Democrat-dominated Legislature may become still more liberal

The San Diego Union - Tribune ^ | March 6, 2002 | By Jim Wasserman

[vannrox]

Democrat-dominated Legislature may become still more liberal

By Jim Wasserman
ASSOCIATED PRESS
March 6, 2002

LOS ANGELES – The Democrat-dominated California Legislature may become even more liberal after voters nominated new moderates and liberals in districts where they are likely to win in November.

In a legislative primary widely viewed as having more impact than the general election, ruling Democrats on Tuesday picked up a fresh slate of environment and consumer-minded candidates, especially in the 80-member Assembly.

Republicans, meanwhile, largely elected conservatives rather than moderates for their seats, despite fund-raising efforts by some in the party to support more centrist candidates.

The New Majority PAC, moderate Republicans who offered financial support to at least three candidates, lost all three contests.

Tuesday's results pleased Democratic legislative strategists, who said a gain of several seats by liberals could give them more clout in the Assembly.

"All I wanted was to do what the chambers of commerce and manufacturers have been doing for years when they give money and elect pro-business Democrats," said Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica. "There was no one on the other side of the chessboard. I think we're doing very well," she said.

Kuehl and other legislative liberals backed 13 socially progressive Democratic candidates after suffering narrow defeats last year on privacy and consumer bills.

Nine prevailed in Tuesday's election, including former Berkeley Mayor Loni Hancock, South San Francisco Mayor Gene Mullin and Mountain View Councilwoman Sally Lieber.

"It's sort of one vote at a time," Kuehl said. "You kind of put together a coalition one vote at a time."

But Republican leaders lamented the Legislature's continued "leftward drift."

"I believe the composition of the Legislature is not reflective of the philosophy and expectations of the people," said Senate Republican Caucus Chair Charles Poochigian, R-Fresno.

The Senate leader added that the "stark contrast" between candidates and voters will eventually backfire.

"I believe in the long run the Republican party will benefit from the radicalization of the Legislature," he said.

One of the Legislature's most competitive races mirrored the liberal trend and widening split between the two parties.

In the 30th Assembly district, San Joaquin Valley voters nominated liberal Democrat Nicole Parra, a congressional district director, with 53 percent of the vote over 25 percent for conservative farmer and Democrat Jim Crettol. In November, Parra will face a conservative Republican businessman, Dean Gardner, who defeated moderate Republican Jerry Salazar 66 to 34 percent on Tuesday.

Salazar had received a $12,000 assist from the New Majority PAC of moderate Republicans seeking to push their party toward the political center.

Another moderate candidate backed by the PAC, Assemblyman Richard Dickerson, R-Redding, lost his bid for a Senate nomination to conservative Assemblyman Sam Aanestad, R-Grass Valley. Aanestad received 56 percent of the vote to Dickerson's 44 percent.

Likewise, Assemblywoman Charlene Zettel, R-Poway, a pro-choice moderate, received 46 percent of the vote in losing to conservative Assemblyman Dennis Hollingsworth, R-Temecula. Hollingsworth, a former legislative director for the Riverside County Farm Bureau, captured 54 percent of the vote.

In another groundbreaking trend, Democratic voters nominated openly gay former Santa Cruz councilman John Laird for one Assembly race and were choosing between two gay activists in another Assembly district – San Francisco Supervisor Mark Leno and former San Francisco Supervisor Harry Britt. If elected in November, they would be the Legislature's first openly gay male members. The Legislature already has four gay women.

Voters also set the stage for a pair of possible political comebacks: Former assemblyman and current state parks director Rusty Areias won the Democratic nomination for a San Joaquin Valley Senate seat with 62 percent of the vote. Former assemblyman, congressman and lieutenant governor Mervyn Dymally, 75, received 52 percent of the vote, heading off a Latino challenger to continue longtime African-American representation of his heavily Democratic South Central Los Angeles Assembly district.

[vannrox]

"...Democrat-dominated Legislature may become still more liberal ..."

Is that possible?

[NEWwoman]

Yes.

[Amerigomag]

And the beat goes on .... tra la la la la.

[VRWCmember]

Or, it may backfire and result in a shift toward a republican legislature.

[Free the USA]

fyi

[Paleo Conservative]

Has anyone in California considered an initiative to increase the size of both the California Assembly and Senate. The assembly has 80 seats to represent 35 million people. The Senate has 40 seats making them the largest legislative districts in the world allocated by population.

[Mr. Jeeves]

"I believe in the long run the Republican party will benefit from the radicalization of the Legislature," he said.

Yes, it's a brilliant and devious California GOP strategy. When the state of California collapses completely under the inherent contradictions of liberal-left government, there won't be a single Republican left in office to blame for the disaster.

And the California GOP will say, 'A-ha! Now we've got them!"

< /sarcasm...I think...>

[Varmint Al]

Our only hope is to elect Bill Simon as governor so he can VETO every stupid law (all of them) that comes out of the State Assembly and State Senate.

However, we here in the land of fruits and nuts, have already passed over the tipping point. There are now more people who get handouts from the government than pay the taxes. The majority of people can now vote themselves benefits from those few who still work and pay taxes.

Good Hunting... from Varmint Al

[goldstategop]

Thanks in part to the deal the Rats made last year to avoid a bloody redistricting fight. Its squeezed the few conservative Rats and Rat leaning RINOs out of the State Legislature. The GOP doesn't have to help pass the state budget in the future since all of its members will come from safe GOP districts that in turn will be overwhelmingly conservative. Which in turn will help to sharpen the ideological gulf between the two parties in this state. So much for the media's talk of cultivating "moderates" in both parties here. They're a breed on the verge of extinction.

[boris]

California is lost. Simon is toast. And the Dems will have a lock on the Legislature and Governorship for the rest of my lifetime--or at least until it becomes a provence of Mexico.

--Boris