Gun Permit Issue Loses in Redondo Beach : Elections: Opponents beat back effort to urge state to loosen rules on permits. Hawaiian Gardens, Pasadena, Pomona voters also go to polls.

Redondo Beach voters defeated an advisory measure to make it easier for residents to carry concealed weapons, one of a handful of municipal elections in Los Angeles County on Tuesday.

Voters also went to the polls to fill City Council and school district posts in Pasadena, Pomona and Hawaiian Gardens, where a controversial mayor won a decisive victory. Residents in Hawaiian Gardens and Pasadena also voted on local propositions.

But it was Redondo Beach’s advisory ballot measure, Proposition E, that underscored the debate over gun control nationwide.

“It’s a vote of reason over fear,” said Vanessa Poster, who campaigned against the measure, which asks state lawmakers to change the law so anyone who passes a firearms-safety course and is not deemed a public-safety threat is eligible for a permit to carry a gun.

Currently, state law allows only a community’s chief law enforcement officer to determine who gets a concealed weapons permit. Only five residents have them in Redondo Beach.

By contrast, the Pasadena City Council passed an ordinance last week to stiffen control on bullet sales by requiring those buying ammunition to register their name and other information.

The Redondo Beach measure, believed to be the first of its kind in the state, provoked angry debate in the city of 60,000. Supporters characterized the measure as a public-safety issue and argued that a well-armed citizenry would be a deterrent to criminals.

“The focus is to educate people on the subject matter,” Jerald Lorenz, a supporter of the measure, said of the initiative.

Opponents, including Councilman Robert Pinzler, said that relaxing the rules would be a threat to public peace, if not negative publicity for the beachside town.

In another Redondo Beach contest, City Treasurer Alice E. DeLong and one of two challengers, Ernie O’Dell, were neck and neck.

DeLong’s latest term was dogged by accusations that she mismanaged the treasurer’s office and came to work under the influence of alcohol. She denied the claims and filed a libel suit against city officials in December.

In the race for City Council, Mike Gin and incumbent Marilyn White won in District 3 and District 5 respectively with all the precincts reporting.

In Pasadena, Joyce Streator, Paul Little and William J. York Jr. led in early returns for three council seats. The one incumbent on the ballot, William M. Paparian, led a lone challenger in the city’s District 4.

The cordial race with 15 candidates vying for four council seats brought hopes that deep divisions on the City Council would come to an end. Retiring from the council are Kathryn Nack, Rick Cole and Isaac Richard, who colleagues censured three times in recent years over his angry outbursts.

In Hawaiian Gardens, Mayor Kathleen M. Navejas won a commanding third term. Her running mate, Rene Flores, had a slim lead over incumbent Councilman Domenic Ruggeri and two other candidates for another slot on the council.

As in years past, the campaign was raucous. Candidate Placido Alvarez said two men threatened his life if he did not drop out of the race. In another incident, an ally of Navejas threatened to clobber candidate Alan Calcote after Calcote complained that the city newsletter was a campaign tool of the mayor.

And Navejas accused her political enemies of trying to sell drugs to her son. She also said her opponents tried to discredit her by planting drugs in a car driven by City Administrator Nelson Oliva, arrested on drunk driving and cocaine possession charges last month. She did not offer any evidence to support either allegation.

In Pomona, the City Council’s recent approval of card clubs loomed large among the 10 candidates seeking three council seats and the mayor’s post. That angered some residents, who fear that the clubs will be a haven for criminal activity and make city officials beholden to special interests.

Incumbent Mayor Edward S. Cortez, a gas station owner-operator, led three challengers. He defended the city’s handling of financial issues in his campaign, citing the city’s creation of an economic development department last year. Incumbent council members Nell Soto, Paula Lantz and Willie E. White also had large leads.

Times staff writers Duke Helfand and Rick Holguin and correspondents James Benning, Jon Garcia and Richard Winton contributed to this report.

