College Race : Bronson Is Ducking Him, Ferraro Says

Arthur Bronson, veteran Los Angeles community college trustee, has refused repeated invitations to debate challenger Richard Ferraro, prompting the former city school board member to charge that Bronson is “ducking any discussion of the issues or his record.”

“I said I was willing to appear with him anywhere and at any time, but he’s turned down every invitation so far,” said Ferraro, who, in a political comeback of sorts, faces Bronson in a June runoff.

Bronson, a trustee since 1971 who currently serves as board president, said he has so far refused to appear with his challenger because Ferraro “tends to get hysterical.”

TV Appearance

However, after Ferraro complained repeatedly, Bronson has arranged a joint appearance on a Saturday afternoon cable TV program June 1.

The two candidates last appeared together in March at Valley College in Van Nuys where Bronson and the other incumbent trustees were booed by students who were angry at what they consider deterioration of the two-year colleges.

In the April primary, incumbents Wallace Albertson and Lindsay Conners won reelection with more than half the vote, but Bronson fell just short, getting 49.7% of the vote in a four-candidate field. Ferraro placed second with 27.1%.

After the primary, student leaders at Valley, Pierce and East Los Angeles colleges invited the two candidates to appear for a debate, but in each case, Bronson refused.

Frank Tullo, student body president at Valley College, had arranged a debate for May 13, but two weeks before, “Bronson said he couldn’t make it because he had other meetings to go to.”

Los Angeles school board member Roberta Weintraub invited the two to appear on her Sunday evening television program, “School Beat,” on KHJ Channel 9.

“I called (Bronson) at home and at his office. I sent him registered letters. . . . We’ve tried everything and he’s refused,” Weintraub said Monday.

Bronson has also declined to appear at the Hollywood-Los Feliz Jewish Community Center for a candidate’s forum scheduled for Wednesday evening. Once again, Ferraro has accepted the offer.

“He said he had a schedule conflict, a fund-raiser set up for that evening,” said Mona Panitz, director of the center.

Concedes Evasion

Bronson conceded that he has been ducking Ferraro. “I have ducked him everywhere he has wanted to sandbag me,” Bronson said Monday. He contended he was “sandbagged” in the Valley College debate because the moderator and the students “didn’t take into account the fact that our funding is down by 30%” when they criticized incumbent board members.

After the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978, the community college trustees lost control of their budgets, since most financing for California’s 106 colleges now comes directly from Sacramento.

College officials say that per-student funding has fallen about 25% statewide since 1978. The Los Angeles district has been hit even harder, officials say, and since 1982 its nine colleges have lost about one-third of their students.

Ferraro, a conservative who in 1983 lost his school board seat after 14 years, charges that Bronson has taken a “lackadaisical attitude” toward the decline of the colleges.

“Things have fallen into disrepair. The students and the faculty are angry, and he’s shown no interest or concern,” said Ferraro, 60.

Censure of Ferraro

Bronson, 68, notes that Ferraro was “censured for disruptive behavior” while a member of the Los Angeles school board.

“This is not a man whom I could trust to discuss these issues in an open forum,” Bronson said.

Bronson said he rejected the offer to appear on KHJ--TV because Weintraub had earlier endorsed Ferraro, and even if a guest moderator were used--as Weintraub had suggested--”she could go back and edit the tape afterward.”

After several complaints from Ferraro, George Pla, Bronson’s campaign consultant, arranged for the two to appear on a Group W cable broadcast set for Saturday afternoon, June 1.

“We think this will give us the widest possible audience with the best format,” Pla said. The host, Marty Israel, said a half-hour of air time has been “leased” for the program on Group W Channel 10, which he said reaches 125,000 homes in the Los Angeles area.

4 Million in District

All of the community college trustees are elected at large and the Los Angeles college district covers a huge area of more than 4 million residents. It extends from Agoura to the Palos Verdes Peninsula and includes cities such as Beverly Hills, Burbank and Culver City as well as Los Angeles.

On Monday, Ferraro said he was willing to appear on the cable TV program, but only if Bronson would accept Weintraub’s offer to appear on KHJ--TV.

“I’ve never heard of this (cable) program. He (Bronson) probably picked it because it’s seen in only a handful of homes in the Valley. He has had a chance to appear on a regular TV program about education, and he ducks it. What does that tell you?” Ferraro asked.