Agoura Hills : 2 Government Critics Seek Council Seats

Saying they believe voters are ready for change, two critics of Agoura Hills city government are among a group of five candidates running for two City Council seats in this November’s election.

“The will of the people is pretty clear,” said Hank Murphy, who helped launch a recall drive against the entire five-member City Council last summer. The effort achieved only marginal success.

Another candidate, Paul (Gary) Mueller, a local businessman who has failed three times to win a council seat, said he believes he will achieve his goal eventually. “When you get within two votes of winning, sometimes you’ve got to continue trying,” he said, referring to a previous election in which he finished third.

Mayor Louise Rishoff is seeking reelection to the council, while Joan Yacovone is not.

Murphy’s recall group did not collect enough signatures to force a recall election for all five seats, but did succeed in forcing a recall election for Fran Pavley. A date for that vote has not been set.

Murphy claims the city and Los Angeles County illegally threw out hundreds of signatures that would have forced a recall election against the other four.

Mueller says the council’s “tax-and-spend” philosophy led to its implementation last summer of a 4% utility tax, a move that sparked the recall attempt. But some council members said Mueller and other critics represent right-wing business interests seeking to punish the council for setting strict guidelines for development. Council members defend their decision to implement the tax, saying it was necessary to avert a fiscal meltdown.

Also running are Jonathan Willcox, a warden with the California Department of Fish and Game; Dan Kuperberg, a Los Angeles County public defender who opposed the recall attempt, and Larry Steinberg, who is in the public relations business.

The filing deadline was Wednesday at 5 p.m.