L.A. ELECTIONS / 10TH COUNCIL DISTRICT : Holden Vows Retaliation After Tough Race

Politics: Reelected councilman says he’ll block legislative efforts of colleagues who he believes aided his opponent.

Some might have seen it as a time for reconciliation, but for newly reelected Los Angeles City Councilman Nate Holden, Wednesday was pay-back time.

The day after winning a third term, Holden promised to retaliate against colleagues he believes secretly supported his foe, attorney J. Stanley Sanders.

In Tuesday’s balloting, Holden scored 54% of the vote in his hard-fought campaign to win reelection to the 10th District seat he has held since 1987.

Holden, 65, said at a news conference Wednesday morning that “some of my colleagues lent support to my opponent” in the form of information and encouragement. While declining to name names, Holden said that he “will watch the roll call” for opportunities to block their legislative efforts. “They know, and they know that I know [who they are],” Holden said.

The councilman also praised the coalition of clergy, unions and elected officials who helped reelect him and he apologized for running a negative campaign against Sanders in the primary.

“In the primary, I was suckered into that kind of game plan and for that I apologize to the people of this district and this city,” said Holden, whose runoff campaign focused primarily on his own record.

But Holden was not ready to drop his grudge against Sanders, even though he said Mayor Richard Riordan had asked him to do so.

“He called me up and said Stan had supported him for mayor and that he owed him something,” Holden said. “He said ‘I’m going to help him, I have to help him.’ ” Sanders endorsed Riordan in the 1993 mayor’s race.

Initially, Holden took that to mean that Riordan might be offering Sanders a post in his Administration. Later in the day, Deputy Mayor Robin Kramer assured the councilman that the mayor only has offered “to be an ear for Stan’s troubles” in the future. “There’s no plan for Stan,” Kramer said.

Sanders, meanwhile, said he wanted to take some time off: “I want to find a quiet beach and spend time with my family.”