paint store owner mobilized an extensive network of business, social and religious connections formed over seven decades by his family. From the time a group of San Pedro community leaders asked him to run in December, 1991, his message never changed: He was a businessman and civic leader running against a career politician. Both he and Flores are white Republicans in a Democratic district with a large minority population, but Svornich pressed home that he is a moderate while she is a conservative.

Svornich is a former president of the Yugoslavian American Club, now called the Dalmatian American Club, in a heavily Slavic community. Svornich, who married Deann Mardesich two years ago, graduated from Cal State Dominguez Hills with a degree in business administration / management.