26 Vying to Replace Trio of State Legislators From the Valley : Elections: Sen. Roberti and Assembly members Friedman and Margolin are not seeking reelection.

Twenty-six candidates--including a peripatetic state senator, a former TV sitcom actress and two West Hollywood City Council members--are running to replace three state legislators from the San Fernando Valley who are not seeking reelection this year.

The three seats up for grabs are now held by state Sen. David Roberti (D-Van Nuys), who is ineligible to seek reelection under the term-limit law; state Assemblyman Terry Friedman (D-Brentwood), who is retiring to seek a judgeship, and Assemblyman Burt Margolin (D-Los Angeles), who is running for state insurance commissioner.

Monday was the deadline for candidates to file for state offices in which no incumbents are running. The filing deadline for other seats was last Wednesday.

The primary election is June 7, the general election Nov. 8.

The Roberti seat--situated wholly in the Valley and representing Canoga Park, Van Nuys, North Hollywood, Sun Valley, Pacoima, Sylmar and the city of San Fernando--has attracted 10 candidates.

Most prominent is state Sen. Herschel Rosenthal (D-Los Angeles), a lawmaker who recently rented a home in Roberti’s district to establish residency there. Opponents are already calling Rosenthal, who has long represented Westside constituencies, a carpetbagger.

Rosenthal, 75, said last week that he was running for Roberti’s seat because the Valley needs an experienced legislator to help get it back on its feet after the earthquake. But critics say Rosenthal is running for Roberti’s seat because he stands little hope of being elected to the Eastside-based seat he wound up with when legislative districts were reapportioned in 1990.

The race to replace Roberti--who has taken out nomination papers to run for either the State Board of Equalization or for state treasurer--also features Jim Keysor, a Democrat and state assemblyman from the Valley from 1970 to 1978.

Others in the race include three who have been involved in the April 12 election to recall Roberti. They are Democrat William Dominguez, a systems analyst who led the recall coalition, and Republicans Dolores White, a real estate broker, and Larry Martz, a contractor.

Running as Republicans for the Roberti seat are David Honda, a contractor, who ran in the 1992 special election against Roberti; Al Dib, a retired grocer who ran for Los Angeles City Council last year, and Randy Linkmeyer, a gun shop owner. Democrat Michael Del Rio is also running as is Peace and Freedom Party candidate Gary Kast.

As of the Monday deadline, eight candidates had filed for the 41st Assembly District seat now held by Friedman, which includes Brentwood, West Los Angeles, Pacific Palisades and Malibu south of the Santa Monica Mountains, and Encino, Tarzana, Woodland Hills, West Hills, Warner Center, Agoura Hills and Calabasas north of the mountains.

The Democratic candidates for the Friedman seat--all Westsiders--are attorney Bill Rothbard of Pacific Palisades who has been president of Americans for Non-Smokers Rights, the group that led the fight for the airline smoking ban; attorney Roger Diamond, a homeowner activist in the campaign during the 1980s to block oil drilling in the Pacific Palisades by Occidental Petroleum; Santa Monica resident Sheila James Kuehl, an attorney who played Zelda in the 1960s television sitcom “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis”; attorney Edward Z. Tabash of Malibu, an activist in the California Abortion Rights Action League, and Leslie Devine, a member of the Calabasas City Council.

Running as Republicans for the seat are Peter Eason of Calabasas, Stefan Stitch, a recent USC graduate, and Fred Beteta.

Although most of the candidates are from the Westside section of the 41st District, only 44% of the district’s registered voters live on the Westside, the others residing in the Valley, Calabasas or Agoura Hills.

The other open seat with a Valley constituency is in the 42nd Assembly District, now represented by Margolin. Although it is dominated by Westwood, Bel-Air, Beverly Hills, the Fairfax district, West Hollywood and Hollywood, the district also extends northward into Sherman Oaks and Studio City.

Vying to represent this heavily Democratic area are eight people, including four current office-holders seeking political promotion.

The candidates are two West Hollywood City Council members--Paul Koretz and Abbe Land--Los Angeles school board member Mark Slavkin, Los Angeles Community College board member Wally Knox; Laura Lake, a former UCLA teacher and Los Angeles City Council candidate; Bruce Margolin, a lawyer active with the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws; John Duran, a lawyer and gay activist, and Stephanie Van Vliet of Van Nuys.

Other state legislative seats from the Valley up for election are:

* The 38th Assembly District. Incumbent Paula Boland (D-Granada Hills) will have no foes in the Republican primary. Also filing for the seat are Democrat Josh Arce of Chatsworth and Green Party member Charles Wilken.

* The 40th Assembly District. Incumbent Richard Katz (D-Sylmar) has filed for reelection. In the primary, Katz will face Ollie McCaulley of Panorama City. Also running are Republican Nicholas Fitzgerald and Peace and Freedom Party member Gene Mooney.

* The 41st Assembly District. Incumbent Barbara Friedman (D-Van Nuys) will face Democrat Frank Real in the primary. Also running are Republican Noel DeGaetano, Libertarian Kelley L. Ross and Peace and Freedom Party member Marcia Silverstein.

* The 43rd Assembly District. Incumbent Pat Nolan (R-Glendale), who is under indictment on political corruption charges, will be challenged by three Republicans in the primary--Mathhew Collins of Burbank, Taryn McNatt-Lorimer of North Hollywood and Peter Repovich of North Hollywood, a Los Angeles police officer.

Running as Democrats for the 43rd District seat are Adam Schiff, a former U. S. attorney, and Ken Kulpa, a community activist. Libertarian Willard Michlin is also a candidate.