LOCAL ELECTIONS / 46TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT : Saavedra-Caldera Race Likely to Test Molina’s Clout

A lively contest between two Latino Democrats in a newly realigned Assembly district on Tuesday may be the clearest test yet of Supervisor Gloria Molina’s growing status as a powerbroker in the Latino community.

Fighting for the Democratic nomination in the 46th Assembly District are Berta (Bert) Saavedra, a top aide to Assemblywoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, and West Point and Harvard-educated Louis Caldera, who is on leave from his job as a deputy county counsel.

With Democrats holding a 64%-to-35% edge in registration, the winner of the Saavedra-Caldera showdown is expected to have the inside track against Republican David M. Osborne in November. Osborne is running unopposed in the GOP primary.

Molina has endorsed Saavedra, 49. Caldera, 37, has been endorsed by Assemblyman Richard Polanco (D-Los Angeles), as well as the man whom Molina defeated in the bitter race in 1991 for county supervisor, state Sen. Art Torres (D-Los Angeles).

Saavedra is proud of Molina’s endorsement, which Caldera admitted he also sought.

But Caldera, who also has the support of former Democratic Assemblyman Mike Roos, discounts the importance of Molina’s endorsement, saying: “I’m not running with a lot of endorsements. I frankly think endorsements don’t get you that much.”

Recently, Caldera has tried to turn the endorsement to his advantage by talking up his candidacy as a fresh voice that isn’t tied to the “old politics” of Los Angeles’ Latino Establishment, a jab at Molina’s Latino powerbroker status.

That brought a rebuke from Saavedra: “If Gloria Molina is considered old politics, I think Mr. Caldera is outdated.”

The scramble for the seat began after Roybal-Allard, who won election to the Assembly in 1987 from the 56th District, opted to leave the state Legislature and run for Congress. Under reapportionment, parts of her Assembly district--Boyle Heights and a portion of East Los Angeles--were meshed with some parts of the old 46th District, including Pico-Union, Koreatown and a portion of the Mid-Wilshire corridor.

The new 46th Assembly District retains a key characteristic of Roybal-Allard’s old district: It is tailor-made for Latino representation. Latinos make up about 70% of the district’s population but a substantial portion of them are ineligible to vote, evidenced by the fact that they make up less than 35% of the district’s 47,000 registered voters.

It is largely a district of poor and working-class residents, many of them recent arrivals to the U.S. The district’s western portion, particularly Pico-Union and Koreatown, suffered substantial destruction in the riots that followed the not guilty verdicts returned in the Rodney G. King case.

Saavedra and Caldera said they have worked hard to attract votes in the affected areas. “I’m no fish out of water,” Saavedra said. “People at 4th and Rampart want to feel secure in their homes. I personally think there’s a challenge in building a bridge that ordinarily wouldn’t be built.”

“The response in those areas has been tremendous,” Caldera said. “One of my messages has been a strong law enforcement one that is very appropriate at this time.”

The two have traveled different roads to get to this tough election.

Saavedra, born in East Los Angeles, has been involved in community affairs since the 1970s, when she was active in the United Farm Workers union fight over the use of pesticides. Over the years, she has worked on census projects for the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) and voter registration for the Texas-based Southwest Voter Registration and Education Project.

The mother of three grown children, Saavedra, who does not have a college degree, is on leave from Roybal-Allard’s staff during her bid for the 46th District seat.

Born in El Paso, Tex., and reared in East Los Angeles, Caldera graduated from West Point and served in the Army, leaving active duty as a captain. He earned a law degree from Harvard Law School and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He worked for two Los Angeles law firms before joining the county counsel’s office, representing Los Angeles County in state and federal court cases.

Caldera, whose wife, Eva, also is a lawyer, has been a volunteer with the Mexican American Bar Assn. and the United Way.

Both candidates seem to agree on most issues, favoring increased and better law enforcement in the district, better education opportunities and the creation of more jobs.

What they don’t agree on is who is best qualified to serve the 46th District.

“I’m a working-class mother,” Saavedra said. “I’m not ashamed of anything I’ve done. I have the skills to negotiate, to mediate. I’m proud of that.”

“I’m a more conservative candidate,” Caldera said. “I can create jobs. People like Roybal-Allard and Saavedra, their answer is to throw money at social programs. It’s time for my generation to weigh in.”

Assembly District 46 Overview: A lively contest between two Latino Democrats, Berta (Bert) Saavedra and Louis Caldera, is shaping into what may be a clear-cut test of Supervisor Gloria Molina’s growing status as a political powerbroker in the Latino community. Where: Under reapportionment, parts of the old 56th Assembly District-Boyle Heights and a portion of East Los Angeles-were meshed with some parts of the old 46th District, including Pico-Union, Koreatown and a portion of the Mid-Wilshire corridor.

Demographics Anglo Latino Black Asian 9% 70% 7% 14%

Party Registration Demo GOP Others 65% 23% 12%

Candidates: Democrat Louis Caldera, Deputy county counsel Berta (Bert) Saavedra: Legislator’s chief deputy Republican David M. Osborne, Execuetive assistant