Alatorre Endorses Cetina for His Eastside Council Seat

While Eastside City Council candidate Luis Cetina held a Thursday morning news conference to announce his endorsement by retiring Councilman Richard Alatorre, other candidates and consultants are unsure about the impact of the powerful lawmaker’s backing.

Some say that the veteran politician’s support hurts Cetina’s chances by linking him too closely to Alatorre. Voters, they say, have indicated that they are ready for a change in the Eastside district that Alatorre has represented for 14 years.

Others, however, say it’s a wash for Cetina, who has had the councilman’s unofficial backing for some time. They view Thursday’s announcement as a defensive move, timed specifically after the round of public forums and after opponents’ mail already has been printed.

But Alatorre said he had been waiting to determine the best of the 14 candidates to represent the Eastside district. He attended numerous forums, but has been helping Cetina for weeks; he even signed the candidate’s nominating form for the ballot.

“I truly wanted to see what this young man had to offer the community that I hold so dearly in my heart,” Alatorre told Cetina supporters gathered outside City Hall. “I take very seriously who is going to follow me.”

Later, Alatorre said he will raise funds for Cetina in the few days remaining before Tuesday’s election, and he will walk precincts and make phone calls for him.

“I believe he’s the right man,” Alatorre said. “He’s by far the most articulate, the most committed to the things I believe in.”

Others view Alatorre’s help as more of a hindrance. “It was definitely an endorsement I was not seeking,” said Alvin Parra, a challenger who also ran against Alatorre four years ago. “The voters now have a clear-cut choice: Either support a candidate tied to the special interests who have tried to dominate our community or support a candidate who is independent.”

Another challenger, Nick Pacheco, who is endorsed by Mayor Richard Riordan, said he does not believe Alatorre’s backing will do much for Cetina.

“I think the councilman gets mixed reviews in the district,” Pacheco said. “I don’t think this helps his campaign or gives it any boost at this point.”

But Cetina, who also was endorsed by former state Assemblyman Richard Katz, says he is a consensus builder who won’t be beholden to anyone if he wins.

But even Katz’s endorsement comes with baggage, because he ran into controversy during his bitterly fought race against former Councilman Richard Alarcon for the state Senate last spring. Alarcon’s consultant wrote a mailer, funded by state Senate Majority Leader Richard Polanco (D-Los Angeles), falsely linking Katz to a 1988 incident in Orange County in which Republican candidates posted guards at polling places to intimidate Latinos.

Polanco has endorsed Victor Griego for the council seat that Cetina is seeking.

Katz said he wanted to add his name to Cetina’s endorsements only because Katz believes the 34-year-old candidate is dynamic and committed to improving the district. “I’m not in office and I’m not running for office,” Katz said.

Cetina said he is pleased to have both endorsements and that he believed Alatorre “took an interest” in his campaign early on. Alatorre also added a handwritten note seeking contributions on the back of Cetina’s fund-raising envelopes, and his influence can be seen in some of the campaign contributions Cetina has received, including one from Alatorre’s son.

Cetina, a Metropolitan Water District engineer, has never held public office. He downplayed any negative influence his campaign may suffer from the endorsement by Alatorre, who tested positive for cocaine use recently and whose personal finances are the subject of a federal investigation.

“Whatever problems he had are his,” Cetina said. “That’s not me. I’m a completely separate individual.”

The other candidates in the 14th District race are: Jim Beckham, Juan Jose Gutierrez, Armando Hernandez, Juan Jimenez, Cathy Molina, Ramiro Moseley, Sylvia Robledo, Juan Marcos Tirado, Zeke Quezada, and a write-in, Yolanda Gonzales.