Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Belated Candidate Forums May Heat Up Council Race

With an earthquake-stunted political season, Santa Clarita’s 11 active City Council candidates are only now getting their messages out to potential voters.

Candidate forums are expected to play a larger role than normal for those seeking the three open council seats April 12, and moderated discussions are being presented by political parties, environmental groups, business interests, a service club, the senior citizens center and a local radio station.

The first will be at 2:30 p.m. today at Canyon Country’s First Christian Church. Sponsored by the Democratic Club of the Santa Clarita Valley, it features wry references to regular council proceedings.

Candidates’ opening statements are being capped at three minutes, the time allotted to citizens at council meetings. And the entire forum is projected to take four hours and seven minutes--”the length of a typical Santa Clarita City Council meeting,” organizers said.

“So many of the forums, there’s so little time to hear what they have to say,” said Frank Ford, event chairman.

With the council race supposed to be nonpartisan--and no declared Democrats running--the club won’t be making endorsements.

Five other forums are scheduled before the election, and some will focus on specific topics such as the environment.

“We cast a spotlight on things other forums don’t cover,” said Karen Pearson, vice president of the Santa Clarita Valley chapter of the Sierra Club, which will sponsor one of the forums.

“This is one of the quietest City Council candidates race I’ve seen in a long time. It’s very important people know who they’re voting for.”

The Sierra Club forum is set for 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center in Newhall.

Other scheduled forums are:

* March 28, 7 p.m. at Placerita Junior High School in Newhall, sponsored by the Zonta Club.

* March 31, 7 p.m. in the Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center in Newhall, sponsored by the senior center.

* April 4, 7:30 p.m. in the Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center, sponsored by the Santa Clarita Civic Assn.

* April 16, 7 p.m. at Sulphur Springs Elementary School in Canyon Country, sponsored by the Canyon Country Chamber of Commerce, KBET 1220-AM and the Signal newspaper.

The Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce is not holding its traditional forum because its operations were disrupted by the Northridge earthquake. A forum by the Santa Clarita Valley Congress of Republicans has been canceled because it conflicted with the earlier-scheduled Zonta Club event.

The three incumbents seeking reelection are Carl Boyer, Jo Anne Darcy and Jill Klajic. Their challengers are Larry Bird, an apartment owner and manager; Dennis Farnham, a Los Angeles police officer and small-business owner; Fred Heiser, an engineer; Tim Jorgensen, an emergency medical technician; Clyde Smith, former superintendent of the William S. Hart Union High School District; Linda Storli, a high school history teacher and former parks commissioner; Theodore de Vries, and Craig Wanek.

Also on the ballot will be Kenneth Dean and Rosalind Wayman. Both have dropped out of the race.