Gardner concedes election to Parra
Parra's outside dollars not unusual
By CHRISTINE BEDELL, Californian staff writer
e-mail: cbedell@bakersfield.comFriday November 29, 2002, 10:25:07 PM
Dean Gardner conceded defeat in the 30th Assembly District race Friday, more than three weeks after Election Day, and wished winner Nicole Parra well in Sacramento."In the spirit of good sportsmanship and fair play, I wish Miss Parra the best of luck in Sacramento," the Republican said at a news conference.
Gardner, behind Democrat Parra by 265 votes, said he does not plan to request a recount or launch an election contest after the results are certified. The certification deadline is Tuesday.
He said he does not know if the Republican Party will seek a recount -- which Gardner said would cost the requester more than $100,000 -- or sue to set aside the results and hold a special election.
In fact, Gardner tried to distance himself from the legal action the GOP has taken since the polls closed. That includes successfully suing to obtain the names of certain voters to determine if they cast votes legally.
Gardner said he has not made any of the major legal decisions.
"My race stopped on Nov. 5," Gardner said.
Gardner said he and his wife alone decided to give up. He said he has no plans to seek the 30th District seat or any elected position again.
Parra, meanwhile, is scheduled to be sworn in Monday. On Friday she was preparing to open main offices in Sacramento and Hanford and a satellite office in Bakersfield.
"A part of me is relieved this chapter of the election is over," she said. "I wish Mr. Gardner and his wife the best."
Attorney Tim Mills, who represented the Republican Party in its investigation of 30th District ballot casting, said he did not have authority to discuss what the Republicans now will do.
He instead reiterated that a recount would have to be requested within five days of election certification. Mills again noted that would do Gardner little good since recounts merely test the accuracy of counting machines, not whether people voted legally.
Or, Mills said, someone could sue to invalidate the results. The deadline to do that is longer; one would have to show there were enough voting irregularities to affect the outcome of the race, he said.
Trice Harvey, vice chairman of the Central Valley region of the California Republican Party, said the GOP should follow Gardner's lead.
"If Dean Gardner concedes, we all should concede," Harvey said.
Gardner's announcement capped an eight-month race contentious from the start.
Gardner, 60, accused Parra of lacking life experience, leaning too left politically and being beholden to the liberal groups who gave her money.
Parra, 32, said she had far more experience than her opponent in developing political consensus and moving legislation as an aide to Rep. Cal Dooley, D-Hanford.
For about five hours after the polls closed, Gardner was ahead of Parra by a few hundred votes. Then, after Kern County's last results came in early Nov. 6, Parra stole the lead.
That lead shrunk and grew -- but held -- over the next three weeks.
Parra declared victory twice. The first time came Nov. 8 when her lead expanded to 192 votes and it didn't look like there were enough uncounted district ballots to swing the race Gardner's way.
The second was Nov. 22 when Fresno and Kern counties counted their last ballots and Parra was up by 265 votes.
The post-election battle got particularly nasty in mid-November when the race landed in Fresno County Superior Court. The Republican Party sued to get the names of people who cast provisional ballots in Fresno County so it could determine if they voted legally.
People cast provisional ballots when their name doesn't appear on voting records at their polling place or there's some other question about their eligibility to vote.
Elections workers determine whether to count their ballot later.
Parra attorneys sued to block release of the names, citing privacy concerns. On Nov. 20 a judge ordered Fresno County to divulge the names but denied a GOP request to delay provisional-ballot processing so the party could get its investigation under way first.
Gardner said Friday he has not been part of the Republicans' legal fight other than to periodically be updated on it. He said he's only spoken to the lawyers a couple times.
"I don't want to be looked at like Al Gore," Gardner said.
Gardner said he did not oppose the party's actions, though.
Gardner said he will continue running his Bakersfield businesses, including a construction company and gunstock-making business.
He said he learned a lot of lessons over the last year -- hire good people, raise money early and that "there are huge numbers of people out there who think the way we do."
The 30th District includes northwest Kern County, parts of east Bakersfield plus Arvin and Lamont. It also contains pieces of Tulare, Kings and Fresno counties.
The Assembly's next regular session begins in January. The governor may call a special legislative session in December, but it's unclear whether all members or just committee leaders will assemble, Parra said.