Turnout Averages 22.6% as Voters Elect 3 Mayors and 21 Council Members

More than 26,000 voters cast ballots in nine South Bay cities Tuesday to elect three mayors, 21 city council members, two clerks and a treasurer.

The municipal elections took place in Avalon, Carson, El Segundo, Gardena, Lawndale, Lomita, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes Estates and Rolling Hills.

Voter turnout, averaging 22.6% across the region, ranged from a solid 54.1% in Avalon to an anemic 16.7% in Lomita.

In Avalon, Mayor Hugh T. (Bud) Smith was reelected without opposition while incumbent Hal Host and community volunteer Barbara Doutt won a five-candidate contest for the two City Council seats at stake.

Though a political newcomer, Doutt narrowly outpolled Host, 411 to 407. Defeated were former council member George Scott, cable TV franchise owner Ralph Morrow Jr., and Dennis Reitinger, a local businessman.

Doutt said the vote represented a verdict on the candidates’ personalities and experience, rather than on their campaign stands. The council candidates agreed on most of the key issues--with all five, for instance, calling for more low-cost housing, new drinking water supplies and downtown renovation.

“I think the fact that they thought I was going to apply common sense to the issues must have done it more than anything else,” said Doutt, 42, who described her first foray into public office as “a new adventure.”

However, Reitinger expressed concern about Doutt’s election. Noting that her husband is executive vice president of the Santa Catalina Island Co., which owns 87% of the land in the one-square-mile city, Reitinger charged Wednesday that Doutt’s election virtually assures that the five-member council will do the company’s bidding.

“The island company now controls the city of Avalon,” said Reitinger, asserting that Mayor Smith and Host have a history of voting with the company. “They have a confirmed three votes for anything they want to do. Nobody from small business is represented on that council and nobody from the working class is represented on that council.”

Doutt disputed that view, saying she will declare a conflict of interest and refrain from voting on any island company business that comes before the council.

“I know there is a conflict-of-interest law and I intend to follow it,” Doutt said. “All I can say is that I’m going to do my best to stay out of any policy-making votes involving the island company.”

In El Segundo, City Councilman Alan West overcame the stigma of a conflict-of-interest complaint against him to win a second term, garnering 21% of the vote.

But West trailed well behind businessman J.B. Wise, who made good on his second bid for a council seat, topping the six-candidate field with 32% of the vote. Candidates Thomas A. Jolly and Terry L. Ceretto, running as a team representing

residents’ interests, trailed with 17% and 14% of the vote, respectively.

Gerhardt Van Drie received 14% of the vote. Councilman H.R. (Bob) Anderson withdrew from the race after filing for reelection. But his name remained on the ballot and he received 2% of the vote. He supported West and Wise.

Wise, who ran unsuccessfully for council two years ago, made an issue out of personal political bickering on the panel, contending it has embarrassed the city.

The quarreling has pitted West and retiring Councilman Anderson, who are pro-business, against Councilmen Scot Dannen and Jim Clutter and Mayor Carl Jacobson, who are aligned with residents.

Calling himself an independent, Wise said: “I’m not in the resident or business camp.” He said his election demonstrates that he “spans all of El Segundo.”

West said his victory proved that the conflict complaint, filed with the state Fair Political Practices Commission in February, was unfounded.

The complaint, by Helen Armstrong, the widow of former Mayor Charles (Chip) Armstrong, concerns votes that West cast from 1987 to 1989 on city-sponsored downtown promotions and improvements. It alleges that the votes could have benefited West because he owns a downtown art supply store.

Armstrong was defeated in the bitter 1988 election that put West and Anderson on the council.

In Gardena, voters reelected incumbents Mas Fukai and Gwen Duffy by comfortable margins despite a strong run from challenger Steve Bradford. Mayor Donald Dear ran unopposed.

Duffy, a two-term incumbent, and Fukai, completing his fourth term on the council, said the election shows that Gardena residents are happy with their performance.

Bradford, who is black, said he demonstrated that black and Latino candidates can do well in Gardena. And he hinted that Tuesday’s election may not be the last time city voters see his name on their ballots.

“I am definitely not through with Gardena, and I hope Gardena is not through with me,” said Bradford, who received 1,845 votes. “(The vote) clearly indicates that the city of Gardena, like the rest of the country, is starting to look at candidates not just according to . . . skin color, but on their character.”

Lomita voters, given their first chance in four elections to change their city’s leadership, held true to tradition, electing two incumbents and a challenger with experience in city government.

Incumbents Robert Hargrave and Peter Rossick led the six-candidate field by a wide margin, whereas challenger Chuck Taylor, who had the tacit endorsement of retiring Councilman Hal Hall, won the third seat up for grabs.

Taylor, an advertising executive with the San Pedro News Pilot, said his 14 years of experience on the city’s traffic and planning commissions turned the election tide his way.

“That was the one quality I had over the other (challengers),” Taylor said. “I have been working with the city, through the city and for the city.”

Watching the election returns at Lomita City Hall, incumbents Hargrave and Rossick joked about who would capture the biggest vote total. In the end, Hargrave took the top honor, receiving 893 votes to Rossick’s 877.

“I think voters reaffirmed that this city is well run by this council and the incumbents,” Hargrave said.

In the gated community of Rolling Hills, Tuesday’s election marked the first contested council race in eight years. But even though three candidates emerged to challenge incumbents Ginny Leeuwenburgh, Gordana Swanson and Jody Murdock, the incumbents won reelection handily.

“The community opted for the theme we used of proven leadership and knowledge,” Leeuwenburgh said Wednesday. “They seemed to think they didn’t want a change.”

