RICHMAN TO RUN FOR VALLEY MAYOR.

Byline: Harrison Sheppard Staff Writer

Republican Assemblyman Keith Richman, who today will become the first announced candidate to run for mayor of a new San Fernando Valley city, said Tuesday that he envisions the new city as a place that responds to its residents' needs far better than Los Angeles has.

``It's a government that pays attention to the needs of its residents - whether it's issues regarding public safety, whether it's issues regarding job creation and economic growth, or an environment that helps children grow up happy, healthy and well-educated,'' Richman said in an interview.

The election of mayor and the 14 city council members of the new city will be on the same Nov. 5 ballot as the Valley cityhood question itself.

Richman is a first-term assemblyman from Granada Hills and is assistant Assembly Republican leader. He is also a medical doctor who founded Lakeside HealthCare Inc., a Valley-based medical group with about 130,000 patients. He remains on the group's board and retains a small ownership share of the practice.

While most registered voters in the Valley are Democrats, Richman said he sees himself as in touch with the typical Valley resident. ``I am a mainstream or moderate Republican,'' Richman said. ``Someone who is fiscally prudent and socially conscious. Somebody who cares about people, is compassionate and has been involved in various social services throughout the San Fernando Valley for decades.''

Richman has lived in the Valley for most of his life, and has been involved in efforts to expand health care for underserved populations. He was founding president of the Valley's chapter of the American Diabetes Association and is former chairman of the Valley Community Clinic in North Hollywood, where he is holding his press conference today to announce his candidacy.

Sen. Richard Alarcon, D-Van Nuys, is also considering running for mayor and said he will announce his decision within three weeks. Alarcon has not yet taken a position on secession, but he said if he decides to support it, he will then consider whether he should run for mayor.

Alarcon declined to criticize Richman - and noted that he used to be a patient of Richman's former medical partner - but said the difference between them is their political ideology and voting record.

``Keith Richman is a good doctor,'' Alarcon said. ``Obviously his voting record is very different than mine. He obviously is a conservative Republican. In that regard, he would manage a city very different than my experience has evidenced.''

Secessionists are counting on a full crop of competent candidates for Valley city council and mayor so voters can see what kind of leadership the new city might have.

Some prominent secession supporters, such as former U.S. Rep. Bobbi Fiedler, have expressed dismay at what they see as a lack of qualified, competent people stepping forward to run for mayor of the new city.

Secession supporter Richard Close, chairman of Valley Voters Organized Toward Empowerment, said he is confident the new city will have qualified leaders, even if many of them don't have experience holding office.

``It will have competent leadership and, more importantly, it's going to have better leadership than L.A.,'' Close said.

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