ELECTIONS ASSEMBLY : Guide to District 37 : Overview

Incumbent Assemblywoman Cathie Wright, a Simi Valley Republican, is locked in a tight primary race against Hunt Braly, a Republican aide to state Sen. Ed Davis (R-Santa Clarita). Ethical issues have dominated the campaign, with Braly focusing on Wright’s much-publicized intervention with law enforcement and justice officials on behalf of her daughter to help her fight traffic tickets. Wright has a high profile in the district, and has raised more than twice as much campaign money as Braly.

Contenders

Hunt Braly, 35, a Santa Clarita Republican, has worked for nearly seven years as a top aide to state Sen. Ed Davis (R-Santa Clarita). He has been endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters. An attorney, he graduated from USC and received his law degree from Loyola Law School. Braly was raised in the San Diego area. He is single.

Cathie Wright, 61, is a Simi Valley Republican. She was elected to the Simi Valley City Council in 1978, and served as mayor in 1979. She was elected to the Assembly in 1980, and is in her fifth term. A former insurance underwriter, she received an AA degree in accounting from Lackawanna Junior College in Pennsylvania and later attended the University of Scranton. She has been endorsed by the California Republican Assembly. Wright is a widow and has one daughter, Victoria.

Democrat Dennis A. Petrie and Libertarian John R. Spooner Sr. are unopposed in their primaries. Their names will appear on the general election ballot in November.

Questionnaire

Questionnaires were distributed to candidates in contested primary races and were returned this month. Answers have been edited to fit the available space.

Q. Under recently introduced legislation, state sales taxes would be raised a quarter-cent for 10 years to help finance school construction. Do you favor an increase in sales taxes to underwrite new school construction?

Braly: Possibly, if approved by voters. Funding should also come from increased developer fees and local bond measures.

Wright: An increase in the sales tax is just one option that should be considered.

Q. An initiative measure on the June ballot would raise taxes on gasoline sales by 9 cents a gallon to finance highway projects. Do you support the concept of higher gas taxes to underwrite road construction?

Braly: Yes.

Wright: Yes.

Q. Do you support a woman’s unrestricted right to an abortion within the first three months of pregnancy? Braly: Yes.

Wright: Left question unanswered. Said as a legislator, she supports the law.

Q. Do you support capital punishment? Braly: Yes.

Wright: Yes.

Q. Do you support the idea of breaking up the Los Angeles Unified School District into smaller districts? Braly: Yes.

Wright: Yes.

Q. Under current law, the state Legislature is responsible for redrawing state legislative and congressional district boundaries. Do you believe this system should be changed? Braly: Yes. Legislature will draw districts to protect incumbents. Citizens commission would draw lines to promote fair representation.

Wright: Yes. Legislators should not draw their own district boundaries. An independent commission would guarantee competitive districts and keep communities whole.

Q. Do you support the so-called “Big Green” ballot initiative, which would eliminate ozone-depleting chemicals by the year 2000, phase out pesticides known to cause cancer and require that trees be planted in all new developments? Braly: No.

Wright: No. It has some worthwhile elements, but would have overall negative effects on the people and economy of California.

Q. Do you think the state should require private employers to subsidize day-care services for employees who request them? Braly: No. The state should promote day care through tax and regulatory incentives. A mandate would be burdensome, especially on small businesses.

Wright: No. Government is already straining under the weight of numerous program subsidies. Day care should be a negotiated employee benefit.

Q. Do you support the state’s efforts to build prisons in Lancaster and East Los Angeles? Braly: Yes.

Wright: Yes.

Q. Proposition 112 on the June ballot would ban speaking fees and limit gifts to state legislators while creating a commission that could pave the way for higher legislative salaries. Do you support this ballot initiative? Braly: No. I won’t accept speaking fees or special-interest gifts. These should be banned and not tied to a legislative pay raise as in Proposition 112.

Wright: Yes. It would give voters the opportunity to consider the need for legislative reforms.

Q. Do you support Gov. Deukmejian’s proposed constitutional changes that would require state prison inmates to work in privately sponsored industries to pay for their incarceration? Braly: Yes.

Wright: Yes.

Q. Do you believe our present system of criminal prosecution, interdiction of supplies and imprisonment of users and dealers will ever significantly reduce the level of drug use in the United States? If no, what should be done? Braly: Yes. We must also increase educational programs such as DARE and SANE, to prevent addiction in the first place.

Wright: No. Criminal justice system has an important role, but we need to increase education and counseling programs also.

Q. Would you consider the possibility of decriminalizing the use of drugs? Braly: No.

Wright: No.

Q. Do you support raising sales or other taxes to finance anti-drug law enforcement efforts and/or anti-drug education programs? If yes, by how much? Braly: No. We should redirect existing resources.

Wright: No.

Q. Do you support full or partial public funding of political campaigns? Braly: No. I believe Proposition 73 reforms are working.

Wright: No. Tax dollars are precious enough without diverting money from needed programs. Viable candidates should have no trouble raising campaign funds.

Q. A ballot initiative now in circulation would prohibit foreign individuals and corporations from owning land in California. Do you support this? Braly: No.

Wright: No.

Q. Rising property values in the Santa Monica Mountains have made it more difficult for state and federal parks agencies to buy land for public use. Land prices have escalated in part because local officials have allowed developers to build more houses than provided for under zoning laws. To keep property prices more affordable to parks agencies, should governments in Los Angeles and Ventura counties refuse such so-called “upzoning?” Braly: Yes. Any upzoning should be kept to a minimum and should occur only when the public benefit outweighs the risk.

Wright: Left question unanswered. Said land use issues should be considered on a case-by-case basis at the local level.

Q. Are you willing to publicly release your tax returns and those of your spouse before the election? Braly: Yes.

Wright: No.

Q. A development project called Porter Ranch would create 3,395 residential units and nearly 6 million square feet of commercial office space in the Chatsworth hills. Opponents say it is too big. Proponents say it represents orderly growth. Do you support the project at this size? Braly: No. I do not believe proponents have properly addressed the effect the commercial project will have on highway congestion.

Wright: Left question unanswered. Said it is a local land-use issue that must be determined by city of L.A., but has concerns about impact to the California 118 and air quality.

Q. Do you support limits on the number of terms state legislators can serve? If yes, how long should they be? Braly: Yes. Five terms.

Wright: No. A fair reapportionment creating competitive districts will allow voters to decide how long a state legislator should serve in office.

Q. A ballot initiative now in circulation would prohibit the spraying of pesticides on private property without the written consent of the owner. Do you support this measure? Braly: No.

Wright: No. During a state of emergency, community’s greater good may outweigh individual’s objections. We should ensure pesticide use does not create community health risk.