Entrenched Incumbents Tackle Other Issues, Races

If anyone is hoping to learn more about state Sen. David A. Roberti before voting Tuesday, his Westside campaign office is not the place to look.

When the receptionist at his headquarters, located in a converted 2-story house on the eastern end of Hollywood Boulevard, was recently asked if she had campaign literature on the senator, she replied: “On him personally?”

It’s no accident that his receptionist had no campaign information, because Roberti (D-Los Angeles) is running what amounts to a non-race. With his own reelection virtually assured, the powerful Senate leader is tackling more compelling concerns, such as his homeless initiative and the presidential campaign of Michael Dukakis.

Campaign manager Bill Orozco said there’s no point in wasting money on flashy Roberti brochures and other campaign materials. “The senator is going to be reelected,” Orozco said. “Dukakis is the one who needs the help.”

As Campaign ’88 draws to a close, the story is much the same throughout the wealthy, liberal and Democratic Westside. Facing nominal opposition, Roberti’s legislative and congressional colleagues are running nominal campaigns.

Assemblywoman Gwen Moore’s campaign office is a post office box. Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson’s is a table. Reps. Henry A. Waxman and Mel Levine don’t have headquarters. Nor does Assemblyman Tom Hayden. Assemblyman Burt Margolin does, but his secretary warns that there is usually no one there.

The Westside is also virtually devoid of traditional campaign trappings, such as yard signs, bumper stickers and door hangers, save for those touting Dukakis or Vice President George Bush. When Hayden’s secretary was recently asked where a person might go to find out about his Assembly campaign, her response was telling. “I don’t think he’s working on that,” she said.

Sidney Galanty, a Westside-based campaign consultant specializing in radio and television advertising, said real campaigns are a rarity on the Westside.

“These are firmly entrenched officeholders, and the public is either satisfied with them or doesn’t care to get out and make a change,” Galanty said. “Plus, the opposition isn’t putting up candidates that interest the public. . . . So you have lackluster races. It happens year after year.”

Called Elusive

Waxman’s race is a good example. Waxman, who has represented the 24th District since 1974, didn’t even have a GOP challenger in his last campaign.

This year, he faces John N. Cowles, a manufacturing executive from Hancock Park who has tried, without much luck, to poke holes in Waxman’s armor. Cowles, who favors tuition tax credits for child care, the line-item veto for the President and a balanced budget, calls Waxman an absentee congressman.

The 38-year-old Republican, who describes himself as moderate on social issues and conservative on fiscal matters, has raised and spent about $50,000. Cowles has also walked precincts and addressed community groups. But, after several months of campaigning, he concedes that Waxman is an elusive foe.

“The power of incumbency has really taken the electoral process out of the voters’ hands,” Cowles said. “The incumbents are basically entrenched.”

Waxman, 49, who has devoted most of his time to Democratic get-out-the-vote efforts and other broader causes this campaign season, said he believes voters in the district that includes Hollywood and Fairfax are happy.

No Large Expenditures

The congressman, a leader of the powerful Berman-Waxman political organization and a health-care advocate, has given more than $300,000 to other candidates. Barring a surprise attack from Cowles, Waxman said he does not plan any large campaign expenditures on his own behalf.

“I don’t think of the week before the election as a campaign period,” Waxman (D-Los Angeles) said this week. “All of my time in Congress, I try to do the kind of job for my constituents that will merit my reelection.”

The other two candidates are bulk-mailing consultant George Abrahams, a Libertarian, and union organizer James Green of the Peace and Freedom Party.

In the 27th District, Rep. Levine (D-Santa Monica) faces Republican Dennis Galbraith. Levine, who was working in Washington this week, said most of his campaign efforts have gone toward Proposition O, which seeks to ban oil drilling near the beach in Pacific Palisades, and electing fellow Democrats.

Levine said voters are aware of his congressional record, especially his efforts to protect Santa Monica Bay, and he said he does not expect to conduct much of a campaign, since Galbraith’s effort has so far failed to catch fire.

“I am trusting that my record at this point will speak for itself,” said Levine, 45. “I pay attention to my area, and I think I have been very visible and very supportive when it comes to the issues my constituents care about.”

First-Time Candidate

Galbraith, a first-time candidate who has raised and spent about $17,000, said he has been frustrated by the inability to draw Levine into a debate. The GOP standard-bearer likens Levine to a “Dukakis liberal.” Galbraith said he favors a balanced budget, a strong defense and campaign reform.

