Besting Council Incumbents a Tough Task

How does a relatively unknown candidate topple a well-funded incumbent and win a seat on the Los Angeles City Council in next Tuesday’s election?

In the case of David “Ty” Vahedi, you accuse the incumbent of being a dog killer, blame him for landslides that gobbled homes and then condemn him for surging crime rates.

Eight council seats are up for grabs Tuesday, but the only open seat is on the Westside, and seven incumbents are running.

If history is a guide, challengers such as Vahedi are fighting an uphill battle -- because in Los Angeles, incumbent council members rarely lose.

Three are already guaranteed victory. With no challengers on the ballot in their districts, Council members Janice Hahn, Eric Garcetti and Alex Padilla all get four more years in office, at an annual salary of $143,838.

None of the races may be close, but at least two have become snippy.

Vahedi, 38, an attorney, is seeking the 5th District seat held by Jack Weiss. The district spans the Santa Monica Mountains and includes Westwood, Century City, the Fairfax district, Sherman Oaks and Encino.

“We’re going so far backward, and I just couldn’t handle another four years of Jack Weiss,” Vahedi said. “I noticed that people in the district were becoming more and more disenchanted.”

Vahedi has fared better at fundraising than other council challengers, bringing in $94,153, including a $22,500 loan he made to his campaign, according to the City Ethics Commission.

If elected, Vahedi has vowed to put more police officers on the street in the district and said that he would push for a network of park-and-ride lots, where people could transfer to buses that take them to work in Century City.

The candidate has spent some of his money on a series of mailers to district voters. “Say NO to Jack Weiss’ lies,” screams one.

In the fliers, Vahedi blames Weiss for the deaths of 50,000 dogs and other pets in Los Angeles because Weiss failed to change the city’s policy of euthanizing dogs that go unadopted from shelters.

The city’s Department of Animal Services euthanized 29,624 animals in fiscal year 2003-04, down from 39,086 in fiscal year 2001-02.

Vahedi has also blamed Weiss for allowing too much development in landslide-prone areas. According to city planning records, the majority of homes red-tagged in Los Angeles after the recent storms were built before 1965. Weiss took office in 2001.

Vahedi said that based on his campaign’s analysis of Los Angeles Police Department data for the years 2001 and 2003, overall crime has increased 33% since Weiss took office. Los Angeles Police Department statistics show that serious offenses -- including violent crime, burglary and auto theft -- are down by about 15% in the district since 2001.

“I’m confident that the voters of the district know me from working with me the last four years and that people appreciate the job that we’ve done,” Weiss said. “I have focused on preserving and protecting the quality of life in the district, and it’s unfortunate that desperate candidates make desperate charges.”

Weiss also said that he is the owner of a dog, Newton, a retriever mix that he adopted from an animal rescue organization.

In the 9th District, Councilwoman Jan Perry faces two challengers: Pete Torres, a senior lead officer with the LAPD, and Eddie Reyes, a former Marine, UC Berkeley graduate and middle school teacher.

The district includes downtown and South Los Angeles.

Torres and Reyes accuse Perry of spending too much time on downtown development while ignoring parts of the district south of the Santa Monica Freeway.

Reyes has raised $250, Torres has raised $29,825, and Perry $418,406.

“I’ve seen things getting worse in the last four years,” Torres said. “Things aren’t being addressed, things are being neglected, so four more years from now it’s going to be even more work for people to clean up.”

Torres wants to focus on making downtown safer and plans to form after-school study halls for youths.

Perry said that she is livid at her opponents.

“That is a contrivance and fantasy that is being spread throughout the district because they [Torres and Reyes] come without a portfolio,” Perry said. “They have been very eager to tell Spanish-speaking constituents that I’m a racist and I don’t do anything except for African Americans, and that’s a complete and utter lie.... They need to put their egos in check and focus on learning their craft.”

The remaining races have failed to generate that level of political heat.

In the 1st District, which covers northeast Los Angeles, incumbent Ed Reyes faces two challengers: artist and photographer Stephen Sarinana-Lampson and community activist Ernest E. Sanchez.

Sarinana-Lampson has criticized Reyes for focusing too much on his plans to clean up the Los Angeles River and not paying attention to crime.

Reyes does not apologize for his work on the river.

“All of the great cities in the world have a fabulous river that they celebrate,” he said. “I’m straddling the fence. I want to keep a firm foot on the ground and deliver the basic city services, but also look at the big picture at how this city is going to step into the future.”

In the 3rd District, in the southwestern San Fernando Valley, incumbent Dennis Zine faces small-business owner Jeff Bornstein.

Bornstein says that one of his main beefs with Zine is that he is a Republican.

“I thought it would be such a shame if a Democrat couldn’t vote for a Democrat in a Democratic district,” Bornstein said.

Zine, for his part, points to a long list of accomplishments in the last four years, including helping stop the Ahmanson Ranch housing development.

“They call me a Republocrat for a reason,” Zine said. “I serve all the people.”