Homeowner Leader Endorses Yaroslavsky : Sherman Oaks: Close’s backing is valued in an area that proved difficult during the primary.

Barbara Yaroslavsky’s bid for the vacant 5th District City Council post received a potential boost in the San Fernando Valley Monday when she won the endorsement of Richard Close, longtime president of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn.

Yaroslavsky’s camp plans to highlight the endorsement in campaign literature and at public appearances in Sherman Oaks, where she came in last among four candidates during the April 11 primary.

“Close’s endorsement is another vote of confidence from someone who has been extremely active in the San Fernando Valley,” said Rick Taylor, Yaroslavsky’s campaign strategist. “It’s a critical message to communicate to voters in (Sherman Oaks).”

Close made the endorsement as an individual, and not as a representative of the homeowners’ organization.

A lawyer as well as a homeowner leader, Close said he endorsed Yaroslavsky over her opponent, Mike Feuer, because she seems more skilled at working with community groups to resolve local problems.

But Close added that he is backing Yaroslavsky because she also seems more critical than Feuer of a controversial Sherman Oaks redevelopment district that her husband, former Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky, helped established to speed earthquake recovery.

The Sherman Oaks Homeowner Assn. sued the city in January to do away with the redevelopment district, saying the city adopted the district in November without justifying the need or giving residents enough time to review the plan before it was adopted, among other complaints.

Just a month before he resigned to join the County Board of Supervisors, Zev Yaroslavsky championed the redevelopment project, saying it would provide another tool in the city’s efforts to hasten quake repairs in hard-hit Sherman Oaks.

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In past forums, both Yaroslavsky and Feuer have said they would study the redevelopment district and the potential benefits it can provide before deciding whether to support or oppose it.

But Close said Yaroslavsky takes a more critical view because she promised him she would oppose the district if redevelopment officials could not show that it is desperately needed in Sherman Oaks.

Close said he would not be surprised if Yaroslavsky were to take a position that is diametrically opposed to her husband’s.

“Zev and Barbara are two separate people,” Close said. “I’ve seen her publicly criticize him many times.”

While Yaroslavsky’s campaign staff sought to portray Close’s support as key to winning over Valley voters, Feuer’s camp played down the significance of the endorsement.

“The endorsement may be very nice but it doesn’t make Barbara the most qualified candidate,” said Feuer campaign manager Cynthia Corona, who noted that Feuer was the top vote-getter in most 5th District communities.

In other developments, Feuer and Yaroslavsky sought another endorsement Monday when they met with the leaders of the union that represents the rank and file of the city’s police force. An endorsement from the Los Angeles Police Protective League is expected after the group’s board of directors meets Wednesday night.

But union sources said Feuer will probably get the nod because the union has had a long history of clashes with Zev Yaroslavsky and union leaders feel Barbara Yaroslavsky will continue the “anti-police” policies of her husband.

During the primary, the union endorsed Lea Purwin D’Agostino, a deputy district attorney with a strong anti-crime platform. But she was disqualified from the race after election officials ruled that she failed to get enough valid signatures on her nominating petition.

A June 6 election will decide who represents the district, which includes parts of North Hollywood, Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks and the Westside.