ELECTIONS / STATE SENATE DISTRICT 19 : Starr Faces a Tough Race Against Wright

Henry Phillip (Hank) Starr, a 60-year-old attorney from Bell Canyon, has kicked off his political career with an aggressive campaign against one of Ventura County’s feistiest political figures, a state lawmaker with a 12-year record of fending off tough opponents.

Starr, a Democrat, will square off Nov. 3 against Assemblywoman Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley) in the 19th State Senate District, which includes most of Ventura County and portions of the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys.

Wright is a fierce campaigner and a proven fund-raiser with wide name recognition, running in a district where Republicans hold the voter registration edge.

Earlier this year, Wright won a bruising three-way primary race to become the GOP candidate for the seat being vacated by retiring state Sen. Ed Davis (R-Santa Clarita.)

Starr has never run for office, is not well known and has a meager campaign treasury.

Nevertheless, he has earned the admiration of the region’s Democratic Party leaders for his assertive campaign style and his strong attacks on Wright’s political record.

He has called the assemblywoman “Ms. Gridlock” for her role in the state’s recent budget stalemate and “a woman against women” for her opposition to abortion and her other votes on issues relating to women.

“In the past you’ve seen Democratic candidates in Ventura County who were very passive,” said Jim Dantona, a Democratic consultant based in Simi Valley. “They just put their names on the ballot and sort of disappeared. This time, we’ve seen Hank Starr, Anita Perez Ferguson and Howard Cohen running very tough campaigns.”

Perez Ferguson is vying for the 23rd Congressional District seat, while Cohen is seeking election in the 38th Assembly District. Like Starr, they are each facing Republican incumbents.

Some polls indicate Perez Ferguson is running a close race against Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley). But political experts say Starr, who expects to spend about $100,000, will find it much tougher to catch up with Wright.

“It’s going to be very difficult for a Democrat to win that seat, there’s no doubt,” Dantona said.

Bob Larkin, a Simi Valley insurance agent who serves on the county’s Republican Central Committee, is even more blunt.

“I would give him about as much chance as an ice cube in hell because the registration is heavily Republican and conservative Republican,” Larkin said. “And Cathie is conservative.”

But some GOP leaders warn that Wright should not view the challenge too lightly.

“Who can say in this strange political year?” said Fillmore City Councilman Roger Campbell, who ran a low-budget GOP primary campaign for the state Senate nomination last spring. “This is such a topsy-turvy political year that I think no one has it in the bag.”

He added, “I see that people are more and more upset about the Sacramento politicians. I believe Cathie has got to overcome that. But I’m sure she can.”

In the primary, Wright won with just 38% of the vote. Her key opponent, former Assemblywoman Marian W. La Follette, who was endorsed by Davis, received 33.4%

Wright’s campaign cost more than $400,000. La Follette spent almost $200,000 of her own money on the race.

Campbell’s campaign cost only $19,000, yet he garnered 28.5% of the vote--a showing that surprised many poll-watchers.

GOP leaders are less concerned about Starr, however, because their party holds a registration lead in the district: 46% to the Democrats’ 40%. In addition, they say, the GOP traditionally has a heavier voter turnout.

Wright, 63, said she will probably spend about half as much this fall as she did during the primary, unless Starr suddenly receives much more funding than he has now.

She expressed confidence about winning the state Senate seat. “When you’ve been in office, you have to run on your record,” she said. “I think people want experience. I have experience.”

Wright, a native of Pennsylvania, moved to Simi Valley in 1965. In 1978, she was elected to the Simi Valley City Council. Two years later she won an Assembly seat. She has been reelected five times.

In Sacramento, she became the first woman to serve as vice chair of the powerful Assembly Committee on Ways and Means. She also serves on committees that oversee utilities, banking and environmental safety.

Wright’s future in the Legislature appeared cloudy three years ago when she was accused of using her political clout to help her daughter, Victoria, avoid penalties for more than two dozen traffic offenses.

At the same time, Wright’s alliance with Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, a Democrat who helped Wright in the traffic case, stirred anger among some of her Republican colleagues.

Nevertheless, voters returned Wright to office in 1990, and she has earned back the support of some GOP leaders.

Larkin, who took out papers to run against Wright two years ago and endorsed La Follette in June, said last week, “Cathie Wright has voted consistently to cut taxes and reduce government regulation. . . . So I can support her wholeheartedly against a Democrat.”

Even Davis, her longtime political foe, has endorsed her candidacy this fall.

Wright dismisses Starr’s attacks on her voting record.

Although she opposes abortion, she said it is a federal matter and should not be a campaign issue. Starr is an abortion rights advocate.

She acknowledged voting against a bill to remove tax breaks from private clubs that may discriminate against women and minorities. “I think any private club has the right to determine who their members should be,” Wright said.

She also defended her vote against a bill allowing women to collect damages for sexual harassment. “We have not yet determined what sexual harassment is,” Wright said. “There has to be some definition as to what we’re talking about over sexual harassment.”

The Assembly member denied that she is “a woman against women,” saying that she fights for women on economic matters, such as equal pay for the same work that men do.

Wright also disputed Starr’s assertion that her votes are influenced by corporations and political action committees that have contributed to her campaigns.

“If you raise $400,000, and someone gives you $5,000, does that mean you’re controlled by them?” Wright asked. “That’s ridiculous.”

Wright insists that her conservative views are in sync with the voters in her district. She said she has received few calls or letters complaining about her positions, even during the recent budget deadlock.

Starr, with little money to fuel his campaign, said he and his volunteers hope to erode Wright’s power base by walking precincts and meeting people in shopping centers. The district, however, includes more than 360,000 voters.

“That’s exactly my problem,” the candidate said. “How do I get people to know who Hank Starr is?”

Starr is a native of Los Angeles and a 1956 graduate of UCLA Law School. Before moving to Ventura County 10 years ago, he lived in Northridge and Granada Hills. He has been a board member on the chambers of commerce in Northridge and Encino.

Aware that he is the underdog, Starr said there are two scenarios that could lead to his victory over Wright.

“One is if the disaffection with the Republican Party is large enough that it affects the state races, as well as the national ones,” he said. “And No. 2 is if by personal contact and endorsements, the public gets the message about what each of us stands for.”