Ex-Sen. Alex Garcia Tries Assembly Race Comeback

Facing an uphill fight, former state Sen. Alex Garcia says he is ready to battle for the right to return to Sacramento, this time as the assemblyman from the Eastside’s 56th District.

Garcia’s entry into the May 12 primary election was unexpected and had Latino elected officials now behind current front-runner Lucille Roybal Allard wondering Thursday if a comeback by the 57-year-old former lawmaker is possible.

Democrats Garcia and Allard are among 10 candidates vying to fill the Assembly seat vacated earlier this year by Gloria Molina after she successfully ran for the Los Angeles City Council. The candidate with the most votes from each party will square off in a runoff election, but because of the heavy Democratic registration in the district, the odds favor one of the six Democrats in the race.

Allard Had Head Start

Allard is considered the front-runner because she had a monthlong head start on organizing and fund raising and has lined up key endorsements by a host of Latino elected officials, including Molina, as well as Mayor Tom Bradley and County Supervisor Ed Edelman.

Allard is the daughter of Garcia’s one-time boss, Rep. Edward R. Roybal (D-Los Angeles).

She said Thursday that she had heard rumors of a possible Garcia challenge several weeks ago, but did not know until Wednesday’s filing deadline whether the former legislator would actually run. She said Garcia’s entry will not alter her strategy.

“I don’t think we’re going to have to work harder,” Allard said. “From the beginning we had planned a full-fledged campaign.”

Name Recognition

Allard, a community services administrator seeking her first elected post, did, however, concede that Garcia has one current advantage over her--name recognition. And just to remind voters, Garcia will be listed on the ballot as “retired state senator.”

But name recognition, in Garcia’s case, could be a two-edged sword. Since his reelection defeat in 1982 by then-Assemblyman Art Torres, Garcia has been the subject of unflattering news articles about his unsuccessful attempts to win state appointments. Shortly after he left the Legislature, articles also appeared about Garcia having a “drinking problem,” attributed to him by longtime ally Sen. David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles).

Garcia denied Thursday that he ever had a drinking problem.

“No. Absolutely not,” Garcia said. “I think by now I would have gotten busted somewhere.”

His 1982 loss to Torres followed an especially bitter and expensive campaign that at the time set a state spending record for legislative contests. The former lawmaker said he hopes this time to raise at least $50,000, about half what Allard has set as a goal. Allard supporters expressed doubt Thursday that Garcia can raise enough money to win.

Became a Consultant

Garcia said that after he left office, he became a “consultant” for people wanting help in dealing with state and federal government agencies.

“Say someone has a liquor problem with the ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Control) Board,” Garcia said. “I know the process, so I know how to handle their problems.”

Garcia also said he has been hired on occasion as a timekeeper at boxing matches, keeping time and ringing the bell at the end of each round.

Garcia waited until Wednesday, the last day possible, before he filed for the office, explaining that he sounded out past supporters who kept “calling me and asking why aren’t (I) running. . . . They convinced me I’m a legitimate candidate.”

Garcia denied that he is trying to spoil what Latino leaders had hoped would be a “consensus” candidacy by Allard after a series of bitter contests pitting various community factions against each other.

Criticizes Selection

“She has elected officials supporting her and if you look at every one of them, none of them live in the district, so she doesn’t have . . . votes there,” Garcia said. “They (Allard’s supporters) didn’t have (a) public meeting. They had their groups sit down and they decided (on Allard). Nobody else participated.”

In addition to Garcia and Allard, the other candidates for the Assembly seat include: Democrats Lowell (Ernie) Akui, anti-prison coordinator; James B. Dimas Sr., City of Commerce councilman; Monica Delia Delgadillo, contract compliance representative, and Craig (Frias) Freis, vice president of a Catholic newspaper; Republicans Tomas Alvarado, no listed occupation; Hank Ramey, college student; Victor Chuck Valencia, businessman, and Peace and Freedom Party member Gloria Garcia.