Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : City Councilman to Run for Assembly : Politics: George Pederson of Santa Clarita joins a conservative lineup vying for open seat. He supports education, economic development and ‘three strikes’ law.

SANTA CLARITA —  Santa Clarita City Councilman George Pederson has announced his candidacy for the state Assembly seat that will be vacated next year by William J. (Pete) Knight (R-Palmdale).

Pederson, 70, is a retired Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department captain. He has been on the Santa Clarita City Council since 1992 and served as the city’s mayor during its recovery from the Northridge earthquake.

He joins Billy Pricer, a trustee for the Antelope Valley Union High School District, and George Runner, a Lancaster city councilman, in the race for the 36th Assembly District.

“I think I bring something in that I bring a career in law enforcement,” Pederson said. “Public safety is a big issue for many people in this state. I think people are tired of prisoners being coddled and not being jailed because we don’t have the room.”

Pederson said he supports education and economic development and favors California’s “three strikes” legislation. He cites his experience as a manager and as a council member in Santa Clarita.

Pederson said he decided to run after receiving encouragement from his friends and family and after convincing himself he can raise the $200,000 he believes will be necessary to compete in the race.

The 36th Assembly District covers the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys, both heavily Republican. Knight is leaving the post to run for a state Senate seat in 1996.

All three candidates have conservative views, with an emphasis on law and order.

Pricer is a retired sheriff’s deputy, the head of a youth counseling center and an associate pastor at local church that produced a nationally distributed anti-gay-rights video. Runner founded an Antelope Valley group that opposes gay rights, pornography and abortion.