Candidates to Speak at City Charter Forum

District 5 charter reform candidates will vie for the endorsement of a coalition of more than 50 homeowner groups tonight at a forum in West Los Angeles.

More than a dozen groups from the San Fernando Valley were invited to the forum. Each organization was asked to designate five members from its board of directors as voters.

The candidate receiving the most votes will be endorsed through a “community slate mailer” to be distributed citywide, said Diana Plotkin, president of the Westside Civic Federation, the event host.

Earlier this month, the Los Angeles City Council and Mayor Richard Riordan reached an agreement on the wording for a ballot measure to ask voters to create an elected citizens panel to overhaul the city’s 72-year-old charter.

“We think the charter should reflect the wishes of the communities,” Plotkin said. “The mayor has his slate of candidates and the council members will have theirs. Even labor has a slate. But what about the residents? Unfortunately they are left out.”

Each candidate will make an opening statement and then answer questions. Panelists at the forum, which will be moderated by Bill Rosendahl from Century Cable, will include Joel Kotkin, a public policy advisor from Pepperdine University, and Linda Breakstone from KCBS-TV News.

Councilman Mike Feuer represents the 5th District, which stretches from North Hollywood, Studio City and Sherman Oaks over the hill to Westwood, the Fairfax district and portions of Hollywood.

Plotkin said six of the seven 5th District candidates are expected to attend. They are Michael Bohlke, Jeff Brain, Matt Epstein, Horace Hamilton Heidt, Howard Raphael and Andrew Tilles. Candidate Erwin Chemerinsky will not be in attendance, Plotkin said.

The free forum will begin at 7 p.m. at St. Timothy Catholic Church, 10425 W. Pico Blvd., at the corner of Beverly Glen.