EDITION-TIME ELECTION RETURNS Counting of late and absentee ballots could alter the outcome in some races. CITY OFFICES HAWAIIAN GARDENS City Council Two seats 7 of 7 Precincts Reporting CANDIDATE: VOTE (%) Placido Alvarez: 435 (22) Alan Calcote: 186 (9) Rene R. Flores: 452 (23) Kathleen M. Navejas*: 550 (27) Domenic Ruggeri*: 385 (19) *

PASADENA City Council (In each race, if no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote, the two top finishers meet in a runoff) District 1 0 of 9 Precincts Reporting CANDIDATE: VOTE (%) Porfirio J. Frausto: 286 (27.6) Saundra L. Knox: 321 (31.0) Joyce Streator: 428 (41.3) *

District 2 0 of 8 Precincts Reporting CANDIDATE: VOTE (%) Ted Brown: 169 (26.3) James C. Brownfield: 28 (4.3) Paul Little: 226 (35.1) James Lomako: 34 (5.3) Mark R. Nay: 149 (23.2) Douglas B. Robertson: 37 (5.7) *

District 4 2 of 9 Precincts Reporting CANDIDATE: VOTE (%) William M. Paparian*: 816 (65.7) June Takenouchi: 424 (34.3) *

District 6 0 of 11 Precincts Reporting CANDIDATE: VOTE (%) Katherine H. Padilla: 430 (23.4) Jack Smith: 29 (1.6) Ann-Marie Villicana: 5576 (30.3) William J. York Jr.: 640 (34.8) Fred G. Zepeda: 180 (9.8) *

POMONA Mayor (If no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote, the two top finishers meet in a runoff) 21 of 28 Precincts Reporting CANDIDATE: VOTE (%) Ric Belluscio: 410 (9.8) Edward S. Cortez*: 2,240 (53.5) Milo E. Rodich: 1,207 (28.8) Abe Tapia: 326 (7.8) *

City Council District 1 0 of 5 Precincts Reporting CANDIDATE: VOTE (%) Robert Jackson: 371 (41.8) Nell Soto*: 515 (58.2) *

District 4 0 of 5 Precincts Reporting CANDIDATE: VOTE (%) Paula Lantz*: 511 (74.3) D’Andre McPheeters: 177 (25.7) *

District 6 0 of 8 Precincts Reporting CANDIDATE: VOTE (%) Gregory Osan: 372 (31.3) Willie E. White*: 817 (68.7) *

REDONDO BEACH City Treasurer (In each race, if no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote, the two top finishers meet in a runoff) 28 of 28 Precincts Reporting CANDIDATE: VOTE (%) Alice E. DeLong*: 2,637 (37.3) Armando Herrera: 1,909 (27.0) Ernie O’Dell: 2,524 (35.7) *

City Council (In each race, if no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote, the two top finishers meet in a runoff) District 3 6 of 6 Precincts Reporting CANDIDATE: VOTE (%) Steve Bopp: 197 (11.6) Frank Bostrom: 368 (21.7) William N. Gaillard: 75 (4.4) Mike Gin: 1,065 (62.5) *

District 5 6 of 6 Precincts Reporting CANDIDATE: VOTE (%) Barry J. Brennan: 66 (4.4) Kim Marie Lewis: 513 (34.7) Marilyn White*: 898 (60.8) *

* Denotes incumbents

SCHOOL DISTRICTS Pasadena Board of Education (If no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote, the two top finishers meet in a runoff) Seat 4 30 of 89 Precincts Reporting CANDIDATE: VOTE (%) Everett B. Baker: 690 (8.7) Jackie Jacobs: 3,676 (46.2) Delano Yarbrough: 3,606 (45.3) *

Redondo Beach Unified 2 seats 28 of 28 Precincts Reporting CANDIDATE: VOTE (%) Ron Cawdrey: 2,034 (16.2) Tom Downs*: 3,039 (24.3) Mary Laughton: 981 (7.9) David Moseid: 272 (2.2) Charles Pulford: 126 (1.0) Judy Swanson: 2,008 (16.0) William Wiener: 700 (5.6) D. Zeke Zeidler: 3,360 (26.8) *

Paramount Unified Proposition S Sell bonds for school construction (Requires approval by two-thirds of voters) 13 of 13 Precincts Reporting Yes: 1,725 (59) No: 1,201 (41) *

San Marino Unified Proposition A Assess $100 parcel tax (Requires approval by two-thirds of voters) 6 of 6 Precincts Reporting Yes: 2,954 (88.3) No: 390 (11.7) *

MEASURES HAWAIIAN GARDENS Measure A Make city clerk elected position 7 of 7 Precincts Reporting Yes: 577 (63) No: 340 (37) *

Two-year city clerk term Yes: 480 (62) No: 290 (38) *

Four-year term Yes: 296 (45) No: 358 (55) *

PASADENA Proposition 3 Limit city use of utility money 30 of 59 Precincts Reporting Yes: 3,280 (46.9) No: 3,730 (53.1) *

REDONDO BEACH Proposition E (Advisory) Ease state requirements for concealed-weapon permits 25 of 28 Precincts Reporting Yes: 2,577 (46.5) No: 2,975 (53.5)