ELECTIONS 57TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT : A Battle for Backing Overshadows the Issues

Hilda L. Solis and Edward L. Chavez have a lot in common: They are Latinos who grew up in La Puente; he was the son of a steelworker, she the daughter of a shop steward; each has six brothers and sisters; they were the first in their families to attend college, and they won political office at a young age.

Now they have the same ambition: election to the state Assembly. But this time only one can succeed. Each hopes to replace retiring Assemblywoman Sally Tanner (D-Baldwin Park) in the heavily Democratic 57th Assembly District. To do it, one of them must not only beat the other in the June 2 primary but also outpoll a third Democratic candidate, Anthony Fellow, an associate professor at Cal State Fullerton.

Solis, a member of the Rio Hondo College board, and Chavez, a La Puente city councilman, have divided the backing of the area’s political heavyweights. Fellow says that doesn’t matter; he has lots of volunteers.

The Democratic winner will face the victor in the Republican primary contest between Gary Woods, a member of the Citrus College board, and Michael Stark, a young business executive. Woods and Stark say that although only one-third of the district’s voters are Republican, that’s enough to give them an upset chance in November.

But the demographics favor the Democrats, and most of the attention is focusing on Chavez, who is Tanner’s choice as her successor and also is backed by Assemblyman Richard Polanco (D-Los Angeles), and on Solis, who is supported by Supervisor Gloria Molina, Rep. Esteban Torres (D-Pico Rivera) and Assemblyman Xavier Becerra (D-Monterey Park).

The battle has produced intense competition for endorsements and a lot of door-to-door campaigning but few clear differences on issues. All the Democrats favor abortion rights for women, for example. And they’re all against “machine politics,” especially when the machine is working for their opponents.

Chavez, who was elected to the Bassett school board at the age of 23 and the La Puente City Council at 26, said he is facing the “East L.A. machine” of Supervisor Molina, whose political roots are in the east side of Los Angeles even though she represents part of the San Gabriel Valley.

“I think people look at it as bossism where an elected official from the East L.A. area comes into our valley and tells us how to run our area,” Chavez said.

But Solis, 34, said Chavez is in no position to complain about East L.A. machine politics when he took a $5,000 campaign contribution from Assemblyman Polanco, “one of the biggest East L.A. politicians I know of.”

Meanwhile, Fellow, 43, said he is being squeezed out of endorsements from political groups because of pressure applied by politicians on behalf of his rivals. “This to me is machine politics,” he said.

Fellow, who was elected to the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District board in 1990, is campaigning as an environmentalist, so it was a particular blow when the California League of Conservation Voters endorsed Solis. She also picked up support from the California Teachers Assn. even though the only Democrats who have taught in a classroom are Fellow and Chavez, and one of the Republican candidates has headed the CTA chapter at Pasadena City College for 10 years.

Both Chavez and Fellow say that Solis has alienated many Democrats in the district because she was planning to run against Tanner before the assemblywoman announced that she was retiring after 14 years in office. Fellow said that running against a well-liked incumbent from your own party is the “worst violation you can do.”

Chavez, who worked as Tanner’s field representative, uses every opportunity to let voters know that he has her support. “People love Sally Tanner,” he said. “I’m delighted to be associated with her.”

Meanwhile, Fellow said many volunteers who worked with him on past Tanner campaigns are supporting him now. “I’ve come forward because people have asked me to continue Sally’s legacy,” he said.

Fellow is bringing plenty of political expertise to the campaign. He has run campaigns himself and has hired five political consultants. He said his strategy is to “run it like a presidential race,” meeting people at bus stops and going into coffee shops and shaking hands. When motorists were lined up bumper-to-bumper at the City of Industry post office on April 15 to file their tax returns, Fellow and his supporters were there to pass out campaign flyers.

Fellow said he is stressing his qualifications and record of community activities covering two decades. He said: “I don’t want to get haughty about it, but, geez, look at my background.”

Chavez said the criticism he has always faced is that he lacks experience. But, he said, that didn’t stop him from becoming president of the Bassett school board at the age of 24 or becoming the youngest council member in La Puente’s history, defeating “people who had been serving on the council longer than I have been alive.”

