City election to fill empty council seats

This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press November 6, 2000

By BOB WILSON
Valley Press Staff Writer

PALMDALE - After operating for 10 months with less than full membership, the City Council will be restored Tuesday when voters cast ballots in two special elections.

One election will fill a three-year term left uncompleted by January's resignation of former sheriff's Sgt. Kevin Carney, who resigned to defend himself against allegations of child molestation.

On Thursday, Carney was found innocent on four charges and is awaiting the authorities' decision whether to retry him on 12 other counts, which ended in a hung jury.

The second election will fill a one-year term left uncompleted by April's resignation of Shelley Sorsabal, who resigned after being served with a notice of recall by Jeff Storm, one of her opponents in the November 1997 election.

Sorsabal, a mortgage-loan officer, said she would rather resign than spend months fighting to retain her seat on the council.

Four people - Sandy Corrales, John Mayfield, Rick Norris and Joseph Rivera Jr. - are vying to serve the remainder of Carney's term, which ends on Nov. 4, 2003.

Five people - Matthew Van Dyk, Alan Lee Jr., Richard Loa, Jim Root and Jason Zink - are vying to serve the rest of Sorsabal's term, which ends on Nov. 6, 2001.

Sandy Corrales

Corrales, 35, owns and operates a graphic design and marketing firm with her husband, Randy Houghton. Throughout the campaign, Corrales has espoused setting term limits for City Council members, tightening the city's campaign-finance regulations and attracting new job-producing businesses. She also:

supports a new hospital for Palmdale, but only if it is on the city's east side;

opposes construction of a new Wal-Mart on the east side, saying it would jeopardize the success of other businesses.

John Mayfield

Mayfield, 54, owns and operates a bookkeeping, payroll and income-tax service. Mayfield has touted his 14 years of service on the city's Planning Commission and his participation in city efforts to attract new jobs. He also:

supports a new hospital for Palmdale, regardless of where it is built;

supports construction of an eastside Wal-Mart, saying it would help attract other job-producing stores as well as increase the city's ability to pay for more police, fire, recreation and public services.

Rick Norris

Norris, 51, is an entrepreneur with interests in several businesses that, among other things, offer advice on business development and products such as water filters, cleaning solutions and vendingmachine snacks.

He favors improved public safety and public recreation programs for youths and senior citizens. He also:

opposes a new hospital anywhere except on the east side;

supports the construction of an eastside Wal-Mart.

Joseph Rivera

Rivera, 40, is a bus driver employed by the county's Metropolitan Transit Authority. He says his goal is to maintain the city's rural ambience, protect its aerospace jobs and decrease overcrowding in schools. He also:

supports a new hospital anywhere in Palmdale, but wants it to be a teaching facility capable of educating the next generation of residents;

opposes the eastside Wal-Mart and suggests a moratorium on such businesses to keep Palmdale from becoming a carbon copy of the overcrowded, crime-ridden San Fernando Valley.

Matthew Van Dyk

Van Dyk, 18, is a student at Antelope Valley College. He contends the council needs someone who is free of local power brokers.

Van Dyk has spoken in opposition to the development of an indoor swap meet in the former Kmart building at 25th Street East and Palmdale Boulevard.

He has not taken a firm stance on either a new hospital or a new Wal-Mart.

Alan Lee

Lee, 31, is president of Local 1117 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Lee contends the city needs leadership that is free from the control of local power brokers. He also:

supports construction of a new hospital on the east side of Palmdale but contends there is room for medical facilities throughout the city;

opposes construction of an eastside Wal-Mart, saying it would drive away other stores and hurt the community's standard of living.

Richard Loa

Loa, 52, is a Los Angeles County public defense attorney and part-time real estate agent. He says the arrest of more criminals would be his No. 1 goal if elected to his first term in office. He also:

opposes construction of a new hospital except on the east side;

supports a new Wal-Mart on the city's east side, contending it will bring long-overdue shopping convenience to residents of the vicinity.

Jim Root

Root, 47, is a work-experience coordinator for students attending Highland High School. He says his interest lies in "home rule" - keeping control of Palmdale out of the hands of powerful interests in Lancaster. He also:

supports construction of a new hospital, regardless of where;

supports construction of an eastside Wal-Mart, noting that the southeast corner of 47th Street East and Avenue S has been earmarked specifically for such an outlet since 1988.

Jason Zink

Zink, 28, is a real estate consultant who previously has been in the public spotlight because of his involvement in controversies concerning the Littlerock Town Council. If elected to the Palmdale City Council, Zink says he would propose the sharing of tax revenues by Palmdale and Lancaster in an effort to reduce inter-municipality friction, seek subsidies to restore air service at Palmdale Regional Airport and suggest the formation of a new tax district to help create a new south Valley campus for AV College. He also:

supports construction of a new eastside hospital and proposes a ballot measure through which voters could force the Antelope Valley's public health-care district to build one;

Opposes construction of an eastside Wal-Mart, saying it would drive out other businesses and pay employees low wages.