Assemblyman Bradley Is Dead of Cancer at 70

Republican Assemblyman Bill Bradley of San Marcos died early Thursday after a nearly four-year battle with cancer. He was 70.

A low-keyed legislator during his seven years representing the 76th District, which covers northeastern San Diego County and parts of southern Riverside County, Bradley was perhaps best-known for his ardent advocacy of private property rights.

That stance often put him in conflict with environmentalists over such issues as development of coastal farmland, coastal access, toxic wastes and growth control. One of his favorite targets was the California Coastal Commission, which is charged with regulating development in the coastal zone.

The soft-spoken, frank assemblyman seldom drew attention as he toiled quietly for his pet projects, which his staff members said included funding for dyslexic children and an attempt to require the death penalty for anyone convicted of killing a child 7 years or younger.

Was Civil Engineer

“I’m not a wild-eyed missionary up here,” Bradley said in a 1987 interview. “I don’t go off on flaming causes. I don’t scream about it and hold press conferences.”

A civil engineer by profession, Bradley was more at home with the mundane nuts-and-bolts of government. His grooming in public service came as an administrator--first as assistant city manager of Imperial Beach, then as city manager and city engineer of San Marcos from 1972 to 1979.

“A lot of what we’re accomplishing today were his goals--the road improvements, the plans for the civic center which we hope to break ground on by the end of the year,” said San Marcos Mayor Lee Thibadeau.

State Sen. Bill Craven (R-Oceanside), whom Bradley succeeded as San Marcos’ top city administrator, said: “He had a basic, rudimentary knowledge of government from the letter ‘A.’ He knew all the things that had to be done and he knew how to do it.”

Bradley’s background bred his suspicion of how government administrators treated private property owners.

“Having been a former bureaucrat, I know how they think,” he said after his first attack on the Coastal Commission. “They have no regard for private property. They have no regard for the cost of development.”

With Craven as his political mentor, Bradley won election to the Assembly in 1982 from a district that is nearly 55% Republican.

Shortly after he was elected in 1982, Bradley led an unsuccessful charge to dismantle the state coastal agency. When that failed, Bradley successfully won passage of legislation that, at the behest of developers, limited the commission’s hold over agricultural land in Carlsbad.

The move eventually reaped bad publicity for Bradley when it was reported that he subsequently received a $3,000 contribution from a developer who stood to gain $420,000 in refunded fees because of the legislation. Bradley returned the money.

Although Bradley set a record as the rookie who introduced the most bills--in excess of 100--the former San Marcos city manager concentrated more on solving constituent problems, said Herb Williams, Bradley’s longtime political consultant.

‘Worked the District’

“He worked the district, answered the mail, took care of the problems better than anybody I have ever seen,” Williams said.

The attention to voters paid off handsomely, Williams said, when Bradley won reelection with a bigger plurality of votes in 1984 than Ronald Reagan received for president in the Assembly district.

Bradley’s biggest legislative triumph was passage of a 1985 bill that established a three-year pilot program in selected public schools to employ special devices to screen for dyslexic children.

That same year Bradley was diagnosed with terminal colon and liver cancer.

At first, Bradley announced he would serve out his term and retire. But he changed his mind after coming through a successful operation to remove parts of his colon and implant a pump to provide direct chemotherapy to his liver.

“The cancer was in remission, and he said, ‘I’m OK. I shall go ahead and run,’ ” Williams said.

Bradley’s fortitude prompted many people to call his office and ask what kept him going, said Barbara Downs, his secretary. Inundated by the requests, he drafted an open memo that methodically detailed how he overcame his fear of death by researching sometimes exotic cancer cures and by relying on his Christian faith.

As recently as two weeks ago, Bradley was talking about returning to his desk in Sacramento despite another stay in the hospital, said Assemblyman Richard Mountjoy (R-Monrovia).

“It was like everything in life, he was always positive,” said Mountjoy, who added that he often talked to Bradley about dealing with death.

Bradley died in his sleep at his San Marcos home shortly after 4 a.m. Thursday.

The announcement of Bradley’s death prompted tributes to the late legislator in San Diego County and Sacramento.

“He was a person of great humility and a great deal of graciousness, and I think love for not only what he did but for people in general,” said Craven. “You could not know or associate with Bill Bradley without liking him. He was a very delightful man.”

Gov. George Deukmejian, who was en route Thursday to a college reunion in New York, now has 14 days to call for a special election to fill Bradley’s spot. A primary will be held about two months from that point and, if no candidate garners more than 50% over the vote, a general election featuring the top vote getters from either party after that.

Among those expected to run for the seat is Escondido Councilman Ernie Cowan, who said he will form an exploratory committee within the next two weeks to test the waters for a possible campaign.

Others being mentioned as candidates are Chula Vista Mayor Greg Cox, whose South Bay city is in the 76th District; Poway Council Member Linda Brannon, and David Barber, Bradley’s administrative assistant. None of them could be reached for comment late Thursday.

Bradley is the third state legislator to die in the last year after a fight with cancer. Three other Assembly members have been diagnosed as having various forms of the disease.

Bradley is survived by his wife, Margaret, and two daughters, Billye Brown of Napa and Randy Bradley of Salinas, Downs said. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Monday at the Emmanuel Faith Church, 639 E. Felicita Ave. in Escondido, she said.