BOARD INCUMBENTS CHALLENGED NO SITTING SUPERVISOR DETHRONED SINCE 1980.

Byline: Troy Anderson Staff Writer

After several years of running virtually unopposed, three members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors face five challengers in the March 2 election.

But experts say the challengers would need up to $3 million to successfully unseat even one of the supervisors, who oversee a $17.1 billion budget and 86,630 employees.

No incumbent supervisor has been defeated since 1980, when Michael D.Antonovich beat Baxter Ward to win the Fifth District seat. And even though voters recently approved term limits for the supervisors, they won't begin to be termed out until 2014.

``We would have a more responsive, accountable and democratic county government if the Board of Supervisors faced challengers in their elections, but due to the size of the district and the enormous cost of reaching millions of voters, too often they run virtually unopposed,'' said Bart Diener, assistant general manager of Service Employees International Union Local 660, which represents 50,000 county employees.

Each supervisor represents 2 million people and together they serve as the ``city council'' for the 1 million residents of unincorporated portions of the county, which make up 65 percent of the county's territory.

The county provides numerous services that affect the lives of all 10 million county residents, including law enforcement, criminal prosecutions, public health protection, welfare, foster care, senior services, property assessment and elections.

Antonovich, the longest-serving supervisor, represents portions of the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys and the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys.

He is being challenged by Santa Clarita environmentalist Lynne Plambeck, owner of a Burbank film-recycling business, and foster parent Linda Jordan of Pasadena. While Antonovich has raised $600,000 and has $230,000 cash in hand, Plambeck lent her campaign $50,000, and Jordan has not reported raising any money.

``I want to ensure our citizens have safe streets and safe communities,'' said Antonovich, 63, of Glendale. ``Our Fire Department is the best in the nation, as is our Sheriff's Department, and giving them the necessary support to respond in a crisis has helped to protect life and property.''

Plambeck, who fought to save the centuries-old Old Glory oak in Pico Canyon last year, has campaigned on a ``smart growth'' platform. She wants to redevelop blighted neighborhoods rather than adding to urban sprawl and the accompanying traffic congestion, air pollution and the loss of open space.

``Mike Antonovich has promoted developers' interests time and time again, while ignoring and even attacking residents' opposition to projects that harm their quality of life,'' Plambeck said.

Jordan did not return phone calls.

In the Second District race, Guy Mato, a 46-year-old Gardena real estate executive, is seeking to unseat Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, a 71-year-old South Los Angeles resident who was elected to the board in 1992 and previously served in Congress and the state Assembly.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Don Knabe, a 60-year-old Cerritos resident who represents the Fourth District, is being challenged by Long Beach's Dr. Jayendra Arvindlal Shah and Redondo Beach business planning consultant JoAnn Hillary McDermott.

Troy Anderson, [phone]

troy.anderson(at)dailynews.com