ELECTIONS / ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 37 : GOP Candidates Reflect Contrasts of Their Region

The seven Republican candidates vying for their party’s nomination in the 37th Assembly District are a study in contrasts, much like the cities in the district that stretches from blue-collar Oxnard to upscale Thousand Oaks.

They range from ultraconservatives to moderates, quiet coalition builders to give-’em-hell mavericks.

One candidate bounced checks worth $250,000. Another offered retired Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf $75,000 to appear at his fund-raiser.

Also running are a former county supervisor who lost her seat because she didn’t campaign for reelection, a property manager who makes a two-hour commute each way to work in San Bernardino, and a high school science teacher-turned-principal who advocates developing electric cars.

Other hopefuls include the mayor of a city that has operated in the red for at least six years and the owner of a one-truck trucking company who recently shouted at AIDS activists that “AIDS is a homosexual disease.”

Among the seven Republican candidates, former Ventura County Supervisor Madge Schaefer and Oxnard Mayor Nao Takasugi are the only ones who have ever won elections.

“So far it looks like a two-way race,” said John Davies, Takasugi’s campaign consultant.

But public opinion polls show a swelling anti-incumbent sentiment that could boost the chances of the five non-politicians in the race: financial consultant Alan Guggenheim, podiatrist Jon H. Williams, trucking company owner Ronald E. De Blauw, property manager Kenneth (Skip) Roberts and assistant high school Principal Michael D. Berger.

The Republican candidate who wins the primary starts with a sizable advantage over a Democratic opponent in the district, where Republicans outnumber Democrats by 10,650.

Unlike the newcomers, Takasugi and Schaefer have a long history of public service and strong bases of support in their home turfs--Schaefer in Thousand Oaks, Takasugi in Oxnard.

“Madge has a tremendous organization in the Conejo Valley and a tremendous following,” said Ben Key, Schaefer’s campaign consultant. “Takasugi’s obvious strength is in Oxnard. In a multi-way race, you try to get as much as you can out of your base, and cherry-pick the others.”

In this recession year, jobs may be the voters’ No. 1 concern, said Assemblyman Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks) who is forsaking the 37th District seat to run for Congress.

“The main issues in this year’s race are the economy, the economy and the economy,” McClintock said.

As career public officials, Schaefer and Takasugi have worked closely with developers to promote growth and attract businesses--accomplishments that they highlight in their messages to voters.

Schaefer, 50, points to her role in widening the Ventura Freeway during her eight-year tenure as a Thousand Oaks councilwoman. She also said that during her four years as a supervisor she helped erase Ventura County Hospital’s $9-million deficit and helped install energy-saving generators at the County Government Center.

Takasugi, 69, said he has guided Oxnard policies to greatly expand the sales tax base over the last decade by attracting developers with fee waivers and other incentives. In his 16 years as mayor or on the Oxnard City Council, Takasugi said he has helped unify a city that was bitterly divided along ethnic and partisan lines.

But the high visibility of these two officeholders has also left them vulnerable to criticism.

Throughout her career, Schaefer has built a reputation of sometimes being abrasive, stubborn and even dictatorial, critics say.

Two years ago, Schaefer underestimated political novice Maria VanderKolk and lost her seat on the county Board of Supervisors in the biggest political upset in the county since the 1920s.

Caught in the slow-growth sentiment prevalent in the county before the recession, Schaefer suffered from her close ties to developers and her support for three massive housing projects in the east county.

By actively helping celebrities Robert Wagner, Jill St. John and Tom Selleck solve minor zoning problems, she created an image of one who has lost touch with ordinary citizens, critics said.

That image was reinforced when she did not take her 1990 reelection campaign to the streets by knocking on voters’ doors. And then in the last week of the campaign, she traveled to New York on county business.

“Madge has been out of office for a couple of years, and she may be losing touch with the goings-on,” Takasugi said. “I think I would be more responsive to the residents of this district than she would.”

Takasugi, in turn, has been criticized for his role in Oxnard’s fiscal crisis. For the sixth year in a row, the city will dip into its reserve fund to make up a projected deficit.

Last year, Oxnard eliminated most of its recreation programs and many city-funded social services to overcome a $2.4-million budget shortfall. This year, city officials predict a $5-million deficit.

