POLISHING IMAGES HIS FORTE; ADMINISTRATOR OUTLINES GOALS FOR SAN FERNANDO.

Byline: Yvette Cabrera Daily News Staff Writer

Not many people can turn a pumpkin into a dazzling horse carriage, but San Fernando's new city administrator, John Ornelas, has that kind of reputation when it comes to upgrading cities.

A former redevelopment administrator for Burbank, Ornelas arrived at that city in 1987 when it was still the brunt of Johnny Carson's ``Tonight Show'' jokes and was considered Glendale's drab stepsister.

Burbank became the Cinderella of the San Fernando Valley, and decade-long efforts by Ornelas have been given much of the credit for that city's sparkling downtown appearance, complete with dozens of restaurants, big-name chain stores and movie complexes.

San Fernando is next on the list for a tap from Ornelas' magic wand.

``San Fernando, I believe, is at that stage where Burbank was in terms of having an image problem,'' said Ornelas, 47. ``The philosophy I have is of believing we are a premier city, basing our actions on that image, and having a redevelopment program that will implement that.''

After a yearlong search for a new city administrator, the San Fernando City Council selected Ornelas, a Sylmar resident, earlier this month for the job overseeing the city operations and implementing the policies of the mayor and council.

Ornelas, who served as San Fernando's community development administrator in the mid-1980s, most recently served as deputy city manager in San Gabriel, a community of about 40,000.

A native of Guadalupe, Calif., a tiny town near Santa Maria, Ornelas said he always envisioned himself as administrator or manager of a small city.

``It was an almost ideal situation for me because I'm very familiar with San Fernando and love San Fernando and its make-up,'' said Ornelas, who has more than 20 years experience in redevelopment.

Ornelas said he will meet with the San Fernando council before outlining his goals for the city, but expects improving the city's image to be one of his top priorities.

``I'm going to go full force with the image-building campaign to get San Fernando, the city, on the map,'' said Ornelas.

Next to Pacoima, a Los Angeles community often racked by violence, San Fernando is often mistakenly tainted by that negative image, city officials complain.

It's an issue city officials have grappled with. They launched an image-enhancement campaign earlier this year.

``Communities nowadays have to promote themselves, and if they are surrounded by communities that don't, that negative image is spun off on that city that is really an oasis,'' said Ornelas.

Burbank likewise suffered from a negative image, he said, turning off potential developers until he persuaded them to take a chance on the city. As project manager for Burbank's downtown regional mall, Ornelas helped the city acquire properties, negotiated with developers and worked on the expansion of the AMC movie theaters. He also helped bring in major chains.

``It's a similar challenge with image building, with convincing the development community that San Fernando is an opportunity they should look at,'' said Ornelas.

Ornelas, who holds a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of California at Santa Barbara, is married and has two grown children.

He is a member of the San Gabriel Rotary Club, is on the board of directors for a San Gabriel youth center and is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers.

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PHOTO John Ornelas, 47, is the new city administrator for San Fernando, which he says deserves the first-rate reputation he hopes to give it.

Hans Gutknecht/Daily News