New Look on the Political Scene: Candidates Who Can Read and Write

Don’t look now, but San Diego politics is taking a literary bent.

We used to be lucky if a candidate could be found who read books. Now we have some who actually write them.

Whether this is good or not for the commonweal is open to debate, but I thought you should be informed.

First comes Bruce Henderson, late of the San Diego City Council and now a candidate for city attorney. On the council he was known for his stunts and props (who can forget his inflatable shark?) and his thumb-in-your-eye rhetoric.

At his leisure these last few months since being expelled by the voters, Henderson is writing a book, “Our Future, Our Choice,” about the decline of American cities.

He provided some prose for this month’s edition of San Diego Writers Monthly, an essay titled “Why Conservatives Can’t Just Say No.” A sampler:

“The reality of the daily bump and grind of politics is the creation of new programs purporting to solve some groups latest, pressing problem.”

Also in book-writing mode is Leighton Worthey, the 18-year-old who signed up to run for mayor and then thought better of it. He promises to release his self-published tome, “Everybody Should Run For Mayor Once,” as soon as the polls close June 2.

“I’m not really blowing the lid off anything,” Worthey said. “All I’m mad at is (candidate-magician) Loch David Crane and KGB-radio.”

The king of the book writers, of course, is Peter Navarro, the economics professor who would be mayor.

He held a book signing/campaign event recently at Bookstar in Point Loma for his “The Policy Game: How Special Interests And Ideologues Are Stealing America.” He even got his name on the marquee.

Novelist-playwright John Leone, a write-in hopeful for the Democratic nomination for Congress from North County, is writing a piece for the Washington Post on his upstart candidacy. He may write some local stuff, too.

He’s decided that the written word--not the sound bite--is the most dignified way to the voters’ hearts and minds.

“Television is more interested in transvestites than congressional candidates,” he says.

Anxiety, Politics, Questions . . .

It says here.

* It’s high anxiety time at KFMB radio and television. This may be the week when it’s revealed who gets the ax in the latest budget cuts.

The cuts have already caused some changes.

Take the public service announcement that, under federal regulations, the station must run to advertise its own job openings.

The TV spot has been edited to eliminate shots of three employees. The three have already been laid off.

* Helene Roberts (San Diego State ‘65) has written a letter to her Chi Omega sorority sisters on behalf of her husband’s mayoral campaign: “As a sister in Chi O, I know you share Ron’s commitment . . . .”

* The question-man column in the (Oceanside) Blade-Citizen asked people about the presidential chances of H. Ross Perot. Quoth a Del Mar resident:

“Who? I don’t know. Does he surf?”

* San Diego bumper sticker: “We’re All Aliens.”

. . . and a Spy, an Ex-Madam and Beer

Back into the future.

* Elwin Law of La Jolla is set to address a national convention in Washington, D.C., of micro-brewery operators. Should be a receptive group.

Law’s the author of “The Beer Drinker’s Dream Diet.”

* Ex-Rolodex Madam Karen Wilkening speaks Wednesday to a dinner meeting of the local branch of the California Assn. of Licensed Investigators.

For the raffle she’s donating a hand-painted and signed Rolodex (with blank pages).

* Morris Pollard, father of convicted spy Jonathan Pollard, talks Friday to the United Jewish Federation Downtown Breakfast Club about what he believes is the unfairness of his son’s life sentence for slipping military secrets to Israel.

* President Bush is said to be interested in being in attendance when Highway 56 is renamed for Ted Williams. The ceremony is tentatively set for July 14, same day as the All-Star game at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

* Among the segments on TV’s “Rescue 911” a week from Tuesday: Efforts by an off-duty San Diego County sheriff’s deputy to save a pregnant doe struck by a car.