Vote Today Will Trim Field for Nolan’s Seat

Republican voters from Glendale, Burbank, Los Feliz and Silver Lake will try to identify an heir to former state Assemblyman Pat Nolan in a special election today, while local Democrats groom a champion they hope will wrest Nolan’s old district away from the GOP.

The special election, featuring four Democratic candidates, two Republican candidates and a Libertarian--was triggered by Nolan’s forced resignation in February after he pleaded guilty to one count of political racketeering.

If any candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, he or she will fill out the last seven months of Nolan’s term, which expires Dec. 5. But such an outcome is seen as unlikely.

“With this many candidates chasing the job, it’s going to be very difficult to win outright,” said Sheila McNichols, campaign manager for one of the GOP candidates.

Barring the unexpected, the top vote-getter from each party will square off on June 28 in a special election runoff for the 43rd Assembly District seat. The winner will serve until December.

But the election derby in the 43rd District doesn’t end there. Still up for grabs will be the new two-year Assembly term that begins Dec. 5. Regular elections to fill that seat will be held June 7 (the primary) and Nov. 8 (the general).

All seven candidates in today’s election will also be running in the June 7 primary. In addition, two more Republicans and one more Democrat will be in the primary.

The Glendale-Burbank area has been a GOP bastion for decades, but there are signs of change.

The latest reapportionment of the district eroded GOP strength by adding Silver Lake and Los Feliz. Before the remapping, the district was 47% Republican, 42% Democratic; now, it’s 44% Democratic and 42% Republican.

In 1992, red flags went up in GOP quarters when Bill Clinton, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer carried the district, albeit by narrow margins.

The GOP candidates are James Rogan, a Glendale Municipal Court judge; Julia Wu, a member of the Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees; David Wallis, an engineer and activist; and Joseph Pietroforte, a retired public accountant. The Democrats are Adam Schiff, a former assistant U.S. attorney, and Ken Kulpa, a broadcaster. The Libertarian candidate is Willard Michlin, a real estate broker.