Mayor Backs Her Council Bid, Corina Alarcon Says

SAN FERNANDO VALLEY —  Corina Alarcon said Mayor Richard Riordan has endorsed her candidacy for the Los Angeles City Council seat vacated by her husband, solidifying her front-runner status in the race to represent the north San Fernando Valley’s 7th District.

Alarcon, who filed papers Friday to begin fund-raising for the race, is the wife of Richard Alarcon, who held the seat until he joined the state Senate on Monday.

Other endorsements will be announced, Corina Alarcon said, but she saw Riordan’s as significant because the popular Republican mayor can broaden her base of support.

“He said he would back me 150%. I’m very excited to have his endorsement,” she said. “He believes in the things I’ve done in the community.”

Deane Leavenworth, a spokesman for the mayor, said Riordan was not prepared to announce a formal endorsement in the race, but sources close to the mayor confirmed that Riordan has told Corina Alarcon he supports her.

Lining up key endorsements early is a classic tactic to scare challengers out of the race, said political consultant Joe Cerrell, who is not involved in the contest.

Some challengers were not discouraged.

“I respect the mayor a lot,” said Alex Padilla, another declared candidate. “What’s going to matter most is having a grass-roots organization.”

Padilla, who worked to get Richard Alarcon elected to the Senate, said he had hoped to get the mayor’s endorsement, but does have the support of Assemblyman Tony Cardenas (D-Sylmar), for whom Padilla works as an aide.

Padilla, 25, and Alarcon, 41, both said they will have to raise and spend the maximum allowed for candidates accepting city matching funds--$330,000. That amount is needed to be a viable candidate in such a crowded race, said Alarcon, a Sylmar resident.

Those who have announced their candidacy include Padilla and Michael Trujillo, a 19-year-old college student and member of the city’s Commission for Children Youth and Their Families.