County Sends 13 Newcomers to Legislature

As final returns made clear Wednesday, voters in Los Angeles County picked 13 newcomers to represent them in the Legislature, a trend likely to continue in future elections.

Turnover prompted by legislative term limits approved by California voters in 1990 is close to hitting its full stride, as the last of the longtime Assembly veterans were forced out this year.

In the next two years, the last state Senate veterans will be “termed out.”

Here are snapshots of the county’s two state Senate and 11 Assembly newcomers:

* In Senate District 21 (Burbank, Glendale, Los Feliz, La Canada Flintridge, Pasadena), Democrat Adam Schiff, 36, of Burbank, a former U.S. attorney, defeated San Fernando Valley Assemblywoman Paula L. Boland. Schiff had failed in three previous bids to win an Assembly seat.

* In Senate District 27 (Downey, Lakewood, Long Beach, Palos Verdes Peninsula, San Pedro), Long Beach Democrat Betty Karnette, 65, a former legislator, teacher and union official, won a tight race against former Assemblyman Phil Hawkins of Bellflower. A comeback candidate, Karnette previously had been voted out of her Assembly seat.

* In Assembly District 36 (Lancaster, Palmdale, Santa Clarita), Lancaster mayor and conservative Republican George Runner won easily. Runner, 44, is a former school administrator.

* In Assembly District 38 (Castaic, Chatsworth, Fillmore, Northridge, Saugus, Simi Valley), Republican Tom McClintock, 40, won and will return to the lower house, which he left in 1992 in a failed bid for Congress. He later ran for state controller and lost.

* In Assembly District 39 (San Fernando, Pacoima), Democrat Tony Cardenas of Pacoima, the first Latino that the San Fernando Valley has sent to Sacramento, will fill the seat held by termed-out Assembly Minority Leader Richard Katz of Sylmar. Cardenas, 33, a business owner, describes himself as a moderate Democrat.

* In Assembly District 40 (North Hollywood, Studio City, Van Nuys), Democratic real estate lawyer Bob Hertzberg, 41, won easily and replaces Democratic Assemblywoman Barbara Friedman, who is termed out. Calling himself a moderate, Hertzberg has been active in Democratic politics.

* In Assembly District 43 (Burbank, Glendale, Griffith Park, Los Feliz), Democrat Scott Wildman held a narrow lead over Republican John Geranios, with some ballots uncounted. Wildman, 45, is a Los Angeles union representative. Geranios is a Glendale businessman and college professor. Both candidates describe themselves as moderates.

* In Assembly District 44 (La Canada Flintridge, Pasadena, South Pasadena, Sunland, Tujunga), Assemblyman Bill Hoge (R-Pasadena) was the only legislative incumbent to be defeated. Democrat Jack Scott, 63, formerly the president of Pasadena City College, ran as a moderate and upset Hoge.

* In Assembly District 48 (Exposition Park, Watts), Democrat Rod Wright, 44, who worked on the staff of Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), won in a district where Republicans failed to field a candidate.

* In Assembly District 51 (Hawthorne, Inglewood, South-Central Los Angeles), Inglewood Mayor and Democrat Edward Vincent coasted to victory with widespread backing, ranging from Waters to Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich. Vincent, 62, a former probation officer, has been mayor for 16 years.

* In Assembly District 52 (Compton, Gardena, Lynwood, Watts), Democrat Carl Washington, 31, of Paramount, an ordained minister and aide to county Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, won an overwhelming victory.

* In Assembly District 55 (Carson, Compton, Long Beach, Wilmington), former Assemblyman Richard E. Floyd of Wilmington was elected. As an incumbent, Floyd lost a primary fight in 1992. He won easily this year. A Democrat and a heavy smoker, Floyd, 65, is renowned for his unabashed support of gambling and tobacco interests.

* In Assembly District 56 (Bellflower, Cerritos, Downey, Lakewood, Long Beach), Democrat Sally M. Havice, 60, of Cerritos, an English professor, held a narrow lead over Republican Richard Lambros, 32, of Downey, a public relations man, with ballots still to be counted. Havice, a Latina, teaches at Cerritos College. Lambros received heavy backing from Republicans eager to hang on to this seat, previously held by Hawkins, who had resigned to run for the state Senate.