Local Candidates Begin Paper Chase

In the first steps of what could become a crowded race, four people Monday went to City Hall to collect the paperwork necessary to run for mayor.

Four others took out forms to file as candidates for the two City Council seats up for grabs in November’s election. The filing period, which began Monday, runs until Aug. 9 but may be extended to Aug. 14 if incumbents fail to file before the earlier deadline.

Three of the four people vying to replace retiring Mayor Paul Lawrason had, before Monday, already declared their intentions to run--Councilman Patrick Hunter, rancher Pete Peters and former Moorpark Planning Commissioner Mike Wesner.

The fourth potential candidate, Charlene Catania, is a 29-year-old homemaker who moved to Moorpark with her husband and three children this year. She said Monday that she has long been interested in politics, working on Redondo Beach City Council races and Ronald Reagan’s 1984 reelection campaign.

If elected, Catania said, she would try to solve the problem of day laborers gathering on downtown street corners. She said she would also examine the possibility of increasing the number of police patrolling the city.

The four potential City Council candidates are local businessman Chris Evans, former city Planning Commissioner Bill La Perch, real estate agent Debbie Rodgers Teasley and Planning Commission Chairman John Torres.