Brown Nears Milestone as Criticism of Him Grows

On the verge of setting a record for longevity as the Speaker of the state Assembly, San Francisco Democrat Willie Brown increasingly finds himself the subject of criticism that some believe eventually could jeopardize his leadership position.

The latest in a series of events reflecting some unhappiness with the Speaker came last week when a mini-revolt erupted on the lower house floor after Brown stripped three conservative Democrats of their committee assignments for challenging him on key policy issues.

For months, there has been talk that Brown is bored with his job and seeking new challenges, although he vigorously denies it.

The Speaker’s problems seemed to accelerate with disclosure early in 1987 that he had joined a prestigious Los Angeles entertainment law firm, prompting speculation that he might be preparing to retire from the Legislature.

Next, there were several times during last year’s session when a handful of Assembly Democrats openly disputed some of his policy decisions.

Then, he signed on as national chairman of the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s presidential campaign, a move that led to sharp criticism from some in the Jewish community.

Add to that the always-active private complaints among some Democrats that Brown is too liberal to represent the mainstream of the party, and the Capitol rumor mill has been working overtime for months.

Still, Brown is scheduled to break the late Jesse Unruh’s seven-year, three-month, six-day longevity record as Assembly Speaker on March 7. He became Speaker after the 1980 elections as a compromise candidate during a failed coup attempt against then-Speaker Leo T. McCarthy, who now is lieutenant governor. And he has stayed in power by carefully tending to the needs of his Assembly colleagues--meaning, among other things, campaign contributions for Democrats and key committee assignments for Republicans.

Strikes Back

But open criticism of Brown, once unheard of, has been growing. And last week he got fed up and struck back.

“We feel the Speaker retaliated against us unfairly,” complained Assemblyman Gary A. Condit (D-Ceres), who was removed as chairman of the Governmental Organization Committee for being a member of the so-called “gang of five” that has challenged Brown on some major issues.

“We haven’t done anything wrong, and he has to realize that there will be some consequences,” Condit said. “We will have a measured response. There’s lots of time.”

The “measured response” started Friday when three members of the “gang of five” served notice they will try to withdraw stalled bills from committees for showdown floor votes.

This is a challenge of Brown’s leadership and would be viewed as a political embarrassment for him if it succeeded. No similar move has been successful in the last 25 years, however.

“The (disciplinary) action can only result in a wedge being driven between the members of the caucus,” said Assemblyman Rusty Areias (D-Los Banos), another member of the “gang of five.” “My own sense is it’s just a matter of time until the Speaker removes me from my Governmental Efficiency Committee chairmanship.”

Assemblyman Gerald R. Eaves (D-Rialto), another of the five dissidents, said of Brown: “I think he is slightly bored and looking for new challenges.” Eaves said he apparently escaped without punishment “at least for a while.”

Comment Declined

All three declined to comment, however, when asked if they would move to try to unseat the powerful Speaker.

Another Assembly Democrat, who asked not to be be identified, said: “There is a certain amount of unhappiness with Willie. There is some grumbling going on about his outside activities”.

Assembly Rules Committee Chairman Tom Bane (D-Tarzana) added to Brown’s problems recently by writing an open letter to the Speaker expressing Jewish community criticism of his acceptance of the Jackson post. The letter, published in a Jewish community newspaper, the Heritage, charged that Jackson has made numerous anti-Semitic remarks. Brown replied that Jackson already has apologized for those remarks.

“Anti-Semitism was the foundation of Adolf Hitler’s crusade,” Bane wrote. “Jackson’s anti-Semitic remarks raise our worst fears. We are dismayed when a friend, like you, joins the Jackson movement.”

Aside from his political problems, Brown has retinitis pigmentosa, a chronic, progressive eye disease that can lead to blindness. Although he is rarely seen wearing glasses, his vision is impaired enough to cause him to sometimes use other members to help identify people in the back of the Assembly chamber when he is presiding over a floor session.

The Speaker also has staff agenda notes typed in quarter-inch high letters on yellow paper to make them easier for him to read. Some sources claim his eye problem has stabilized, but others say it is getting worse. The Speaker doesn’t talk about it.

Brown brushes aside any notion that his speakership is in trouble or that he personally is bored. But it appears that one reason he took action against the dissident Democrats was that he grew tired of the growing criticism of his authority.

“I indicated to the membership of the caucus that over the past year or so the perception has been out there that the speakership did not mean what the speakership is supposed to mean,” Brown said.

Punishment Denied

Brown denied that his actions were meant as punishment, although virtually everyone in the Capitol believed they certainly were. Brown publicly talked about “having mis-assigned some people (to committees) at the outset of the 1986 session of the Legislature,” adding: “I thought I had to correct that. That’s what I’m doing, just correcting it.”

The Speaker also said he intends to continue to serve as Assembly leader “as long as I can draw breath.” Rumors of a challenge “don’t mean anything,” he said. “The (person) who will succeed me graduated from junior high school this year.”

But the Speaker also realizes the loss of some Democratic Assembly seats at this year’s election could change his plans in a hurry. So he is taking steps to try to make sure that doesn’t happen.

