CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS: THE DEBATES

During Sunday’s debate, Atty. Gen. John K. Van de Kamp and former San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein made points that were not fully explained and raised questions that went unanswered. The following is a discussion of those issues and an analysis of each by Times staff writer Daniel M. Weintraub:

Issue: Feinstein criticized Van de Kamp for failing to prosecute leaders of the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue for violation of a court order.

Analysis: The U.S. District Court in March, 1989, ordered members of Operation Rescue not to interfere with women seeking abortions. But 10 days later, the group’s members barricaded a Los Angeles abortion clinic, and Police Chief Daryl F. Gates recommended that four Operation Rescue leaders be charged with felonies. Dist. Atty. Ira Reiner declined to prosecute and referred the matter to the city attorney for investigation of misdemeanor charges. Abortion rights groups asked Van de Kamp to take over the case but he declined and stood by Reiner’s decision.

Issue: Van de Kamp questioned Feinstein’s feminist credentials, saying that while she was mayor of San Francisco, the deputy mayor and the directors of eight “major” departments were all men.

Analysis: Van de Kamp’s campaign said Monday that he was referring to the Police and Fire departments, the Airport Department, public health, public works, social services, the general hospital and the municipal bus service. Feinstein’s campaign did not dispute his contention, but said she appointed the city’s first female city attorney and first female treasurer. As for Van de Kamp’s record as attorney general, his 19-member executive staff includes seven women.

Issue: Feinstein charged that Van de Kamp, because he opposes capital punishment, would “commute every single case” of those sentenced to death.

Analysis: Even if Van de Kamp wanted to commute every sentence, he almost certainly could not do so. The state Constitution prohibits the governor from commuting the sentences of twice-convicted felons except on the recommendation of a majority of the state Supreme Court. Most of the more than 275 inmates on California’s Death Row have been convicted of more than one felony. The Supreme Court, dominated by appointments of conservative Gov. George Deukmejian, would not be expected to go along with such a strategy.

Issue: Feinstein said crime went down 20% in San Francisco while she was mayor, and she charged that “violent crime” increased 20% statewide since Van de Kamp became attorney general.

Analysis: Feinstein’s reference to her own record on crime includes only the most serious offenses. According to the San Francisco Police Department, all crime increased 0.1% during her tenure, and arrests for so-called “Part II” offenses--including arson, narcotics, carrying weapons, embezzlement, prostitution and drunk driving--increased 30.9%.

Statewide, the number of arrests for violent crimes has increased 19.8% since 1983, according to “Crime and Delinquency in California,” a 1988 report published by Van de Kamp’s Justice Department. The definition of violent crime included murder, rape, robbery, assault and kidnaping. Those figures include a dramatic increase in assaults reported in 1986 after the definition of that crime was expanded to include domestic violence.

Issue: Van de Kamp charged that Feinstein would put cost-of-living increases for education programs “on the table” in her search for ways to close the state’s current $3.6-billion budget gap.

Analysis: Feinstein has said that she would consider any proposal to increase revenues or cut the budget. The kindergarten-through-community college portion of the education budget is protected by voter-approved Proposition 98, but the provisions of that measure could be suspended for one year by a two-thirds vote of each house of the Legislature.