ELECTIONS / L.A. CITY COUNCIL : Holden, Sanders: Calm Before Runoff Storm

After waging highly visible and negative campaigns leading up to the April primary, Los Angeles City Councilman Nate Holden and his 10th District rival, attorney Stan Sanders, have only recently renewed active politicking after a month of relative silence.

Meanwhile, in another runoff battle, 5th District candidate Barbara Yaroslavsky has won the endorsement of a former rival in her June 6 showdown with Mike Feuer.

In the Holden-Sanders contest, the flow of attack mail and angry shouting matches that defined their primary race stopped as the candidates overcame the shock of being forced into a runoff. Now, less than three weeks before the June vote, both campaigns have come back to life.

Sanders made the biggest splash by winning the endorsement of former Mayor Tom Bradley, who had previously avoided taking sides. Bradley started his political career as councilman for the 10th District, which includes all or part of the Crenshaw District, Koreatown, Mid-City and West Adams, and polls show him to be popular among longtime residents--the most likely voters.

“This is clearly a defining moment of this campaign,” Sanders, who received 43% of the primary vote, said at a press conference last week with Bradley.

But Holden, who garnered 46% of the primary vote, has had some recent breaks as well. A sexual harassment suit against Holden by a former staffer that could have brought negative publicity during the race has been postponed until next year.

Holden also received a surprise endorsement. Kevin Ross, the deputy district attorney who forced the runoff by snaring 11% of the April vote, announced his support for Holden.

Also, Holden’s campaign finances were sure to get a boost from a $500-a-plate fund-raiser last Thursday at the Bonaventure Hotel. The proceeds will help Holden overcome his earlier mistake of failing to apply for matching campaign funds.

Political analysts say the impact of the Bradley and Ross endorsements is unclear.

Despite his popularity, Bradley was unable to help his longtime ally Homer Broome beat Holden in the 10th District council race in 1987. Many of Ross’ voters, meanwhile, were probably voting against Holden and Sanders and may not follow Ross to Holden’s side.

“Kevin Ross’ votes are not transferable. They were as much a sign of disenchantment with the incumbent as they were votes for Ross,” said political consultant Richard Lichtenstein.

Ross also emphasized his disdain for Holden throughout the campaign, and his turnaround, which he says came after Holden agreed to put more emphasis on youth programs, has angered some of his supporters.

“I’m not pleased at all. One of the main reasons I supported him was because I didn’t want Holden reelected,” said Duane Bremond, who helped Ross gather signatures to get on the ballot and is now working for Sanders.

In the 5th District race, Yaroslavsky won her second endorsement from a San Fernando Valley community leader in as many weeks. This one came from Jeff Brain, past president of the Sherman Oaks Chamber of Commerce and a losing candidate in the April primary for the 5th District seat, which was vacated by Yaroslavsky’s husband, Zev, when he was elected last year to the county Board of Supervisors.

Brain said he supports Yaroslavsky because she is most likely to support Mayor Richard Riordan in hiring more police and streamlining the city’s building permit process.

But the surprising thing about the endorsement is how critical Brain has become of Mike Feuer, Yaroslavsky’s opponent.

Brain once praised Feuer as being a “very bright man.” In announcing his support for Yaroslavsky, however, Brain accused Feuer of portraying himself as a conservative candidate to Republican voters and a liberal to Democratic voters.

As evidence, Brain cites a campaign mailer Feuer sent to Republican voters during the primary race. It took Yaroslavsky and former school board member Roberta Weintraub to task for being tied to “some of the most liberal politicians in the city.”

Feuer’s camp rejected Brain’s charges that he is a political chameleon. One of Feuer’s aides also accused Brain of hypocrisy because had told voters during the primary race that Yaroslavsky was unqualified for the post because she was unfamiliar with the issues.

Feuer, former director of a legal aid program, won 40% of the primary vote, Yaroslavsky 27%, Weintraub 21% and Brain 12%.