HOPEFULS SET SIGHTS ON MARCH CANDIDATES FILE PAPERS FOR L.A. COUNCIL SEATS.

Byline: Harrison Sheppard Staff Writer

Former Assemblywoman Paula Boland and three other candidates who vied for seats on a San Fernando Valley city council have filed papers to run for Los Angeles City Council seats, officials said Thursday.

At least 28 people have filed declarations of intent with the City Clerk's Office to run for seven council seats in the March 4 primary. The deadline for filing is noon Saturday.

Also Thursday, former mayoral candidate and one-time Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa announced he will challenge Councilman Nick Pacheco's re-election bid in the 14th District, which stretches from Eagle Rock to Boyle Heights.

Villaraigosa lost to James Hahn in the 2001 mayoral contest, a costly and divisive race between the two Democrats.

If elected to the council, Villaraigosa said he would serve the entire four years of his term, rather than use the seat to set up a rematch against Hahn in the 2005 election.

``I am not interested in running for mayor right now,'' he said.

Already the spring election is shaping up to be a contest with several high-profile newcomers, including two with grudges against Hahn - Villaraigosa and former police Chief Bernard C. Parks, whom Hahn rejected for a second term as chief.

Assemblyman Tony Cardenas, D-Mission Hills, has filed to run in the East Valley's 6th District, which is being vacated by Councilwoman Ruth Galanter because of term limits. He will face Valley resident Richard L. Perry and businessman Jose Roy Garcia, who was also a candidate in Tuesday's secession election.

In the race to succeed Councilman Hal Bernson, who is retiring because of term limits, the candidates include Boland, Bernson deputy Greig Smith and two candidates who also ran in the secession election, Ken Aslan and Armineh Chelebian. Environmental activist Kim Thompson is also considering running, though she has not filed papers yet.

In the secession election Tuesday, Boland scored a landslide victory in the race for a seat on the council of the proposed Valley city, a much smaller district than a Los Angeles council seat. But her victory was hollow because the cityhood proposal was rejected by city voters, leaving her no office to hold.

Also this week, Councilwoman Wendy Greuel - elected last year to fill out the unexpired term of Joel Wachs, who resigned - filed to run in the March primary for a full four-year term in the East Valley's 2nd District. No one has yet filed to challenge her.

Incumbent Tom LaBonge, elected to fill out the term of the late City Council President John Ferraro, filed to run for a full four-year term in District 4. Derek Milosavljevic, a film executive and producer, also filed a declaration of intent to run in District 4.

Parks will run in the 8th District, where four others have declared themselves candidates: Kevin Melton, Robert Cole, Forescee Hogan-Rowles and Sherri L. Franklin. The post is open because Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas is forced out by term limits and is moving up to the Assembly.

In the 10th District, declared candidates are Assemblyman Roderick ``Rod'' Wright, Leo Terrell, Deron E. Williams, Warren Williams, John Caldwell, Reggie Jones-Sawyer, Franklyn Rogers, Marlon K. Guess and Martin Ludlow.

City News Service contributed to this report.