Candidates in 24th District to Face Off

Candidates Brad Sherman and Rich Sybert, competing for a chance to represent the 24th Congressional District, will face off next Thursday at the monthly breakfast meeting of the Valley Jewish Business Leaders Assn.

The two are vying to replace retiring Rep. Anthony Beilenson, a Woodland Hills Democrat, who has long represented the district that stretches from Encino to Thousand Oaks and Malibu.

Democrat Sherman and Republican Sybert have both voiced abortion rights and pro-environment sentiments popular in the middle-of-the-road district. They differ on gun control and tobacco regulation; Sherman backs tighter regulation, while Sybert is opposed to what he sees as government interference.

A member of the state Board of Equalization, Sherman has Beilenson’s endorsement. In 1994, Beilenson barely won a hard-scrabble race against Sybert, who heads Lanard Toys Inc., the design shop for a Hong Kong-based toy company.

The swing district in which the two are competing, one of two open congressional seats in the state, could make the difference in which party controls the House of Representatives in November.

The breakfast, which costs $15 for VJBLA members and $20 for nonmembers, is scheduled from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the Warner Center Marriott, 21850 Oxnard St., Woodland Hills.

For reservations, call the association’s Marilyn Bloom by Friday at (818) 774-3331.