The State - News from March 14, 1988

Almost 1,000 of Assemblyman Rusty Areias’ western Merced County constituents showed they approve his challenge of Assembly Speaker Willie Brown by attending a fund-raiser titled “Live With the Gang of Five.” The slogan stemmed from the name tagged on Areias and four other Democrats who have challenged Brown’s leadership and have lost their committee assignments as a result. The Areias fund-raiser in Los Banos displayed a photo of Brown bearing the caption “Why me, God?” and place mats that contained made-up lyrics called “Hail, Hail, the Gang’s All Here.” Actually, only three of the dissidents showed up--Gary Condit of Stanislaus County, Gary Evans of Rialto and Areias, who raised $35,000 for his reelection campaign.