ELECTIONS : 3% Utility Tax Key Issue in Race for City Council : Rancho Palos Verdes: Five candidates vying for two seats disagree about the merits of the levy, which was imposed last month. In Rolling Hills Estates, there are only two candidates for two council seats.

The five candidates vying for two Rancho Palos Verdes City Council seats differ on whether the city should have imposed a utility tax last month, with two saying the matter should have been put before voters.

Meanwhile, in the Palos Verdes Peninsula’s only other municipal race, Jacki McGuire, a 47-year-old teacher, and Susan Seamans, a 52-year-old interior designer, are the only two candidates for the two seats available on the Rolling Hills Estates City Council.

The Rancho Palos Verdes council, which passed the 3% levy on utility bills in September to fund road repairs and street maintenance, drew fire for adopting the tax without placing it on the ballot. The average homeowner will pay about $80 more per year because of the tax.

While candidates Marilyn Lyon and Kim Wang say that the tax issue should have gone before voters, Barbara Ferraro and Luella Wike say it was unrealistic to expect that it would go on the ballot when the council was in a financial pinch. Still, they say, the council should have explained the tax better.

The fifth candidate, Lee Byrd, calls for phasing out the utility tax as cuts are made elsewhere.

“People will accept taxes if they have confidence that the money is being well-spent,” he said. “The problem was the council didn’t really know how much was needed.”

Despite their differences on the utility tax, the race has been relatively calm with no mudslinging or angry voices at candidate forums.

Two council members will not seek reelection. Robert E. Ryan left the council to take a position with the County Planning Commission and Jacki Bacharach declined to run.

The candidates generally agree on other key issues.

Only one candidate, Ferraro, strongly objects to the lifting of a building moratorium that was imposed on Abalone Cove and Portuguese Bend homeowners after landslides destroyed homes in the 1970s. Some property owners have pushed for the elimination of the ban, contending that their land is stable.

The other four say that they would support construction only if more geological studies confirmed the integrity of the land and if the city had guarantees that it would not be held liable for injuries or damage from landslides.

“The moratorium has served the city well and prevented lawsuits,” Ferraro said. “You can say that you can err on the side of being too conservative, but from what I understand so far, (lifting the moratorium) is not the kind of thing we should do.”

All candidates called on the city to reinstate a long-range finance committee whose February report criticized city spending. The council was chided for recessing the committee.

The contenders also say that the city could help maintain property values by expanding Neighborhood Watch programs and stepping up the pace of road repairs. They also said the city should do more to keep businesses on Western Avenue, possibly by relaxing sign restrictions. Businesses on the east side of the street are in San Pedro and enjoy more visibility because the city of Los Angeles has a less restrictive ordinance.

Here is a look at the Rancho Palos Verdes candidates:

* Byrd, 63, vice chairman of the city Planning Commission, says the city can help businesses by streamlining permit acquisition. He suggests making building guidelines clearer.

“We’re working to keep people from doing things rather than helping them do things,” said Byrd, a retired Magnavox executive and former Air Force colonel.

He also says the city should keep residents better informed on street and road projects.

“We need to measure the performance of the city against the budget,” he said.

* Ferraro, 49, a real estate broker, part-time Spanish teacher and community volunteer, touts herself as an outsider who can shake up City Hall.

“I’m not a clone of the City Council,” she said. “There seems to be a trend to perpetuate a dynasty on the council, so to speak. You have friends appointed to committees, and they later make it to the council.”

Ferraro, who has never served on a council-appointed committee, says the city should try to launch an “Adopt-A-Trail” program by having community groups or businesses donate the cost of maintaining trails.

She also sought another way to trim costs at a recent council meeting: She urged the city to vote against a $6,000 raise for City Manager Paul D. Bussey.

“It has nothing to do with him personally,” she said. “It just seems like another example of not spending wisely.”

* Lyon, 43, chairwoman of the Parks and Recreation Committee, said that because development has slowed, the city can cut costs by contracting out more employees of the planning department.

“We seem to have planners bumping into each other,” said Lyon, who runs a public relations firm and the RPV 20 Project Inc., which raises money for community events.

Another way to save costs would be to fund the city newsletter by selling ads to local businesses. If elected, she plans to donate her $10,000-per-year council travel and expense allowance to expand Neighborhood Watch programs.

Her most ambitious proposal is to look into building a municipal golf course on federal land near City Hall.

* Wang, 46, a member of the Parks and Recreation Committee, has raised $32,304, more than any other candidate. Her contributions include a $7,000 loan from her husband. She has also spent $23,380, more than any of her competitors.

Much of her emphasis has been on senior citizens. She says the city could apply for state grants or raise private funds to build or buy a community center for senior citizens.

“They don’t really have their own gathering place,” said Wang, a real estate property manager and former librarian for Hughes Aircraft Co., Los Angeles County and the USC Law Library.

* Wike, 64, a former member of the Planning Commission, says her experience in government and free time as a retiree gives her advantages over the other candidates.

“I have the time, I have the knowledge and all the years on the Planning Commission,” said Wike, president of the Mesa Homeowners Assn. and a retired science teacher.

She says the city should trim costs by limiting salary increases for its employees. The city also could raise money by collecting user fees on the trail system, much like golf course greens fees.

“You pay as you use them,” she said. “That is how it should be.”

Wike says the city should try to prevent vacant retail and office spaces from becoming run down. One solution: Support owners who want to convert the space to other uses.