LOCAL ELECTIONS / LA PALMA : Wide Open Council Contest Includes No Incumbents : Most of the candidates agree that a major problem is presented by revenue losses that the city has suffered in recent years because of state budget cutbacks.

Two things stand out in the Nov. 8 City Council election: no incumbents and declining revenue.

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The two incumbent council members chose not to seek reelection, and as a result the races for both their seats are wide open. And most of the candidates seeking the slots on the City Council agree that declining city revenue, mainly because of state cutbacks, is a major municipal problem.

Incumbent Councilman Larry A. Herman is completing his second term and chose not to run again, thus honoring an unenforceable law on the city’s books that forbids more than two terms. Under state law, the ordinance cannot be enforced because La Palma, as a non-charter city, is not empowered to set such term limits. Charter cities may have such ordinances.

The other incumbent, Councilman David Lim, was appointed to the council two years ago when Councilman Orbrey Duke became unable to complete his term because of a heart ailment. Though eligible to seek a full term, Lim chose not to.

Four people are seeking the two open council seats. The contenders are Kenneth Blake, Alta E. Duke, Charlene Hatakeyama and the Rev. Gerald L. Patton Sr.

Blake, 47, is a controller-accountant in private business. He is chairman of the city’s Cultural and Beautification Committee and has served on the La Palma Day Parade Committee and the city’s Blue Ribbon Finance Committee. He is a member of La Palma Kiwanis Club and the Chamber of Commerce.

Blake, who is married and has two sons, ages 11 and 19, has lived in the city for 23 years. He praised the council and city staff for maintaining superior municipal service despite state budget cuts. He said he wants to continue that effort and to keep the city attractive and free of graffiti. Blake also said he wants to attract small businesses to the city, to bolster municipal income.

Duke, 61, is the wife of former Councilman Duke. She has worked on the city of Downey municipal staff for the last 29 years and is now Downey’s social services manager. She said her long experience in municipal government suits her well for the La Palma council. She also said her work as a city staffer has given her a strong background in dealing with the public.

Duke said that she sees maintaining city services and quality of life in La Palma, despite shrinking budgets, as a major challenge for the City Council. She and her husband have two grown children and six grandchildren.

Hatakeyama, 48, is an insurance agent and is state-credentialed as an elementary school teacher. She is president of the La Palma Chamber of Commerce and has served as treasurer of the La Palma Lions Club and as a member of the city’s Cultural and Beautification Committee and Blue Ribbon Finance Committee.

Hatakeyama said she wants to help the city’s financial stability, promote a favorable business climate and strengthen the public-private partnership. She said state cutbacks to city funding make it a challenging time for the city to try to maintain and improve services to residents.

Patton, 64, is an ordained Baptist minister and a retired investigator for the Internal Revenue Service. He operates a private investigations service, specializing in missing persons, and he has been chaplain for the La Palma Police Department for 15 years. He and his wife have three grown children.

Patton said he sees a need for stressing family and Biblical values. He also identified himself as a strong conservative. He is active in Masonic organizations.