ELECTIONS 34TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT : Libertarian Tisbert Faces an Uphill Battle Against GOP Incumbent Wyman

Libertarian Phillip Tisbert describes his race against Republican incumbent Phillip D. Wyman in the 34th Assembly District as “truly a case of David and Goliath.”

“And I intend to win,” he added. But Tisbert concedes that he is fighting an uphill battle against the conservative Wyman.

In fact, Wyman, the Assembly minority whip who was elected to the Assembly in 1978, is so well-entrenched that he faces no Democratic opposition on the Nov. 6 ballot. In 1988, he won reelection with 60% of the vote.

Of the district’s 214,316 registered voters, 49% are Republicans and 40% are Democrats. Independents and minority party membership make up rest of the electorate, with less than 1% registered as Libertarians.

The district covers portions of Kern, Inyo and Los Angeles counties and includes Edwards Air Force Base and the fast-growing Antelope Valley.

Wyman, 45, said if reelected he will fight to preserve “a viable portfolio” of jobs in his district in the ailing aerospace industry. He listed development of a proposed high-speed bullet train between the Antelope Valley and Los Angeles and the widening of the Antelope Valley Freeway among his priorities.

Wyman said he will work toward including a spur through the Valley in the planned Las Vegas-Orange County high-speed train route. “To my way of thinking, it’s an idea whose time has come,” he said.

Wyman said he will work toward solving growth-related problems in the area, including obtaining money for school construction and sponsoring legislation to ensure that the Antelope Valley has adequate water to serve new housing.

Wyman serves on four Assembly committees: education; labor and employment; economic development and new technologies; and water, parks and wildlife. He also is a member of the Little Hoover Commission, a state panel that reviews government efficiency.

Tisbert, 42, of Palmdale owns a window-tinting business and said he has been a community activist for 18 years. He is making his first try for public office.

“I’ve come to realize that politicians are basically career people,” he said. “That’s what motivated me to run. Wyman has been in the office too long. It’s time people took alternative parties more seriously.”

Tisbert said he has campaigned throughout the district but has less than $1,000 to spend in the effort. “The cost of running a campaign is outrageous,” he said.

During his campaigning, Tisbert said, he has found that voters are particularly upset about “not being represented” by their elected leaders and being overtaxed.

“Waste of money is one thing that is irking the American people,” he said. “I think we could find a lot of waste in government and redirect some of that money.”

As an assemblyman, Tisbert said, he would emphasize volunteerism. A former Pacoima resident, Tisbert was active for five years with MEND (Meet Each Need With Dignity), a primarily volunteer organization in Pacoima that feeds and clothes the poor.