The A-Word : Outsider Political Group in Pasadena Now on the Inside

In the days before liberal became the L-word, in Pasadena there was the A-word: ACT.

ACT was a group of young political activists devoted to advancing liberal causes in a city that had never voted for a Democratic President.

Members flung themselves into losing campaigns, debated esoteric points of politics and took stands that seemed so out of step with mainstream Pasadena that endorsements were never publicized for fear they would be “the kiss of death.”

“No one in their right mind took these people seriously,” said Bess Licher, a longtime conservative booster. “For that matter, who knew they existed?”

But after years of fighting the Establishment, ACT has become part of it and is considered one of the most sophisticated campaign organizations in the San Gabriel Valley city.

Although the group is virtually unknown to voters, its members sit on most city commissions and form a majority on the Board of Directors and the school board. Since 1980, ACT-endorsed candidates have won in 26 of 30 municipal elections.

Its foundations may have been in ideology, but the organization’s success is due largely to technology--specifically, its use of computers.

ACT has compiled a computer listing of all the people who have voted in municipal elections since 1979. Only candidates who are endorsed by the group receive the list, which allows them to concentrate on those who have a history of going to the polls, thereby saving time and money.

The power of the list is hard to quantify, but among liberal and conservative candidates, it has become almost an American Express Card of politics--don’t campaign without it.

While ACT leaders are proud of its growth into a political power, some members, such as Christopher Sutton, a Pasadena attorney and one of its founding members, say it may have become too cautious and pragmatic.

Liberal candidates that ACT would have endorsed in the past have been ignored, partly because no one thought they could win, Sutton said.

The group also has had difficulty finding its position on two of the most pressing issues in Pasadena this decade: slow growth and historic preservation.

ACT loyalists say the group is not abandoning its liberal tradition, but they agree it is a the band of idealists who came together 16 years ago.

“It’s always more fun to be on the inside than on the outside,” said Jonathan S. Fuhrman, a founding member. “Losing was noble, but it was never fun.”

ACT, which is not an acronym, only surfaces at election time, and even then it usually remains in the background--it does not run its own candidates or contribute any significant amounts of labor or money.

The group is never involved in policy debates at City Hall, has no platform on issues. It is run by a 25-member steering committee and claims a membership of 600. Anyone can join for $25. Many candidates encourage their relatives and children to join to increase the chances of getting an endorsement, which requires a 60% affirmative vote.

“The important thing is the list,” said city Director Jess Hughston, who won a close campaign with ACT’s help in 1985. “You’d be foolish to campaign without it.”

The genesis of ACT can be traced to George McGovern’s unsuccessful 1972 presidential campaign. Pasadena was a conservative city, deeply split over a 1970 federal court decision ordering busing to integrate the Pasadena Unified School District.

Founders of the group sought to recall board members who fought busing and campaigned for liberal candidates, although it never was able to match the money or organization of the conservatives.

But in the late 1970s, Pat Bond and Fred Register, two members who have become professional political consultants, found a winning strategy.

In a typical municipal election, no more than about 20% of the city’s registered voters go to the polls.

Bond and Register figured that instead of squandering money on those who stayed home, candidates could concentrate mailings and phone calls on those who actually vote.

In every local election, a voter’s identification number is recorded by the city clerk. By matching those numbers with voter registration information kept by the county, the group compiled a list of dedicated voters, including their addresses, telephone numbers, ages and party affiliations.

The computerized list became known as the “Elf List” after the “elves” who invaded City Hall to transcribe the numbers.

This year, the list played an important role in the successful campaign on behalf of the slow-growth initiative sponsored by Pasadena Residents in Defense of our Environment (PRIDE).

Mike Salazar, co-chairman of PRIDE, said that because of the measure’s complexity, the election hinged on a mail and phone campaign. The group raised $34,000--contrasted with about $95,000 for its opposition--but was able to target 9,000 of the city’s 66,000 registered voters who were most likely to go to the polls.

“The ACT endorsement had a big role,” Salazar said.

Rick Phelps, chairman of the group opposing the PRIDE measure, said it might have been smarter to encourage supporters to join ACT and seize the endorsement.

Success has brought its share of change.

To begin with, other groups have begun compiling the same voter list. A private political consulting firm offers a similar list for about $300, although it only covers Pasadena elections back to 1987.

In recent years, some candidates have begun wondering if ACT has lost its liberal bent.