CARDENAS CLOSE TO MAKING VALLEY HISTORY : GERANIOS, HERTZBERG POSTING EARLY ADVANTAGE IN SHOWDOWNS.

Byline: Luz Villarreal, Lee Condon and Yvette Cabrera Daily News Staff Writers

Term limits kicked in across the state Tuesday with a wave of newcomers heading for the Capitol, including Democrat Tony Cardenas, who appeared poised to become the first Latino assemblyman elected in the San Fernando Valley.

In other races, Republican John Geranios was leading Democrat Scott Wildman for the 43rd Assembly District, while Democrat Bob Hertzberg was running far ahead of Republican Ron Culver in the Van Nuys-based 40th Assembly District race.

Cardenas, a 32-year-old Sylmar real estate broker, held a commanding lead over Republican candidate Ollie McCaulley in the 39th District, which includes much of the northeast Valley. The winner replaces incumbent Richard Katz, who is stepping down because of term limits.

``It makes me feel good knowing things are changing,'' Cardenas said as he celebrated his grass-roots campaign with friends and family in Sylmar. ``People of every background and lifestyle seem to be comfortable with (me being a Latino) and I expected nothing less.

``I'm glad it's happening,'' he said. ``We got votes from Latinos, African-Americans and every spectrum.''

Cardenas won key local endorsements and pumped more than $206,500 into his campaign - compared to McCaulley's $5,881.

The 43rd Assembly District race was thrown wide open when Assemblyman James Rogan, R-Glendale, announced he would run for the congressional seat given up by U.S. Rep. Carlos Moorhead, who is retiring after 22 years in office.

Voters in the district, which includes Glendale, Burbank, and the Los Angeles communities of Los Feliz and Silver Lake, had their choice between Geranios, 34, and Wildman, 45, both newcomers to the area.

Since the 43rd District has been a Republican stronghold for decades, many local political players considered the election decided once Geranios bested nine other candidates in the March Republican primary.

``Our community is a common sense Republican community and Democrats have no place here,'' Geranios said after returns that put him in the lead. ``We've run a very simple race focused on issues. Our opponents have taken a very different road. We're focuing on lower taxes, less government and local control.''

The Republican candidate said he ran an issues oriented campaign. He accused Wildman, a union representative for United Teachers-Los Angeles, of last minute negative attacks.

Based on incomplete returns:

In the 40th District, Hertzberg, an attorney, led Culver, a satellite telecommunications technician from Van Nuys. The winner of the race will replace Assemblywoman Barbara Friedman, D-Tarzana, who also is leaving office because of term limits.

In the 38th District, Republican Tom McClintock led Democrat Jon Lauritzen. McClintock, who was an assemblyman for the nearby 36th District from 1982 to 1992, will likely replace Assemblywoman Paula Boland, R-Granada Hills, who could not seek re-election to the assembly because of term limits but was running for the Senate.

In the 36th District, Republican George Runner, a Christian school administrator and former Lancaster mayor, led Democrat David Cochran, a Santa Clarita resident and a business representative for a union representing government workers.

The seat, which represents the Santa Clarita and Antelope Valleys, is being vacated by W.J. ``Pete'' Knight of Palmdale, who is running for state Senate.

In the 42nd District, incumbent Wally Knox, a Democrat, held a solid lead over Republican challenger Adam Ross. Knox, a lawyer from Larchmont Village, is facing his second term with a victory.

In the 41st District race, Democrat incumbent Sheila Kuehl held a very slight lead over Republican Mark Boos Benhard for the area which includes Santa Monica, Malibu, Encino, Tarzana, Calabasas and Westlake Village.

Kuehl, who was elected to the seat 1994, is the first openly gay person to serve in the state Legislature.

In the 44th District, Assemblyman Bill Hoge, R-Pasadena, is seeking his third term in a seat representing Pasadena, South Pasadena, Sunland-Tujunga, La Crescenta, La Canada Flintridge and parts of Glendale.

He faced a tough battle from former Pasadena Community College president Jack Scott. By Tuesday night he was leading.

Since Democrats outnumber Republicans by only a slim margin in the district, it was considered one of the most competitive races in the state and key to Republicans holding their edge in the Assembly.

In the 37th District, Republican incumbent Nao Takasugi was holding an advantage over Democrat challenger Jess Herrera for the area covering Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Camarillo, Moorpark, and most of Thousand Oaks.

Takasugi, a former small-business man, was first elected to the state Assembly in 1992. Herrera, from Oxnard, is a Marine clerk with the International Longshoreman and Warehouse Workers Union.

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PHOTO Democrat Tony Cardenas and supporters anticipate victory Tuesday in the 39th Assembly District race.

John McCoy/Daily News