The 28-year-old meter reader for Southern California Gas Co. calls himself a moderate. As he spreads his message by canvassing the district that includes many coastal communities, Galbraith is not conceding anything to Levine.

“Mel seems to be sitting this one out,” he said. “I’d like to run for reelection.”

The third candidate in the 27th District race is computer engineer and entrepreneur William J. Fulco of the Libertarian Party.

The 23rd District race pits Beilenson against the GOP’s Jim Salomon. The 32-year-old Beverly Hills foreign trade consultant characterizes himself as a crime-fighter and a fiscal conservative.

Salomon contends that Beilenson is out of touch with the voters, and he has criticized the congressman for opposing stiffer penalties for drug-related crimes and for supporting increased gasoline, income and sales taxes.

“People are not aware of many of the positions that Anthony Beilenson has taken,” Salomon said. “If they become aware of those positions and the fact that I take the opposite view, then they will vote for me.”

Easy Win Predicted

Despite Salomon’s attacks, Beilenson is expected to easily recapture the district that includes Malibu, Westwood and Beverly Hills. Beilenson, 56, who received 66% of the vote in 1986, is known for his role in preserving the Santa Monica Mountains. He was also an early critic of the budget deficit.

Beilenson (D-Tarzana) is a member of the House Rules Committee, which decides which bills reach the floor and how they are debated. He has said he would support a temporary freeze on cost-of-living increases for Social Security benefits, but only in conjunction with an across-the-board spending freeze to reduce the deficit.

There are two minor party candidates in the 23rd District race. They are computer programmer John Honigsfeld of the Peace and Freedom Party and caterer John Vernon of the Libertarian Party.

In the 26th District, Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-Panorama City) is running for his fourth term. Berman, the other half of the Westside’s powerful Berman-Waxman political organization, cites his support for Israel, his role in combating terrorism and his work to restore the Hansen Dam for recreational use.

He also worked to decrease noise from Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport and backed creation of the Los Angeles drug task force. Berman’s Republican opponent, actor and Guardian Angel G.C. (Brodie) Broderson, has accused the congressman of being a card-carrying liberal in the tradition of Gov. Dukakis.

“He was an ACLU lawyer,” said Broderson, 58. “They have never come out against child pornography. They have this feverish pitch for freedom of the press and the First Amendment.”

Berman, 47, said he worked as an ACLU volunteer from 1969 to 1971. He said he no longer belongs to the group and added that he abhors child pornography.

“I am for using whatever is appropriate and constitutional to try to rid society of this kind of activity,” said Berman, who represents a small portion of the Hollywood Hills.

28th District Race

The final Westside congressional race pits 28th District Rep. Julian C. Dixon (D-Los Angeles) against the GOP’s George Zaldivar Adams, an engineer and businessman who favors tougher drug laws, more low-cost housing and better educational opportunities.

Adams, 62, who received 21% of the vote in the 1986 race against Dixon, said he’s running to promote the Democratic system.

“This is a protest,” Adams said. “I’m running for Congress to protest the way things are going so far as incumbents getting reelected. I believe a congressman should represent his district, but Mr. Dixon ignores his.”

A Dixon aide, however, said the congressman has made several appearances around the district, which includes Culver City and Westchester, in recent weeks. He has also been active in attempts to obtain federal financing for the Metro Rail project and has sponsored legislation that would benefit contractors who build low-cost housing.

Patricia Miller, Dixon’s administrative assistant, said the 54-year-old congressman is confident of victory. “He doesn’t consider Adams a real dangerous opponent,” Miller said. “But we keep watching to see if he’s surfacing. We try to be careful. We don’t want to be too complacent.”

Retired cafeteria worker Salomea Honigsfeld of the Peace and Freedom Party and attorney Howard Johnson of the Libertarian Party are also candidates.

There is only one state Senate race on the Westside, pitting the powerful Roberti against the GOP’s Tom Larkin for the 23rd District seat.

Larkin, a 49-year-old commercial real estate broker and gay activist from West Hollywood, has run an aggressive campaign. In his press releases and his many appearances around the district, Larkin has criticized Roberti for being aloof from the district. He favors state-sponsored insurance reform, better education, tougher laws against drug dealers and better controls on growth.

‘Making Headway’

As he distributed flyers in front of a supermarket last month, Larkin said he felt good about his progress. “This is a massive job,” he said. “But I think I’m making headway.”

