12 Competing for 3 Seats on Powerful Board

A year after the powerful but obscure Los Angeles Community College District board tried briefly to levy a controversial property tax and found itself suddenly in the public eye, a dozen candidates are vying to fill three open seats on the panel.

The board, meanwhile, has reclaimed its low profile. And a race that last year was shaping up to be a closely watched contest has been somewhat forgotten, observers say, in part because the very type of levy that thrust the board into the limelight has since been outlawed by voters.

“The level of concern [over who is on the board] hasn’t been very high, and this time last year it was just intense,” said Kris Vosburgh, executive director of the anti-tax Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn.

Nonetheless, many of the candidates seeking seats on the seven-member panel cited the bungled--though legal--levy effort as a reason for seeking the office.

“That’s what prompted many of the challengers to run,” said Patrick K. Prinster, a first-time candidate for public office who is seeking the No. 2 seat.

The board, which oversees the largest community college district in the nation and manages a nearly $300-million annual budget, suffered the wrath of anti-tax activists in early 1996 when it invoked a little-known 1972 law and levied an assessment on district land owners. Attempting to fund improvements at the district’s nine ailing campuses, the board initially passed the assessment--which would have cost homeowners $12 a year--on a 4-2 vote, with one trustee abstaining.

The board agreed to submit the levy to voters, after a wave of protests. Trustees who had voted for the proposal were threatened with recall and the Jarvis group made the levy the centerpiece of its campaign for November’s tax-limiting Proposition 218, aimed at requiring that all such assessments be approved by the voters.

The levy failed to win approval. Proposition 218, however, passed.

The district--which covers most but not all of Los Angeles County--is broken up into seven geographic sections, with one seat representing each area. But voters throughout the district will cast ballots for all three open offices Tuesday. Terms run four years.

Three candidates are running for Office No. 2:

* Incumbent Elizabeth Garfield, 44, of Los Angeles. A labor lawyer, Garfield has encouraged community outreach efforts such as parent-training classes since she was first elected in 1993. Considered the front-runner by several observers, she voted against the controversial levy.

* Charles Bergson, 42, of Los Angeles. A civil engineer for the city of Monterey Park, Bergson is a political newcomer who volunteers as a youth soccer and basketball coach.

* Andrew Kim, 36, of Los Angeles. An attorney in private practice and a community activist, Kim ran unsuccessfully for an Assembly seat in East Los Angeles’ 46th District last year.

Five people are seeking the No. 4 seat, vacated by Lindsay Conner, who was the other trustee to vote against the tax assessment.

* Patrick K. Prinster, 44, of Los Angeles. A private attorney, business law professor at National University, and businessman, Prinster said he has been involved in efforts to improve education in local Asian-Pacific communities.

* Kelly Candaele, 42, of Los Angeles. Candaele teaches labor history at Los Angeles Trade-Tech College and has written for numerous publications, including opinion articles for The Times. He received the endorsement of the Los Angeles County Democratic Central Committee.

* Ross Moen, a 35-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department. Currently a lieutenant in the LAPD’s Wilshire Division, Moen is heading the investigation into the slaying of rap star Notorious B.I.G.

* Richard Yanez, 36, of Los Angeles. A children’s social worker, Yanez has worked on several local campaigns in recent years, and in 1989 ran briefly against then-City Councilman Ernani Bernardi for the 7th Council District seat, which covers the northeast San Fernando Valley.

* Marilyn Grunwald, 43, of Van Nuys. Grunwald, owner of a small business, is a veteran education activist, and has campaigned for numerous Democratic candidates. She also works with several neighborhood groups.

Four people are vying for Office No. 6:

* Althea Baker, 47, of Los Angeles. First elected to the board in 1989, Baker is an attorney and former teacher and counselor at Mission College in Sylmar. She is credited with helping ease labor tensions during her tenure.

* Nancy Pearlman, 48, of Los Angeles. A community college instructor, Pearlman also produces and hosts a television program on environmental issues and edits an environmental newsletter. Pearlman ran unsuccessfully for the board in 1995.

* Stephen C. Brecht, 49, of Woodland Hills. An estate planner and author, Brecht ran unsuccessfully on a conservative platform for the 24th Congressional District seat last year.

* Eli Green, 44, of Los Angeles. A pipe fitter at Arco’s Los Angeles refinery, Green is a member of the Socialist Workers Party. He ran unsuccessfully in 1992 for the county’s 2nd Supervisorial seat, which covers the south part of Los Angeles.