4 Machinist Locals Endorse Castaneda in Council Race

Los Angeles City Council candidate Rose Castaneda has picked up an endorsement from 3,500 members of the International Assn. of Machinists union in the San Fernando Valley area.

Four IAM locals voted to back Castaneda, a top aide to Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-Panorama City). She is among 11 candidates seeking to replace retiring Councilman Ernani Bernardi in the 7th Council District, which covers the northeast Valley.

Don Nakamoto, research director for the four IAM locals, which represent workers employed by Lockheed Corp., said Castaneda won the endorsement because the union believes her work with Berman makes her the most qualified candidate to obtain federal public works funds for the council district.

“We lost probably about 8,000 workers in the last three years from Lockheed, the majority live in the San Fernando Valley,” Nakamoto said. “Our top priority is to help our workers get jobs.”

Nakamoto said the machinists will contribute money and volunteers to Castaneda’s campaign. He denied that Berman influenced the IAM to help his aide, saying it was “a decision of the union.”