Barnett has criticized Krekorian for trying to leave his post in the Assembly midway through his second term, but would not say whether she would rather see him win in Los Angeles — vacating the seat and creating the possibility of a Republican replacement — or return to serving the 43rd District.
“I’d rather see him go to Arizona, myself,” she said.
Republicans are already gearing up for a campaign to replace Krekorian, should he be elected to the council, hoping to take over a Democratic-leaning district.
Lee Wochner, a founding member of the Burbank Democratic Club and a member of the state Democratic Party’s central committee, said potential candidates were lining up to keep the district in the party’s hands, although they were first focused on seeing Krekorian succeed, he said.
“I think people are waiting to see what happens on the 22nd and after that in December,” he said.
Other candidates include activists Mary Benson, Agusto Bisani, Jozef Thomas Essavi, Laurette Healey, Michael McCue, David “Zuma Dogg” Saltsburg and Frank Sheftel.
With a campaigning period of only about 10 weeks, the chances of a lesser-known candidate with a small budget succeeding are low, said Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry and Commerce Assn., who has been monitoring residents’ and businesses’ reaction to the candidates.
Each campaign mailer sent by a candidate can cost between $10,000 and $15,000, Waldman said.
“Candidates who haven’t raised close to $100,000 are unlikely to really get their message out,” he said.
That leaves the top three fundraisers most likely to succeed and progress to a runoff in the crowded field, he said.
“The only way I’d be surprised is if someone other than those three made it into the runoff,” he said.