“Nothing has ever been easy,” he said. “I’ve always fought the odds.”

Chavez said Solis is appealing to voters as a Latina. “She thinks people are going to vote for her because of the color of her skin,” he said.

Solis replied: “That’s a blatant lie. I’m running to represent all the citizens in the district.”

The population of the 57th District is 63% Latino, but Latinos represent only 40% of the registered voters. Fellow, who is married to a Latina, said support among Latinos is split, and he does not expect the ethnic issue to dominate.

The Democratic race has been low-key, but the Republican race has been even quieter. Both candidates have declared their concern about over-regulation of business and the need for better job training for youth.

Stark, 29, who works in his family’s recycling business in El Monte, said: “Sacramento is a jungle. Bureaucrats don’t understand what it’s like to be in business. Regulations are strangling the life out of our free enterprise system.”

Stark said that even though he is a Republican, his chief political hero is President John F. Kennedy and he would emulate President Franklin D. Roosevelt in finding work for the unemployed. He favors spending more money on education and health.

“How can we dole out $10 billion to Russia, but on Garvey Avenue and Valley Boulevard, we can’t even feed or shelter the homeless people?” he asked.

Woods, 48, who has been on the Citrus College board for 10 years and works both as a private attorney and as a teacher at Pasadena City College, said: “There has been too much government entanglement with the affairs of business.”

He said he would deal with gang and drug problems by increasing opportunities for youth rather than passing laws or “being punitive.” He said more athletic and recreational activities are needed, along with training programs to provide employable skills.

In addition to the Republicans and Democrats, the Libertarian Party has a candidate who is unopposed in the 57th primary. He is Bruce Dovner, a college mathematics instructor.

57TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT CANDIDATES

The 57th Assembly District includes Azusa, Baldwin Park, El Monte, Irwindale and La Puente; the unincorporated communities of Avocado Heights, Bassett, Hacienda Heights

and Valinda, and portions of the City of Industry, West Covina and South El Monte. Here are brief biographies of the three Democrats and two Republicans in the June 2 primary.

THE DEMOCRATS

Edward L. Chavez

Born: Dec. 9, 1963

Residence: La Puente

Education: AA, Rio Hondo College; BA in public administration, UCLA; graduate work at Claremont Graduate School.

Career highlights: Taught at Pioneer High School in Whittier; became aide to Assemblywoman Sally Tanner (D-Baldwin Park) last year. Served on Bassett school board, 1987-91. Elected to La Puente City Council, 1990.

Personal: Wife, Renee, is a dental technician. Two sons.

Anthony Fellow

Born: July 23, 1948

Residence: El Monte

Education: BA, Cal State Los Angeles; master’s degree, Cal State Fullerton; Ph.D and MA in communications, USC.

Career highlights: Was assistant city editor, political editor and columnist at the San Gabriel Valley Tribune in the 1970s; currently associate professor of communications at Cal State Fullerton; elected to Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District board, 1990.

Personal: Wife, Clara Potes-Fellow, is public affairs officer with Los Angeles County Transportation Commission.

Hilda L. Solis

Born: Oct. 20, 1957

Residence: El Monte

Education: BA, Cal Poly Pomona; master’s degree in public administration, USC.

Career highlights: Rio Hondo College board member since 1985; director of California Student Opportunity and Access Program, a state-funded program to help high school students find careers, since 1982.

Personal: Husband, Sam, owns auto repair center in Irwindale.

THE REPUBLICANS

Michael K. Stark

Born: Dec. 4, 1962

Residence: El Monte

Education: BA, Claremont McKenna College; master’s degree, London School of Economics.

Career highlights: Vice president of El Monte Iron and Metal, a recycling company founded by his great-grandfather 65 years ago. Director of the Southwestern chapter of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries.

Personal: Single

Gary Woods

Born: Dec. 29, 1943

Residence: Azusa

Education: BS, accounting, USC; master’s degree in education, USC; JD, Southwestern Law School.

Career highlights: Taught at Los Angeles high schools before joining faculty at Pasadena City College in 1976. Opened law practice in 1980. Elected to three terms on Citrus College board starting in 1982.

Personal: Separated