ELECTIONS / 23RD CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT : Rival Interrupts Speech to Call Gallegly a Liar

Guerrilla politics surfaced Tuesday in the race for the congressional seat representing Ventura County.

For openers, Republican primary challenger Daphne Becker placed one of her campaign flyers next to the luncheon plate of incumbent Rep. Elton Gallegly before the lawmaker arrived to address the Ventura Chamber of Commerce.

Gallegly never did eat lunch.

But if Becker, 50, of Ojai, a political neophyte, gave him indigestion, he never let on.

Not even when Becker launched into a public confrontation 22 minutes into his speech--calling Gallegly a liar.

Gallegly had begun explaining why he introduced a constitutional amendment last fall designed to bar children of illegal immigrants from becoming U.S. citizens. As he has in the past, Gallegly said the amendment was needed to prevent illegal aliens from making it more difficult for legal immigrants to receive welfare benefits and get jobs. At this point Becker interrupted him.

In a voice clearly audible to many of the 125 chamber members who were present at the luncheon at the Harbortown Marina Resort, Becker confronted him.

“You can’t collect welfare if you’re illegal, Elton,” Becker said from her front row table, just a few feet from the speaker’s podium. “That’s a lie.”

“He makes it sound like illegal Latinas are having children for no other reason than to collect welfare,” she said later. Gallegly has said his legislation has a much broader, more positive purpose.

For a moment after Becker’s outburst, Gallegly made eye contact with his political opponent, and then, appearing unflappable, continued speaking.

His amendment, he said, has caused consternation among many Latinos in the newly drawn 23rd Congressional District in which the Simi Valley conservative is seeking reelection.

The new district includes populous Latino enclaves in the western part of Ventura County, particularly in Oxnard, where Gallegly, 48, a three-term congressman, has never run for office.

Moreover, the new district does not include Thousand Oaks, a bastion of Republican support for Gallegly.

Gallegly said it wasn’t his intention to be “inhumane” toward Latinos.

“This is the furthest from the truth,” he told the luncheon group. Indeed, he said, Latino constituents have been sending him letters applauding the amendment, saying, “Hey, it’s our jobs that are going. It’s our housing that’s going. We need your help. We applaud you.”

Normally, chamber officials allow a question-and-answer period after a featured speaker’s address.

But not on Tuesday.

Becker has repeatedly expressed anger over what she says is Gallegly’s position not to debate her. In the absence of a debate, she said she has decided to confront the congressman as much as possible.

“There are issues I’m concerned about that I want to explore,” she told a reporter.

So far, Gallegly has not said whether he would debate Becker.

Gallegly immediately left the podium after his 25-minute speech. But before he got 10 yards, Becker quickly moved from her table and cut him off.

“She said she sent me a certified letter (asking for a debate), and I said, ‘I don’t think you did,’ ” Gallegly later said. “I told her, ‘If you sent me a certified letter, you show me the receipt.’ ”

Becker later said she has not yet received a receipt from the U.S. Postal Service regarding the April 15 letter that she said her campaign office mailed to Gallegly.

Gallegly said he was not avoiding a confrontation with Becker by leaving before any questions could be asked by chamber members.

“I have a 1:45 p.m. engagement with flower growers in Carpinteria,” he said, referring to the city which is in the new district. At the time, it was 1:30 p.m.

As for Becker’s tactics and her push to debate him, Gallegly contained his emotions and took a diplomatic position.

“I respect her running her campaign and I would hope she would show a little more respect in me running mine. It wasn’t evidenced today, though.

“I think that reasonable people would say I respect anyone’s right to go through the political process. That’s what makes this country the great country it is.

“But, you know, I don’t handle myself that way. I never have.”

Then, letting his ire show a bit, he added:

“She was not an invited guest. It’s my understanding she was not.”

But Mel Sheeler, president of the chamber, said that was not true.

“She’s a chamber member,” he said of Becker, who co-owns two businesses based in Camarillo.

“I don’t really know what else you would expect from political candidates when they get an opportunity to be in the same room,” he added.

Afterward, Becker said she will continue to confront the incumbent congressman until he agrees to debate her.

“Every time he speaks, I’ll be there.”