Politics Is a Toxic Business

Gov. George Deukmejian wants state government to be more on top of the complex problems of toxic dumps. The Legislature has approved a plan that gives him much of what he wants. So the governor will agree to it, right? Not necessarily, because the governor doesn’t see it that way.

The governor wants his own plan, one that the Legislature already has dismissed. The Legislature, in final votes Thursday, has replaced it with a better measure, sponsored by Sen. Art Torres (D-Los Angeles). It is better because of its tougher conflict-of-interest provisions.

The Torres bill would create a waste management commission composed of technical experts, and it would bar anyone from serving on that commission who had earned 10% of his income over the previous two years from the industries being regulated. The protections are necessary to ensure that contracts go to the best qualified people, not to somebody’s old buddy. That in turn would boost confidence in the cleanup efforts.

If the governor elects to veto the Torres bill, he cannot be allowed to blame that veto on the Democrats for not giving him exactly what he wanted. The Democratic-controlled Legislature has given him a good bill that will help his administration do the job he says he wants it to do to protect Californians from chemicals leaching into the water and fouling the air. Governance is often the art of compromise, especially when the end is for the public good. Deukmejian can turn this compromise into good politics as well.