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Julie Korenstein acknowledged that she once belonged to the left-wing Peace and Freedom Party and Hal Bernson again defended his support of the controversial Porter Ranch project as the two City Council candidates clashed Friday during a television interview.
In their first one-on-one confrontation, Bernson and Korenstein also squabbled over Korenstein's statements about embattled Police Chief Daryl F. Gates and sought to justify their acceptance of campaign contributions from special-interest groups.
Bernson, a 12-year council incumbent, and Korenstein, a Los Angeles school board member, are locked in an increasingly bitter struggle in the June 4 runoff election for Bernson's 12th District seat, which represents the northwest San Fernando Valley.
Although he led Korenstein and four other opponents in the April 9 primary, Bernson failed to win the 50%-plus-one vote majority needed to avoid a runoff.
Near the beginning of the videotaped interview program, to be broadcast at 4 p.m. Sunday on KCBS-TV, Channel 2, Bernson said: "People have to know that at one time she was a Peace and Freedom member." He also noted Korenstein's backing of the Rev. Jesse Jackson when the civil-rights activist sought the 1984...