AGOURA HILLS : 2 Council Candidates to Skip Final Forum

Angry that a local homeowners group scheduled a candidates forum for the same night as a major campaign fund-raiser, two of the six hopefuls for Agoura Hills City Council plan to forgo the second and final candidates forum in the race, scheduled for tonight.

Candidate Paul (Gary) Mueller accused the Las Virgenes Homeowners Federation, which has not officially endorsed any candidate, of trying to sabotage him and candidates Lyle Michelson and Steve Soelberg by scheduling the forum on the same night as a fund-raiser for all three candidates.

“Our event was scheduled a week before the invitations (for the forum) went out, and those who organized it were aware of that,” Mueller said. “I see this as an attempt on their part to disrupt the fund-raising we’re trying to do.”

Las Virgenes Homeowner Federation President Les Hardie was not available for comment Wednesday, but in the past has denied any bias on the part of his organization.

Michelson said he too will not attend the forum. Soelberg said he plans to attend after the fund-raiser ends at 8 p.m.

The 8 p.m. forum at the Whizen Center, 5050 Cornell Road, will take place regardless of who shows up, said Ellen Pangarliotas of the League of Women Voters, who will moderate the event.

“It would be better to have all the candidates there,” Pangarliotas said. “If candidates don’t want to come, that’s up to them. I don’t know what their agenda is, but they’re certainly making it interesting.”