Primary Reason for Campaign Director’s Departure in Question

Just weeks after winning his congressional primary race, Republican businessman Randy Hoffman is looking for a new campaign director, his fifth in the past two years.

Hoffman’s most recent campaign director, Todd Blair, who had headed the campaign’s day-to-day operations since February, recently left under unusual circumstances.

Hoffman now faces Democratic incumbent Brad Sherman in November. The winner will represent the west San Fernando Valley and parts of east Ventura County.

Blair and Hoffman’s campaign consultant, Jim Nygren, say there is nothing to be read into Blair’s departure so soon after the primary victory.

“The fact that I left the campaign was planned,” Blair said. “I had discussed this ahead of time.”

Blair had been a campaign advisor for six years, having worked on Mayor Richard Riordan’s successful reelection campaign last year.

Nygren echoed Blair’s comments, saying “We had . . . talked about reviewing things about three weeks before the primary about him moving along.”

But observers and Sherman supporters suspect that Blair was fired due to what they call disappointing results in the primary.

Facing two poorly funded Republican opponents, Hoffman spent about $183,000 and won 23,949 votes, or 21% of the overall vote. He got 53% of the Republican vote.

In contrast, Sherman, who ran with a Democratic opponent, spent $176,000 in the same period but won 62,103 votes or 54% of the vote.

Parke Skelton, Sherman’s campaign consultant, believes Hoffman was so disappointed with the results that he fired Blair in hopes of improving his chances in November.

“Generally speaking, if you do well in the primary, you keep your team,” he said.

Joe Giardiello, who resigned as Hoffman’s campaign director last year to work on another campaign, said he was not surprised that Hoffman is looking for his fifth campaign director.

“If there is any problem, it’s that Randy expects too much,” he said.

Bygones, Bygones

Politicians don’t forget or forgive easily.

Just ask the Mid Valley Chamber of Commerce, which recently got slammed by Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson when the group asked him for a contribution to the chamber’s annual graffiti clean-up day.

Why the rejection?

It seems that the chamber drew Bernson’s ire by endorsing the controversial expansion of the Sunshine Canyon Landfill in Granada Hills--a project Bernson has long opposed. The expansion, located within Bernson’s district, would allow the dump to accept an additional 11,000 tons of trash a day.

In addition, Bernson didn’t feel obliged to help the chamber because it would clean up graffiti in Van Nuys and surrounding areas--but not in Bernson’s northwest Valley district.

When the chamber requested the funding, Bernson fired off this response:

“Since the Mid Valley Chamber does not represent any part of my district, and since your chamber recently supported the Sunshine Canyon Dump, which will do more harm to Granada Hills than all the graffiti will do to Van Nuys, I could not possibly donate to your graffiti machine.”

Chamber President Ron Feinstein responded in an article in the chamber’s newsletter, in which he suggests Bernson has shot himself in the foot.

“By alienating the Mid Valley Chamber because we don’t share the same view on one issue, you’re alienating over 500 businesses in Van Nuys, Panorama City, North Hills and surrounding communities,” he said. “These businesses employ over 25,000 employees--many of whom may be your constituents.”

Changing Horses?

An offer he couldn’t refuse? Not exactly.

While speaking to a group of San Fernando Valley-area real estate professionals this week, Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan was asked by a young, smartly dressed man about changing the city charter.

Altering the charter so that lines of power in city government are more clearly drawn is one of Riordan’s goals. He touts it as the answer to simmering discontent about city government services that is prompting talk of secession from L.A. among Valley residents.

The mayor is strongly opposed to breaking up the city. But his views seemed lost on the young man who rose at the breakfast to query the mayor.

If charter reform fails and secession succeeds, the questioner asked, “would Riordan consider running for mayor of a new Valley city?”

For a moment, Riordan seemed at a loss, and even took a few steps back from the podium.

Finally, the millionaire mayor blurted out a weak joke saying he couldn’t afford a Valley house, to the accompaniment of uncomfortable laughter.

A bit evasive? It seemed many of the Realtors present might have liked to think so.

The group seemed supportive of both secession and the mayor, and so, the obvious conclusion: leave the city and take the mayor too.

Never-Ending Story

The San Fernando Valley’s racially charged state Senate race between City Councilman Richard Alarcon and former Assemblyman Richard Katz continues to stir up controversy.

Alarcon won the Democratic primary by a hairsbreadth--29 votes--in a contentious battle that drew charges of racism from both sides.

Many observers believe the odds tilted in Alarcon’s favor when state Sen. Richard Polanco (D-Los Angeles) contributed $181,500 to Alarcon’s campaign and sent out a controversial mailer on Alarcon’s behalf that Katz called “race baiting.”

Katz is now considering calling for a recount, which will cost $40,000 in county fees and another $40,000 in legal bills. State Sen. President Pro Tem John Burton has offered to pay the $40,000 county fees from a Democratic party account.

But Burton’s offer has drawn an angry response from Steven Ybarra, chairman of the state’s Chicano-Latino Caucus, which represents the Latino grass-roots activists in the California Democratic party.

Ybarra fired off an angry e-mail Wednesday to Burton, protesting his decision to help Katz pay the recount.

In the e-mail, Ybarra said Katz should not be given the funding because a recount will not change the outcome. Ybarra said Katz has insulted everyone who voted for Alarcon by suggesting that they made their decision based solely on Polanco’s mailer.

“I therefore request that the Senate Democratic caucus reverse its decision to pay for the recount and require Mr. Katz to do as all other losing candidates like [Congressional candidate] Bob Dornan did and pay his own costs,” Ybarra said.

A spokesman for Burton said the senator does not know why Ybarra would be angry with him since Burton made the offer of funding to both candidates.

“When Burton made the offer, he made it in good faith to both camps,” said Sandy Harrison, a Burton aide.