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Divorced couple faces off in city council race

The Associated Press | Tuesday, Aug 15 2006 6:15 PM

Last Updated: Tuesday, Aug 15 2006 6:15 PM

If the mud slinging in a city council race this fall seems right out of divorce court it could be because two of the candidates are a former husband and wife.

Leah Berlanga, one of seven people running for three open seats, said Monday that her former husband, Frank Berlanga, entered the race to harass her.

"I'm not going to let somebody intimidate me," she said during a news conference in front of City Hall.

Frank Berlanga, 53, was arrested Friday, the day after he filed his papers to run, and placed in San Mateo County jail without bail for a probation violation, the sheriff's office said. Authorities refused to offer more information and Berlanga could not be reached for comment.

Leah Berlanga, a financial investigator for San Francisco's Department of Child Support Services and co-founder of a support group for abused women, said the arrest was related to an incident in June, but she would not elaborate.

A restraining order was issued against Frank Berlanga in 2004 and he was sentenced to 10 days in jail for violating it in 2005 by leaving her a threatening letter.

The former couple, who have a teenage son and 11-year-old daughter, were separated in 2004 and divorced in June.

"This will be the rockiest race that we have ever witnessed," Leah Berlanga said.