Ross Insists He’ll Gain From Rivals’ Feuding

Kevin Ross admits he’s in a struggle of mythic proportions. “I’m stuck between two Goliaths,” he said of his bid for the 10th District City Council seat.

But Ross thinks he has a better chance than David of slaying the local giants, incumbent Nate Holden and challenger Stan Sanders, a lawyer.

The 31-year-old deputy district attorney is hoping that voters fed up with Sanders and Holden’s bitter personal attacks on each other will support him.

With less than $10,000--Sanders and Holden have each raised more than 10 times that--and little name recognition, winning the race is nearly impossible, say political consultants. At best, Ross may get enough votes to keep Holden or Sanders from getting more than 50% of the total, forcing a June 6 runoff between the two front-runners, they say.

Ross insists he has a chance of winning. “If I can get 2,000 to 3,000 votes, I can make it into a runoff,” he said.

Ross said he believes that women in the district will turn away from Holden because of two sexual harassment suits pending against him, and that Sanders lost the support of Democrats--who are the majority of voters in the district although council races are nonpartisan--by backing Riordan in the 1993 mayoral race.

Raised in South-Central, Ross attended Gardena High School, where he was student body president. He graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta and Southwestern University School of Law.

A forceful speaker who works at the district attorney’s Inglewood office, Ross also hosts a Sunday morning talk show on radio station KACE-FM (103.9). He is on leave from both jobs while he campaigns.

Voters may be attracted to Ross’ youthful energy. But his enthusiasm sometimes reveals a lack of political maturity.

A press kit, for instance, lists five goals. The first four are completing the Los Angeles Marathon (he did this year), writing a book (not yet), raising a family (he has been married about a year) and working on the 1996 Presidential campaign. Winning a council seat is No. 5.