Leeuwenburgh attributed her success to the efforts of Swanson, who organized a campaign to help reelect the three incumbents. Swanson said a loyal core of volunteers worked telephones and walked neighborhoods. One volunteer even wrote personal letters to some residents urging them to vote for the incumbents, she said.

“We just put together a grass-roots campaign and had a tremendous group of people who helped us,” said Swanson, who was first elected in 1976 to an unexpired term. “I feel after all these years I know how to put together a campaign, and that is what we did.”

In Palos Verdes Estates, where three council seats were open, incumbent Ruth Gralow, who has served on the council since 1984, garnered the most votes. Newcomers Rosemary Humphrey and Michael Moody came in second and third, respectively.

“I think to me (the election results) were an affirmation of what we accomplished in the past,” Gralow said.

Ann Leatherbury, who came in fourth in the field of six candidates, said she probably lost some votes because one of her campaign themes was finding long-term revenue sources for the city.

Besides its share of property taxes collected by the county, Palos Verdes Estates relies largely on income from a utility tax and two parcel taxes to fund its tight city budget. Leatherbury says the city should consider other options, including issuing general obligation bonds.

“I still strongly believe we are sooner or later going to have to address that problem,” Leatherbury said.

One of the parcel taxes used to maintain the city’s roads and parks was renewed by voters Tuesday. More than 73% voted in favor of the tax, known as Proposition B. The tax, first approved by voters in 1980 but due to expire this year, needed a two-thirds majority to pass.

Times staff writers Clay Evans, Gerald Faris and Tim Waters contributed to this story.

SOUTH BAY VOTER TURNOUT

City Registered Ballots Voter Voters Cast Turnout Avalon 1,648 892 54.1% Rolling Hills 1,377 642 46.6% El Segundo 8,685 2,576 29.7% Palos Verdes Estates 9,628 2,466 25.6% Carson 38,241 8,316 21.8% Gardena 19,245 4,105 21.3% Lawndale 8,805 1,833 20.8% Manhattan Beach 21,656 4,436 20.5% Lomita 8,913 1,486 16.7%

Sources: Unofficial tallies from city clerks.

AVALON

3 of 3 Precincts

MAYOR

Mayor Hugh T. (Bud) Smith was unopposed

CITY COUNCIL

3 of 3 Precincts

Two vacancies

Candidate: Vote

Barbara J. Doutt: 411

Hal Host*: 407

George Scott 380

Ralph J. Morrow Jr.: 316

Dennis F. Reitinger: 123

CARSON

62 of 62 Precincts

CITY COUNCIL

Two vacancies

Candidate: Vote

Sylvia Muise*: 3,746

Juanita McDonald: 3,334

John Anderson*: 2,851

Barbara Post: 1,632

Al Blanco: 1,059

Mervin (Marvin) Clayton: 976

Nathaniel (Nate) Reddick: 852

Elwood (Red) Hathaway: 2

CITY TREASURER

Candidate: Vote

Mary Louise Custer*: 5,353

Jaime Punsalan: 2,335

CITY CLERK

City Clerk Helen Kawagoe was unopposed

EL SEGUNDO

6 of 6 Precincts

CITY COUNCIL

Two vacancies

Candidate: Vote

J.B. Wise: 1,618

Alan West*: 1,043

Thomas A. Jolly: 824

Terry L. Ceretto: 721

Gerhardt Van Drie: 693

H.R. (Bob) Anderson: 86

Anderson dropped out, but his name remained on ballot

GARDENA

26 of 26 Precincts

MAYOR

Mayor Don Dear was unopposed

CITY COUNCIL

Two vacancies

Candidate: Vote

Masani Fukai*: 2,839

Gwen Duffy*: 2,308

Steven Bradford: 1,845

LAWNDALE

8 of 8 Precincts

MAYOR

Candidate: Vote

Harold Hofmann: 766

Melissa Bergstrom: 593

Virginia Rhodes: 337

Michael Machado: 100

CITY COUNCIL

Two vacancies

Candidate: Vote

Larry Rudolph*: 698

William Johnson: 547

Gary McDonald: 539

Norman Lagerquist: 507

Ronald Maxwell: 328

Herman Weinstein: 223

Nancy Marthens: 300

Fran Ramsey: 213

Uffe Moller: 122

Eric Gittins: 8

22 absentee ballots yet to be confirmed.

CITY CLERK

City Clerk Neil Roth was unopposed

LOMITA

7 of 7 Precincts

CITY COUNCIL

Three vacancies

Candidate: Vote

Robert Hargrave*: 893

Peter Rossick*: 877

Chuck Taylor: 692

Beverly Hart: 620

Lawson Pedigo: 584

Clifford Bertrand: 247

MANHATTAN BEACH

19 of 19 Precincts

CITY COUNCIL

Two vacancies

Candidate: Vote

Dan Stern: 2,467

Connie Sieber*: 2,131

Steven Napolitano (write-in): 1,911

Larry Dougharty*: 1,435

PALOS VERDES ESTATES

10 of 10 Precincts

CITY COUNCIL

Three vacancies

Candidate: Vote

Ruth Gralow*: 1,836

Rosemary Humphrey : 1,345

Michael Moody: 1,257

Ann Leatherbury: 893

Maurice Commanday: 643

Alva Yano: 510

BALLOT MEASURE

( 2/3 majority needed to pass)

Should there be a levy for a special assessment on property owners for park and street maintenance, weed control and tree work, among other projects?

Preference: Vote

Yes: 1,707

No: 627

ROLLING HILLS

1 Precinct

CITY COUNCIL

Three vacancies

Candidate: Vote

Gordana Swanson*: 450

Ginny Leeuwenburgh*: 392

Judy Murdock*: 391

Martin Rosenzweig: 236

Ann Carley: 211

Frank Hill 165

* denotes incumbent