Calderon Joins Crowded Race for Supervisor : Politics: The state senator from Whittier says he will run as a voice for the San Gabriel Valley. Rep. Martinez, who declines to enter the contest, endorses him.

Joining a field already crowded with some of Southern California’s most influential Latino politicians, state Sen. Charles M. Calderon (D-Whittier) on Wednesday announced his candidacy for Los Angeles County supervisor in the 1st District.

Calderon received the support of U.S. Rep. Matthew G. Martinez (D-Monterey Park), who joined Calderon at a news conference in Montebello to take himself out of the race and announce his support for the new candidate. Martinez said he decided to withdraw from the race after meeting with Calderon earlier this week.

Nearly every leading Latino politician in the county has now either entered the race or backed a candidate in the court-ordered Jan. 22 election, which at present seems likely to produce the county’s first Latino supervisor this century.

Calderon said he will run as a voice for the San Gabriel Valley, which he said is more “moderate” than the East Los Angeles power base of state Sen. Art Torres (D-Los Angeles) and Los Angeles City Councilwoman Gloria Molina.

“They sought their political fortunes on the east side of town,” Calderon said of Molina and Torres. “I’ve established my public service over here in the San Gabriel Valley. I am more of a moderate. . . . They are clearly more liberal than I am.”

In withdrawing, Martinez emphasized the need to represent residents from the San Gabriel Valley, which makes up a large chunk of the newly redrawn 1st District.

“I have given this some real deep thought and have decided that in the best interest of this community and the greater San Gabriel Valley that I step aside and allow Chuck Calderon to run for that seat,” Martinez said.

The election was ordered by U.S. District Judge David V. Kenyon, who ruled that the district boundaries drawn by the all-Anglo Board of Supervisors diluted the voting power of the county’s 3 million Latinos. He approved a new 1st District designed to help elect a Latino to the board.

Ideological differences and personal rivalries among the tight circle of Latino politicians have contributed to the large number of candidates.

Shortly after Kenyon scheduled the election, Molina, Torres and other Latino politicians held closed-door meetings in an attempt to find a consensus Democratic candidate from the Latino community.

The meetings broke down. Molina declared her candidacy with the support of Reps. Edward R. Roybal (D-Los Angeles) and Esteban E. Torres (D-La Puente). Sen. Art Torres also entered the race, with the support of Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alatorre, who has tangled with Molina over the fate of Olvera Street and other issues.

The private meetings already have become an issue in the campaign, with Sarah Flores, who won the most votes in the June primary in the old 1st District, and Calderon attacking Molina and Torres for participating in them.

“I don’t have the ties to any inside political organization,” Calderon said at his news conference. “I don’t have a private constituency that I must first consult.”

Eric Rose, campaign manager for Flores, also was critical of the closed-door meetings.

“Sarah is excited about having more qualified candidates in the race,” Rose said on hearing of Calderon’s candidacy. “Unlike other people who are running, she did not seek a back-room deal to keep other people out of the race.”

Molina defended the private consultations on Wednesday, calling them part of a “consensus-building process.”

She added: “It was a very straightforward, a very open process. Marty Martinez was invited to those meetings. None of us had heard of Chuck Calderon’s interest.”

“Let’s set the record straight,” Torres said. “I wasn’t invited to that meeting, I invited myself. When I saw what was happening, I left. I was not going to be a candidate of the back room. I think it’s important to have as many candidates as possible.”

Martinez and Calderon also have had their differences, apparently resolved this week.

After winning his Senate seat, Calderon supported one of his top aides, Marta Maestas, in her unsuccessful bid to succeed him in the Assembly. Martinez backed his daughter, Diane. Both were defeated by Xavier Becerra, who was supported by Torres.

Calderon will be running in his fifth election since 1988. He was reelected to his Assembly seat in 1988 and won a special election this April to fill the vacant Senate seat of Joseph B. Montoya. He then won the Democratic primary for a full Senate term in June and the general election this month.