LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL: THE 1991 RACES : Meanwhile, Back on the Ranch . . . : Grandiose development schemes are evidence of downtown hands, out to stifle the concerns of ordinary people.

We desperately need new leadership in the 12th District.

Our current City Council member, Hal Bernson, has presided over the destruction of our neighborhoods and has failed to address our burgeoning crime problems.

Bernson’s role in the infamous Porter Ranch project, which will add 151,000 car trips daily to our already gridlocked streets, has been discussed at length; less attention has been focused on his support of the proposed massive development at California State University Northridge and his frightening plan to annex the Oat Mountain region of the Santa Susana Mountains.

The Cal State Northridge North Campus Project, with more than 1 million square feet of retail, hotel and convention center space, would have a serious negative effect on traffic and air quality.

The 13,000-acre, county-owned tract of pristine wilderness at Oat Mountain cannot be developed unless it is annexed to the city, which would allow city streets and services to be extended into the now-inaccessible area. A recent investigative report in the Daily News revealed that much of this land is already owned by developers, whose speculative land purchases will skyrocket in value if Bernson can push this annexation through.

The critical environmental issues at stake in this campaign have been recognized by the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters, both of which strongly support my candidacy.

On the issue of crime, Bernson talks tough but he has failed to take effective action to reduce this ever-worsening problem. Since his election 12 years ago, felony crimes in the district (including murder, rape, robbery and burglary) have increased dramatically, by more than 73%.

We need a new approach to fighting crime. One that emphasizes neighborhood patrols, community mobilization, reforming the juvenile justice system and early prevention and education programs.

We also need more police.

One of the reasons we do not have funds to hire more police is that the city allows more than $100 million a year in tax increment funds to be devoured by the Community Redevelopment Agency in pointless downtown redevelopment schemes. Councilman Bernson’s vote to sink more than 2 million tax dollars into subsidizing a failing downtown yuppie nightclub on Spring Street is just one example of the waste and mismanagement that the redevelopment agency fosters.

We must bring the CRA under public control and use the property tax revenues created by downtown redevelopment to fund services--like police--for the entire city.

Hal Bernson doesn’t agree. One of the council’s biggest CRA defenders, Bernson’s reelection coffers are stuffed with contributions from powerful special interests that benefit from CRA contracts.

Finally, Hal Bernson’s lack of political ethics is a municipal disgrace.

Bernson recently perpetrated the most outrageous sham in Los Angeles political history. He established a “Bernson for Lieutenant Governor” committee and then raised $179,000, mostly from developers, for that “campaign.” But instead of launching a bid for lieutenant governor, he spent the bulk of the money on luxury travel all over the world, opulent meals and lavish gifts and entertainment.

I can provide the creative leadership our district deserves.

As a school board member, I have led battles for school safety, cutting wasteful bureaucracy and mismanagement, and giving parents, teachers and principals more control over running their local schools.

I was the only local elected official to actively oppose the Porter Ranch project, and I successfully fought the developer to require that land be set aside for schools.

As a City Council member, I would work for maximum public participation in the planning process--and for an end to secret back-room deals.

I would fight to expand the number of front-line police officers on the beat and work to mobilize businesses, law enforcement, community groups and schools in a full-scale assault on crime, gangs and drugs.

And I would continue to stand for unimpeachable ethics and stringent enforcement of our city’s new political reform laws.

Twelve years of Hal Bernson has been quite enough.

Next: District 9

Four seats will be contested in the June 4 City Council runoff election. Today, the two candidates for the 12th District speak out on the issues.

LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 12

AT A GLANCE Population 1990: 216,000 Racial / ethnic mix White (non-Latino): 71% Latino: 14% Asian: 12% Black: 3% Annual income Median household: $42,000 Household distribution Less than $15,000: 13.5% $15,000 - $24,999: 13.7% $25,000 - $34,999: 14.4% $35,000 - $49,999: 20.6% $50,000 - $74,999: 23.2% $75,000 - $99,999: 7.0% $100,000 +: 7.5% SOURCES: U.S. Census Bureau, City of Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Department and Times statistical analysis by Maureen Lyons.