Nomination of Rep. Lungren Called ‘Divisive’

Senate Democratic Leader Barry Keene on Friday charged that Gov. George Deukmejian’s nomination of Rep. Daniel E. Lungren (R-Long Beach) to be state treasurer was “unnecessarily politically motivated and divisive.”

“A person whose voting patterns consistently reflect the views of a few people at one end of the political spectrum is probably not sufficiently mainstream,” Keene (D-Benicia) said of the conservative Lungren. He said he did not expect the Lungren nomination to have “smooth sailing” in the Senate.

Keene said the governor could have appointed four “talented, capable” GOP state senators who would have been “less divisive” and “better received” by his colleagues to replace Jesse M. Unruh, who died Aug. 4.

Republican Sens. Ken Maddy of Fresno, William Campbell of Hacienda Heights, Robert G. Beverly of Manhattan Beach and Marian Bergeson of Newport Beach were the four lawmakers specifically named.

Asked for comment, Deukmejian press secretary Kevin Brett said: “It’s very unfortunate that Sen. Keene has a closed mind. His comments certainly smack of politics as usual. He hasn’t even met Dan Lungren yet, and already he’s prejudging him.”