One of those steps is the revision of Democratic campaign strategy to permit Assembly candidates to hire their own district political consultants, instead of having a top Brown aide call the shots from Sacramento, as in the past. Some Democrats complained that the centralized operation suffered from a lack of basic knowledge about local issues and voter sentiment.

Brown also promised he would not let his chairmanship of the Jackson campaign interfere with either his fund-raising activities on behalf of Assembly Democrats or his daily legislative chores. These chores not only include supervising the day-to-day operation of the lower house, but trying to solve the numerous political and personal problems consistently being brought to him by his colleagues.

Political control of the Assembly is especially important because of the approaching 1991 reapportionment when new district lines will be drawn for congressional and legislative seats based on the federal decennial census.

Influence on Future

How these lines are drawn is likely to determine the balance of legislative political power in California through the year 2000.

Assembly Democrats currently hold a 43-36 majority over Republicans, with one vacancy, a San Francisco seat that is expected to stay in the Democratic column. The Democrats dropped three seats to the GOP at the polls in 1986, which caused some members to start worrying that Brown might not be able to protect their jobs this year.

It takes 41 votes to be elected Speaker of the Assembly. All 80 Assembly seats are at stake this year.

“My speakership is as solid as it has ever been,” the Assembly leader said recently when asked about rumors of possible trouble brewing within lower house ranks. But that was before his latest problems with the “gang of five.”

This group of conservative Democrats--who like to consider themselves as moderates--challenged the Speaker on a number of policy issues, including his initial opposition to the income tax rebate and objection to requiring parental consent for teen-age abortions.

Their nickname stems from the fact that those five Democratic votes, plus a bloc of all 36 Republican votes, would be enough to dump Speaker Brown.

Besides Condit, Areias and Eaves, the other members of the quintet are Charles M. Calderon of Alhambra and Steve Peace of Chula Vista.

The Speaker previously tried to downplay the existence of the group, pretending in public that they barely existed. He also said on Jan. 5 that he had no plans to punish the members.

“I have trouble identifying the gang of five on any given day,” Brown said. “It seems to float. And I’ve got to be careful about any allegations of punishment or any attempt to punish anybody. I think I have a reputation for not doing that.”

Campaign Funding

Brown knows one good way to maintain his leadership spot is to provide his colleagues with an abundance of campaign funds. He said he had collected over $1 million to help the reelection campaigns of Assembly Democratic allies before Jan 1.

“I raised more money in anticipation of 1988 than I’ve ever raised in the past,” Brown said. “I anticipate we will raise every nickel we need for reelection purposes. I anticipate that the campaigns will be as adequately financed, in many cases as healthily financed, as they’ve ever been.”

The Speaker collected and spent $5 million in campaign contributions on Assembly election campaigns in 1986.

Brown said he will speak out publicly on behalf of Jackson and chair strategy sessions, but will not run the day-to-day operations.

No one knows for sure what the Speaker wants in return for accepting the Jackson chairmanship, which will give him a broadened power base extending to the national level

“I think he wants to have a direct influence on the outcome of the convention. He wants to be where the fire is white hot and he may be,” said Assembly Majority Floor Leader Tom Hannigan (D-Fairfield).

Eaves commented: “Remember, Willie is the ultimate politician. If the convention is going to be brokered, he wants to be the head broker.”

Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Mike Roos (D-Los Angeles) said: “Willie took the job because he has a historical sense about this being the first presidential candidate, who happens to be black, who is going to go into a national convention conceivably with the most or second-most delegate votes.

“And Willie Brown, who also happens to be black, will be participating in the making of important decisions about who will be the Democratic nominee for the President of the U.S.”

Campaign Changes

Closer to home politically, the loss of the three Assembly Democratic seats to the Republicans two years ago cost Richard Ross, Brown’s former chief of staff, his job of running all of the Democratic Assembly campaigns throughout California. Candidates now can hire their own individual campaign consultants in a move designed to give the races more of a local grass-roots flavor. Dean Tipps, the new executive director of the Assembly Democrats’ campaign committee and a veteran official of the Service Employees International Union, will serve as statewide coordinator.

“Times change,” Tipps said. “Either you change with them or you are left behind. We will have a decentralized structure, but we will keep a close eye on the campaigns, providing support if needed. We need more grass-roots involvement, but we’ve still got 44 seats to protect.”

Tipps played a key role in a special state Senate race last year when Norwalk City Councilman Cecil N. Green, the Democratic candidate, defeated two-term Assemblyman Wayne Grisham (R-Norwalk) by using a series of effective campaign techniques. These techniques included free doughnuts for people who voted, mailers sent to targeted groups rather than being sent districtwide, both paid and volunteer precinct walkers, and telephone-equipped vans to transport voters who needed rides to the polls.

Assemblyman Gerald N. Felando (R-San Pedro), who recently stepped aside as GOP caucus chairman to run for Congress, said he would support Brown if there ever was a showdown speakership vote.

“There is a faction within his (Democratic) caucus that is taking some shots at him, but it would be foolhardy for them to try it (to oust him).

“Don’t count on me for the 36th vote. I would support Willie. I think he’s been an excellent Speaker. When Willie tells you something, you can take it to the bank. If there is somebody better, show me. And I don’t think there is.”