A Practical Education in Pure Politics

Pure, practical politics is what inspired Gov. Pete Wilson to nominate state Sen. Marian Bergeson to be California’s new schools superintendent. But the governor in good conscience could stand up and legitimately justify his selection on the grounds that she is qualified.

Now, for practical politics of their own, Assembly Democrats would dearly love to deny her legislative confirmation. And they also need to find a legitimate justification for their action, a rationale that is believable and more credible than simply: “She’s a Republican.”

As Wilson pointed out in nominating Bergeson last week: “I don’t think many would want to go home saying the reason for not supporting (her) is partisanship.”

The governor and the Legislature are heading into a bruising battle of confirmation politics and nobody knows what to expect. Is Wilson willing to deal? How adamantly opposed to Bergeson is Assembly Speaker Willie Brown?

One thing seems certain, however: The 67-year-old grandmother from Newport Beach--a career educator and politician--will be battered about in the Assembly as Democrats train for a 1994 election campaign against her should she win confirmation. And despite all the high-minded rhetoric from both sides, schoolchildren really are of only secondary consideration to the decision-makers in this high-stakes political brawl.

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When then-Supt. of Public Instruction Bill Honig was convicted of conflict of interest, Wilson began with a short list of three potential replacements. He later expanded it but returned to the original trio: Bergeson; Maureen DiMarco, his education secretary, and Sen. Becky Morgan (R-Los Altos), a former teacher and school board member who had been planning to run for the office in 1994.

Wilson eliminated DiMarco first, telling her she was too valuable in her present job. But more practically, she had never run for a major office and her legislative support was nil.

When Wilson finally got around to telephoning Morgan to tell her she had lost out--nearly a full day after it had become common knowledge--the governor reportedly explained that he had chosen Bergeson for purely political reasons.

Bergeson’s Senate seat would be easy to fill with another Republican because the district is heavily GOP, the governor noted. Morgan’s district tilts Democratic. Also, Wilson said, Democrats had informed him that Bergeson would be easier to confirm for the Machiavellian reason that she is considered less of a 1994 campaign threat than Morgan.

Some Wilson aides say the governor may have been blowing smoke. Bergeson ran a good race for lieutenant governor in 1990 before losing to incumbent Leo T. McCarthy. And she has more legislative friends than Morgan, having served in both houses.

Another political factor is that the governor’s choice of Bergeson, a conservative who opposes abortion, is undoubtedly more pleasing to the GOP right, whose solid support he needs in an uphill reelection race. Morgan is an independent-minded moderate who strongly supports abortion rights.

But Wilson reportedly told Morgan that he wants her to run with him on the GOP ticket for lieutenant governor--a sign that he is anticipating a tough challenge from state Treasurer Kathleen Brown and is seeking gender balance. Morgan, 54, responded that she wasn’t particularly interested in that job and to change her mind would require a hard sell.

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The practical politics guiding Democrats is that two of their own--Assemblywoman Delaine Eastin of Fremont and Sen. Gary K. Hart of Santa Barbara--plan to run for the schools job and don’t want to compete against an incumbent.

The battle will begin in the Assembly. The Senate doesn’t want to alienate a colleague if the Assembly is going to dump her anyway. One house can scuttle the nomination.

Wilson and Bergeson will be lobbying for the votes of Assembly Democrats from vulnerable districts, especially women. She would be the first woman superintendent.

The Speaker privately has said he considers it his duty to “protect” Eastin. Publicly, Brown says he will not vote for a Republican, especially Bergeson. He notes that she opposed state divestiture of companies doing business with South Africa--and him when he first was elected Speaker.

But Brown also complains about Bergeson siding with Wilson on school funding cuts and once advocating a limited voucher system for private schools, although she now opposes a 1994 voucher initiative. And these are the types of issues Democrats must concretely develop if their actions are to seem like anything but pure politics.