Local Races Draw Slight Voter Interest

Twenty-five percent to 35% of registered voters are expected to cast ballots in the Mid-City 10th District and San Fernando Valley 12th District council races, according to Arlene P. Taylor, chief of the city clerk's election division. Slightly fewer are expected to vote in the 5th District school board race, in which teacher Nellie Rios-Parra is challenging incumbent David Tokofsky. Officials predict fewer than 10% will vote in the community college elections.

The election's low profile has not tempered the candidates' rhetoric, however. All the races have been marked by complaints of negative campaigning and special interest influence.

Because of allegations of campaign violations in the 10th District, two election observers from the California secretary of state's office will check in with precinct workers and election officials throughout the day to ensure that campaign laws are being followed, agency spokeswoman Terri Carbaugh said.

That race has been dominated by accusations of improper behavior. City Council aide Deron Williams and former labor organizer Martin Ludlow both have vowed to bring more economic development and opportunities for youth to the district, which stretches from Koreatown to West Adams.

Last month, Williams, a top aide to Councilman Nate Holden, acknowledged he was convicted on felony cocaine charges 15 years ago. Two weeks ago, a former campaign worker accused Williams of illegally funneling campaign contributions through a nonprofit church organization. The campaign has denied any impropriety.

Meanwhile, Ludlow has defended himself against charges that he would poorly manage city finances after acknowledging that he filed for bankruptcy in 1998, a consequence, he said, of a divorce. Ludlow has been heavily backed by organized labor, which had more than 600 union members knocking on doors on his behalf over the weekend.

In the northwest San Fernando Valley, Greig Smith, a longtime aide to retiring Councilman Hal Bernson, faces Julie Korenstein, a 16-year veteran of the Los Angeles school board.

The 12th District, a patchwork of horse ranches, tract homes and clogged intersections in the shadow of the Santa Susana Mountains, was a bastion of secession support. Both candidates have promised to make sure the Valley gets its fair share. Both also favor closing the Sunshine Canyon Landfill and giving more power to neighborhood councils.