LaBonge Wins Seat on City Council

City Hall veteran Tom LaBonge handily beat labor attorney Beth Garfield Tuesday in an election to succeed his former boss, the late John Ferraro, as the Los Angeles City Council member for the 4th District.

With 100% of the precincts counted, LaBonge had 61.8% of the vote compared to 38.2% for Garfield.

It was an emotional victory for LaBonge, who served for 15 years as the chief field deputy for Ferraro. Ferraro died in April after representing the council district for 35 years.

“I’m honored to be in the position to solve neighborhood problems, and work for all of the people of L.A. I feel great,” said LaBonge, who gathered with 200 supporters at Lucy’s El Adobe, a Melrose Avenue restaurant, to watch the election returns come in.

As he milled through a crowd of police and politicians munching on Mexican appetizers, LaBonge hoisted his 3-year-old son Charles onto his shoulders, and talked enthusiastically about what he would do as a councilman.

LaBonge promised to draw upon his long experience at City Hall in order to forge alliances between the City Council’s new members and its old guard.

“I want to be a bridge to the people of Los Angeles--a bridge between the old council and the new council,” LaBonge said. “I plan to bring people together.”

The election capped one of the most expensive and nastiest council campaign battles in recent years, with LaBonge and Garfield spending a combined $2.05 million during the primary and runoff to compete for a seat that pays $133,000 annually.

LaBonge spent part of Tuesday going door-to-door in Toluca Lake with former Mayor Richard Riordan, who endorsed him. LaBonge, who was backed by the police and fire unions, also had dozens of officers and firefighters walking precincts for him.

Garfield, who watched the election results with backers at her home in Windsor Square, said she was buoyed Tuesday by dozens of volunteers, including many from the county Federation of Labor, who were in the district on election day getting people out to vote.

“Obviously, I’m very disappointed,” Garfield said after she called LaBonge to concede.

A sampling of polls by the City Clerk indicated turnout was on track to be close to the participation in the Sept. 11 election, when 17.6% of the voters went to the polls.

The two finalists competed for a council district that includes areas of North Hollywood, Studio City, Hollywood, Hancock Park, Los Feliz, Silver Lake, the Miracle Mile and Koreatown.

The election is part of a significant turnover at City Hall, marking the seventh council seat on the 15-member council to change hands this year. An election for an eighth seat, in the 2nd Council District, is scheduled for December.

To get into Tuesday’s runoff, Garfield and LaBonge beat out eight other candidates in a hotly contested Sept. 11 election, which was overshadowed by the terrorist attacks that day on New York and Washington, D.C.

Garfield, 49, is a partner in the Holguin and Garfield law firm, which specializes in representing labor unions. She is past president of the Los Angeles Community College District board, having served for eight years as an elected member.

LaBonge, 48, worked for 15 years as chief field deputy for Ferraro before becoming a special assistant to Riordan. To run for office, LaBonge went on a leave of absence from his job as director of community relations for the city Department of Water and Power.

Both candidates promised to reform and expand the Los Angeles Police Department. They each offered plans for getting city managers to work more closely with district residents through the planned system of neighborhood councils.

They clashed on some issues: LaBonge promised to prevent negative impacts on neighbors from the expansion of the Sunshine Canyon Landfill; Garfield opposed any expansion.

LaBonge advocated going ahead now with Mayor James K. Hahn’s proposed compressed work schedule for police officers, while Garfield would not support it unless it was included in a larger package of reforms.

But the sharpest clashes arose in a series of personal attacks and counterattacks fueled by huge amounts of cash.

Garfield, whose family owns a successful real estate business, lent her campaign $700,000 for the first and second rounds of the election, the most personal money ever spent by a council candidate.

LaBonge tapped supporters gained through decades at City Hall and spent more than $1.07 million for the Sept. 11 primary and Tuesday’s runoff, while Garfield’s total spending was $977,000.

In a barrage of mailers and cable television commercials, Garfield sought to paint LaBonge as a longtime City Hall bureaucrat who represents the status quo while she represents change that would open government to the neighborhoods.

“People are excited about changing the way things have been done for decades, where council members do each other favors instead of listening to the neighborhoods,” said Garfield, who is married to former state Assemblyman Wally Knox.

She charged during the campaign that LaBonge was beholden to special interests, including tobacco companies that contributed to his unsuccessful 1993 campaign for the 13th Council District seat, and billboard and liquor interests who that have given to his campaign this year.

In his own mail and television ads, LaBonge accused Garfield of trying to buy a council seat that she lacked the experience to hold.

“I wanted to talk about my past, my record,” LaBonge said. “She tried to tarnish my 27 years of service.”