Vision and Courage for This Key Position : Times endorses Molina in key 1st Supervisorial runoff

When residents of Los Angeles County’s 1st Supervisorial District vote Feb. 19 in a special election, the results will be noted throughout the nation. For they will elevate an already prominent Mexican-American politician--either Los Angeles City Councilwoman Gloria Molina or state Sen. Art Torres (D-Los Angeles)--to a position of power rarely before attained by a Latino. It’ll be a tough decision, because both candidates are capable public officials. But in our view the best choice, in a close call, is Molina.

THE JOB: To understand why, consider first the political clout wielded by all five board members. Each represents more constituents (about 2 million per district) and oversees a bigger budget (roughly $10 billion for the entire county) than some governors and many members of Congress. Consider also the relative obscurity in which supervisors work. They are probably less known to constituents than city council members. And because of the archaic nature of county government, they have no powerful executive (a county mayor) to counterbalance their clout.

Clearly, this is a job best held by a principled and far-sighted person. If not, the capacity for mischief, not to mention outright abuse or ineffectiveness, is great. So it is reassuring to know that when 1st District voters go to the polls to pick a replacement for the retiring Pete Schabarum, they will inevitably elect someone who’s an improvement over the rigidly conservative incumbent, whether the choice is Molina or Torres.

Both have long and distinguished public service careers. Neither has ever been tainted by corruption. Either would bring a badly needed breath of fresh air to county government, which has too often been run like a private club--a club for white men only, at that.

No matter who wins, the new supervisor will make history as the first minority ever elected to the county board and, if it is Molina, as the first woman. (A black, Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, appointed to the board in the late 1970s, was defeated in her only attempt at election.)

That a Latino will finally serve on the board is not just good for Los Angeles’ largest ethnic minority. Both Molina and Torres have shown a capacity to look beyond the concerns of their Latino constituents to deal with broader issues that matter to everyone--like the environment, transportation and government reform. Both Molina and Torres are progressive politicians who differ little on the issues. Both want to increase funding for AIDS and other public health problems, to better care for children, the homeless and other human needs--issues the current board, often led by Schabarum, has either downplayed or ignored.

THE CALL: What sets Molina apart is her support for reforming the structure of county government, and her track record as a politician who is willing to shake up the status quo. Despite Torres’ impressive qualifications, the substantial financial support he has received from groups with a vested interest in county government as it now operates, primarily the unions representing county workers, raises questions about whether he’ll be able to say no when that becomes necessary. Given the financial straitjacket government is in these days, that moment will certainly come.

Of all the candidates who ran for the 1st District seat, Molina was the most forceful in arguing that the county needs to expand the board of supervisors to make its membership more responsive and representative of a changing region. While other candidates, including Torres, said they would vote to expand the board to seven members, Molina prefers a nine-member board to cope with a county of increasing complexity.

Molina offers the kind of vision needed these days: outspoken and courageous. We urge voters in the 1st District to elect her.