The political pros, however, see the 49-year-old Roberti as a shoe-in for a fifth term. Steven M. Glazer, a Roberti spokesman, said the senator has held occasional breakfast meetings with constituents in recent weeks. But Roberti’s main thrust has been in support of Dukakis and Proposition 84, a statewide initiative that would provide more aid for the homeless.

Roberti, whose district includes Hollywood, West Hollywood, Hancock Park and the Melrose-Fairfax area, has also helped to register about 21,000 new Democrats.

The minor party candidates in the race are writer Sarah E. Foster of the Libertarian Party and retired social worker Elizabeth Nakano of the Peace and Freedom Party.

There are four state Assembly races on the Westside.

In the 43rd District, freshman Assemblyman Terry Friedman (D-Tarzana) is up against 30-year-old Tom Franklin, a Beverly Hills attorney who has led the Beverly Hills Republican Assembly.

Franklin contends that Friedman’s opposition to the death penalty and to a measure giving law enforcement officials the authority to wiretap suspected drug dealers has put him out of the mainstream. Franklin has raised very little money in support of his campaign, however.

Friedman, 39, who represents Beverly Hills, Westwood and Brentwood, said his accomplishments include 15 bills signed into law and appointment to the powerful Ways and Means Committee. He is also a strong environmentalist.

During his first term, Friedman obtained $9.5 million to buy landfill sites in Sullivan, Rustic and Mission canyons and preserve them as open space.

Medical assistant Margery Hinds represents the Peace and Freedom Party in the race. Graphic designer Robert Townsend Leet is the Libertarian candidate.

44th District Race

The 44th District race pits Hayden against the GOP’s Gloria Stout, who received 37% of the vote in the 1986 campaign. Stout, 43, has raised about $25,000 and has mostly focused on crime and local issues, accusing Hayden (D-Santa Monica) of ignoring 44th District concerns.

Thus far, however, the Pacific Palisades businesswoman’s campaign has sputtered. In one community newspaper account, which she later said was inaccurate, Stout was quoted as saying that children as young as 10 who are accused of murder should be tried as adults. And a recent Stout rally drew few supporters.

Hayden, 48, has devoted most of his attention to Democratic voter registration and three statewide initiatives this campaign season, saying voters in the district that includes Santa Monica, Malibu, Mar Vista, Venice, Pacific Palisades and Century City are already aware of his achievements.

Hayden and his political organization, Campaign California, are backing Proposition 95, the homeless-aid package; Proposition 97, the state occupational safety and health plan, and Proposition 99, the cigarette tax initiative.

The only other candidate in the race is Democrat Alex Cota, a perennial Hayden foe who is running as a write-in. Cota is airing advertisements on two local radio stations in which he accuses the assemblyman of making “vicious, unsubstantiated verbal attacks” on the Vietnamese community in Los Angeles.

In the 45th District race, Assemblyman Margolin (D-Los Angeles) has the good fortune of running against a GOP opponent who has been practically invisible. Observers say David Frankel, a certified public accountant, has not been seen on the campaign trail. He has also declined to be interviewed.

Margolin, 38, whose district includes the Pico-Robertson area, Fairax and Hollywood, is concentrating on other Democratic races. Barring a last-minute Frankel blitz, Margolin said he expects to spend less than $10,000 on his campaign.

“I have to be ready to respond in case my opponent’s campaign comes to life,” Margolin said. “But so far there are no signs of anything.”

Julie Fausto of the Peace and Freedom Party is the third candidate in the 45th District campaign.

Focus on FBI Investigation

Finally, the 49th District race pits Assemblywoman Moore (D-Los Angeles) against the GOP’s Eric Givens. The 31-year-old Givens has tried to capitalize on an FBI investigation into special interest legislation sponsored by Moore. But thus far, he has failed to stir any real interest in his campaign.

Givens, who ran against Moore in 1986, favors pay increases for teachers, new schools to alleviate overcrowding, tougher gang laws and environmental protection. Based on the FBI investigation, he has called for Moore’s resignation.

Moore, a five-term veteran of the Assembly who received 78% of the vote in 1986, has denied any wrongdoing. Moore, 44, whose district includes parts of Venice, Marina del Rey, Culver City, Mar Vista, Ladera Heights, View Park, Baldwin Hills, Crenshaw, Playa del Rey and Westchester, has played a key role in controlling utility rates. She said she expects to be easily reelected.

“I’m not overly concerned because I feel that I have represented the district well, and I think people will vote for me on the basis of my record,” Moore said. “I would match my record against anyone else’s.”