L.A. ELECTIONS / 5th DISTRICT : Issues Center on Public Safety, Services for Valley : Candidate Barbara Yaroslavsky says putting police officers on the street is a top priority. She says breakup of school district is ‘a last resort.’

Q: What ethics reforms do you support?

A: We have very good ethics laws in place. Five hundred dollars is the maximum contribution that any one contributor can give to a City Council race. Voters elect a representative they feel is honest. I would hope anyone that has contributed to my campaign realizes I am an ethical [and] moral person, that conflict of interest is something I’ve dealt with for over 20 years in different organizations I’ve worked with. Even though I’ve come to the table representing one organization, when it comes to expenditure of [public] dollars . . . I’ve done it for the benefit of the community and I would continue that on the City Council.

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Q: Valley residents often say they are not getting their fair share of city services. Forty percent of 5th District residents are in the Valley. Are there things you would do to deal with this problem?

A: I’ve heard what you’re saying over and over. I feel it’s not fair. I would definitely push to change that feeling by having a proactive staff, a staff that is familiar with familiar faces. I would be involved in . . . leading organizations of the Valley as well with individual groups. I would be spending time in the Valley, I enjoy the Valley.

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Q: Do you support the proposed breakup of the Los Angeles Unified School District?

A: It’s a last resort. What we’re seeing is the schools are not working adequately now, that local dollars really need to be spent at the local school site, that there needs to be more accountability, not only to parents but to the business community as well. What’s so important is for our business community to realize our kids . . . are capable of going into the work force.

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Q: Mayor Riordan endorsed you and you support him in various things. Are there any things he’s done that you don’t support?

A: An endorsement doesn’t mean a quid pro quo . . . I’m going to endorse and vice versa. . . . Will I agree [with him] on every single issue? Of course not. Will he agree with me on every single issue? Of course not. Are we clones of each other? Of course not.

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Q: What are your top priorities, if elected?

A: I want to make this a safe city. I want to make sure we have the ability not only to hire 3,000 more officers but get them out on the street. . . . In addition, I want to make sure we’ve got programs that are available to young people, that give them an alternative to crime. Keeping our parks open . . . making sure our libraries are open.

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Q: Does your pledge not to take contributions from persons who would financially benefit from your vote extend to people [who] contribute to your husband [County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky]?

A: Let me tell you something. Our lifestyle is not one where we sit down and discuss the issues of the day. My husband’s been in public office for 19 1/2 years; he’s the most ethical person I’ve ever known. Did we ever sit and discuss contributions or contributors? We don’t.

Out of 1,000-plus contributions [I’ve received], there were 11 from people that might have had something to do with the county or with MTA or whatever. It slipped by, yes. I should have been more worried, yes. But you know? I have to sign those forms and review them in a timely fashion [and] . . . I didn’t scrutinize each and every single contributor. On the other hand, we’ve returned thousands of dollars where there might have been a conflict of interest or might have appeared to be a conflict of interest between my husband and myself.

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Q: Your opponent said there was a big qualitative difference in your experiences because he has run a nonprofit venture and you haven’t. How do you respond?

A: It’s trying to marginalize what I’ve done in the community [and] is really rather unfair. I’ve been involved because there’s been a need to do something. We do 60,000 visits a year at the [Los Angeles] Free Clinic. Then we go to the Jewish Federation Council, which helps thousands of people per year. Then we go to the schools where I’ve been involved, then I go to the synagogue I’ve been involved in. OK, so he’s managed. . . . He’s been an executive director. I have sat on more boards with executive directors, I know what executive directors do. They have a board that’s very supportive that brings to them the clout to do their job.

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Q: What are the major policy differences between you and Feuer?

A: I think the policy differences are building consensus. I think of working with the community to come out with a viable working solution. I’m not going to make the decisions for any community.

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Q: Do have any reason to believe he’s not going to try to build consensus?

A: He has never built consensus. Take a look at the consensus I’ve built: I’ve got strong Republican endorsements and strong Democratic endorsements. I have strong business endorsements, I must have 15-18 homeowner presidents who have endorsed me, I have ethnic communities holding fund-raisers for me.

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Q: If elected, you’re going to find yourself in the middle of the Chief Willie Williams controversy. Have you given any thought to how this is being played out?

A: I don’t think it should be played out in the press. This is an issue between the Police Commission and the chief. The [commission oversees] the Police Department as well as the chief, and we’ve got five very intelligent, articulate individuals on that commission. We, the public, do not have the information. So we’re being asked to make a decision or comment on something we know nothing about. But the way the information has been [leaked] to the press--people are upset and angry about it.

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Q: Do you approve of how Williams has done his job so far?

A: When you take a look at the PR improvements in the city, [he’s done an] amazing, great job.

Voters in the 5th District will decide Tuesday who will succeed longtime Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky, now a county supervisor. The race is between Yaroslavsky’s wife, Barbara, a community activist, and Mike Feuer, an attorney, who came in first in the primary. Crime, political reform and questions about a Yaroslavsky dynasty top the list of issues in the district, which includes Westwood, Bel-Air, the Fairfax area, Sherman Oaks, parts of Studio City and Van Nuys. The candidates were interviewed separately this week by a panel of Times editors and reporters. These excerpts were compiled by Times staff writer Jack Cheevers.