Eastside Feud Is Reflected in 7th District

The legendary feud between Eastside political powers Gloria Molina and Richard Alatorre spilled over into the San Fernando Valley on Friday when each endorsed competing candidates in the 7th District City Council race.

Molina endorsed Corinne Sanchez and Alatorre endorsed Alex Padilla, both front-runners in the race.

Molina, a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, has waged a political feud with Councilman Alatorre for more than a decade, with each backing different Eastside candidates and throwing their weight behind competing bidders for government contracts.

Political observers and some of those involved in the contest say the involvement of the two contending political powerhouses will add more heat to a race in the northeast Valley that has already rent the area’s Latino leadership.

Rick Taylor, campaign manager for Padilla, downplayed the involvement of the two old foes.

“We don’t have the Eastside wars going on here,” Taylor said.

Sanchez, a 51-year-old attorney, also has the backing of State Sen. Richard Alarcon, the former 7th District councilman.

Padilla, a 25-year-old MIT graduate and legislative aide, has the support of Assemblyman Tony Cardenas (D-Sylmar) and Mayor Richard Riordan, and Friday also picked up the endorsement of the San Fernando Valley chapter of MAPA, the Mexican American Political Assn.

“He’s an extremely bright and capable young man,” Alatorre said of Padilla in explaining his endorsement Friday. “Some people are saying he’s too young, but if that is an indicator rather than his experience and what he’s done, I think that’s very shortsighted.”

Molina disclosed her endorsement during a speech Friday at a campaign fund-raiser for Sanchez attended by 40 people at the downtown City Club. The event raised $4,000 for Sanchez’s campaign.

“She has the same kind of values, empowerment philosophy, that I do,” Molina said in an interview before the Sanchez fund-raiser. “She’s been working on real grass-roots issues,” Molina added. “She has a proven track record for me.”

Sanchez, who runs the health services charity El Proyecto del Barrio, said she believes northeast Valley voters will be more swayed by Molina’s endorsement than Alatorre’s.

Alatorre recently announced he will not seek reelection to the council after he failed a court-ordered drug test and became the target of a federal investigation into his real estate dealings.

“I think Gloria carries a lot more weight with voters than does Richard Alatorre,” Sanchez said.

In fact, the Padilla campaign did not disclose the Alatorre endorsement until asked about it Friday, and it is unlikely the scandal-plagued councilman will make appearances for Padilla in the 7th District.

In contrast, Sanchez said Molina and state Sen. Hilda Solis (D-La Puente) will officially announce their endorsements to the public in an appearance in the Valley next week.

“She’s going to be walking some precincts with me,” Sanchez said. “Molina has very high recognition and prestige with Latinos throughout the city.”

In addition to Sanchez and Padilla, others vying for the 7th District seat in the April 13 election are Raul Godinez II, Ollie McCaulley, Barbara Perkins and Tony Lopez.

Sandra Serrano Sewell, a close friend of Alatorre, said the involvement of Molina and Alatorre on different sides has less to do with their own history as rivals than it does with their ties to different camps in the 7th District.

“Padilla has a lot of labor support, and that’s where a lot of Richard Alatorre’s political base is,” Sewell said.

She said Molina’s endorsement is also not surprising, because Molina and Sanchez have been close for decades, having worked together in groups that attempt to provide more political opportunity for Latinas.

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Sanchez said she and Molina marched together against the Vietnam War and for abortion rights.

The Molina and Alatorre camps downplayed the endorsements as an extension of past feuding.

“The rivalry has been overstated,” said Miguel Santana, a Molina aide, who called the differences irrelevant to the endorsements.

MAPA President Xavier Flores said the difference of opinion among Latino leaders over who is the best candidate is not cause for concern and will not have long-lasting effects.

“It’s very, very healthy, what’s going on,” Flores said. “In the beginning, division in the ranks caused a great deal of concern, but we don’t think there will be any fallout. It’s a sign that we have three excellent candidates.”

Also Friday, State Sen. Richard Polanco (D-Los Angeles), who rooms with Cardenas in Sacramento and gave strong financial support to Alarcon last year, said he will not endorse anyone in the 7th District race.

“I’m staying out of that race,” Polanco said of the northeast Valley contest. “I have friends on both sides who are very dear to me. I think there are various strong candidates there, and the area will be well-served regardless of who wins.”

The 7th District, which includes Pacoima, Sylmar, Lake View Terrace, Arleta, Panorama City, Sun Valley, Sylmar and Van Nuys, is a largely working-class, Democratic district where 42% of voters are Latino.

At least one Valley political activist, who declined to be identified, worried about the impact of the new endorsements.

“Do we need to emulate Eastside politics in the Valley? I don’t think the Valley needs that,” the activist said. “We need cohesion.”

Times staff writers Beth Shuster and Miguel Bustillo contributed to this story.