CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 59 : Contest on Eastside Shapes Up as Test of Latino Political Clout

The Eastside Assembly race to succeed Charles M. Calderon has turned into a high-stakes turf battle marked by an unusual split among local Latino political leaders.

Calderon, fresh from an easy win in a special state Senate election in the San Gabriel Valley, is backing a longtime aide to fill his seat in the Assembly. A victory by the aide, Marta Maestas, probably would boost Calderon’s prestige and demonstrate his power within the Latino political community.

But Maestas, 47, first must defeat four Democratic opponents--three of whom have their own powerful allies--in the June 5 Democratic primary for the 59th Assembly District. The would-be kingmakers include two congressmen.

One of those contenders for the Assembly seat is Diane Martinez, 37, a member of the Garvey school board in Rosemead whose candidacy is being touted by her father, Rep. Matthew Martinez (D-Montebello). Rep. Martinez has been busy raising campaign money for his daughter and introducing her to potential supporters.

Not to be outflanked, state Sen. Art Torres (D-Los Angeles) has thrown his weight behind a former aide, Xavier Becerra, 32, a deputy attorney general. Several Torres staffers have taken time off from their taxpayer-paid jobs to help Becerra.

Likewise, Rep. Esteban Torres (D-La Puente) is stumping for longtime ally Bill Hernandez, 41, a member of the Rio Hondo Community College Board of Trustees. Said Torres: “I will be raising money, walking precincts, speaking at events on his behalf.”

The ethnically diverse district in the shadow of the San Gabriel Mountains includes Alhambra, Monterey Park, Montebello, Pico Rivera, South El Monte and part of Whittier.

A string of bruising Democratic primary battles have been fought in the area--dating back to 1978 when then-Assemblyman Joseph B. Montoya unseated Sen. Alfred H. Song. But the race to succeed Calderon stands out because of the four-way split within the Latino political establishment, which often has presented a more united front in the past.

Rep. Torres dismissed suggestions that the current Assembly campaign represents a power struggle among factions. Instead, he described the contest as “a very healthy situation. . . . People in that district have a lot of options.”

And Calderon said the race demonstrates that Latinos are “no different than any other community.” An open legislative seat creates intense political interest and attracts candidates who “tend to have had some connection with the political process,” he said.

Nonetheless, several campaign consultants said the election should help sort out who has clout among Latino politicians. In particular, they said, the man behind the winner could emerge with momentum for another election.

For instance, Rep. Torres has been considered a potential candidate for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, especially if a pending federal lawsuit results in a district in which a majority of voters are Latino. Sen. Torres also has been often mentioned as a likely candidate for higher office.

A fifth Democratic hopeful in the 59th Assembly District race, Larry Salazar, 33, is the only one without a well-known second in his corner. “I’m right where I want to be. There are no strings being pulled,” boasted Salazar, a Montebello marketing consultant.

He maintained that the politicians pushing their own candidates in the race are seeking to widen their power bases and, in Calderon’s case, maintain a strong grip on his former Assembly district.

Not surprisingly, Salazar’s rivals have stressed their independence.

“This race is really about the candidates running, not the people supporting them,” Diane Martinez said.

Maestas, who won the state Democratic Party’s endorsement, added, “The person elected sits in the seat,” not his or her supporters. Maestas’ association with Calderon is prominently advertised in her campaign material and their campaigns share an office.

Calderon sees the contest as evolving into a two-way race between Maestas and Diane Martinez--either of whom would become the Legislature’s second Latina member. The only current Latina member is Assemblywoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Los Angeles), daughter of longtime U.S. Rep. Edward Roybal.

Others suggested that Becerra could make the race a three-way fight, especially because his ballot designation--deputy attorney general--could give him a boost in an area where voters are worried about crime and increased gang activity.

Registered Democrats hold a better than 2-1 edge in the 59th District, which means the party’s primary winner will be the heavy favorite to win the seat in November. The Democratic nominee will square off against one of two Republican candidates running in their party’s primary and a Libertarian.

The Assembly contest was set in motion a year ago when Sen. Montoya was indicted in a federal political corruption case. Even before Montoya’s conviction in February prompted him to resign, Calderon was poised to run for the Senate seat, triggering a scramble to replace him in the Assembly. At one point, Calderon’s brother and a close friend flirted with running before Maestas jumped into the fray.

For the candidate who ultimately wins the election, the Assembly seat could be a steppingstone to higher office. Besides former Sen. Montoya, Rep. Martinez and Sens. Torres and Calderon all represented the area in the Assembly before moving up the political ladder.

Along with the interest the primary campaign has generated because of its cast of characters, the race signals a new era in reduced-budget legislative contests, prompted by the 1988 passage of Proposition 73. That initiative limited contributions and prohibited transfers of huge sums of money from such party leaders as Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco). Brown, in fact, is staying on the sidelines in the 59th District contest, making local endorsements all the more important.

Rep. Martinez acknowledged that the new contribution limits make it harder to raise money. But “everybody’s in the same boat,” he pointed out.

Through the middle of March--the last time reports were required to be filed with the secretary of state--his daughter had raised almost $53,000, more than any of her opponents. That included a $29,700 loan from Diane Martinez to her own treasury. Becerra reported $23,000 in donations, Maestas $8,000, Hernandez $5,800 and Salazar $800.

LATINO POLITICAL SPLIT Four prominent Latino elected officials --including two congressmen--are casting their shadows on the Democratic primary campaign in Los Angeles County’s 59th Assembly District. In an unusually fractured political scenario, each of the officials has his own favorite candidate for the vacant seat. Here is the cast of characters: