Antonovich Creates Heat With ‘Hot Flash’ Remark to Molina

During a heated debate Tuesday, Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich pointedly suggested to fellow Supervisor Gloria Molina that board members should not alter the county budget just because “someone has a hot flash.”

County staff members and some members of the public who attended the meeting gasped, but Molina--the only woman on the board and an outspoken critic of the county’s spending practices--laughed and shook her head in amazement.

Later, she described the remarks as “childish and sexist.”

“He’s really hitting below the belt now,” Molina said, adding that she said nothing publicly because she was not very upset by it. “He doesn’t know how to get to me.”

A hot flash is the sensation of a wave of heat passing over the body, usually experienced by women during menopause, pregnancy or the menstrual cycle.

When asked whether the remark could be considered sexist, Antonovich responded, “Give me a break!” The phrase, he noted, has frequently been used during board meetings, particularly by former Supervisor Pete Schabarum, whose language occasionally included salty remarks.

“That’s a term we’ve used in this board room for years,” he said. “You say that when someone has a crazy idea.”

But womens’ groups say the language is inappropriate, especially now that the five-member board has a female supervisor. Molina last year became the first woman elected to the panel.

“It’s obviously referring to something that women experience and he used it derogatorily,” said Tammy Bruce, president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Organization for Women. “If it has become slang, that does not justify its use.”

Bruce and others said they were disappointed that Molina did not react more strongly to the statement, because a passive response only encourages such language.

The exchange was the latest outburst in a battle of words and philosophies between Molina, the board’s newest and most liberal member, and Antonovich, a conservative board veteran.

This time, the argument was over Molina’s proposal to pay for a replacement county bandwagon, a trailer that transports musical groups to parks and other public locations. Molina suggested that the $90,000 trailer be purchased with funds accrued by departments that have saved money by leaving jobs vacant.

During the debate, Molina reiterated her criticism of the use of departmental savings for such things as expensive office renovations.

“The reality is the money is sitting there,” she said. “Either we use it for a county bandwagon or we let it be used for a marble tabletop or some other fancy thing.”

Calling Molina’s remark “a cheap shot,” Antonovich said such money had also been used for “innovative things.” If supervisors seize control of those departmental savings, instead of leaving decisions about their use to department heads, it will remove the incentive to save, he said.

“What are you going to tell people? ‘You’re going to have your budget raided sometime in the year, when someone has a hot flash,’ ” said Antonovich, his face red with anger.

Molina frequently has criticized the county budget since taking office early this year. Last week, she attacked a transportation allowance of up to $6,300 a year that nearly 500 top county bureaucrats get in lieu of a county car.

Peg Yorkin, chairwoman of the Fund for the Feminist Majority, a group involved in promoting gender balance on county commissions and boards, said Antonovich’s comment points to the need for a second woman on the board.

“If there are more women around, people are less likely to say that kind of thing,” Yorkin said.