ELECTIONS / L.A. CITY COUNCIL 5TH DISTRICT : Both Candidates Win Key Endorsements

The battle to lay claim to the title of top law-and-order candidate in the 5th District City Council race heated up Thursday when Mike Feuer won the support of the city’s police and firefighter unions while Barbara Yaroslavsky was endorsed by Sheriff Sherman Block.

Both candidates immediately sought to use the endorsements as evidence that they are the most qualified to take a leadership post in a city where crime is a critical issue in the minds of voters.

“We are delighted to receive the endorsements,” said Feuer’s campaign manager, Cynthia Corona. “This . . . reinforces the position that Mike is the top candidate.”

Each side also sought to downplay the significance of the other’s endorsement.

“We have real law-enforcement support that cares about putting criminals behind bars, not the support of big union bosses who only care about pay raises and benefits,” said Rick Taylor, Yaroslavsky’s campaign strategist.

Corona returned fire, noting that the Police Protective League represents the rank-and-file members of the Los Angeles Police Department, which has jurisdiction over the 5th District along with the rest of the city. Among other duties, the Sheriff’s Department operates jails and patrols unincorporated areas of the county.

“The union means more to this community because they are participants in what happens in this community,” she said.

Some Feuer supporters suggested that Block’s endorsement was politically motivated because Yaroslavsky’s husband, Zev, is a member of the Board of Supervisors and has direct control over Block’s annual budget. The sheriff could not be reached for comment Thursday.

The Police Protective League’s endorsement of Feuer came as no surprise because union leaders repeatedly clashed with Zev Yaroslavsky when he was a member of the City Council. Last year, they blasted him for opposing a police pay increase package.

But President Cliff Ruff of the union rejected suggestions that the endorsement was meant to punish Zev Yaroslavsky for his past actions.

He called the endorsement a “sincere pick” and said Feuer is more knowledgeable than Yaroslavsky on the issues of concern in the department and “is honest even when he offers an answer that we don’t want to hear.”

The union had previously endorsed Lea Purwin D’Agostino, a deputy district attorney, but she dropped out of the race late in the primary after she failed to get enough valid signatures on her endorsement petition.

Mike McOsker, vice president of the United Firefighters of Los Angeles, said Feuer won that group’s support because he “seemed to have a better grasp of the issues” than Yaroslavsky and seems more supportive of the firefighters as they battle drastic budget cuts proposed by Mayor Richard Riordan.

In his annual budget plan, Riordan has proposed cutting $8 million from the Fire Department and is in the process eliminating 57 staff assistants whom the mayor called “chauffeurs.” Firefighters say the positions are needed to coordinate firefighting resources.

Because of Yaroslavsky’s ties to Riordan, McOsker said the union expects more support from Feuer in fighting the budget cuts. “The mayor has declared war on us,” he said.

In a prepared statement, Block said he endorsed Yaroslavsky because she “is committed to strengthening police protection in neighborhoods throughout the district.” He noted that she started her own Neighborhood Watch program 12 years ago.

According to one political consultant, the winner in the endorsement race was Feuer, who until now had not received the backing of any law-enforcement groups. Yaroslavsky already has the support of Deputy Police Chief Bernard Parks and former Police Chiefs Tom Reddin and Ed Davis, among others.

“It gives him some insulation (against criticism) that he’s got no public-safety support,” said political consultant Richard Lichtenstein. “Sherman Block is a fine endorsement, but Feuer needed the public-safety endorsement more than she needed it.”

The endorsements come almost five weeks before Feuer and Yaroslavsky face off in the June 6 runoff.