Brown Again Pushes Early Primary Bill

Democratic state Chairman Edmund G. Brown Jr. said Friday the importance of a bill making California one of the earliest presidential primary states outweighs “speculative” fears of some fellow Democrats in the Legislature.

The former governor, who twice ran unsuccessfully for the White House, said the early primary bill would give Californians “a voice that they haven’t had for 50 years in presidential politics.”

In an interview, Brown repeated his strong support for advancing the presidential primary from June to early March even as restive fellow Democrats in the Senate and Assembly were voicing fears about disturbing the status quo.

Many Democrats and Republicans alike worry that a third election--in addition to the regular primary and the general election--in presidential primary years would invite more citizen-initiated ballot propositions. Legislators caution that this could tilt political balances in favor of one party or another depending on the popular drawing power of a particular initiative.

But Brown told The Times: “The value of putting California back in the presidential nominating process outweighs any speculative consequences about how certain initiative campaigns are conducted.

“I haven’t seen any evidence that shows either liberals or conservatives are advantaged by having an initiative voted on in March, June or November. “Initiatives take on a life of their own whenever they are placed before the voters.”

But Senate President Pro Tem David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles), a begrudging proponent of the early primary and seldom a Brown cheerleader, later dismissed the Democratic chairman’s enthusiasm for the bill as self-serving.

“He wants to be a player in the national elections,” Roberti said. “Consequently, his interest in its impact on government and politics is secondary.”

Supporters of the long-stalled but newly revived early primary plan by Assemblyman Jim Costa (D-Fresno) insist that it would give California renewed political clout befitting the nation’s most populous state in the selection of party presidential nominees.

As one of the last major states to hold a late presidential primary, California has been virtually left out of deciding who the nominees will be in recent elections.

Legislation that would move the California presidential primary in 1992 to early March--right behind the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary--is expected to be voted on by the Legislature next week. Primaries for statewide, legislative and congressional elections still would be held in June.

Fueling Senate Democratic anxiety over advancing the primary is Sen. Bill Lockyer (D-San Leandro), a foe of the early primary.

He has warned colleagues that Republicans may try a March, 1992, referendum to undo any congressional and legislative reapportionment plans written by Democrats in 1991. In drawing new political boundaries, the party in power historically tries to perpetuate its dominance into the next decade.