L.A. ELECTIONS / 12th DISTRICT : Bernson Foes Hope to Mine Voter Discontent : Election: Challengers say the longtime councilman is out of touch with his district. But the incumbent is confident of residents’ support.

At a recent candidates forum at Pierce College, longtime Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson was catching some flak: Challengers accused him of being out of touch with his community and in the pockets of big developers.

The problem was, Bernson, a 16-year incumbent running for his fifth term, wasn’t there to defend himself. His opponents, Maria Armoudian, a Granada Hills journalist, and David Guzman Sr., a city employee from North Hills, were taking shots at an empty chair.

Bernson might have reason to take the April 11 primary lightly. After all, neither challenger can match his name recognition, his political track record or his $200,000 campaign war chest.

But his challengers say Bernson shouldn’t take the race for granted. Instead of relying on big-money contributions, they are positioning themselves as “alternative” candidates who hope to mount an upset based on anti-incumbent sentiment in the northwest San Fernando Valley district.

“I think there are enough people who are looking for an alternative to Bernson,” said Armoudian, 28. “I would not be running if he were doing a good job.”

Guzman, 52, agrees, saying he also plans on tapping voter discontent. “I think we have been neglected,” he said. “A lot of people are disappointed with Hal Bernson.”

Not so, said Bernson, who believes he has kept close ties with his district and is confident that voters are happy with his leadership.

“I think my record speaks for itself,” he said. “I feel people will reelect me.”

The 12th district, which includes Chatsworth, Northridge, Granada Hills, Porter Ranch and surrounding areas, is a middle-class, suburban bastion for mostly conservative voters. In 1993, 75% of the voters in that district voted for Mayor Richard Riordan, a multimillionaire Republican who campaigned as a law-and-order and pro-business candidate.

Bernson, a 64-year-old former Northridge clothing salesman who shares his constituents’ conservative viewpoint, has represented the district since 1979, winning his first two reelection bids with comfortable margins.

But he ran into trouble during his 1991 reelection campaign when he was forced into a close runoff with school board member Julie Korenstein, who harshly criticized Bernson for backing the sprawling Porter Ranch commercial-residential project near Chatsworth.

Last year, the city’s Ethics Commission questioned Bernson’s spending of more than $158,000 in contributions to pay for expensive meals, foreign travel and gifts to employees.

Armoudian and Guzman believe Bernson is still vulnerable to attacks about his ties to developers and other big businesses that contribute heavily to his campaign. An analysis found that almost 15% of the $92,000 Bernson received as of Jan. 1 came from developers, landlords and others in the real estate industry. Guzman has raised $3,000, most of which came from a loan from himself, while Armoudian has raised about $2,000, mostly in contributions from family and friends, according to campaign statements.

Guzman, who works as a city liaison for businesses and developers trying to get city permits, said Bernson’s campaign support from developers and contractors makes him beholden to them when he takes his seat as chairman of the council’s Planning and Land Use Committee.

If elected, Guzman said he would press to add and expand city recreational programs to keep youngsters occupied and away from crime. But he said he would also try to add more police to the force and pay for the added officers by cutting waste from city government. As a 31-year city employee, Guzman said he knows where to find the funds for such expenses without adding or increasing taxes.

“I think we could have a better use of our tax dollars,” he said. “These professional politicians have been in office for years and they can’t balance a budget.”

If there is anyone who represents an alternative to Bernson, it’s Armoudian, a free-lance journalist and editor who boasts a brown belt in karate and likes to quotes Ghandi.

To bolster her claim that Bernson is out of touch with his constituents, Armoudian cites Bernson’s support for the highly controversial Porter Ranch project four years ago and said Bernson only reluctantly opposed a proposed Home Depot in Granada Hills after neighboring residents rallied against the development. The project was eventually scuttled by its developer.

“He just doesn’t listen to his community,” she said.

Bernson disagrees with such accusations, saying that he has helped form several citizens advisory groups to allow residents to express their feelings about development, police protection and other issues.

Because of his 16 years of experience and his expertise in seismic safety, he said he should be reelected to help his quake-devastated district to continue to rebuild.

As for his platform, Bernson said he will continue to press for more police and fire protection in his district, a position he said he has held since he was first elected.

To pay for additional police and fire services, Bernson said he will lobby to restructure the way the city puts together its budget so that the city’s first priority--an expansion of the Police and Fire departments--is funded first and other city departments are funded from whatever remains in the budget.

“I think the people think we should be funding police first,” he said.

But Bernson acknowledges that this is an idea that his fellow council members have rejected three times in the past. He said he will try to sell the idea to the council once more, and if it is rejected again he promises to begin a signature-collecting campaign to put the idea on the ballot--a threat he has made in the past but has never acted upon.

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David R. Guzman Sr.

BORN: July 26, 1942, in Oakland, Calif.

RESIDENCE: North Hills

EDUCATION: three years at Valley College studying accounting and small business administration; no degree

MARITAL STATUS: married, four children

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: The 31-year city employee works as a liaison between private businesses and builders attempting to get permits from the city. Received city citation in 1979 for helping provide CPR to a citizen suffering a heart attack. Served 25 years as volunteer to aid disaster victims through his church.

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Hal Bernson

BORN: Nov. 19, 1930, in East Los Angeles

RESIDENCE: Granada Hills

EDUCATION: Los Angeles City College (one year)

MARITAL STATUS: married, three daughters

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Elected to City Council in 1979 with 65% of the vote and reelected in 1983, 1987 and 1991. Appointed to state’s Seismic Safety Commission in 1982. Currently chairs the City Council’s Planning and Land Use Committee, as well as the Ad Hoc Committee on Earthquake Recovery. Bernson is currently working with the mayor’s office to streamline the city’s building permit process.

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Maria Armoudian

BORN: Aug. 9, 1966, in Louisiana

RESIDENCE: Granada Hills

EDUCATION: bachelor of arts degree in political science with minor in psychology from Southwestern Oklahoma State University, magna cum laude

MARITAL STATUS: single

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: 1993 founded two nonprofit organizations, International Global Corps, which publishes the alternative news tabloid Global Network News, and Music Makes a Difference, an organization that brings live music to abused and abandoned children. She is executive editor of Global Network News.