MAYOR BACKS CHARTER REFORM HOPEFULS : WHOM RIORDAN SUPPORTS.

Byline: Patrick McGreevy Daily News Staff Writer

Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan endorsed 11 candidates Thursday for an elected Charter Reform Commission - giving them a boost in the crowded contest for the 15-member panel.

Five San Fernando Valley leaders are listed on the slate and will benefit from a $556,000 campaign war chest.

They are former state Assemblywoman Paula Boland; Marvin Selter, chairman of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association; Gary Thomas, president of the United Chambers of Commerce of the San Fernando Valley; Encino homeowner leader Rob Glushon; and Marcos Castaneda, a City Council aide from Sylmar.

David Fleming, Riordan's co-sponsor of the initiative voters will consider April 8, said the mayor is throwing his considerable political weight behind candidates who support overhauling city government.

``What these candidates have in common is they want fundamental change in the structure of government,'' said Fleming, a Studio City attorney. ``They don't want the status quo to continue.''

Councilwoman Rita Walters said the slate represents an effort by the mayor to wrest power from the council. ``I think he wants to control the commission like he tries to control everything,'' Walters said.

She noted that Riordan's endorsement of Redevelopment Commissioner Christine Robert in the 9th District may do more harm than good for his candidate.

``I don't think it will help because he's really continued to mistreat and ignore this area of South Central,'' said Walters, who has endorsed one of her aides, Woody Fleming, in the race.

Riordan's endorsements are not the only slate of candidates expected to receive organized backing. City employee unions and a group of City Council members are also raising funds to back slates of candidates as are Valley homeowner organizations.

A charter reform commission appointed by the City Council late last year is already at work examining the 72-year-old charter. Their recommendations will be reviewed by the council.

On April 8, voters will consider establishing an elected commission whose recommendations would bypass the council and go straight to voters.

In addition to the five Valley candidates and Robert, Riordan endorses Jose Legaspi, a Department of Water and Power commissioner; Helen Bernstein, a senior mayoral adviser; and Chester Widom, who chaired a task force on the City Hall renovation project, in the 6th District.

Riordan also endorses Lorri Jean, executive director of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Service Center, and San Pedro homeowner leader Jerry Gaines.

Five of the mayor's endorsements - Glushon, Robert, Legaspi, Bernstein and Widom - are close allies he had previously appointed to other positions.

Five went to candidates also backed by council members in the districts.

Internal campaign strategy memos provided to the Daily News indicate the mayor now plans to solicit some of those council members to back Proposition 8, the charter reform initiative.

Those targeted by the strategy include Councilman Hal Bernson, who is backing Boland, Councilman Richard Alarcon, who is backing Castaneda, and Councilman Rudy Svorinich, who is backing Gaines.

A draft of the mayor's letter to council members indirectly refers to the City Council's efforts to keep the mayor's initiative off the ballot but says that council members backing candidates should support the initiative so their candidate can have a chance to serve.

``Though the road to get on the April 8 ballot was occasionally bumpy, I am hoping that our city's elected officials are now ready to unite behind Proposition 8, so the public knows how important this is to our city,'' said the draft of the mayor's letter, prepared by political aide Mike Keeley.

Political consultant Joe Cerrell, who is not involved with the mayor's slate, said Riordan's endorsement should provide a major advantage to contestants in a large field of relatively unknown candidates.

``The mayor is one of the most prominent political leaders in Los Angeles, so it's got to be a big plus,'' Cerrell said.

Steve Afriat, who is managing the campaigns for the candidates endorsed by Riordan, said he sees several advantages to Riordan's endorsement.

First, Afriat said he anticipates the candidates benefiting from an independent expenditure campaign - Citizens For a Better Los Angeles - which has raised $556,000 so far to put out mass mailings supporting candidates backed by the mayor.

``I assume it does mean the independent campaign will spend money on these candidates and they will be featured in its mailings,'' Afriat said. ``It also helps in their own fund raising. When they go dialing for funds, they can say they are endorsed by the mayor.''

The theme of the mayor's slate began to emerge with Thursday's announcement.

In separate statements, all put out by Afriat's office, most of the candidates endorsed by Riordan said they are committed to working with the mayor to create a ``more responsive'' government.

``I look forward to working to create a new City Charter that will effectively respond to the needs of the people of the 12th District and all of the San Fernando Valley,'' said Boland, who led an unsuccessful effort last year to ease Valley secession.

Selter said in an interview that the mayor's endorsement provides some challenges as well as advantages in the hotly contested campaign.

The potential negative impact stems from the campaign of Riordan's foes to portray the mayor's endorsed candidates as ``puppets'' of the mayor, Selter said, adding he will have to campaign to shoot down that perception.

``Some people are going to try to twist this around and say the mayor is going to dictate to us,'' Selter said. ``While he is endorsing certain candidates, we are and are going to remain very independent.''

Here is a list of the Charter Reform Commission candidates endorsed Thursday by Mayor Richard Riordan:

2nd District: Marvin Selter of Studio City, chairman of the board of an employee leasing firm called National Staff Network as well as chairman of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association.

3rd District: Gary Thomas of Woodland Hills, a graphic designer and president of the United Chambers of Commerce of the San Fernando Valley.

4th District: Helen Bernstein of Los Angeles, the former head of the Los Angeles Teachers Union and on the faculty of the UCLA Graduate School of Education as well as an unpaid senior adviser to Riordan on education issues.

6th District: Chester Widom of West Los Angeles, an architect who was appointed by Riordan as chairman of a task force on the seismic retrofitting of City Hall.

7th District: Marcos Castaneda of Sylmar, an aide to City Councilman Richard Alarcon.

9th District: Christine M. Robert of Los Angeles, the president of a public affairs consulting group called The Robert Group and a Riordan appointee to the city's Redevelopment Board.

11th District: Rob Glushon of Encino, who is an attorney, homeowner leader and mayoral appointee to the city Board of Zoning Appeals.

12th District: Paula Boland of Northridge, a former state assemblywoman who serves on the board of the California Narcotic Addition Evaluation Authority.

13th District: Lorri Jean of the Hollywood area, the executive director of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Service Center.

14th District: Jose de Jesus Legaspi of Boyle Heights, who owns and manages his own real estate and leasing company and a Riordan appointee to the city's Water and Power Commission.

15th District: Jerry Gaines of San Pedro, an educator who is on leave as president of the San Pedro and Peninsula Homeowners Coalition.

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