Council Hopefuls Trade Conflict of Interest Charges

As their runoff campaigns get under way, Los Angeles City Council candidate Barbara Yaroslavsky gained the endorsement of a homeowners association president, while her opponent, Mike Feuer, said Yaroslavsky, if elected, would face a potential conflict of interest in dealing with the county government because her husband is now on the Board of Supervisors.

Barbara Yaroslavsky’s bid for the vacant 5th District council seat once held by husband Zev received a boost in the San Fernando Valley when she won the endorsement of Richard Close, longtime president of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn.

While Close spoke as an individual and not for the association, Yaroslavsky’s camp plans to highlight the Monday endorsement in campaign literature and at public appearances in Sherman Oaks, where she fared poorly in the April 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).”

Feuer’s camp played down the significance of Close’s decision.

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

Feuer and Yaroslavsky finished first and second, respectively, in the primary for the seat, which represents parts of the Westside, Van Nuys, Studio City and Sherman Oaks. Feuer drew 39% of the vote compared with 26% for Yaroslavsky. The runoff election is June 6.

Close, a lawyer, said he endorsed Yaroslavsky because he views her as better skilled at working with community groups to resolve local problems.

Meanwhile, in their first face-to-face debate since the primary, Feuer said his opponent would face a potential conflict of interest in dealing with her husband.

“It’s going to happen a lot” because the city and county governments often sue each other over allocation of state funds, Feuer said at the debate, held last Thursday.

Yaroslavsky, who is seeking the seat her husband held for 19 years before joining the county board, rejected the charge, saying the two governments generally operate separately. “There is definitely a separation of powers here,” she said at the debate, which drew about 40 residents to Canfield Heights Elementary School in Beverlywood.

Near the end of the primary race, Feuer repeatedly criticized Yaroslavsky for missing a dozen or so debates, claiming she had denied voters a chance to question her on city issues.

While Yaroslavsky was for weeks put on the defensive by such charges, she said that she participated in 16 forums during the primary. She also insisted she was not ducking voters.

Yaroslavsky’s second-place showing in the primary surprised some pundits who anointed her the early front-runner due to her husband’s strong name recognition, endorsements from the likes of Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan and County Supervisor Gloria Molina, and a lead of more than $100,000 in fund-raising.

As of April 11, Yaroslavsky outpaced all other candidates in political contributions, drawing over $412,000, compared with $308,000 for Feuer. His total included $100,000 in city matching funds, while Yaroslavsky has declined to accept city funds for her campaign.

Following last week’s debate, the Yaroslavsky campaign fired back at Feuer, charging he faces a potential conflict of interest because his wife, Gail Ruderman Feuer, is a top attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, an organization that has sued government agencies over the enforcement of environmental protection laws.

Yaroslavsky’s strategist, Taylor, called Feuer a “hypocrite” for accusing the candidate of having a potential conflict of interest when his own wife works for an organization that could be involved in litigation against the city.

But Corona, Feuer’s campaign manager, rejected the charge, saying the NRDC has never sued Los Angeles and has not taken funding from the city. A Times record search found no lawsuits involving the city and the NRDC dating to 1983.

“It’s a foolish attempt to try to distract voters from the real issue of conflict,” Corona said.