Critics point out that Takasugi’s actions have contributed to the city budget crisis. Under his leadership, they say, the city engaged in several unfavorable development agreements that have cost city taxpayers millions of dollars.

For example, only one of the 12 parcels in the Oxnard Town Center has been developed, four years after the planned complex was hailed as the city’s future financial center. Its principal developers have defaulted on a $14-million city-backed bond, and city officials are looking to resell the property.

“Look at the mess in Oxnard, look at their financial crisis,” Guggenheim said. “Everybody will say, ‘I am not a big spender, I want to reduce government.’ But one thing is saying it and another is doing it.”

Takasugi and Schaefer describe themselves as fiscal conservatives who favor planned, controlled growth. Both also consider themselves moderate on social issues and they want to preserve abortion rights.

But these similarities are often overshadowed by strikingly different personalities and political styles.

Takasugi is a quiet coalition builder with ample contacts in Sacramento and the Republican Party structure. He avoids controversy at all cost and thinks of himself as a healer who will bring harmony to an Assembly torn apart by constant infighting.

“There’s so much friction in Sacramento that hardly anything gets accomplished,” Takasugi said. “I will be a quiet leader, a healing force.”

Schaefer is running as an outsider. She promises to take on the good old boy network in the state Legislature and shake things up on behalf of her constituents.

“She is very aggressive when it comes to fighting for what she believes is right,” Key said. “She is not abrasive, but she is forceful and that’s what is lacking in Sacramento.”

Of the five political novices in the race, Guggenheim of Newbury Park is the only one who has hired political professionals to develop a sophisticated campaign.

In the first weeks of the campaign, Guggenheim lent his campaign $40,000, taking an early lead in fund-raising. He also received the endorsements of seven of the most conservative assemblymen in Sacramento and attracted the financial backing of a pro-gun lobby and a conservative Christian group crusading against abortion.

Guggenheim, a French emigre who became a U.S. citizen last year, said his social conservative platform represents the best option for voters looking to shake up the political establishment.

“People are tired of professional politicians just running for perks,” he said. “When people have been in office for many years, there are too many promises given and too many promises received.”

But critics say his strong opposition to abortion, gay rights and benefits for the children of illegal immigrants may prove too rigid for mainstream voters in this increasingly urban and cosmopolitan district.

Guggenheim is also running on his credentials as a successful businessman. But court records show he bounced $250,000 in checks before his company went bankrupt in 1986. And critics say that may undermine his image.

Another outsider who has made a substantial financial commitment to winning the election is Williams, the Camarillo podiatrist who loaned his campaign $25,000.

Williams said he is the only physician running for an Assembly seat, and he promises to use his expertise to overhaul the state’s health care system. He proposes doing away with Medi-Cal and slashing company contributions to employee health care programs by about two-thirds.

Williams is also banking on his appeal as a highly decorated Vietnam War hero. Already, he has enlisted the support of retired Gen. William Westmoreland, commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam from 1964 to 1971.

Westmoreland has agreed to host a $125-a-plate fund-raiser on April 27, Williams said, after Schwarzkopf turned him down. Westmoreland and Williams have mutual friends.

“My best man’s father was a classmate of the general and is related to him,” Williams said.

Republican strategists suggest that Williams is politically naive. They point to his attempt to recruit Desert Storm commander Schwarzkopf to draw people to his fund-raising dinner.

“The general was approached to host a fund-raiser, we offered him $75,000, but he declined,” Williams said. Despite his stated willingness to pay Schwarzkopf’s speaking fee or more, Williams had raised less than $1,500 as of March 17. Most of the contributions came from fellow podiatrists, financial statements show.

Truck company owner De Blauw, Roberts and Berger are running campaigns on a shoestring, hoping their message of lower taxes and greater accountability will capture votes.

De Blauw’s most visible public appearance took place last month when he engaged in a shouting match with AIDS activists picketing a Ventura clinic where a physician had denied treatment to a man who has AIDS.

“AIDS is a homosexual disease!” De Blauw yelled at protesters. De Blauw, who opposes abortion except in case of rape, said he would focus on changing the school system if he were elected to the Legislature. He opposes bilingual education and allowing the children of illegal immigrants into the state school system.

