Runoff for 33rd District Senate Seat Required

Underdog Democrat Cecil N. Green outpolled Republican Assemblyman Wayne Grisham Tuesday night in a special state Senate election but fell just short of the majority needed to avoid a rematch in a runoff election in May.

The close contest in the eight-candidate race in southeastern Los Angeles and northwestern Orange counties was for a swing seat in the Legislature that both parties thought winnable.

Final, unofficial results showed that Green fell about 2% short of winning the election outright. The need for a runoff--required by law in a special election when no candidate receives a majority--was a setback for Grisham, 64, a former congressman from Norwalk with wide name recognition who began the campaign two months ago as the favorite in the 33rd Senate District.

“I kept thinking if I just win this today, it would save all of us a lot of time and money,” a disappointed Grisham told supporters Tuesday night. “But they (the Democrats) spent $1 million to stop me, and now we’ll have to win this on May 12.”

The results were a boost for Green, 63, a Norwalk city councilman who mounted an aggressive campaign with the help of Senate Democrats.

As the final results were posted, a smiling Green said he would resume campaigning today and asked his supporters “to work just as hard, if not harder” in the next two months.

“Tomorrow the campaign office will be open at 7 o’clock in the morning . . . and it will be open to midnight,” he said.

Both sides made vigorous efforts throughout the day to get supporters to the polls, but turnout was still just 19.8%.

Under state law governing special elections, the top finisher from each party now goes into the May runoff, including Libertarian and Peace and Freedom Party candidates.

In Sacramento, the election to fill the last two years of the unexpired term of former Sen. Paul Carpenter (D-Norwalk) was viewed as a key round in the fight for control of the Senate in the early 1990s, when legislative reapportionment will take place. The party in power controls the highly partisan redistricting process that occurs every 10 years.

In the Senate, Democrats now maintain a 23-15 lead over Republicans, with one seat held by an independent and one seat vacant.

The vacancy was created when Carpenter, who was elected last Nov. 4 to the state Board of Equalization, resigned from his Senate seat.

The district, previously considered a safe one for Democrats, has become less of a Democratic stronghold in recent years. Democrats still outnumber Republicans 53.8% to 38% in the district, but Republicans tend to vote in higher numbers, particularly in special elections.

Carpenter, who endorsed Green, spiced up the campaign last month when he accused Grisham of firing a secretary in Grisham’s Capitol office after she allegedly rejected the assemblyman’s sexual advances. Grisham denied the accusation and Green has distanced himself from the issue.

Republicans sought to turn the election into a referendum on the policies of Republican Gov. George Deukmejian. As a state senator, Deukmejian represented part of the district and remains popular there.

Deukmejian has stumped vigorously for Grisham. As the campaign opened, the governor took for him an unusual step and met with Grisham and his chief GOP rival, Cerritos Mayor Don Knabe, in an effort to unite party leaders behind a single candidate. Afterward, Knabe bowed out of the contest. Deukmejian also has made two appearances for Grisham, mailed an endorsement letter on his behalf and helped raise a hefty portion of Grisham’s $400,000 campaign war chest.

‘Rescue Mission’

Green, himself benefiting from the support of leading Democrats, labeled Deukmejian’s efforts “a rescue mission.” Urged by Carpenter to enter the race, Green had endorsements and financial support from Senate President Pro Tem David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles) and the Senate Democratic Caucus.

Roberti, who last month put down what he regarded as a challenge to his leadership, has sought to bolster his position by mounting a vigorous campaign on behalf of Green. Green has raised at least $700,000, with help from Roberti.

Both Green and Grisham appealed to the district’s conservative instincts, publicizing their support for Proposition 13, the 1978 initiative that cut property taxes, and opposition to former California Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird, who was voted out of office in November.

More in L.A. County

Of the district’s voters, 75% live in the suburban Los Angeles County communities of Downey, Norwalk, Lakewood, Cerritos, Bellflower, Santa Fe Springs, South Whittier, Hawaiian Gardens and Artesia. The rest live in the Orange County cities of Los Alamitos, Cypress, La Palma and Buena Park.

There were six other candidates who had limited funds and mounted modest campaigns. They were Democrats David Hayes, 37, a trustee of the South Whittier School District, and R.O. Davis, 50, of Buena Park, a building contractor; Republicans David Shapiro, 18, of Cypress, a political science student, and Verner S. Waite, 58, of Cypress, a surgeon; Peace and Freedom Party candidate Ed Evans, 39, a court service officer from Cypress, and Libertarian Lee Connelly, 34, of Buena Park, a photojournalist.

Contributing to 33rd Senate District election coverage were Steven R. Churm, Alma Cook, David Ferrell, Mary E. Gilstrap, Jeffrey A. Perlman and Jill Stewart.

THE VOTE

100% Precincts Reporting Votes % Democratic * Cecil N. Green 27,225 48.0 David Hayes 1,329 2.3 R. O. Davis 597 1.1 Republican * Wayne Grisham 24,767 43.6 Verner S. Waite 1,599 2.8 David Shapiro 798 1.4 Peace & Freedom * Ed Evans 219 0.4 Libertarian * Lee Connelly 211 0.4

* Asterisk indicates runoff candidates.