All’s Quiet on the Campaign Front in Margolin’s 45th District

With the June 3 primary election less than four weeks away, the only thing missing from the 45th Assembly District campaign is a campaign.

Assemblyman Burt M. Margolin is unopposed on the Democratic slate and has spent much of his time working for his pal, Terry B. Friedman, who hopes to capture the Democratic nomination in the neighboring 43rd Assembly District.

The two Republican primary opponents have yet to meet in debate and have said that they are working on extremely limited budgets. And the other contenders are members of the Libertarian and Peace and Freedom parties.

This means that voters in the predominantly Democratic district that takes in the Pico-Robertson area, Fairfax, Hollywood, Laurel Canyon, parts of West Hollywood, North Hollywood, Studio City, Burbank and Los Feliz are likely to see Margolin (D-Los Angeles) elected to a third term in November.

The 35-year-old Margolin, who expects to net about $50,000 from a $250-a-plate fund-raiser at the Beverly Wilshire this week, said he is encouraged by the lack of Democratic opposition. He called himself the clear front-runner.

Helping Friedman

“I will clearly campaign for myself,” Margolin said. “But because of the lack of primary opposition and being a clear favorite in November . . . I will spend substantial time helping (Friedman), who is a very close friend.”

Margolin and Friedman are both allied with the Berman-Waxman organization, a powerful and sophisticated Westside-area political group headed by Reps. Howard L. Berman (D-Panorama City) and Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles).

With the group’s backing, Margolin first captured the 45th District seat in 1982. He received 55% of the primary vote in a field of five Democratic candidates and went on to win the general election with about 63% of the vote. Margolin was reelected in 1984, again receiving about 63% of the vote.

The assemblyman, a liberal who has been called the “Woody Allen of the Legislature” for his quick wit and sense of humor, focuses mostly on social and environmental issues. Recently he has championed an anti-litter bill that would require a refundable 1-cent deposit on beer and soft drink containers. Similar measures have foundered in the state Legislature for the past 20 years, but Margolin has marshaled considerable support for the plan.

Margolin, whose district contains many elderly and Jewish people, also has authored a bill that would make it tougher for hospital emergency rooms to turn away uninsured patients. And he was the author of legislation that bars the state from counting reparation payments to Holocaust survivors when determining their eligibility for the state’s medical assistance program.

60% Democratic

Two GOP candidates are vying for the chance to face Margolin in November. But the chance of a Republican winning in the 45th District is considered unlikely because registration in the district is 60% Democratic, 30% Republican.

The two GOP candidates are Gerald (Brodie) Broderson, a private businessman, and Jana Olson, an advertising agency executive.

Broderson, 56, has been a resident of the Hollywood Hills since 1936. He is a student trustee at Los Angeles Community College and said he entered the 45th District race because of his frustration with neighborhood crime.

“My main thrust would be to take back Hollywood from the Third World influence, the drunks and that kind,” Broderson said. “I just always loved Hollywood Boulevard and have worked to preserve it. . . . I think crime in the streets is a big problem, but the Legislature doesn’t seem bothered by it.”

Broderson also accused Margolin of using official district mailers for self-promotion. He complained that Margolin’s picture appeared six times in one recent letter to constituents. Broderson, who called himself a moderate, estimated that he will spend about $1,000 on the primary. He has accused his GOP opponent of ducking the campaign, saying she refused to debate.

Olson, his opponent, said she had yet to gear up for the campaign. The 27-year-old Toluca Lake resident worked as a nurse before joining an advertising agency. She said she entered the race because Margolin is “too liberal.” Olson described herself as a middle-of-the-road Republican.

Olson once ran for the Los Angeles County Republican Central Committee and lost. She said she would bring a business perspective to the district.

Special Point of View

“I think I have something to offer,” Olson said. “Being a woman in business at this period in time, I have a view that could help people be more sensitive to business and still be sensitive to other people’s needs.”

Sylvia F. Kushner is the Peace and Freedom Party candidate. Kushner, 74, lives in Hollywood and was active in the peace movement in the 1960s.

Kushner, who is retired, said she has “mixed feelings” about Margolin.

“I entered the race because I thought it was kind of exciting,” Kushner said. “I thought it would give me a chance to take about issues I care about such as health care, affordable housing and the military budget.”

The fifth candidate in the 45th District race is Libertarian Donald Meyer. Meyer, a courier, lives in Hollywood. He said he is running to promote his party’s view that the role of government should be limited.

Meyer, 35, said he favors reduced taxes. He is opposed to rent control and contends that neighborhoods would be safer if residential streets were made private. He favors abortion rights and said immigration should be encouraged.

“I am in favor of a very liberal immigration policy,” Meyer said. “I would allow unlimited immigration for people who want to come to this country and work.”