Clinton Visits Sylmar for Ceremony Monday

In his first visit to the San Fernando Valley since his reelection campaign of 1996, President Clinton plans to attend a ground-breaking ceremony Monday for a transit-oriented housing development in Sylmar.

While in town, Clinton will attend a Democratic fund-raising dinner on Sunday at the Los Angeles home of Eli Broad, chairman and chief executive officer of SunAmerica Inc.

The fund-raiser, at $10,000 per couple, is expected to raise at least $1 million to benefit Democratic congressional candidates.

Among the guests will be a host of Hollywood power brokers, including director Oliver Stone and DreamWorks SKG founder Jeffrey Katzenberg.

A spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said it has not been determined which local candidates will benefit from the fund-raising event.

But among the 175 guests at the dinner will be Barry Gordon, a Democrat and former president of the Screen Actors Guild who is trying to unseat Rep. James Rogan (R-Glendale). The district includes parts of Glendale, Burbank and Pasadena.

Gordon is expected to face a tough battle against Rogan, who holds a substantial fund-raising lead.

A former assemblyman, Rogan has raised $107,578 in the past three months, according to his campaign records. Gordon, meanwhile, has raised only $21,546, his records show.

Among the guests at the ground breaking will be Assemblyman Tony Cardenas (D-Sylmar) and Rep. Howard Berman (D-Mission Hills), who is being challenged by fellow Democrat Raul Godinez, the mayor of the city of San Fernando.

The event will launch the construction of Village Green, a 186-unit project adjacent to the Sylmar/San Fernando Metrolink station. When completed at the end of the year, the project is expected to offer homes starting at $140,000.

The goal of the development is to provide affordable housing that is tied to the mass transit system, said project spokesman Mike Hoye.