With Hayden Out, Field in Assembly Race Grows to 8

A day after Tom Hayden bowed out of the race for an Assembly seat, the number of candidates who filed declarations to run rose to eight Wednesday.

“It’s very wide open now,” said West Hollywood Councilman Steve Martin, who decided Wednesday not to join the race for the 42nd District seat representing an area from Sherman Oaks and Studio City to West Los Angeles.

The open primary election is set for March.

On Wednesday, two men declared candidacies for the Democratic nomination in the 42nd District: West Hollywood City Councilman Paul Koretz, who holds a fund-raising lead in the race, and West Los Angeles physician Dan Stone. Both denied that Hayden’s announcement had any effect on their decision to file Wednesday.

They join San Fernando Valley political consultant Jill Barad and Amanda Susskind, a city attorney, who previously filed declarations to compete in the Democratic primary.

Republican Douglas Cleon Taylor, Libertarian Mark Allen Selzer, Green Party candidate Sara Amir and Natural Law Party candidate Ivka Adam also filed papers for candidacy in the race by Wednesday’s deadline.

“I think [the Democratic primary] will be a very competitive four-way race,” said Koretz.

Stone, who went to Taft High School, said he would bring expertise to the Assembly. He is associate medical director of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Group.

Koretz is the only elected official seeking the seat that Assemblyman Wally Knox (D-Los Angeles) is vacating because of term limits. Susskind has been endorsed by Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan.

As expected, Knox and Assemblywoman Sheila Kuehl of Santa Monica filed for what should be a hotly contested Democratic primary for Hayden’s 23rd Senate District seat, which extends from the Westside to the southwest Valley.

The only other candidates filing for the seat by Wednesday’s deadline were Republican Daniel B. Rego and Libertarian Charles T. Black.

Another top Senate race is shaping up. Jack Scott and Scott Wildman, both popular Assembly members, will square off. In 1996, Scott (D-Altadena) and Wildman (D-Los Angeles) made history by winning in districts that had been relatively safe GOP seats. The free-for-all results from incumbent Democrat Adam Schiff’s decision to challenge Republican James Rogan for Congress.

Republicans Dave Wallis and Paul Zee will face off in the GOP primary in the 21st Senate District. Libertarian Bob New also filed for candidacy.

Wednesday was the deadline in most races for filing declarations of intent, though the filing period is automatically extended by five days in cases in which incumbents such as Schiff do not file for reelection.

The race to succeed Wildman in the 43rd Assembly District moved up a notch in intensity Wednesday.

Democrats filing were health professional John Hisserich, former city ethics commissioner Paul Krekorian and Dario Frommer, who headed the campaign for Proposition 217, which would have reinstated upper tax brackets for the highest-earning Californians and shifted money to local governments and schools.

Republicans who filed in the 43rd District were attorneys Mark MacCarley and Craig Missakian and businesswoman Elizabeth Michael.

Eyeing Scott’s seat in the 44th Assembly District are Democrats Barry Gordon, Carol Liu, Victor Franco and Diana Peterson-More. Republicans who filed by Wednesday were Susan Carpenter McMillan, Damian Aaron Jones and Robert Wagner. Libertarian Jerry Douglas also filed.

This is how other races shaped up:

* In the 19th Senate District, Republican Assemblyman Tom McClintock of Northridge was the only person who filed in Los Angeles County, hoping to succeed the retiring incumbent, Republican Cathie Wright of Simi Valley. Part of the district is in Ventura County.

* For McClintock’s old 38th Assembly District seat, Republicans Ross B. Hopkins and Keith Stuart Richman have filed papers to square off in the March primary, while Philip Baron has filed for the Libertarian Party.

* In the 39th Assembly District, incumbent Tony Cardenas (D-Sylmar) filed papers, as did Republican Enrique Valdez and Libertarian Christopher “Kit” Maira.

* In the 40th Assembly District, Democratic incumbent Bob Hertzberg, Republicans Kyle Hammans and Eunice De Leuw and Libertarian Kelley Ross filed.

* In the 41st Assembly District, which is being vacated by Kuehl, Democrats who filed include S. David Freeman, Brenda Gottfried, Fran Pavley, Tony Vasquez and William Wallace. Jayne Shapiro and Stefan “Stu” Stitch filed on the Republican side, and Colin S. Goodman filed as a Libertarian.

*

THE NEW MILLENNIUM: The talk now is that Hayden may run for the 5th District seat on the Los Angeles City Council in 2001 when Councilman Mike Feuer runs for city attorney, West Hollywood Councilman Martin said.

“Tom would have some huge name recognition and a cadre of supporters and a fund-raising apparatus in place,” said Martin, who added that Hayden told him he will probably seek city office.

Rocky Rushing, a spokesman for Hayden, said the timing would be right to run for Feuer’s seat, because Hayden must leave office next year due to term limits, but he said Hayden has not decided what he is going to do.

“That’s obviously something to consider,” Rushing said.

Of course, Hayden has run for mayor before, and some wouldn’t be surprised if he tries it again.

*

THE GRADUATES: Working as an aide to a City Council member has been one traditional apprenticeship leading to a run for office.

Councilwomen Laura Chick and Cindy Miscikowski spent time as council aides for former council members Joy Picus and Marvin Braude, respectively.

Now, a new group of aides are considering stepping up.

They include Greig Smith and Francine Oschin, who are both aides to Councilman Hal Bernson; Woody Fleming and Jan Perry, former aides to Councilwoman Rita Walters, and Ed Reyes, chief of staff for Councilman Mike Hernandez.

“There is the institutional knowledge, understanding how to move resources, and understanding priorities of the constituency,” said Reyes, who is weighing a run for Hernandez’s seat when the councilman leaves office in 2001.

Oschin is considering a run for Chick’s 3rd District seat.

Smith, who is Bernson’s chief of staff, said he is seriously considering a run for his boss’s northwest Valley seat in 2003, when Bernson will be forced out by term limits.

A decision is still a year away, and will be based on several factors, including the results of the 2001 city elections, and what happens with the proposal for Valley secession.

“Why would I want to run for something that we’re going to get rid of?” Smith said.

On the other hand, Smith said his experience working in the northwest Valley would give him an ability to hit the ground running as a councilman.

One council aide who has decided not to seek a council seat is Ken Bernstein, a former aide to Chick.

Bernstein said he decided last week not to seek the 3rd District seat, citing a desire to spend more time with his family, which includes two young children.