L.A. ELECTIONS / CITY COUNCIL : As Runoff Battles Begin, One Loser Celebrates : 5th District: Feuer says strong showing is an indication of voter dissatisfaction. Yaroslavsky must rethink her strategy, some say.

Mike Feuer’s strong showing against Barbara Yaroslavsky in the 5th District City Council race fueled speculation Wednesday that Yaroslavsky needs to seriously reassess her strategy for the June runoff if she hopes to fill the post vacated last year by her husband, Zev.

In Tuesday’s primary, Feuer, the former director of a free legal clinic, bested Yaroslavsky by nearly 4,000 votes despite her strong name recognition, an endorsement from Mayor Richard Riordan and a $100,000 lead in campaign fund raising.

The results surprised many political observers, who had anointed Yaroslavsky the front-runner to fill the seat that Zev Yaroslavsky vacated last year after he won a post on the County Board of Supervisors.

Barbara Yaroslavsky drew 7,930 votes, or 26.5%, compared to 11,900 votes, or 39%, garnered by Feuer. Former school board member Roberta Weintraub received 6,380, or 21.2%, and Sherman Oaks businessman Jeff Brain got 3,650, or 12.3%, according to semiofficial results.

Feuer wasted no time starting the runoff campaign, holding a Wednesday news conference during which he attributed his strong showing, in part, to a rejection by voters of the “politics as usual” message that he said Yaroslavsky represents.

“I haven’t seen Barbara articulate a series of specific proposals on how we are going to bring integrity to City Hall,” Feuer said. “Until we do, we are talking about politics as usual as opposed to politics of the future.”

For her part, Yaroslavsky said she was not disappointed by the results and does not plan on changing her strategy, which she said has focused on a platform to improve public safety by increasing the city’s police force and expanding after-school programs for youths.

“I’m fine with the results,” she said. “It’s nothing out of the ordinary.”

But Yaroslavsky added that with Weintraub out of the race she anticipates winning the women’s vote in the district.

Still, some political consultants said, Yaroslavsky was outscored by Feuer because her campaign bought into a strategy of winning based on name recognition, and by doing so she failed to get her message across to voters.

That apparent miscalculation, said political consultant Richard Lichtenstein, benefited Feuer.

Political consultant Steve Afriat said he was surprised by the lead Feuer held over Yaroslavsky and agreed that she must try a new strategy.

“In this field I would have expected them to be grouped a lot closer,” he said.

But observers such as Afriat, Lichtenstein and others do not agree on what new tactics Yaroslavsky should take.

Although some said she should more clearly articulate her own ideas and goals--emphasizing her differences with her husband--others suggest she should take advantage of his popularity and campaign on her ties with Zev Yaroslavsky.

“My advice would be for Barbara to come forward and embrace her relationship with Zev,” Afriat said. “It’s no secret that Zev is supporting her and that she is Zev’s wife. . . . It didn’t seem to do any good to downplay that relationship in the past, so I would try the opposite strategy.”

Lichtenstein disagreed, saying Yaroslavsky needs to provide voters with very specific solutions to the city’s major problems and “repeat them ad nauseam.”

Political consultant Paul Clarke, a longtime acquaintance of Yaroslavsky, said he thinks Feuer outdistanced her simply because he had a superior “get-out-the-vote organization” that included door-to-door soliciting and campaign mailing.

The pundits unanimously dismissed suggestions that Yaroslavsky’s showing represented a loss of influence for Zev Yaroslavsky or Riordan, both of whom played big roles in Yaroslavsky’s campaign literature.

“I wouldn’t read a lot into it,” Clarke said. “Endorsements per se are rarely the deciding factor for many voters. You can’t lay this on anyone else, whether it’s Zev or Riordan.”

To buttress this point, the consultants noted that Riordan supported some controversial charter amendments on Tuesday’s ballot that voters overwhelmingly supported. As for Zev Yaroslavsky, they said his easy victory in securing a seat on the Board of Supervisors shows that his popularity is still intact--even if his wife is not enjoying the same success.

Feuer and Barbara Yaroslavsky said they have begun to lobby Weintraub and Brain in hopes of winning their endorsements and their supporters.

Weintraub and Brain said they have yet to decide whom they will endorse, if they endorse anyone. Weintraub capitalized on strong support from women, educators and some conservative voters, while Brain’s base of support was among the Valley’s business community.

Because Weintraub garnered almost a quarter of the vote, her support is considered by many to be key to a runoff victory. By all indications, Weintraub seems unlikely to endorse either Feuer or Yaroslavsky.

Weintraub is still smarting from a harsh attack that Feuer launched last week when he accused her of voting to double her salary as a school board member and falling asleep during contract negotiations with striking teachers--charges that Weintraub refuted.

And during the campaign, Weintraub repeatedly said she does not believe Yaroslavsky has the experience or qualifications to sit on the City Council.

A disappointed Weintraub said that the election signals the end of a political career that spanned nearly 15 years.

“I feel very proud of myself,” she said. “I’m not going to run for anything else. I did my very best, and there wasn’t another job that I wanted.”