Alatorre: A Power Comes Back Home

Assemblyman Richard Alatorre’s election to the Los Angeles City Council filled a huge void in city politics and government, as well as providing a boost to his own career and possibly changing the chemistry of the municipal governing body.

A City Council without a Latino representative in America’s pre-eminent Hispanic city was was something of a civic embarrassment, magnified recently when the U.S. Justice Department filed suit against the city, charging that its reapportionment plan had denied Latino representation. Now, there will be plenty of pride as Latinos watch one of their own, from the old neighborhood, wielding power in City Hall.

More important, as the only Latino elected official in the the government of the second largest city in the nation, Alatorre will have new opportunity to speak out to national and statewide audiences on issues of importance to his community, such as immigration and education. Although he may not be able to change any votes in Congress on immigration law revision, Alatorre will be able to voice the hopes and frustrations of the Latinos he represents in a way that will be noticed.

But his election will result in no great change in city policy. Alatorre is a liberal Democrat, but the council, while nonpartisan, is already run by liberal Democrats. That was demonstrated again recently when the council voted opposition to the Reagan Administration’s tough policy toward the illegal immigrants from Central America who say they are fleeing political persecution.

The situation will probably remain the same on other issues, such as planning and development.

In his years in the Assembly, Alatorre proved himself a reliable member of Speaker Willie L. Brown’s fund-raising political machine that milks the business community for money needed to elect Democrats. He will feel at home in City Hall, where developers, promoters of refuse-disposal schemes, cable television operators, municipal-bond-selling firms and other businesses contribute to council campaigns in return for sympathetic consideration of their projects. That system has shaped the city. Nothing in the new councilman’s record or in his campaign statements indicates a desire to change things.

The biggest change from the election will be in Alatorre’s career and in the internal workings of the council.

Looked at superficially, it might seem that Alatorre made a bad trade--a powerful state legislative job dealing with big issues, for City Council and days filled with constituents complaining about potholes, playgrounds, street lights and libraries.

But an assemblyman is one of 120 legislators, operating in a political arena not especially visible in the Southland. Newspapers cover the Legislature well. But television, the communications medium that reaches the most people, all but ignores Sacramento. Not a single Los Angeles station has a bureau in the capital. Only the Legislature’s opening day or some other major scheduled event attracts the attention of Los Angeles’ television news executives.

The City Council, on the other hand, is frequently televised. It is handy and inexpensive to cover. The council chamber, with members neatly grouped as a horseshoe in a room that looks like an old movie palace, is a scenic backdrop. It often makes good television and council members are seen on the screen much more than state legislators.

Alatorre’s position as the only Latino on the council will give him even more visibility than in Sacramento, where he was one of several.

This added notice, the access to campaign contributions and a strong political base on the Eastside may make Alatorre a formidable contender for another office in the future--for Congress when Edward R. Roybal (D-Los Angeles) retires, or for mayor.

Alatorre’s presence will also mean a change inside the council.

For the most part, the council currently is a stodgy institution, filled with members who love to lose themselves in detailed constituent complaints or in back room meetings with campaign contributors. They hate public controversy. They are not adroit at the game of politics. In the language of a Las Vegas pit boss watching novices fumble around a 21 table, “they’re not players.”

Alatorre is a player. He likes the game. He knows how to push in public and private. He knows how to deal.

His presence changes the equation on the council. Previously, players have been in short supply. Councilman David Cunningham, who represents a southwestern district, is one. Zev Yaroslavsky, from a Westside area, is another. Newcomer Michael Woo has not yet proved himself but has potential. He served as aide to Senate President Pro Tem David Roberti, (D-Los Angeles) and Roberti, by surviving in his job, has shown himself to be a first-rank player. Maybe Woo picked up a few tricks from his old boss.

The game they play is not of interest to much of the public. The prizes are minor appointments, zoning changes, trips, a better office, a fat campaign contribution, a move up to another political job. The results do not change life in Los Angeles dramatically. Downtown will continue to get bigger and more congested. Ventura Boulevard will never return to its idyllic post-World War II days. But the game is fascinating to the reporters, lobbyists, citizen activists, bureaucrats, campaign managers and mayoral appointees who make up City Hall society. They have an insatiable appetite for the gossip of the game.

This is the season for their Christmas parties. There will be plenty to gossip about.