Student Rejects Gen-X Apathy in Run for Delegate Slot

Swimming against the tide of Gen-X political apathy, 26-year-old Christina Alvarez has decided to step into the fray, locally. This Sunday afternoon, the third-year UCLA law student will run for a spot as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.

She will present a short speech at a Democratic delegate selection caucus for the 24th Congressional District at 3 p.m. at Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center, along with more than two dozen other candidates.

Despite a belief that her generation is “really politically active,” Alvarez bucks the trend.

Although most age groups showed voting declines in the last presidential election, less than a third of 18- to 24-year-olds bothered to vote, contrasted with 42% in 1972.

“The reason I am doing it is not because I want a political career,” Alvarez said Wednesday. “My focus is different. I really believe we need a Democratic president. This is my way to support Al Gore.”

Local party organizers said there are about 31 candidates running to become Democratic delegates for Gore in Brad Sherman’s (D-Sherman Oaks) district, split fairly evenly between men and women.

A separate Democratic caucus for Sen. Bill Bradley will be held at El Camino Real High School at the same time, organizers said.

Participants will rank candidates in order of preference.

Based on the results of California’s March 7 primary, a proportional number of delegates will be sent to the DNC from each caucus to vote for their respective candidate. A total of five delegates and one alternate will be selected.

Alvarez said she knows she is a longshot.

She’s young, has little experience, and she won’t have time to write her one-minute speech until Friday.

But the idea of plunging into politics in a year when the National Democratic Convention will be held in Los Angeles thrills her.

“It’s exciting,” she says. “For me, this will be my first real active participation in the process aside from voting.”

Hablas espanol? aqui!

Los Angeles City Councilman Alex Padilla announced Wednesday that he has launched a redesigned, totally bilingual Internet site--the first such Web site of any council member.

Padilla’s 7th Council District covers some heavily Latino communities in the northeast Valley: Pacoima, Panorama City, Sun Valley, Sylmar and Van Nuys.

“In English y en Espanol my Web site contains important information on activities in my district and events citywide,” Padilla said.

!Que bueno!

The site can be found at: https://www.lacity.org/council/cd7.

CYBER CAMPAIGNING: Cool candidates are campaigning in cyberspace, and their Internet efforts--still a political frontier--are already harvesting hefty campaign contributions.

Presidential candidates have shown it can work: Bill Bradley reportedly has raised $2 million online, and George W. Bush and John McCain claim to have raised more than $1 million each.

Now that trend is trickling down to other races.

The race between Rep. James Rogan (R-Glendale) and state Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) for the 27th Congressional District has been one of the most active on the Internet because of the Clinton impeachment.

Schiff has received significant funds online from MoveOn.org, which advocated a censure of Clinton, and pledged to raise money online to defeat House prosecutors such as Rogan.

Schiff’s race is profiled on their Web site.

Schiff said he received more than $100,000 over the Internet in his bid to unseat Rogan this past year, including contributions from MoveOn.org--about 10% of the $1.1 million total he had reported raising by Dec. 31.

“We really think that the Internet has opened up a whole new opportunity to communicate with constituents, to spread the message of the campaign,” Schiff said.

Jason Roe, Rogan’s campaign manager, said he has received about $20,000 in online contributions, without any aggressive solicitation.

By beefing up their online presence, Roe expects the Rogan campaign to raise about $100,000 before the election--about 5% of the $5 million they hope to pull in.

But Roe says the Internet will change everything, as soon as politicians really figure out how to use it.

“I think this is the election that the Internet will explode for fund-raising purposes,” Roe said. “But what a strange time it is. . . . It’s going to be another two to three election cycles before we figure out how to sell the message, raise money.”

SECESSION LESSON: If the northeast Valley redevelopment area is created, how can locals make sure the funds the project generates would be used here?

Secessionists have met with attorneys to learn if the use of the $490 million in taxes the project is expected to generate can be legally restricted to the Valley.

The concern is that Los Angeles, in creating its largest redevelopment project, encompassing 6,850 acres, may use some of the money to bail out financially troubled redevelopment projects in other parts of the city, said Richard Close, chairman of Valley VOTE.

“That would be a fraud on the people of the northeast Valley,” Close said.

He said attorneys for Valley VOTE are researching whether the Community Redevelopment Agency can legally take property tax money generated in the northeast Valley and divert it to other parts of the city.

The CRA is already engaging in that practice with Bunker Hill, which finances redevelopment in seven other areas of the city.

“The next issue is how do we get the city to legally commit to keeping all of the money in the northeast Valley?” Close said.

Secessionists have at least one ally: Councilman Padilla of Pacoima.

“That is a requirement,” Padilla said. “Not only must the project be financially self-sufficient but it can’t be used as a cash cow for other areas.”

Padilla said prospective secession of the Valley from the city of Los Angeles should not affect the redevelopment project.

“If the Valley were to secede, the goal would remain the same, revitalization of that area,” Padilla said.

CARPETBAGGERS BEWARE: Padilla’s plans to outlaw the sort of carpetbaggers who moved into his district at the last minute to challenge him are not without opponents.

Including Councilwoman Laura Chick of Tarzana.

On Wednesday, Chick asked the City Council to shelve Padilla’s proposal. Acting as a member of the council’s Rules and Elections Committee, Chick cited an opinion by city lawyers that the courts would be very likely to invalidate any residency requirement longer than 30 days, based on constitutional protection of the right to travel.

Gary Boze, a spokesman for Chick, said the recommendation was nothing personal against Padilla, just a reaction to a legal opinion that said the city could face liability if it tries to increase the residency requirement.

Padilla was upset that three of the five candidates who opposed him last year moved into the northeast Valley’s 7th District just before filing for office. Candidates are now required to live in a council district for 30 days before taking out papers to run for office.

Padilla proposed in November that the residency requirement be extended as much as legally possible, whether three months, six months or a year.

Padilla, however, said he is not yet giving up. The councilman hopes to meet with the city attorney in the week before the council takes up Chick’s recommendation.

“I’m definitely still looking at pursuing the issue,” Padilla said.