13 File for Nolan’s Assembly Seat

A judge, a former prosecutor, a policeman and an educator were among the 13 candidates who filed to run for the state Assembly seat left vacant by the resignation of incumbent Pat Nolan.

Meanwhile, four candidates, including Los Angeles City Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky, filed for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors seat now held by Ed Edelman.

Nolan resigned Feb. 18 after the Glendale Republican pleaded guilty to political racketeering, while Edelman announced late last year that he would be retiring when his current term expires in December.

No surprise candidates emerged in either race. Wednesday was the deadline for filing nomination papers in both races because neither has an incumbent running.

Filing for the Nolan seat in the GOP primary were Municipal Court Judge James Rogan of Glendale, Los Angeles Police Department Officer Peter Repovich of Glendale and Los Angeles Community College board member Julia Wu of Silver Lake.

Last week, Rogan was overwhelmingly endorsed by delegates to a mini-convention staged by the area’s Republican Central Committee.

Repovich, who tried unsuccessfully to block that endorsement, observed later that “the 43rd District is bigger than this convention” and vowed to continue his fight for the GOP nomination while Wu supporters also privately complained that the convention was stacked in Rogan’s favor with Old Guard Glendale Republicans.

Also filing to run in the June 7 Republican primary are David Wallis Jr., a retired engineer who is president of Sicimore Canyon Inc., the owner of the Chevy Chase Country Club; Matthew Collins of Burbank; Joseph Pietroforte of Los Angeles, and Louis Morelli of Burbank.

Five candidates have filed in the Democratic primary for the 43rd District seat. They are Adam Schiff, a former federal prosecutor; Ken Kulpa of Burbank, Craig Freis, a member of the local Democratic Central Committee, Craig Byrnes of Glendale and Wesley James Koopman.

Schiff has been identified by some of the region’s Democratic lawmakers, including state Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sylmar), as their choice to try to undo decades of Republican rule in the 43rd District.

Also filing for the seat was Libertarian Willard Michlin, a real estate broker.

Glendale, long the heart of the district and a bastion of Republicanism, voted for Bill Clinton in 1992. Also, the registration of voters in the 43rd District, after the 1991 reapportionment, is 44% Democratic to 42% Republican. “This is not Orange County,” Parke Skelton, Schiff’s campaign manager, said recently.

Running for the 3rd Supervisorial District besides Yaroslavsky, who has already raised nearly $750,000 for his campaign, are Don Wallace of Calabasas, a former fire captain and ex-deputy to Edelman; Elgin Trammel Jr., an attorney from Lake View Terrace, and Michael S. Hirsch, an environmental consultant from Van Nuys.