San Diego (special) --Gary Rotto, former regional director of the American Jewish Committee, is mobilizing support in the Jewish community in his campaign for the open 6th District seat on the San Diego City Council. 

He has put together a finance committee which includes banker Murray
Galinson, UJF and AIPAC lay leader Richard Katz, National Jewish
Democratic Council leader Marcia Sudolsky, and San Diego Community
College Board president Marty Block. 

Such prominent Gentiles as the Rev. Glenn Allison, who headed the San
Diego Ecumenical Council; John Johnson, head of the Urban League, and
Sister Mary Jo Anderson of Scripps Mercy Hospital also have offered Rotto
support in the April 17 special election. 

Valerie Stallings resigned her position as a Sixth District councilwoman
and pled guilty to misdemeanor charges of failing to report financial
contributions from the San Diego Padres owner John Moores and failing to
recuse herself from decisions affecting the downtown ballpark.

Rotto as an aide to Stallings several years before the controversy about
the Padres erupted. He has won the endorsements of a number of other
former Stallings' staff members, who handled constituent affairs in such
neighborhoods as Pacific Beach, Clairemont and Serra Mesa. These
include Stan Lewis, Joe Gabadlon, Sue Blackman and Zach Margolis.

Rotto's campaign consultant is Bob Glaser of the La Jolla Group, and
campaign offices are located at 8304 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Suite 213. 
His campaign manager is Marc Schaefer; the campaign treasurer is his
father, Daniel Rotto, and campaign aides include Shana Starkand, Kim
Abelsohn and Jodi Litvinoff.

Rotto, who serves as a vice chairman of the Serra Mesa Planning Group,
said constituents throughout the district are "concerned about how
development will impact the neighborhoods as we increase density. We
want to make sure that there are community amenities like pharmacies,
grocery stores and dry cleaners. We want mixed use developments that
maintain neighborhoods. And we want better transit; we don't want to
have to get in a car all the time."