51 Candidates File to Run for Variety of Open City Posts

With Los Angeles at a political crossroads, 51 candidates, many of them veterans of City Hall, submitted papers on the first day of filing Wednesday to run for city offices that include mayor, city attorney, city controller and eight City Council seats.

Dozens of others are expected to file declarations of intention to run for office by Tuesday to be eligible to take out nominating petitions later in the month for the April 10 election.

There were few surprises Wednesday, with many contenders indicating months ago that they were preparing to seek office.

Deputy City Clerk Kris Heffron was busy taking filings, noting that this election will be the first in which term limits will affect a large number of seats.

“We are expecting a larger number of candidates because of the large number of open seats and the effects of term limits,” Heffron said Wednesday.

Those forced out of office by term limits include Mayor Richard Riordan, City Atty. James Hahn and City Controller Rick Tuttle.

Papers were filed for the mayor’s race by community advocate Addie Mae Miller, painter Martin Luther King Aubrey Sr., gadfly “Melrose” Larry Green, health care consultant Sandra W. Bush Noble and consultant Kwame A. Boateng. None of the major candidates expected to run filed papers on the first day.

Councilman Mike Feuer and Deputy Dist. Atty. Lea Purwin D’Agostino filed to run for city attorney. Deputy Mayor Rocky Delgadillo is expected to join the race.

Councilwoman Laura Chick, who was facing term limits in her post, was one of the first to file to run for city controller. Also running for that post is Khalil Khalil, a financial consultant.

With five council members facing term limits, more than 50 contenders from the west San Fernando Valley to San Pedro are expected to join the race before the filing deadline. Three former state legislators--Tom Hayden, Scott Wildman and Richard Polanco--have indicated they plan to run.

In the 1st Council District, where Mike Hernandez is not seeking reelection, papers were filed by businessmen Joseph Glen Lucey and Jesus “Jesse” Rosas, teacher Gonzalo Molina and Christine Whitfield-Azboy, a geographic information specialist.

Those filing for Chick’s 3rd Council District seat were Tsilah B. Burman, Frank Bush, police Sgt. Dennis P. Zine, Glenn Bailey and former council deputy Judith Hirshberg.

For the 5th Council District, being vacated by Mike Feuer, papers were submitted by businessmen Ken Gerston and Steve Saltzman, accountant Victor Viereck, anti-graffiti activist Joe Connolly, Assistant U.S. Atty. Jack Weiss and Nate Bernstein of the Consumer Protection Agency.

In the 7th Council District, bus driver, union activist and Valley VOTE board member Benny Bernal filed papers with the ethics commission Wednesday to raise funds to challenge freshman incumbent Alex Padilla. Bernal plans to file with the city clerk today.

In the 9th Council District, which Rita Walters is vacating, papers were filed by public works commissioner Woody Fleming, business development consultant C. David Henry, Assemblyman Carl Washington (D-Paramount) and retired Police Officer Alexander J. Gomez.

Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski is seeking reelection in the 11th Council District. Challenger Arthur W. Mortell, a community advocate-mediator, filed papers for that seat.

One of the most hotly contested council races is expected to be the 13th Council District, vacated after Jackie Goldberg won election to the state Assembly last year. Five candidates filed papers Wednesday. They include former Assemblyman Wildman; former Councilman Mike Woo, a neighborhood planner/educator; Eric Garcetti, a professor of public policy and son of former Dist. Atty. Gil Garcetti; teacher David R. Valdivia, and attorney Art Goldberg.

Five candidates filed to run for the 15th Council District, which is being vacated by Rudy Svorinich Jr. They include Jessye R. Scott-Stafford, parks commissioner Bob Nizich, police Lt. Ken Hillman, businesswoman Janice Hahn and Hector J. Cepeda, a California legislative aide.

Meanwhile, three people filed to run for the Los Angeles Unified Board of Education, including incumbent Valerie Fields, educator Ralph Cole and retired math teacher Rick Selan. Eight people filed to run for the Los Angeles Community College Board.