Allen Hecht

Two Los Angeles City Council candidates who lost in the April primary election have filed a civil lawsuit against a San Fernando Valley businessman, charging that he and others tore down 1,500 of their campaign signs. Walter Prince and Allen Hecht, who placed third and fourth, respectively, in the primary, contended that businessman Alan D. Fox and others who were not named ripped down the signs about two weeks before the April 9 primary. They are seeking unspecificed compensatory damages.

Two Los Angeles City Council candidates who lost in the April primary election have filed a civil lawsuit against a San Fernando Valley businessman, charging that he and others tore down 1,500 of their campaign signs. Walter Prince and Allen Hecht, who placed third and fourth, respectively, in the primary, contended that businessman Alan D. Fox and others who were not named ripped down the signs about two weeks before the April 9 primary. They are seeking unspecificed compensatory damages.

Prosecutors said Tuesday they will file no charges in the alleged theft of 1,500 campaign signs posted by election opponents of Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson, citing an absence of proof that the signs were ripped down by Bernson supporters. The case was shelved after police were unable to identify two men in a pickup truck who witnesses said removed some signs less than two weeks before the April 9 city primary election, in which Bernson faced five opponents.

Prosecutors said Tuesday they will file no charges in the alleged theft of 1,500 campaign signs posted by election opponents of Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson, citing an absence of proof that the signs were ripped down by Bernson supporters. The case was shelved after police were unable to identify two men in a pickup truck who witnesses said removed some signs less than two weeks before the April 9 city primary election, in which Bernson faced five opponents.

Northridge community activist Robert A. Birch, one of seven candidates who filed papers to oppose Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson in the April 9 primary, has failed to qualify for the ballot, Los Angeles election officials said Saturday. Birch's name was dropped from the field of candidates because he did not file the valid signatures of 500 registered voters by Saturday's deadline, said Joe Giles of the Los Angeles city clerk's election division.

A San Fernando Valley tire store owner who secretly paid $71,500 to settle a lawsuit that accused him of pilfering the campaign signs of City Councilman Hal Bernson's political rivals has demanded the return of his money. In a letter released Friday, tire store owner Alan Fox demanded that former 12th District candidate Walter Prince return the money because Prince had divulged that their Aug.

Battling the largest number of rival candidates he has ever faced, Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson spent more money in the early weeks of his reelection campaign than his five challengers combined, according to campaign finance reports released Thursday. And with six weeks remaining until the April 9 municipal primary election, the veteran San Fernando Valley lawmaker has nearly six times as much cash available for his campaign as all of his challengers together, the reports show.

Undeterred by the absence of Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson, five candidates challenging him in the April 9 primary election discussed their views on development, crime and other issues Tuesday in the first public forum of the race. Bernson spokesman Hal Dash said the councilman did not attend because he had a prior engagement to speak to a group of Porter Ranch homeowners. Dash said that meeting was "more important than this thing."

Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson, in his first face-to-face encounter with five rival candidates, Tuesday defended the massive Porter Ranch development that has become the central issue of their campaign, while the challengers attacked the $2-billion project.

Five community activists from the northwest San Fernando Valley said Sunday that they intend to challenge Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson in the April primary, promising to campaign against the incumbent but not against each other. "We are not competing," said Leonard Shapiro, a longtime Valley activist and would-be candidate. "Our No. 1 priority now is to get Hal Bernson out."

Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson has suffered substantial political damage over his support of the Porter Ranch development and would be likely to face a runoff election with school board member Julie Korenstein if the election were held today, The Times Poll has found. A survey of 971 registered voters in Bernson's 12th council district found that just 35% are inclined to vote for him, while 44% are inclined to vote for someone else.

Thirteen challengers have declared that they will run for the Los Angeles City Council seats held by San Fernando Valley area Councilmen Hal Bernson, Joel Wachs and John Ferraro. Seven people filed the necessary papers before Monday's deadline to run against Bernson in the April 9 primary. They are Robert A.