Winners Take Stock, Look to Fall Showdowns

Real estate broker and political neophyte Tony Cardenas is poised to become the San Fernando Valley’s first Latino state legislator after a commanding primary win Tuesday that drew its strength from a last-minute infusion of support by fellow Latino politicians and voters.

In Glendale-Burbank, the stage is set for a November showdown between one of the area’s most popular Republican lawmakers, Assembly Majority Leader James Rogan, and Doug Kahn, an heir to the Annenberg fortune, who are vying for the key congressional seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Carlos J. Moorhead.

And Sacramento veteran Paula L. Boland has moved forward in her bid to rise from the Assembly to the state Senate, while newcomer John Geranios will be the GOP’s pick to succeed Rogan in the state’s lower chamber.

As winners and losers across the Valley took stock of results from a primary election involving the largest number of open seats in the region’s recent history, much of the attention Wednesday focused on races where the competition was especially stiff.

Cardenas’ victory in the 39th Assembly District, after a hard-hitting campaign among the Democratic contenders, came as a surprise for its huge margin over his better-financed rivals, legislative aide Jim Dantona and attorney Valerie Salkin. With all ballots counted in a race that pulled out just 30% of the district’s Democratic voters, Cardenas earned 43.5% of the vote--nearly the final tally of Dantona (24.7%) and Salkin combined (21.9%).

“It was a blowout,” Larry Levine, Dantona’s political consultant, said Wednesday. “They ran what was obviously a very vigorous and intelligent campaign. I wish I knew what the hell they did.”

“We had only prayed that it would turn out so well,” said Cardenas, who turns 33 on Sunday.

Observers attributed Cardenas’ success to an aggressive get-out-the-vote effort among Latinos and assistance from other Latino politicians such as Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon and state Sen. Richard Polanco (D-Los Angeles), who hand-picked Cardenas as the Latino standard-bearer in the 39th District, now represented by outgoing Assemblyman Richard Katz and considered a safe Democratic seat.

Indeed, Alarcon, Polanco and state Latino political groups lent Cardenas more than $25,000 in cash and other resources in the final few days before the election to shore up what some thought might be a flagging campaign.

The candidate himself credited his 250 get-out-the-vote volunteers on Election Day who made sure that identified Cardenas backers went to the polls. Many of those supporters were Latino, whose votes were “very significant,” Cardenas acknowledged.

But his margin of victory suggests that Cardenas’ support cut across racial lines to non-Latino voters who responded to his message of being the only candidate to have been born and raised in the district.

“He had to get a broad consensus to get 43% of the vote,” said Alarcon, who helped Cardenas secure the endorsement of the city’s influential Police Protective League. “If it was just a Latino thing, the votes would have been divided” among the three Latino candidates in the race: Cardenas, legislative staffer Michael del Rio and activist Jose Galvan.

“The Latino vote got him even,” said Sue Burnside, Salkin’s political consultant, and then “the ‘homegrown guy’ [approach] really appealed to the average voter.”

Salkin’s appeal to women’s interests and Dantona’s hammering on crime as the preeminent issue in the campaign may have been too narrow, analysts said.

Both Salkin, 29, and Dantona, 47, have pledged to support the district’s Democratic candidate, despite bickering and nasty mailers among them all toward the end of the race.

“Tony’s heart is in the right place. He cares about the community, and he really will try to be a strong representative,” Salkin said.

Cardenas’ Republican opponent in the general election will be Sylmar businessman Ollie M. McCaulley.

Congress 27th District

In the 27th Congressional District, which includes Burbank and Glendale, Kahn, a largely self-funded, third-time congressional candidate, prevailed with 51.3% of the vote over attorney and former Screen Actors Guild president Barry Gordon, who won 48.7%.

In his first bid for office, Gordon won key Democratic Party support on the local and state level, as well as extensive union backing. Despite a strong showing at the end, a comparative shortage of funds and some last-minute hits from Kahn prevented Gordon from overtaking his better-known opponent.

