Alarcons Are Divided Over 7th District Endorsements

In a plot that might have been from a soap opera, city commissioner Corina Alarcon broke politically Friday from her estranged husband, state Sen. Richard Alarcon, and endorsed Alex Padilla to succeed him on the Los Angeles City Council.

Richard Alarcon has endorsed Corinne Sanchez in the contest for his old 7th District seat.

Corina Alarcon joined Rep. Howard Berman (D-Mission Hills) and Barbara Perkins, who finished third in the primary race for the council seat, in throwing support behind Padilla in the June 8 runoff election.

“I’ve seen firsthand Alex’s dedication and tireless efforts on behalf of the residents of the 7th Council District,” Corina Alarcon said at a City Hall news conference. “And I believe he has a vision, a vision that is positive for the 7th Council District.”

The pending divorce and split in endorsements between the prominent couple have already caused a stir in the northeast San Fernando Valley district.

Sanchez said the endorsement had more to do with enmity between the Alarcons than the council race.

“To me it’s the ‘War of the Roses,’ ” she said, referring to the movie about a couple battling viciously over a bitter divorce.

“This action represents more of a personal situation. It’s more about her and Richard than anything about me,” Sanchez said.

Former San Fernando Mayor Raul Godinez II, who endorsed Sanchez after finishing fourth in the primary, said the Alarcons’ political difference might generate more public attention for the race.

“I think it’s interesting, but I don’t know what effect it will have,” Godinez said.

When they separated, Corina Alarcon accused her husband of using her help to win election to the Senate in November, then discarding her.

Godinez and Ollie McCaulley, who endorsed Sanchez after finishing fifth, said they believe many women voters will be more interested in electing a woman to the council than in following the endorsements by women of a male candidate.

Perkins, the third-place finisher, said quality is more important than gender.

“There’s an issue of where women stand,” Perkins said. “It’s not so much that we want a woman in City Council. We want good representation. Alex knows that 53% of the voters are women, and women’s issues are to be taken seriously,” Perkins said.

Padilla said he believes voters will see the endorsements announced Friday, and previous endorsements from Mayor Richard Riordan and the County Federation of Labor, as signs that he has a broad cross-section of support.

He said Corina Alarcon’s backing is important, because she is a city building and safety commissioner who is on the board of a domestic violence shelter in the Valley.

“I believe people recognize Corina as a leader in her own right,” Padilla said.

Berman agreed.

The congressman, whose district includes part of the 7th Council District, said he supports Padilla because the candidate shares his goal of increasing police protection in the northeast Valley.