Heavy Favorite Friedman Goes to Work--but Not on Campaign

Terry Friedman wants your vote on Nov. 4 if you live in the 43rd Assembly District. But, in the meantime, he has gone back to work and closed his campaign office.

Friedman’s actions may smack of overconfidence. But the Democratic nominee for the Westside/San Fernando Valley Assembly seat said he also was moved by practical considerations. Friedman needed a job to tide him over until the Nov. 4 election. And maintaining his campaign headquarters was expensive.

Doesn’t Believe in ‘Overkill’

“The level of intensity in the general election is not what it was in the primary,” Friedman said. “But that doesn’t mean that I am ignoring the race. I’ll do whatever I need to do. . . . I just don’t believe in overkill.”

The common wisdom is that Friedman could go into hiding if he wanted to and still win the open race. The Democratic district that takes in communities such as Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Bel-Air, Westwood, Encino, Sherman Oaks and Studio City is tailor-made for a candidate with Friedman’s liberal credentials.

Powerful Backers

And the 37-year-old attorney goes into the election with the backing of the powerful Berman-Waxman organization, the political alliance headed by Reps. Howard L. Berman (D-Panorama City) and Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles).

The Berman-Waxman group, which has its roots in the 43rd District, helped Friedman capture 56% of the vote in a three-way Democratic primary in June. His opponents in the race were attorneys Bruce Margolin and Rosemary D. Woodlock.

This time out the professorial Friedman faces Republican Marc Philip Schuyler, 21, a UCLA Law School student, and John Honigsfeld, 44, an aerospace computer programmer who is running under the banner of the Peace and Freedom Party. Both candidates are articulate. But neither has major backing.

Friedman said he expects to spend less than $100,000 on general election mailers, contrasted with the more than $200,000 he invested in the primary. He has been collecting small amounts of money by telephone and in personal meetings but said he has no plans to hold a big fund-raiser before November.

The Westwood resident is the former director of Bet Tzedek Legal Services, a $1.6-million-a-year agency that provides free legal advice to the poor, elderly and disabled. He entered the 43rd District race in May, when Assemblyman Gray Davis (D-Los Angeles) dropped out to run for state controller.

Friedman supports the reconfirmation of all of the state Supreme Court justices. Within the district, his principal concerns are preservation of public lands in the Santa Monica Mountains, education and clean water.

‘Race Against Time’

“We’re in a race against time to acquire that land for the public,” Friedman said of the Santa Monica Mountains. On the education issue, Friedman said he favors the construction of more public schools, a better community college system, higher salaries for teachers and better child-care services.

Friedman also supports Proposition 65, the anti-toxics initiative. He said contaminated drinking water could pose a serious health problem in the future.

Pending the outcome of the election, Friedman is working as an attorney for a Beverly Hills law firm. Calls to his old campaign office in the San Fernando Valley are forwarded to his home and Friedman said he has no staff.

“In many respects, I’m frugal,” Friedman said. “I didn’t see any reason to spend the money. But I’m ready to reopen an office if necessary.”

The GOP’s Schuyler said he hopes to surprise Friedman. Schuyler is aggressively campaigning door-to-door, but he concedes that he is a long shot.

“I’m optimistic about winning,” Schuyler said. “But I’m not confident.”

Schuyler defeated a candidate backed by archconservative Lyndon H. LaRouche Jr. in the primary. At that time, Schuyler called himself a conservative. But he said he now considers himself more of a moderate. Schuyler said he favors stringent development controls in areas such as the Santa Monica Mountains.

Tough on Crime

Schuyler, who lives in Tarzana, also stands behind tougher crime laws. He opposes the reconfirmation of the state Supreme Court justices. He is opposed to Proposition 65 on grounds that it is poorly conceived. On education, Schuyler said he favors a return to basics. He would eliminate bilingual education.

Schuyler said he expects to spend about $10,000 on the campaign. Most of the money will go to pay for a mailer to Republican voters. Schuyler picked up about $3,500 at a small fund-raiser at a home in Bel-Air last week. About 60 people, including Supervisor Mike Antonovich, attended the affair.

Antonovich reminded supporters that Schuyler’s election would move the Republican Party “one step closer” to controlling the state Assembly.

Schuyler, who was wearing a big blue campaign ribbon, added, “The campaign is going great. But I wouldn’t say that I have the Democrats on the run.”

Renters Targeted

Honigsfeld, the Peace and Freedom Party candidate, has focused his campaign on renters living on the Westside. He has distributed about 12,000 pamphlets detailing his commitment to tough rent controls. Honigsfeld said he expects to spend less than $1,000. But he did not discount his candidacy.

“If I am going to do well, it’s because I am calling for lowered rents,” Honigsfeld said. “People respond to that as something that’s important.”

Honigsfeld, a socialist, also favors free health care. And he would sever ties between the University of California and the U. S. military.

Honigsfeld lives in West Hollywood. He ran for the Los Angeles County School Board in 1985 and received about 18% of the vote. Honigsfeld said he hopes that his name recognition from that race will carry over to this race.