Incumbents Retain Seats in Sacramento

San Diego County’s legislative delegation in Sacramento will remain the same next year as seven state Assembly members and two state senators won reelection, most of them overwhelmingly, Tuesday night.

After an expensive, hard-fought campaign in the 78th District, Assemblywoman Lucy Killea (D-San Diego) overcame a strong, well-financed challenge from Kensington lawyer and former Republican Assembly aide Earl Cantos Jr. to win a third two-year term.

In another closely watched race, Assemblyman Pete Chacon (D-San Diego) won his ninth term in the 79th District by defeating the Rev. Robert C. Ard, whom even Chacon regarded as perhaps the most formidable GOP candidate that he has faced since winning the seat in 1970.

Those outcomes, combined with the reelection of all other incumbents, preserves the Republicans’ 6-to-4 domination of the local delegation. State Sen. Jim Ellis (R-San Diego) did not face reelection this year.

Of the nine local state legislative races, the Killea-Cantos contest in the 78th District occupied center stage, partly because lopsided voter registration figures all but guaranteed the reelection of “safe” incumbents in most of the other districts.

In contrast, voter registration in the 78th District is evenly balanced, with the Democrats holding only the slimmest of edges--43.6% to 43.4%. State party leaders poured six-figure contributions into both camps, and Killea and Cantos spent more than $300,000 each, making the 78th District contest by far the most expensive local Assembly race and one of the costliest legislative campaigns in the state.

A former San Diego city councilwoman with a self-described “pragmatic rather than partisan style,” Killea’s traditional popularity among Republicans and independents enabled her to win comfortably in her two previous Assembly races. In 1984, amid President Reagan’s landslide victory, Killea even drew more votes than Reagan did in her district.

Seeking to define this year’s battle lines, Killea, a 64-year-old former Central Intelligence Agency researcher, made her record the focus of her high-road campaign. In her public speeches, Killea pointed with pride to her legislation aimed at increasing trade with Pacific Rim nations, efforts to control toxic wastes and her role in extending San Diego’s “workfare” program--in which welfare recipients are required to perform public service--while enacting statewide welfare reforms.

Meanwhile, Cantos, the son of retired Municipal Court Judge Earl Cantos Sr. who was handpicked by state Republican strategists to oppose Killea, sought to cast the race in a conservative-versus-liberal mold.

A former minority consultant to the Assembly Public Safety Committee in Sacramento, Cantos often described Killea as being “very, very liberal and out of step” with the 78th District. The district, which covers much of central San Diego, has one of the lowest median ages--31 1/2 years old--of any legislative district in the state, a factor that the 30-year-old Cantos had hoped would bolster his chances.

Two minor-party candidates--Libertarian Joseph Shea and the American Independent Party’s Charles Ulmschneider--also were on the 78th District ballot.

In the 79th District race, the Democrats’ 2-to-1 edge in voter registration posed a more formidable obstacle to Republican challenger Ard than even Chacon himself. Libertarian Pat Wright and Peace and Freedom Party candidate Bernice Wertheimer also were on the ballot.

A widely respected black minister and community leader, Ard acknowledged that his chances hinged on his ability to attract crossover votes from traditional Democrats--in particular, black voters.

One of the major issues in the race stemmed from Chacon’s announcement late last year that he intended to retire at the end of this term, followed by a subsequent change of mind--allowing Ard to question the incumbent’s commitment to the job. Chacon, though, described his thoughts of retirement as a “passing fancy” based on a desire to spend more time with his family, and he argued vigorously that his enthusiasm for the job has not diminished.

The other local legislators faced relatively easy reelection campaigns, protected from political storms by a combination of voter registration figures tilted heavily in their favor, large campaign treasuries and generally weak opponents.

Those reelected included Assembly members Robert Frazee (R-Carlsbad) in the 74th District, Sunny Mojonnier (R-Encinitas) in the 75th District, Bill Bradley (R-Escondido) in the 76th District, Larry Stirling (R-San Diego) in the 77th District and Steve Peace (D-Chula Vista) in the 80th District.

State Sens. Wadie Deddeh (D-Chula Vista) in the 40th District and Bill Craven (R-Oceanside) in the 38th District also were reelected to their second and third terms, respectively.