CAPITOL FRESHMEN WILL KNOW THE ROPES.

Byline: HARRISON SHEPPARD Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO -- A new delegation of San Fernando Valley freshman legislators, seasoned at the local political level, is poised to take the Capitol after Tuesday's elections -- and hit the ground running.

Most analysts say the Valley-region races were generally decided in the primary because legislative districts have been drawn to create safe seats. And all local seats have party registration margins of at least 9 points -- with favored candidates having massive leads in fundraising -- leaving analysts with a fairly likely picture of the incoming Valley delegation.

``What you have is a group of very highly experienced lawmakers,'' said political analyst Allan Hoffenblum, who co-authored a book analyzing legislative races. ``There certainly won't be any lessening of clout. One could argue in the era of term limits they could be even more effective.

``I don't see any lightweights among the group.''

One of the ``freshman'' Assembly members will be Richard Alarcon. Hardly a newcomer to Sacramento, he is trading sides as he finishes his eighth year in the state Senate. Alarcon, who has also served on the Los Angeles City Council, is running virtually unopposed for the 39th District representing the Northeast Valley.

And the new senator representing most of the Central and North Valley will likely be Alex Padilla, who was just 28 when he became president of the Los Angeles City Council, the youngest person to ever hold that post. Padilla, 33, also recently served as president of the California League of Cities.

A third former Los Angeles council member to represent the Valley in Sacramento will likely be Mike Feuer, a heavy favorite to win the 42nd District seat representing the liberal communities of the Westside and Sherman Oaks.

The other open Valley-area Assembly seats are also likely to be filled by experienced local politicians: Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District board President Julia Brownley, a Democrat seeking the seat representing the West Valley and Santa Monica; Burbank school board member Paul Krekorian, a Democrat seeking the 43rd District seat; and Cameron Smyth, a Republican councilman and former mayor of Santa Clarita.

That experience will be needed for the new delegation to tackle issues Valley leaders say need attention -- from transportation and education to runaway film production.

Brendan Huffman, president of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, said he has already met with most of the expected incoming legislators and found a common interest, particularly with transportation.

But he is also concerned about their ability to work on a bipartisan basis.

``At this point it appears that Gov. Schwarzenegger will be re-elected, and the Valley delegation is predominantly Democratic,'' Huffman said. ``So we're looking for leadership ... but equally as important an ability to work on both sides of the aisle.''

Valley legislators have had a mixed record of working with the governor and with each other, Huffman noted.

The most recent problem came late last year when the delegation had trouble uniting on a proposal to use federal money for the 405-101 freeway interchange, causing a delay in state legislation that nearly jeopardized the federal funding.

Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, D-Van Nuys, who will be the only returning Valley incumbent in the Assembly, said extensions to the Red Line subway and Orange Line bus route will be key issues in the future.

With voters also deciding the fate of a $20 billion transportation bond Tuesday, there could be plenty of new money going for such projects, but it will take some strong lobbying, he noted.

Levine, who will be entering his third and final term in the Assembly, also said he has met recently with Caltrans officials about the next phase of 101-405 improvements, in the southbound section of the 405 that heads to the 101.

``There's nothing settled on yet,'' Levine said. ``We as a Valley and the political leadership of the Valley have a chance to shape that as we want. That will be an issue.''

Just outside the Valley -- in Ventura County and the Antelope Valley -- heavily favored to return are incumbent Assembly members Audra Strickland, R-Westlake Village, and Sharon Runner, R-Lancaster.

On the Senate side, most of the other seats in the region will continue to be filled by incumbents who are not up for re-election this year, including Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Los Angeles; Sen. Jack Scott, D-Pasadena; Sen. George Runner, R-Lancaster; and possibly Sen. Tom McClintock, R- Thousand Oaks, depending on the outcome of his bid for lieutenant governor.

The new legislators might also need to consider better coordination with each other and with others in the Los Angeles delegation.

Outgoing Assemblyman Paul Koretz, D-West Hollywood, has often felt the legislators from L.A. didn't work together well on issues that affect the region.

He had tried to organize a Los Angeles caucus, with mixed results, but now he is leaving office.

``I observed for a long time that the L.A. delegation doesn't meet and doesn't coordinate with each other, and certainly doesn't make use of the potential clout that we have,'' Koretz said.

``It was difficult getting participation. I would say it was a little bit like herding cats. People all have their own issues. And the idea of doing additional coordination in the interest of L.A. issues worked for some, but it's difficult.

``Certainly I would advise trying to pull that together.''

harrison.sheppard(at)dailynews.com

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