CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY : ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 39 : Richard Katz--Robert F. Thoreson

One of Los Angeles County’s costliest Assembly contests was in the San Fernando Valley’s 39th District, where incumbent Richard Katz (D-Sepulveda) held off the challenge of Republican Robert F. Thoreson, a Los Angeles police auto theft detective. Most of the money was spent for mailers, with Thoreson opting for newsletter-type offerings sharply critical of his opponent’s voting record on utility taxes, toxics and other issues, while Katz, a former printer and graphic artist, sent out shiny, multicolored brochures touting his achievements as a legislator. Registration in the district appeared to favor Democrats, but Republicans had hoped their track record of getting out the vote would make the difference.