4th Council District Candidates Debate Myriad of Issues

The 10 candidates vying for the 4th District seat on the Los Angeles City Council debated police reform, secession and traffic at a forum Wednesday.

With less than three weeks until the Sept. 11 special election, candidates mostly agreed on the need to reform the Los Angeles Police Department, improve officer morale, expand after-school programs and unclog city streets and freeways.

The district extends from Studio City, North Hollywood and Toluca Lake in the San Fernando Valley to Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Hancock Park and Hollywood. The election was called after the death in April of John Ferraro, who represented the district for 35 years.

The race has seen a flood of fund-raising. The top fund-raiser, Tom LaBonge, has reported collecting $266,000.

LaBonge cited as his qualification his years as an aide to Ferraro and former mayors Tom Bradley and Richard Riordan. He proposed reassigning some city parking officers from writing tickets to directing traffic to lessen congestion.

“I have the resources and knowledge to help people in our neighborhoods to improve their quality of life,” said LaBonge, a Silver Lake resident.

Beth Garfield, a Los Angeles Community College District trustee and attorney, also said her experience makes her the best qualified for the council.

“I am the only candidate in this race who has a track record of forcing a bureaucracy to change,” said Garfield, a Windsor Square resident.

Mike Schaefer, a former San Diego city councilman and attorney, said he would use his experience as a prosecutor to restore the LAPD to its former high standing.

“We are going to fight for better retention of our good officers and get rid of the troublemakers,” said Schaefer, a Hancock Park resident. He said expanding the police force by 1,000 officers is practical.

David Roberti, an attorney who served in the state Legislature for 27 years before leaving as Senate president pro tem in 1994, proposed reclaiming abandoned industrial sites and cleaning them up for use as schools, affordable housing and open space.

A Los Feliz resident, Roberti cautioned against promising a major expansion of the police force.

“That’s what brought us Rampart: people not being properly vetted,” Roberti said.

Linda Lockwood, a Hollywood community organizer, said her priorities include boosting police recruitment and restoring officer morale.

Susan Fong, a teacher from Silver Lake, said she supports building more mixed-use developments near transit hubs so people can live and work without too much dependence on automobiles.

Fares “Ferris” Wehbe, who owns a school in Hollywood, cited his business experience.

“I know what it is to make a budget, to make payroll,” Wehbe said. “I know what it is to make a difference on education.”

The former president of Hollywood VOTE, the group that petitioned for a study of Hollywood cityhood, Wehbe said the creation of strong neighborhood councils can help improve local power and head off secession.

Denise Munro Robb, an environmental activist who heads the Miracle Mile Action Committee, said she will work to stop development of Playa Vista and to end the tenure of Police Chief Bernard Parks.

Tax accountant Larry Green said he is independent and ethical, and believes the LAPD needs more council support.

Richard MacMinn, who heads a group promoting neighborhood councils, said he decided to run to help head off the breakup of the city, and believes giving local communities more power will help address their complaints.

The forum was taped at the studios of Adelphia cable television for later showing on that system.