20th, 26th Districts Closely Watched

Of the six state Senate seats on Tuesday’s ballot, two have sparked hot contests for the Democratic nomination.

The race in the 20th District, being relinquished by longtime Democratic legislator Herschel Rosenthal in the east San Fernando Valley, pits former Assemblyman Richard Katz against Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon. Many of the area’s increasingly influential Latino political leaders have thrown their weight behind Alarcon.

Katz, however, won the backing of the state Democratic Party. Katz’s campaign may have benefited from recent revelations that Alarcon accepted a $38,000 loan from the wife of a developer who got a favorable loan from the city. Alarcon said he had been unaware of the connection to his personal affairs when he voted for the developer’s loan; a spokesman for the state Fair Political Practices Commission said the agency is reviewing the matter.

The other hard-fought primary battle is being waged in the 26th District, which includes Baldwin Hills and Culver City and the Crenshaw and Fairfax districts of Los Angeles. Two prominent African Americans--Assemblyman Kevin Murray and former Assemblywoman Marguerite Archie-Hudson--are the leading contenders for the seat being vacated by Sen. Diane Watson, who cannot seek reelection because of the state’s term limits law.

Murray, whose father, Willard, also was an assemblyman, has been endorsed by one of the area’s most prominent politicians: Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles).

There is a third Democrat on the ballot, crisis intervention counselor and perennial candidate Addie Miller, as well as a Republican and a Libertarian.

Both these districts have long rested securely in the Democratic column, so whoever wins the primaries will be the ones heading for Sacramento.

In the two other open Senate seats, Democratic Assemblywomen Debra Bowen in the 28th District and Martha M. Escutia in the 30th District face little or no opposition for their party’s nominations and are widely expected to win the posts in November.

Incumbents Sen. Richard G. Polanco (D-Los Angeles) and Sen. Hilda Solis (D-El Monte) also face only token opposition in their reelection bids in the 22nd and 24th districts, respectively.