Kahn, who injected $400,000 of his own cash into his campaign, ascribed his victory to focusing on the issues as much as possible.

“People appreciate hard work and common sense and they particularly appreciate it when you talk about the issues,” Kahn said.

In Rogan, whose swift ascent in the state Legislature has impressed nearly all watchers, Kahn faces a formidable opponent committed to keeping the swing seat in GOP hands after the retirement of longtime Rep. Carlos J. Moorhead this fall.

Kahn said he will try to contrast what he calls the extreme agenda of the Republican-dominated Congress with the “mainstream values” he claims to share with district voters.

Assembly 43rd District

Self-funding also enabled first-time candidate John Geranios to rise to the top of a pack of eight Republicans seeking to replace Rogan in the 43rd Assembly District.

The businessman and college professor, who sent out more than a score of mailers, garnered a winning 24.3% of the vote, despite, he says, being the phone bank target of four opponents.

“Our message got through loud and clear,” an elated Geranios said Wednesday. “The government’s broke and we have to get back on track.”

Fewer than 700 votes separated the next four contenders. Los Angeles Police Officer Peter R. Repovich took second with 16.5%, followed by congressional aide Pete Musurlian with 14.1%, Glendale City Councilman Sheldon S. Baker with 14% and James C. Regan with 13.6%.

Geranios, who already attended a GOP strategy session in Sacramento on Wednesday, faces Democrat Scott Wildman in the general election in this Republican-leaning district.

In winning the primary, Geranios withstood attacks that he was a carpetbagger trying to buy an election. He was also compared to former Democratic Assembly speaker Willie Brown and criticized erroneously for not being registered to vote in the district after a postcard was returned to the county registrar of voters as undeliverable.

Musurlian, a frequent Geranios critic, remained unhappy with the political clout money can buy.

“I find it unfortunate that someone who is a total outsider, who comes in and outspends everyone else . . . can get a lot of votes,” he said.

State Senate 21st District

Also running in the Glendale, Burbank and Pasadena area for the 21st District State Senate seat is Assemblywoman Boland (R-Granada Hills), who won the Republican nomination with 34.9% of the vote.

Collectively, her three challengers outpolled Boland, but her name recognition and high-profile legislative career gave her a plurality of the votes.

“My record is what Republicans and Democrats both want,” said Boland, who must leave her current Assembly seat because of term limits. “That’s what I’m going to run on in November.”

Before taking on Democratic nominee and former federal prosecutor Adam Schiff, however, Boland has some fence-mending to do after the bruising primary in which she and third-place finisher Robert Oltman drew blood. On election night, Oltman said he “would have to do some serious praying” before agreeing to endorse Boland.

She was equally critical of her opponent for the vitriol in the race. “I have never seen people cross the line the way they have,” Boland said.

Former assemblyman Tom McClintock won the GOP nomination to succeed Boland in her current district and will face teacher Jon M. Lauritzen in November.

Assembly 36th District

In the Antelope and Santa Clarita valleys, Lancaster Mayor George Runner beat school board member Billy A. Pricer for the Republican nod in the strongly conservative 36th Assembly District. Runner and Pricer, who finished third, appealed to the same segment of Christian conservative voters. George L. Pederson of the Santa Clarita City Council came in second.

Other Races

In other state races, attorney Bob Hertzberg handily beat Francine Oschin for the Democratic nomination in the 40th Assembly District. Incumbent Assembly members Sheila J. Kuehl (D-Santa Monica) and Wally Knox (D-Los Angeles) won their Democratic nominations unopposed, as did state Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica).

And in the contest to succeed retiring Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson in the 24th Congressional District, Republican businessman Rich Sybert, who came close to ousting Beilenson two years ago, will square off against state Board of Equalization member Brad Sherman.

