Two Assembly Districts

Los Angeles County voters will fill two vacancies in the state Assembly on Nov. 4. Both the 43rd District, on Los Angeles’ West Side and part of the San Fernando Valley, and the 54th District, which includes Compton, Bellflower, Lakewood and parts of Long Beach, are heavily Democratic in registration and thus considered “safe” Democratic seats. In both, the Democratic party has nominated candidates who merit election.

The best candidate for the 43rd District seat is clearly Terry B. Friedman, the executive director of a legal services agency that helps the poor and elderly in the Fairfax District. Friedman has been active in the area for several years, and is knowledgeable on both health and education issues, on which he would focus if elected.

The choice in the 54th District is tougher to make. Both Democrat Edward K. Waters and Republican Paul E. Zeltner know the district well. Waters worked as a relocation specialist for the Century Freeway project there for six years. Zeltner has lived in Lakewood for more than 20 years, and serves on the city council. They do not differ dramatically on the issues. Both are firm advocates of law-and-order, and both would like the state to promote business development in the area to relieve unemployment, especially in Compton’s black community.

Waters has a better-funded campaign and is supported by some influential politicians, not least among them Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, who has given him money and one of his top campaign managers. Waters insists he will be independent of Brown, if elected. We endorse his candidacy and urge him to be good on his word. While we are troubled by Waters’s close ties to the Assembly Speaker, they may prove beneficial if they help Waters deliver state services to the 54th district.