City, World Issues Compete for Play in 4th District Council Race

Ben Affleck is on the phone. Amid the frenzy of promoting his new movie and fending off paparazzi obsessed with his engagement to Jennifer Lopez, Affleck is actually calling reporters to talk -- at length -- about Los Angeles’ 4th District City Council race.

Specifically, the movie star wants to discuss his support for an old high school friend from Massachusetts, Derek Milosavljevic, whom he said “seeks to fundamentally change the way politics works in the city.”

In its sweep from the struggling arts corridor of North Hollywood over the hills of Griffith Park and down into Koreatown, the 4th Council District encompasses parts of Hollywood and the Hollywood Hills. And of course, the Hollywood sign.

But for the most part, glamour and star power have not had prominent roles in the district’s City Council elections. Traffic, trash and open space are the traditional marquee players on the agenda; concerns about homelessness, theft and prostitution make cameo appearances.

Tom LaBonge, who was chief deputy to former Councilman John Ferraro before being elected to his seat in 2001, has shown himself in the last 16 months to be the leading man in this domain, a boosterish Mr. Fix-it for all 250,000 residents of his district and beyond.

His opponent, a Green Party member and film producer who turned 31 Monday, wants to make the March 4 vote a referendum on a different kind of politics. Milosavljevic has made a foreign policy issue -- opposition to war in Iraq -- one of the key planks in his platform.

“Why shouldn’t our city be discussing war in the Middle East?” he asked. “In times like these, times of crisis, we need City Council members who can be leaders of the people and not just speed-bump-placers and pothole-fillers. I think Los Angeles deserves better than someone whose sole concern is traffic lights.”

But political experts, and even some of LaBonge’s formerly disenchanted constituents, say Milosavljevic’s quest to unseat a popular incumbent is likely to be difficult.

In just 16 months, LaBonge “has created an enormous sense of energy around his constituents,” said Howard Sunkin, a contract lobbyist whose clients have included home-alarm and cable companies.

Frequently spotted around his district picking up trash, LaBonge, 49, who grew up in the district in Silver Lake, also keeps a hawk eye on street maintenance and won’t hesitate to speed-dial city street sweepers from his car phone if he spots a downed branch.

He is a relentless and exuberant cheerleader for his district and the city. Every bridge is beautiful. Every neighborhood is great. Every tree has a glorious history, one that LaBonge himself could write the book on. He’s also blessed with an uncanny gift for picking out tourists wandering the streets and he delights in greeting them and giving them calendars filled with photographs that he has taken of L.A.

His message, LaBonge said, is simple: “To take care of neighborhoods and to inspire people to enjoy and love Los Angeles.” He’s also proud of his efforts at beautification and preserving open space, and of drafting an ordinance that allows police to seize and sell the cars used while soliciting prostitutes.

David Dion, owner of the North Hollywood boutique “Vavoom,” said he approached the City Council to complain about its lack of support for businesses in North Hollywood. But he wound up a fan of his councilman.

“Tom LaBonge has a great heart,” Dion said. “This guy, he really wants what we want.”

That includes representing his largely liberal constituents’ views on the issue of war. On Friday, LaBonge joined a majority of council members who voted 9-4 on an antiwar resolution.

But for his opponent, this is not enough. Milosavljevic (pronounced Me-low-SAHV-la-vitch, which his campaign office stresses is distinct from the name of a certain former Serbian president) has never held or sought elected office before -- except perhaps, he said, in some long-forgotten junior high race.

He said he didn’t even vote in the October 2001 special election in which LaBonge was elected over former Los Angeles Community College Board President Beth Garfield, because neither candidate “represented me or my issues.”

Part of the reason he decided to run, Milosavljevic said, is that he believes that a 31-year-old novice with ideas and passion should have a shot at unseating a well-known and well-funded incumbent -- especially if he is not taking enough of a leadership role on issues like Iraq or on those closer to home such as traffic and affordable housing.

Milosavljevic said he intends to be a leader. His goals include expanding the City Council from 15 to 30 members, giving neighborhood councils more power, developing more affordable housing and revamping the transportation system to avoid future crippling traffic problems.

But among the many lessons of the last few months is that mounting a campaign without money is harder than he expected, even with the support of the Green Party and the endorsement of Americans for Democratic Action. As of Feb. 15, he had reported $20,260 in contributions, while LaBonge had reported $193,577.

“I had hopes that it could be done with fewer dollars,” Milosavljevic said. Cut to old high school buddies Affleck and Matt Damon. The two contributed to Milosavljevic’s campaign. Affleck, who owns a house in the district but said he is registered to vote at another address, also held a fund-raiser that Milosavljevic said netted about $11,000.

Even with this boost, Milosavljevic said he is having trouble getting his message out in a district where many voters have known LaBonge since he played football at Marshall High School three decades ago.

LaBonge “understands why he’s elected,” said political consultant Rick Taylor, who has contributed to LaBonge in the past. “It’s not about passing war resolutions. It’s about trimming trees.... It’s not a glamorous job.”