LOS ANGELES : Yaroslavsky Urges Interim Council Member for His Job

Worried that his constituency will be without a leader, departing Los Angeles City Council member Zev Yaroslavsky said this week that an interim lawmaker should be appointed when he steps down from his council post in December to join the county Board of Supervisors.

Yaroslavsky said he fears that a leaderless period--which could last as long as seven months--would hurt critical efforts to put earthquake-battered Sherman Oaks back on its feet. “That’s the risk,” the 5th District council member said during an interview this week.

Yaroslavksy has been receptive to the idea of establishing a redevelopment project in Sherman Oaks to finance the rebuilding effort, a move that would be enormously complicated.

An interim council member--who Yaroslavksy said must have no long-term political ambitions--could protect 5th District interests and possibly deter other council members from stripping the district of resources, he said.

Yaroslavsky leaves city office on Dec. 5 after serving 19 years. After that, District 5 residents would be without representation until mid-1995, the earliest date when a successor to Yaroslavsky could be elected to his seat. Yaroslavsky’s four-year term ends on June 30, 1997.