The Waning Days of Dynasties

It’s not easy to create a political dynasty these days, as Pete Schabarum is finding out.

Once it was standard procedure. Schabarum himself was the designated heir of the previous 1st District supervisor, Frank Bonelli. As Bonelli lay dying of cancer in 1972, the businessmen who dominated district politics caucused secretly at a country club to pick a successor. When Bonelli died, Gov. Ronald Reagan was persuaded to appoint Schabarum, then a state assemblyman, who was subsequently elected.

Suffering from job burnout this year, Schabarum looked for a successor who would be another Schabarum. A couple of politicians refused the honor. But his offer was finally accepted by Superior Court Judge Greg O’Brien, who was then endorsed by the supervisor.

O’Brien is an earnest, friendly man who graduated in journalism from USC, was a press secretary for a Republican congressman and became a lawyer. Republican Party volunteer work in the San Gabriel Valley, where he grew up, helped him win a judicial appointment from Gov. George Deukmejian.

Schabarum became friendly with O’Brien when the judge appealed to him for increased courtroom space in the San Gabriel Valley. They began breakfasting at the Holiday Inn in West Covina, which is where Schabarum popped the supervisorial question.

But someone else wanted the job. Her name is Sarah Flores, and she’s worked for Schabarum for 18 years, first as secretary and now as assistant chief deputy. Before that, she was Supervisor Bonelli’s secretary. I met her in 1972 when I was storming around Bonelli’s office, demanding the facts on his rapidly deteriorating health. Flores was patient with my ranting, although refusing me a medical report.

She is today what she was then--a smart, determined women, traditional in her values and conservative in her politics.

Schabarum’s fellow Republicans on the Board of Supervisors, Mike Antonovich and Deane Dana, have endorsed Flores, as has the Republican sheriff, Sherman Block. They’ll bring in campaign contributions, balancing Schabarum’s legendary fund-raising ability.

An intriguing aspect of the contest is that the Flores and O’Brien families live within two blocks of each other in Glendora. Both families attend St. Dorothy’s Catholic Church and they have children at St. Lucy’s High School. When O’Brien is working in the front yard and Flores drives by, she sometimes stops to chat.

As I talked to Flores and O’Brien, it became clear that Schabarum’s maneuvering had misfired. He had hoped for a clear path for O’Brien. But his ham-handed manner has fueled a hotter race than anticipated.

His first mistake was not telling Dana and Schabarum of his behind-the-scenes action. Caught unprepared, they blew up and endorsed Flores.

That was a surprise to O’Brien. He had known there was tension among Republicans on the board. But he didn’t realize how bad it was. After watching Dana and Antonovich blast Schabarum on television, he told the supervisor, “Don’t you think it’s time for you to introduce me to your colleagues?” Schabarum thought it over, O’Brien said, and then wisely counseled that “it might be better to introduce yourself.”

Schabarum’s second mistake was his rude treatment of Flores. In a gratuitous insult of a loyal aide, Schabarum said, “Sarah does not have the educational background . . . the organizational talents, nor . . . the personal skills . . . “ to succeed him. Flores is respected and popular in the County Hall of Administration. Antonovich, Dana and Block think highly of her. And some women in county politics are particularly angry at what they consider the strongly sexist tone of the Schabarum insult.

Finally, Schabarum acted without taking into consideration the political needs of the GOP.

Republicans want to increase their vote among middle-class Latinos. Schabarum’s once solidly Anglo 1st District, which covers Southeast Los Angeles County and the San Gabriel Valley, is becoming increasingly Latino. If Sarah Flores represents that area on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, she’ll be a powerful symbol of a GOP-Latino connection.

In addition, the existing lines of the 1st District will be radically changed if the county is found guilty of anti-Latino gerrymandering when a pending federal Voting Rights Act lawsuit is decided. The number of Latinos in that district would probably increase. Flores, as an incumbent supervisor, would give the Republicans a strong candidate.

All this--Latino political power, politically influential women, a badly divided Board of Supervisors--have come since Schabarum became Frank Bonelli’s political heir. That was 18 years ago. The days of dynasties are ending.