Polanco to Announce Candidacy for Council

Democratic state Sen. Richard Polanco plans to formally declare his candidacy today for a Los Angeles City Council seat, ending months of speculation about a next move for the Sacramento power broker facing state term limits.

His announcement in one sense is expected. Polanco had pressed for a ballot measure to expand the county Board of Supervisors from five to nine members, partly in hopes of running for one of the new seats. But voters rejected that proposal in November, so Polanco--the Senate majority leader whose term expires in 2002--now is aiming to take over outgoing Councilman Mike Hernandez’s 1st District seat.

In a crowded field of 10 candidates, Polanco’s entrance into the race adds drama to the campaign to replace Hernandez, who will retire in the spring after being dogged by a narcotics and alcohol addiction that surfaced in 1997.

Polanco is one of Sacramento’s most powerful and polarizing figures. He has waged fierce campaigns on behalf of political allies and is considered one of the chief reasons that Latinos have made such significant strides in representation during the 1990s. At the same time, many observers blame him for inflaming racial tensions in his dogged quest to boost Latino voting strength.

For example, Polanco was behind a controversial mailer in 1998 that may have cost former Assemblyman Richard Katz the Democratic nomination for state senator against Sen. Richard Alarcon (D-Los Angeles). The mailer falsely linked Katz to Republican efforts in Orange County to frighten unsophisticated Latinos away from the polls and connected the San Fernando Valley legislator to former Republican Gov. Pete Wilson, a dark figure in Latino politics.

District Is a Mix of Cultures

Polanco brings his resume to a predominantly working-poor Latin American and Asian immigrant district that embodies much of the city’s changing face. It stretches from Lincoln Heights to Pico-Union and Koreatown.

The area also is home to several of Los Angeles’ most urgent problems, such as the Rampart police scandal, the Belmont Learning Complex controversy and an affordable housing crisis that drew new attention in December when an Echo Park apartment complex collapsed, killing one man and injuring 36 people.

Polanco, whose Senate seat includes much of the district, said he carefully weighed other options before deciding to enter the race.

“I could have run for statewide office” such as secretary of state or state controller, he said, “and I think I would have been successful. . . . But, truly, I wanted to come back home.”

A native of East Los Angeles, Polanco, 49, lives in Mt. Washington with his wife, Olivia, and two of his three children. His announcement comes at a time when several political heavyweights are lining up to seek Los Angeles City Council seats, largely a byproduct of term limits.

Besides Polanco, state Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Los Angeles) has declared his candidacy in the city’s 5th District race. Assemblyman Carl Washington (D-Paramount) will seek the 9th District seat.

In the 13th District, Assemblyman Scott Wildman (D-Los Angeles), former Councilman Michael Woo and Eric M. Garcetti--son of former Dist. Atty. Gil Garcetti--will compete in the April election.

No matter how the campaigns shake out, the results seem destined to alter dramatically the political dynamics of Los Angeles, said Fernando Guerra, head of Loyola Marymount University’s Center for the Study of Los Angeles.

“With these guys coming in from Sacramento, they have a much more regional, statewide view, with contacts all over the place,” Guerra said.

Historically, the Los Angeles City Council has tended to operate with a parochial outlook and has been ineffective in securing state money, he said.

Polanco said he will make the same argument when he begins what is sure to be a well-financed, aggressive campaign. The deadline to declare candidacy is Jan. 16.

“I drive the area every day,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of local community stuff prior to getting into government, be it in housing, health, gang work. . . .

“And, I’ve seen where I can bring a lot of talent and expertise that I’ve been afforded over the past 14 years and make the link between our city and the state government.”

Candidate Brings Statewide Experience

Should he win office, Polanco said, he would work toward improving the area’s housing stock, propose easier permitting procedures for new schools and implement new programs for gun control, an issue he has championed in the Senate.

However, his candidacy has already sparked a local debate over whether he is prepared to shift his emphasis from broad statewide concerns to more mundane matters such as street improvements, calls for new crosswalks, or daily crime.

Polanco, described by his staff as someone who rages at the sight of a pothole, says he is.

“My real enthusiasm in wanting to come back is to do hands-on work,” he said.

His opponents, along with such potential colleagues as 14th District Councilman Nick Pacheco, expressed their doubts.

“There’s an issue as to whether or not someone who received their training in Sacramento can succeed at the local level,” Pacheco said, adding that he has not yet decided on an endorsement. In his own 1999 council race, Pacheco overcame fierce opposition from Victor Griego, backed heavily by Polanco.

Citing the senator’s continued opposition to construction of the Belmont complex on its current site near downtown Los Angeles, despite increasing calls to do so, Pacheco said Polanco “goes against the grain in that district.”

Joseph Lucey, 43, a businessman who is one of Polanco’s opponents, predicted the senator would leave a council seat early when a better opportunity arose. Polanco insists he won’t.

“Everyone knows he wants to run for a supervisor’s seat and wants to use this as a steppingstone,” Lucey said. “After years of ineffective service from Hernandez, the 1st District would be underserved yet again.”

Like Pacheco and several other area officials who probably will watch this race closely, Hernandez has not decided on an endorsement. Hernandez’s reticence is particularly notable because his former chief of staff, Eduardo Perez Reyes, 41, is considered Polanco’s chief competition in the council race.

Polanco, the councilman said, has demonstrated talent at delivering for his constituents and supporters.

“You can’t discount the years of public service he comes in with,” Hernandez said. “He brings a lot to the table for the district.”

Still, some question how much Polanco’s reputation among insiders will resonate with the voting public.

Richard Mendez, who heads the El Rescate nonprofit agency for Central American immigrants, said the political hype generated by the announcement probably will not affect his clients much.

“Things kind of stay the same around here for the poor,” he said, “no matter who is in office.”