Sen. Wilson Nominates Woman--a Democrat--for U.S. Attorney Post

U.S. Sen. Pete Wilson has recommended that President Bush name Superior Court Judge Lourdes G. Baird, a conservative Democrat, to the coveted job of U.S. attorney in Los Angeles and Orange counties, The Times learned this week.

Baird, 54, had been rated “exceptionally well qualified” by a special committee that Wilson uses in selecting nominees for judges and U.S. attorneys. But she was considered a dark horse because her leading rivals for the job, like Wilson and Bush, are Republicans. U.S. attorneys traditionally come from the same party as the incumbent President.

If nominated by Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Baird would become U.S. attorney for the Central District of California. Based in Los Angeles, it is the largest federal district in the nation, spanning seven counties from San Luis Obispo to Riverside and encompassing 14-million people.

The choice of a female Democrat could help Wilson in his 1990 gubernatorial campaign. Ever since Wilson announced his candidacy last February, his aides have insisted privately that he will reach out more to women and Democrats than has Gov. George Deukmejian. Baird’s nomination also is expected to be well received in the Hispanic community. Born in Ecuador as the youngest of seven children, she came to Los Angeles as an infant. She speaks fluent Spanish.

Wilson was in Los Angeles this week for a fund-raising dinner, but neither he nor his staff would comment on Baird’s selection. A source close to Wilson noted that Deukmejian had chosen her twice for judgeships and “she got great reviews on the bench.”

Baird must pass an FBI check and be interviewed by Justice Department officials before being formally nominated by President Bush. Her appointment would then be subject to Senate confirmation.

Like the other leading candidates, Baird has served as an assistant U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, from 1976 to 1983, then went into private practice. Deukmejian nominated her for the Municipal Court bench in 1986 and elevated her to the Superior Court in September, 1988.

In 1987, Baird was appointed to the state Judicial Council by California Chief Justice Malcolm Lucas, a former law partner of Deukmejian.

For the last year, Baird has worked as a dependency court judge, handling often-wrenching custody and child-abuse cases. She has earned high marks for her work from attorneys and fellow judges.

“I am terribly pleased and very honored that my name is being forwarded to the White House,” Baird said in a telephone interview this week. “I think it is premature for me to make any other comments about the position at this time. I certainly hope I am nominated.”

Asked if she was surprised by her selection even though she is a Democrat, Baird responded: “I was surprised when I was asked to submit my application. I am very pleased that it did not stand in the way of the recommendation.”

Although she is a Democrat, Baird described herself as “conservative” in an interview earlier this year.

Baird made it clear in that interview that she has strong feelings about crime and drugs. “Crime is rampant. I believe there has to be tough sentencing,” she said.

Wilson’s choice was praised by several judges and lawyers who know Baird, but it clearly took others by surprise, including members of Wilson’s own selection committee.

“She’s very capable. She’s very intelligent. She’ll be very good,” said U.S. District Judge William D. Keller, who first hired Baird as a summer assistant here in 1974 when he was the U.S. attorney and she was a law student at UCLA.

“I think she is an excellent choice,” said Andrea Ordin, California’s chief assistant attorney general. Baird worked as an assistant U.S. attorney under Ordin who was U.S. attorney from 1977 to 1980.

“She was an aggressive and imaginative prosecutor in the special prosecution unit, which did complex white-collar crime cases,” Ordin said.

Los Angeles attorney Richard Kendall, who served in the U.S. attorney’s office with Baird, also lauded the choice, calling Baird “tough but compassionate. She has a richness of personal experience that has engendered an unusual degree of perceptiveness about people.”

One selection committee member, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he was surprised at the choice because Terry W. Bird, 43, a Westwood attorney, and Donald C. Smaltz, 52, a veteran downtown criminal defense lawyer, had received higher ratings from the committee. Superior Court Judge Alexander H. Williams III, 45, also had been considered a strong contender.

Baird came to legal work somewhat late in life. Raised in Hancock Park, she attended Immaculate Heart High School, graduating in 1956. Then she went to Europe for two years, attended the University of Madrid briefly, went to secretarial school and married soon after.

“I had three kids, a station wagon, a shaggy dog and did a lot of volunteer work,” Baird said in an interview in September. “After my youngest was in school, I started with one night class at Los Angeles City College.”

Baird moved on to UCLA, where she earned a degree in sociology in 1973. She then attended UCLA Law School and after graduating in 1976 was hired as an assistant prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s office.

In 1984, she went into private practice, handling both criminal and civil cases.

Baird, who is now divorced, succeeds Gary A. Feess, who has been interim U.S. attorney since June when his boss, Robert A. Bonner, became a federal district judge here.