A County Revolution in the Making

With the presidency at stake, it’s easy to overlook the elections for Los Angeles County supervisor.

This is one of the pitfalls of running for supervisor in a presidential election year. It’s particularly true in this year of economic decline, a situation particularly bad in L.A., which has been hit by severe layoffs and is still suffering from the riots.

What most voters don’t realize is that we’re having one of the most important elections in county history. We’ve got a county revolution on our hands.

The election of Supervisor Gloria Molina last year touched it off. Then county Administrative Officer Richard Dixon announced his resignation after many attacks by Molina and newspaper disclosures of county wastefulness. Longtime Dixon supporter Deane Dana turned on him, trying to survive his own strong challenge from transit board member Gordana Swanson in the 4th District along the coastline.

Also, the board’s senior member, Kenny Hahn, announced his retirement. All this adds up to the greatest change in county government since 1980, when Dana and other conservatives took over the board.

I caught up with the supervisorial revolution Saturday when I accompanied Yvonne Brathwaite Burke on a day of campaigning through Compton, Carson and the Fairfax district of Los Angeles.

Burke is running against state Sen. Diane Watson, whom I’ll spend time with after she’s done with the state budget crisis. The two are battling to represent Hahn’s 2nd District, which reaches from southeast Los Angeles County to West L.A.

Burke and Watson, both African-Americans and both from working-class South-Central L.A. families, graduated from UCLA and went on to successful careers. Burke, an attorney, served in the Legislature, Congress and on the Board of Supervisors. Watson, a former teacher, school psychologist and Cal State L.A. professor, was a member of the Los Angeles school board and the state Senate. Both are liberal Democrats.

Despite these similarities, the two are not much alike.

Watson charges through life wearing bold colors, never backing away from confrontation. She’s always ready to grab the microphone and dominate a political fight.

Burke dresses with understated elegance. She has a warm, friendly smile, an accommodating manner and is comfortable visiting the old neighborhood or attending a meeting of that stuffiest of all state agencies, the University of California Board of Regents. “I’m not a personality person,” she said. “But I am known . . . for doing very specific things.” One of those things she mentions in campaign speeches is her insistence when she was in the House that North American Rockwell use minority subcontractors.

The battle is intense.

Watson sees herself as a genuine part of the South L.A. community and Burke as a carpetbagger.

Thus Watson has criticized her opponent for living in Brentwood before moving into the district before the election campaign began. “I have never left the district,” said Watson. “She has lived a very affluent lifestyle away from the district. I have not seen her get out into the trenches and really make a difference.”

Burke sees herself as someone who can get things done and Watson as just a street fighter. “I was known for being a very involved legislator, where she’s not known in the Legislature for being particularly involved in a legislative program or leadership in the Legislature,” she said. “Some people call that ‘style,’ but I think it goes to the very basics of how people operate.”

That was her theme at a breakfast for about 20 African-Americans at Lee’s Chop Suey restaurant in Compton, where the Asian owners serve food either lightly stir fried, or Southern style with greens and grits.

The electoral arithmetic in heavily black Compton is slightly against Burke. Watson capitalized on her high visibility during and after the riots and outpolled Burke in the primary, 5,924 to 4,425. Watson also won Los Angeles neighborhoods with large black populations.

Burke has a better shot in more racially mixed places such as Carson, a city of Asians, whites, blacks and Latinos. Burke edged Watson there 5,382 to 5,330. She hopes to increase her margin with the support of local pol Pete Fajardo, a Filipino-American just elected to the City Council in a display of Asian-Pacific political strength.

About 75 Filipino-Americans attending the Filipino American Alliance picnic seemed to like her non-confrontational approach. “We need someone who isn’t just going to move you emotionally,” said Tony Ricasa, who managed Fajardo’s campaign. “We are educated voters who want someone who will represent all of us.”