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Gearing Up for November

Local offices and candidates and how each fared in Tuesday’s elections:

Votes Received (% of Total Votes)

24th CONGRESSIONAL

Democrat

Brad Sherman: 25,168 (53.3%)

Republican

Rich Sybert: 29,899 (67.5%)

Libertarian

Erich Miller: 318 (100.0%)

Peace and Freedom

Ralph Shroyer: 107 (100.0%)

Natural Law

Ron Lawrence: 80 (100.0%)

25th CONGRESSIONAL

Democrat

Diane Trautman: 29,238 (100.0%)

Republican

Howard McKeon: 45,524 (84.5%)

Peace and Freedom

Justin C. Gerber: 90 (100.0%)

26TH CONGRESSIONAL

Democrat

Howard L. Berman: 24,922 (83.7%)

Republican

Bill Glass: 7,605 (55.1%)

Libertarian

Scott K. Fritschler: 127 (100.0%) Natural Law

Gary Hearne: 42 (100.0%)

27TH CONGRESSIONAL

Democrat

Doug Kahn: 20,145 (51.3%)

Republican

James E. Rogan: 40,314 (87.4%)

Green

Walt C. Sheasby: 279 (100.0%)

Libertarian

Elizabeth Michael: 307 (100.0%)

Natural Law

Martin Zucker: 77 (100.0%)

29th CONGRESSIONAL

Democrat

Henry A. Waxman: 57,477 (100.0%)

Republican

Paul Stepanek: 20,709 (81.8%)

Libertarian

Mike Binkley: 303 (100.0%)

Peace & Freedom

John P. Daly: 156 (100.0%)

Natural Law

Brian Rees: 98 (100.0%)

17TH STATE SENATE

Democrat

Steven A. Figueroa: 35,947 (100.0%)

Republican

William J. Knight: 34,666 (46.1%)

21ST STATE SENATE

Democrat

Adam Schiff: 44,607 (100.0%)

Republican

Paula L. Boland: 20,197 (34.9%)

Libertarian

Bob New: 386 (100.0%)

23RD STATE SENATE

Democrat

Tom Hayden: 71,869 (100.0%)

Republican

Scott L. Schreiber: 39,903 (100.0%)

Libertarian

Charles T. Black: 409 (100.0%)

Peace & Freedom

Shirley R. Isaacson: 182 (100.0%)

Natural Law

Robert P. Swanson: 130 (100.0%)

36TH ASSEMBLY

Democrat

David Cochran: 16,493 (100.0%)

Republican

George Runner Jr.: 14,439 (40.3%)

38TH ASSEMBLY

Democrat

Jon M. Lauritzen: 14,437 (66.0%)

Republican

Tom McClintock: 12,283 (37.6%)

Natural Law

Virginia F. Neuman: 67 (100.0%)

39TH ASSEMBLY

Democrat

Tony Cardenas: 7,765 (43.5%)

Republican

Ollie M. McCaulley: 6,807 (100.0%)

40TH ASSEMBLY

Democrat

Bob Hertzberg: 17,789 (72.1%)

Republican

H.R. Culver: 7,789 (60.8%)

Libertarian

Kelley L. Ross: 128 (100.0%)

Natural Law

David L. Cossak: 48 (100.0%)

41ST ASSEMBLY

Democrat

Sheila J. Kuehl: 36,480 (100.0%)

Republican

Mark B. Benhard: 25,718 (100.0%)

Libertarian

Phil Baron: 229 (100.0%)

Peace & Freedom

John Honigsfeld: 87 (100.0%)

Natural Law

Marya Small: 84 (100.0%)

42ND ASSEMBLY

Democrat

Wally Knox: 35,326 (100.0%)

Republican

Adam Ross: 13,748 (100.0%)

Libertarian

Eric M. Fine: 181 (100.0%)

Natural Law

Herbert Paul: 46 (100.0%)

43RD ASSEMBLY

Democrat

Scott Wildman: 18,991 (100.0%)

Republican

John Geranios: 5,877 (24.3%)

Libertarian

Willard Michlin: 175 (100.0%)

44TH ASSEMBLY

Democrat

Jack Scott: 26,293 (100.0%)

Republican

Bill Hoge: 23,024 (67.2%)

Libertarian

Ted Brown: 212 (100.0%)