L.A. CITY COUNCIL ELECTIONS / 2ND DISTRICT : Defeated Rivals Cite Difficulties in Facing Wachs

The easy reelection victory of Los Angeles Councilman Joel Wachs over two relatively unknown and under-financed opponents illustrates the difficulty of running against a well-entrenched incumbent, Wachs’ two challengers said Wednesday.

Wachs, a 20-year veteran of the council, won a decisive 63% of the vote in the 2nd Council District in the east San Fernando Valley, encompassing Studio City, Sunland-Tujunga and parts of North Hollywood, Van Nuys and Sepulveda. Wachs had a total of 9,627 votes, according to final counts.

Tom Paterson, a North Hollywood homeowner activist who ran for the council for the second time, received 23.2% of the vote, with 3,608 votes. Peter A. Lynch, a City Hall lobbyist from Sun Valley, got 13.4%, or 2,050 votes.

The results showed that Wachs has solidified his new power base in his second election since a citywide remap of council districts in 1986 shifted him into the East and central Valley and removed him from the Laurel Canyon and Sunset Strip areas.

In 1987, after a breakneck six-month campaign to introduce himself to his new, more conservative and blue-collar constituents, Wachs beat back four challengers and tallied 65% of the vote. His totals this week show his support level remains virtually unchanged.

Nonetheless, Paterson and Lynch said a strong challenger could have exploited what they said are pockets of dissatisfaction with the incumbent. They pointed out that citywide voter turnout was a weak 15%.

“The voters have made their choice,” said Paterson, who ran unsuccessfully against Wachs in 1983. “What is disturbing is that there seems to be less and less voter participation in the process.”

Paterson said he has not ruled out another run for office, but said his main goal is to continue pushing the issues that he focused on in the campaign: reforming the City Charter to reduce council salaries, and expanding the number of council districts from 15 to 30, which he said would make politicians more accountable and improve city services.

Lynch said he was frustrated by the aura of invincibility surrounding Wachs and other incumbents. He said it is impossible to mount a meaningful bid against an incumbent unless the challenger already holds political office or has a very large fund-raising base.

“For anybody else it just doesn’t make sense to run,” he said.

Wachs said he plans to focus in the next four years on controlling development, fighting crime and responding to the changing population of the district, which has grown more ethnically diverse.