Hollywood Takes a Gamble

A heavy day. Never have so many had so much at stake in a single California election. We will decide the fate of the redwoods and the longevity of every legislator in Sacramento. We will raise our taxes by billions of dollars or maybe we won’t. We will deal with the ozone layer. And, oh yeah, we will elect a governor.

You can make an impressive list of the Big Foot lobby groups that will win big or lose big today. Chevron, DuPont and the petrochemicals. All of agribusiness. The north coast timber industry. Napa Valley and every wine maker in the state.

In the turmoil, it has been easy to miss the arrival of a new kid on the political block. But arrive it has, and this new kid has as much at stake in today’s election as any of the Big Feet. Depending on how it goes, this contender will either gain new respect or be relegated to the role of not quite a major player.

This new kid on the block is Hollywood.

Oh, I can hear it now. Waitaminit, buster, Hollywood has been playing politics for a long time.

True, true. But this year we’ve seen a transition. For the first time, Hollywood has moved beyond its traditional role as sugar daddy for mostly liberal causes, a mere money pool where the Ted Kennedys or Jerry Browns can come to dip their buckets.

This year, Hollywood has taken over an issue and made that issue its own. The issue is the California environment, manifested on the ballot by Big Green. The takeover has been so thorough that if Big Green is approved, Hollywood will get the credit. If it loses, and particularly if it loses big, the reputations of those who championed it will need some mending.

The seizing of Big Green by Hollywood is itself a curious story, for Big Green was conceived elsewhere and for different purposes. Originally, it was intended as a campaign vehicle for Atty. Gen. John K. Van de Kamp in his race for governor. When Van de Kamp lost in the primary, many saw Big Green as an endangered orphan.

Instead, it found foster parents in Hollywood. Rich parents. Before the campaign is over, the baby-boomer producers and stars will push about $3 million onto the table for Big Green. That’s more than twice the amount contributed by all environmental organizations combined, and that’s why the tag lines on the television ads say, “Major funding . . . from the entertainment industry.”

Hollywood has also spent lavishly of its other powerful commodity, the glamour of big screen faces. The half-hour video of Big Green, shown for weeks on cable television, is pure star power. You have to watch closely to catch even one environmental leader squeezed between the Michael Landons and the Chevy Chases.

So what we’re seeing is the emergence of Hollywood into a special interest group of its own. One trying to prove it can carry its own baggage. In doing so, with Big Green, Hollywood has thrown its money and influence against some of the oldest and most powerful Big Foot lobby groups in the state. In the end, this election comes down to a contest pitting Hollywood against agribusiness and petrochemicals.

That’s why, in a sense, it’s Hollywood that’s being measured in this election. It’s the new kid, the one with something to prove. It has the money and wherewithal, but does it have the staying power? We will see.

As the big farmers of California know so well, winning one battle is not enough. There will always be another battle next year, and the year after. And what if Hollywood loses this one, as the polls are beginning to suggest?

Will Ted Danson, Michael Ovitz and Meryl Streep get discouraged, pick up their marbles and go home? At this point, no one knows.

In any case, it will make the Big Green results more interesting to watch. We may be seeing the emergence of a unique interest group, a maverick that is capable of using its wealth and influence to rewrite the political equation in California. One that is all the more compelling because its political interests do not necessarily reflect its economic interests.

And, then again, we may be seeing Hollywood indulge itself in just another flavor of the month. So stay tuned, this may take a while to play itself out.