Three for State Assembly

Times policy is to endorse selectively--not in every race. Here are recommendations in three state Assembly races:

NAO TAKASUGI (37th Assembly District): This redrawn and GOP-leaning district includes Moorpark, Camarillo, Oxnard, Port Hueneme and most of Thousand Oaks. The race for this open seat is between Nao Takasugi, mayor of Oxnard since 1982, and Democrat Roz McGrath, a political novice who is a teacher and business manager.

Takasugi, in public life for 16 years, is a moderate Republican known as a consensus builder. If elected, he will be the first Asian-American in the Legislature since 1978. We hope he is.

BARBARA FRIEDMAN (40th Assembly District): This solidly Democratic San Fernando Valley district should send one-term incumbent Barbara Friedman back to Sacramento for another term. As a freshman, Friedman, a Democrat, has been an advocate for women’s health, ethics in government and children caught in the state’s foster care and court system. She has also supported workers’ compensation reform and abortion rights.

Her Republican opponent is Sherman Oaks businessman and bandleader Horace Heidt. Heidt opposes stricter gun control measures and abortion rights and is not as well informed on the state’s pressing issues as Friedman. We prefer Friedman.

DEBRA BOWEN (53rd Assembly District): For this open seat, moderate Democrat Debra Bowen faces Brad Parton, a conservative Republican. Bowen is a business lawyer with much environmental experience; Parton is mayor of Redondo Beach.

The race in this district, which includes a tiny finger of West Los Angeles and most of the South Bay, has become one of this season’s nastiest. Since his primary win, Parton has portrayed himself as a moderate on issues such as abortion and religious tolerance, although in the past he has supported abortion restrictions and the teaching of creationism. This seeming contradiction raises questions about how he would vote if elected. Bowen supports abortion rights.

Although this has been a dreary campaign marked by personal attacks, Bowen has managed to convey good ideas about how to reignite California’s economy, and she is much the better choice.