Yaroslavsky Has Sights on New Congressional Seat : Politics: The city councilman has been setting aside funds for a possible 1992 campaign, in case remapping creates another Valley district.

WASHINGTON —  Los Angeles City Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky said Thursday that he would be very interested in running for Congress in 1992 if a new San Fernando Valley congressional district is created when election boundaries are recast.

Yaroslavsky, whose Westside-based council district extends into the Valley, also disclosed that he has been setting aside campaign funds since July for a possible congressional bid.

“My interest in Congress is real,” Yaroslavsky said in a telephone interview. “I have an abiding interest, as I’ve always had, in national and foreign affairs.”

As lawmakers grappled with the prospect of redrawing congressional districts, there were these other developments Thursday:

* Former Republican congressional nominee George Woolverton of Calabasas said he has established an exploratory election committee. Woolverton, who opposed Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson (D-Los Angeles) in 1986, said he would run in a West Valley district where a Republican challenger could be “reasonably competitive.”

* Tony Hope, a 1986 San Fernando Valley GOP congressional candidate who had expressed interest in running again, took himself out of contention. Hope, son of entertainer Bob Hope, said he made a three-year commitment when President Bush appointed him chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission in 1990.

* Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sylmar), whose state district encompasses much of a proposed East Valley congressional district, said flatly, “I’m not interested in running for Congress.” Katz is gearing up to run for mayor in 1993.

Yaroslavsky cautioned that any firm commitment by him would be premature given uncertainty over how the district lines ultimately will be drawn. The Democrat-controlled Legislature is remapping the districts this week, but the politically sensitive process could be turned over to the state Supreme Court if Republican Gov. Pete Wilson vetoes the Legislature’s plan.

Yaroslavsky, a 17-year council veteran who seriously considered a 1989 mayoral bid and was widely expected to pursue the mayoralty in the future, refused to rule out a citywide candidacy if a congressional seat does not open up.

“I have an interest in both,” he said.

Yaroslavsky, 42, acknowledged that a congressional race could entail a tough primary fight that would place him at loggerheads with powerful allies. Veteran Assemblyman Burt Margolin (D-Los Angeles), who is closely associated with the Westside-Valley Democratic alliance headed by Reps. Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles) and Howard L. Berman (D-Panorama City), also says he has “an intense interest” in running for Congress.

Yaroslavsky had worked closely with the alliance, particularly Berman’s brother, political consultant Michael Berman, in preparing to run for mayor in 1989. Michael and Howard Berman have been instrumental in crafting the Democratic redistricting plans.

“Obviously, I don’t think Burt or I relish the thought of running against each other,” Yaroslavsky said. “We’re friends.”

Reached in Sacramento, where he is immersed in reapportionment negotiations, Howard Berman refused to discuss the prospect of a Margolin-Yaroslavsky race.

“We’re not going to sort through that political thicket until we emerge from this political thicket,” Berman said.

Yaroslavsky’s comments were prompted by redistricting plans devised by congressional Democrats that would create two Democrat-leaning Valley districts. Under these plans, Howard Berman would run for one seat, opening up the other to a newcomer.

A southwestern Valley seat would include the heavily Democratic communities of West Hollywood, Studio City, Sherman Oaks and Encino and extend to conservative Canoga Park, Reseda and Northridge in the West Valley.

An East Valley seat would stretch from North Hollywood to San Fernando and Pacoima and would be 50% Latino. In both Valley districts, 54% of the registered voters would be Democrats and 35.5% Republicans.

Berman said Thursday he had not decided where he would run.

“The heavily Latino seat is nearly all from my current district,” he said. “The other seat is a large relocation.”

Berman said the East Valley district was drawn to maximize minority influence under the federal Voting Rights Act--not to create a seat for a political ally. Neither Yaroslavsky nor Margolin represents more than a fraction of those voters.

Staff writer Mark Gladstone in Sacramento contributed to this story.

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