Clinton Shuns Planned Valley Visit--for Camp David

City Councilman Joel Wachs of Studio City joked at a debate of mayoral candidates this week that national Democratic Party leaders would never throw a fund-raiser in the San Fernando Valley “because they don’t even know where it is.”

As it happens, President Clinton was planning to find his way to the Valley this very Saturday to host a fund-raiser for the Democratic National Committee. Tickets to the event at a private home in Calabasas were selling for $10,000 apiece.

But Clinton, who pays frequent visits to Democratic donors on the Westside, wound up canceling his rare trip to the Valley to concentrate on a more pressing issue, the Middle East peace talks at Camp David.

Clinton will also skip weekend fund-raisers in San Francisco and Orange and Ventura counties, which were supposed to yield more than $1 million for the DNC, a party official said.

Organizers hope to reschedule the Calabasas event for September--assuming Clinton can find his way there.

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FAX FINDING: The race for the West Valley’s 3rd District seat on the Los Angeles City Council has heated, with candidate Judith Hirshberg saying Wednesday she has filed an Ethics Commission complaint alleging contender Francine Oschin improperly used a City Hall phone and fax machine for campaign fund-raising.

Hirshberg, an Encino resident, alleged that Oschin, who lives in Reseda, faxed several pieces of her campaign material, including fund-raising appeals, from a fax machine in the City Hall office of her boss, Councilman Hal Bernson, for whom Oschin is an assistant chief deputy.

Hirshberg provided the ethics panel with the faxed campaign documents she had obtained, including a “Francine Oschin for Council” contribution form and a letter appealing for supporters to give up to $500 to her campaign.

The documents all have “CCL Hal Bernson” and Bernson’s city office fax number on the top where the sender data is printed by the fax machine.

Hirshberg, who once served as an aide to former Councilman Marvin Braude, said Oschin should have known city resources could not be used for political purposes because she is a longtime aide to Bernson.

“We’ve been friends for a long time,” Hirshberg said. “I’m shocked and appalled. I don’t think what she did is honest and above board.”

Oschin was traveling with Bernson on a transit fact-finding trip to the East Coast on Wednesday and did not return calls to her city office and home phone. Bernson also was not available for comment, according to Ali Sar, a spokesman for the council member.

“Hal is not aware of it,” Sar said of the allegation. “We have not seen any material.”

The policy of Bernson’s office is that aides must reimburse the city when they use the phone for personal calls, Sar said, but added he did not know whether Oschin reimbursed the city for the fax, which was sent at 5:09 p.m., just after Bernson’s office had closed for the day.

The law generally prohibits use of city resources for political campaigns, according to LeeAnn Pelham, deputy director of the Los Angeles Ethics Commission.

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LET ME COUNT THE WAYS: How much does Mayor Richard Riordan dislike Councilwoman Laura Chick of Tarzana?

Sources say that on a recent trip to Sacramento, Riordan urged state Sen. Richard Alarcon (D-Sylmar) to run against Chick for city controller, offering support if he did.

“He [Riordan] is not a fan of the councilwoman because she has disagreed with him on issues,” said Rick Taylor, a political consultant working for Chick’s controller campaign. In particular, Chick and Riordan have clashed over the mayor’s handling of a rapid buildup in the LAPD.

At one point, Riordan offered to back one of his top deputies, Noelia Rodriguez, to take on Chick in the controller’s race, but Rodriguez decided not to run.

A spokesman for Riordan confirmed the mayor talked to Alarcon about running, but said the two haven’t discussed detailed strategy.

“The mayor thinks highly of the senator and has for some time, even when he was on the City Council,” mayoral spokesman Peter Hidalgo said.

Taylor, who called several Alarcon supporters after hearing about the meeting with the mayor, said he was told that the senator had been weighing a candidacy but would probably not run for controller, despite the pressure from the mayor.

Alarcon did not return calls for comment on the controller race.

Taylor said he believes Alarcon will not run for controller because, in part, of the recent revelation in divorce court papers that Alarcon and his estranged wife, Corina, have had serious financial problems, going deep into debt while living a lavish lifestyle.

“He’s very bright,” Taylor said. “I don’t think he’s going to run for an office involving money. Why would the public trust him to handle their money when he can’t handle his own?”

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‘ANY TIME, ANYWHERE’: Republican congressional candidate Jerry Doyle of Woodland Hills has dropped his unusual demand that his rival, Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks), debate him “at least once before 12 noon and once after 12 noon” in each community of the district.

Now that Sherman has agreed to at least one debate, Doyle says the time of day for any others makes no difference.

“Any time, anywhere,” said Doyle, an actor who played security officer Michael Garibaldi in the “Babylon 5” television show. “Just tell us when and where, and we’ll be there.”

Sherman and Doyle have agreed to appear at a candidates’ forum sponsored by the Ventura County Medical Society on Aug. 10 in Oxnard.

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ON THE PROWL: Three months after losing the Democratic primary for state Senate to Assemblywoman Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica), Assemblyman Wally Knox (D-Los Angeles) is putting out feelers for a campaign next year for city attorney.

But Knox could find himself fighting much of his own campaign team: Larry Levine, the consultant who led Knox’s Senate campaign, is running Councilman Mike Feuer’s race for city attorney. Knox’s treasurer, Mary Ellen Padilla, is also on Feuer’s team.

And Galanty & Co., the Santa Monica media firm that produced Knox’s campaign ads, and Knox’s pollster, Gene Bregman, have also been advising Feuer.

Knox, who must leave the Assembly this year because of term limits, said he was “considering several options in the political arena and the private sector” and will announce his career plans after the Legislature adjourns at the end of August.

For his part, Feuer says Knox told him he wasn’t interested in running for city attorney.

“Notwithstanding his prior lack of interest in the race, he certainly has a right to consider it now,” Feuer said.