Roberts, a moderate candidate who supports abortion rights, said his strongest support comes from Leisure Village in Camarillo. But, he acknowledged, the overwhelming majority of the village’s residents vote Democratic.

Roberts, a property manager, said he is in this race to win but finds that his four-hour daily commute to and from his job in San Bernardino detracts from his time to campaign.

Berger, an assistant principal at Moorpark High School, belongs to several groups that advocate preserving open space. He describes himself as a “sensible environmentalist” who supports moderate growth.

As a former science teacher, he said he would encourage the state to develop electric cars and solar energy to reduce pollution from fossil fuels. But Berger said he also considers himself pro-business and vows to work to increase the district’s tax base.

The winner in the primary will take on schoolteacher and farm manager Roz McGrath in November. While unopposed in the Democratic primary, McGrath will face an uphill battle in November because of the 47% to 41% edge of Republicans over Democrats.

David Harner of the Libertarian Party has also placed his name on the ballot, but he said he does not plan to mount an active campaign.

Assembly District 37

Overview: For the past decade, this seat has been held by Assemblyman Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks), who has decided to run for Congress. Seven Republicans are competing in the June 2 GOP primary. On Nov. 3, the winner of the Republican primary will face the unopposed Democratic candidate and a Libertarian Party candidate in the general election.

Where: The district includes the cities of Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Camarillo, Oxnard, Port Hueneme and the neighborhood of El Rio. To find out if you live in the district, call the Ventura County Elections Office, (805) 654-2781.

Demographics Anglo: 59% Latino: 31% Black: 3% Asian: 6%

Party Registration Demo: 41% GOP: 47% Others: 12%

Democrat and Libertarian

David Harner, Libertarian candidate

Roz McGrath, Democratic candidate, schoolteacher and farm manager

The Republicans

Michael D. Berger, Assistant high school principal

Ronald E. De Blauw, Trucking company owner

Alan Guggenheim, Financial consultant

Kenneth Roberts, Property manager

Madge Schaefer, Ex-Ventura County supervisor

Nao Takasugi, Oxnard mayor

Jon H. Williams, Podiatrist

Campaign Calendar / Events of the Coming Week

Today: Democratic congressional candidate Kevin Sweeney will hold a public opening of his campaign office at 2 p.m. at 2393 Main St., Ventura. Sweeney, an environmental activist and former public affairs director of Patagonia, Inc., is running in the 23rd Congressional District, which encompasses all of Ventura County except Thousand Oaks. For more information, call 652-1992.

Tuesday: Daphne Becker, a Republican candidate in the 23rd Congressional District, is scheduled as the guest speaker at a dinner meeting of the Ventura-Oxnard chapter of National Assn. of Women in Construction. Becker is vice president of Lehman-Becker, a property management and construction company in Camarillo. The dinner at the Oxnard Hilton begins at 6 p.m. and costs $16 for members, $17.50 for non-members. For more information, contact Laurie Bennett at 642-0204 or Judy Kay Culton, 649-9636.

Thursday: Alan Guggenheim, a Republican candidate for the Assembly, will host a barbecue from 5 to 8 p.m. for supporters and volunteers at his campaign headquarters, 747 Wendy Drive, Newbury Park. Guggenheim is running in the 37th District, which encompasses the cities of Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Camarillo, Oxnard and Port Hueneme. For more information, call 375-3727.

Saturday: The Simi Valley-Moorpark chapter of the League of Women Voters is sponsoring a luncheon at the Tower Club in Oxnard on the trend of local governments setting up regional councils. Assemblyman Jack O’Connell (D-Carpinteria), who is running for reelection in the 35th Assembly District, which encompasses Ventura, Santa Paula and Ojai, will speak on “A Legislative Look at Growth Management.” Simi Valley Mayor Greg Stratton will talk about Ventura County forming a regional council. Advance reservations are required for the $15 luncheon. For more information, call Grace Bernstein at 527-5076.

Fax Campaign Calender submissions to 658-5576 or mail to 5200 Valentine Road, Suite 140, Ventura, CA 93003. Please include contact person and telephone number.