ELECTIONS / LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL 5TH DISTRICT : Yaroslavsky, Feuer Exchange Barbs in Debate

Reflecting an increasingly bitter campaign for the 5th District City Council seat, Barbara Yaroslavsky and Mike Feuer exchanged barbs during a debate Wednesday, accusing each other of using half-truths and distortion to win votes.

Yaroslavsky accused Feuer of sending hard-hitting campaign literature and then refusing to claim responsibility for the mailers. “It’s time this candidate takes responsibility,” she said of Feuer in response to a question from a panel of journalists.

Later, Feuer became angry when asked about charges by Yaroslavsky’s camp that, if elected, he would face a conflict of interest with his wife because she works for an organization that routinely sues government agencies over environmental issues.

“I’m sick and tired of these kind of fabrications,” Feuer said, adding that such charges divert attention from the real problems of the city.

The forum at the Dixie Canyon Avenue School in Sherman Oaks was sponsored by the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn. and attracted about 250 residents. It was the second debate to feature both candidates since they emerged as the top vote-getters in the April 11 primary to represent the district, which includes Sherman Oaks and parts of Van Nuys, North Hollywood and Studio City and stretches into the Westside.

Another debate, hosted by the Sherman Oaks Chamber of Commerce, is scheduled today at the Sportsmen’s Lodge in Studio City. The runoff election is June 6.

Feuer’s camp brought to the forum a woman dressed in a rabbit costume to poke fun at Yaroslavsky’s allegations that Feuer planted a spy in her campaign offices, which Feuer denies.

The “rabbit” passed out an entry form for a fictitious “Find the Spy” contest, offering the winner a dinner with Yaroslavsky.

Much of the debate, however, centered around a controversial proposal by the city to use redevelopment powers to help rebuild quake-damaged areas in Sherman Oaks--a proposal the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn. opposes.

Feuer said he has studied the plan and now opposes it, while Yaroslavsky said she would only support the plan if no other funding is available to pay for quake repairs.

In questions from the panel and audience members, both candidates were later put on the defensive on different issues.

Yaroslavsky had earlier criticized Feuer in a campaign mailer for supporting rent control for single-family residences. But when asked if that was true, Feuer simply said it was an idea that needed further study.

Meanwhile, Yaroslavsky was angered by repeated questions on how she would deal with potential conflicts of interest because her husband, Zev Yaroslavsky, is a member of the County Board of Supervisors.

After initially calling such questions “sexist,” she said she would have no problem dealing with conflicts with the county.

“If necessary, I would be happy to sue my husband,” she said.

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In recent weeks, the contest has become increasingly bitter, with Yaroslavsky’s campaign going on the offensive for the first time by charging in campaign mailers that Feuer is blinded by ambition and has used unscrupulous tactics to win.

In a recent mailer, she took Feuer to task for using the mailing list from Temple Beth Hillel in Valley Village--without the temple’s approval--to appeal for campaign donations. “Feuer knew he was using the temple’s mailing list improperly but used it anyway,” Yaroslavsky’s mailer claims.

Feuer, who has agreed that it was wrong of his campaign to use the mailing list, fired back, accusing Yaroslavsky of attacking him with lies and distortions. He said Yaroslavsky’s campaign is running desperate, fearing she can’t win unless she slings mud.

Indeed, Yaroslavsky drew only 26% of the vote in the primary, despite a significant fund-raising lead over Feuer, who was the top vote-getter with 40% of the vote.

Feuer led all candidates in almost every community in the district. Yaroslavsky did well in the Westside but finished last in the San Fernando Valley.

But Yaroslavsky appears to have gained momentum in the Valley in recent weeks by winning the endorsements of Richard Close, president of the Sherman Oaks Homeowner Assn.; Jeff Brain, a former council candidate and past president of the Sherman Oaks Chamber of Commerce, and Roberta Weintraub, another former council hopeful and a former school board member.

Feuer, meanwhile, boosted his candidacy recently by picking up the support of the unions that represent the rank-and-file members of the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The seat became vacant when Yaroslavsky’s husband resigned last year after he was elected to the Board of Supervisors.