CITY ELECTION A CHANCE FOR BIG SHIFT.

Byline: Rick Orlov Staff Writer

Los Angeles voters get the chance this year to redefine the shape of the city at a time when it is once again at a crossroads of potentially dynamic and tumultuous change.

The era of Mayor Richard Riordan is coming to an end thanks to term limits, which also opened two other citywide offices and eight of the 15 City Council seats. Three members of the Los Angeles Board of Education and another three on the Community College Board of Trustees are on the ballot.

``It's like the old Chinese curse of 'May you live in interesting times,' '' Democratic political consultant Richard Lichtenstein said. ``Because, we will have interesting times.''

The official campaign period begins Wednesday, when candidates for the various offices begin the technical aspect of qualifying for the April 10 ballot by taking out declarations of intent, followed by the period that ends Feb. 5 with the filing of nominating petitions.

Candidates must collect a majority of votes to avoid a runoff election.

For many, however, the election began in April when mayoral candidates, along with those for city attorney and controller, were allowed to file papers enabling them to raise campaign funds and, a few months later, when City Council candidates could begin soliciting funds.

Secession an issue

On the surface, the race for mayor this year resembles that of 1993, when Riordan emerged from a field of 25 candidates to win.

But, the times are different. Where Riordan was faced with two main issues - crime and the economy - the concerns are now broader and, potentially, more divisive.

Crime and the state of the economy remain top issues, to be sure, but there is more at stake now, including the very survival of Los Angeles as it now exists.

``I understand that no candidate for mayor is going to campaign as being in favor of dividing the city,'' said Richard Close, chairman of Valley Voters Organized Toward Empowerment, which is seeking a vote on breaking up the city.

``But the question I will be asking and I will be urging people to ask is, Which candidate will be most likely to allow this (secession) issue to come to the ballot? What I'm concerned is that someone will become mayor and that person decides they are the king of the city and they don't want to see any part of their empire leaving.''

Even without secession as an issue, Close said the candidates will have to address the underlying problem of how the city delivers its services to different parts of the city.

``We were told during the debate over the new charter that secession wasn't the answer,'' Close said. ``We were told the new charter would solve the problem of giving people a say and bringing government closer to the people. This is the test of that and whether Los Angeles will survive or if smaller cities would be better.''

Close, who also is chairman of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association, said voters also will be looking at how the candidates address quality-of-life issues ranging from graffiti and illegal dumping to fixing potholes and sidewalks.

Labor's leverage

Also as interested in the race are the city's unions and the local labor movement.

``This is the most important election we've ever had,'' said Julie Butcher, general manager of Service Employees International Union, Local 347. ``This is about the future of the city and whether it disintegrates or stays together. What we want to do is get city workers involved, explain why it's important and get them out to vote.''

Miguel Contreras, executive secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, also has signaled his intent to be active in the race in pushing labor issues.

There already are 13 candidates who have announced their intent to run for mayor, and try to pull off the difficult task of keeping Los Angeles as one city.

The top six are seasoned political veterans or those who have been actively involved in recent years.

They are City Attorney James Hahn, Councilman Joel Wachs, state Controller Kathleen Connell, former Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa, U.S. Rep. Xavier Becerra and Parks Commissioner Steve Soboroff.

The others include a mixture of concerned residents making long-shot runs to be the city's chief executive, self-described gadflies and some perpetual candidates.

They include Addie Mae Miller, John Edward Bishop, Kwame A. Boateng, Leonard Shapiro, Eric Wickland, Francis Della Vecchia, Martin Luther King Aubrey Sr. and Steven Paul Mozena.

Other openings

The city's term-limits rule also created some opportunities.

For instance, with Hahn forced out and running for mayor, Councilman Mike Feuer is giving up his 5th District seat to run for city attorney. He is being challenged by Deputy Mayor Rocky Delgadillo - who is counting on help from Riordan's associates - and Deputy District Attorney Lea Purwin D'Agostino, who has strong backing from law enforcement groups.

Also, Councilwoman Laura Chick, forced out by term limits, is running for city controller. So far, the only announced candidate against her is former city Treasurer Paul Brownridge.

The other area of city government to receive dramatic change is the City Council, where six of the eight seats to be decided will be open.

Only council members Alex Padilla in the 7th District of the northeast San Fernando Valley and Cindy Miscikowski in the 11th District, which includes the Westside and Southwest Valley, are seeking re-election and are expected to receive only token opposition.

No one has announced against Padilla. Arthur William Mortell is opposing Miscikowski.

But in the other races, strongly contested elections are forecast.

``In some respects, it looks like the City Council is becoming the retirement home for termed-out legislators,'' Lichtenstein said.

In the 5th District seat being vacated by Feuer, former state Sen. Tom Hayden is running against a crowded field of local activists.

In the 1st District seat being left by Councilman Mike Hernandez, state Sen. Richard Polanco, D-Los Angeles, is expected to announce soon.

And, in the 13th District seat vacated with the election of Jackie Goldberg to the state Assembly, former Assemblyman Scott Wildman has declared his intention to run. Also expected in that race is Goldberg's brother, Art, and the district's former councilman, Mike Woo.

Tight contests

All of these races across the city are expected to draw wide attention as candidates attempt to capitalize on the renewed interest in politics prompted by the close presidential election.

In the Valley area, the most contested races will be in the 5th District and the 3rd District, where Chick is both termed out and seeking to move up.

Announced candidates for her West Valley seat include council deputy Francine Oschin, Police Protective League Director Dennis Zine, Judith Hirshberg and Tsilah Burman.

In the 5th District - stretching from the Middle Valley to the Fairfax area - in addition to Hayden, announced candidates include former federal prosecutor Jack Weiss, Ken Gerston, Robyn Ritter Simon, Nathan Bernstein, Joseph Patrick Connolly, Victor Viereck, Jill Barad, Stephan Saltzman and Laura Lake.

The Los Angeles Board of Education races for incumbent Julie Korenstein and for the seat being vacated by Vickie Castro also will be closely watched, since Riordan had targeted them for defeat. He has endorsed the other incumbent up for election, Valerie Fields.

It was Riordan who helped elect a new reform majority to the board in 1999.

The Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees also will have three seats up for election, which are now held by Beth Garfield, Kelly Candaele and Althea Baker.

City Council races outside the Valley have attracted a number of hopefuls.

In the 1st Council District, announced candidates include Polanco, Joseph Glen Lucey, Fumio Robert Nakahiro, Eduardo Perez Reyes and Edward Rivera.

In the 9th Council District, announced candidates include Democratic Assemblyman Carl Washington, Alexander Gomez, Jan C. Perry and S. Deacon Alexander.

In addition to Wildman, Woo and Art Goldberg, candidates in the 13th Council District include Bennett Kayser, Conrado Terrazas, Sandra Farrington-Domingue, Geoffrey F. Saldivar and Eric Garcetti, son of former District Attorney Gil Garcetti.

In the 15th Council District, announced candidates include Janice Hahn, Frank O'Brien, Kenneth D. Hillman, Robert W. Nizich and Hector J. Cepeda.