COLUMN LEFT/ BILL PRESS : Shame, Shame on the 2-Faced State GOP : Riordan’s friends, once fighters for the right to endorse in nonpartisan contests, get a court to muzzle Democrats for Woo.

On Tuesday, in Sacramento, in a case brought before him by the California Republican Party, Superior Court Judge Joseph S. Gray enjoined the California Democratic Party from spending campaign funds to help elect Michael Woo mayor of Los Angeles.

This is justice? Quasi-religious groups can help Dick Riordan, but the Democratic Party can’t give Mike Woo a hand?

Judge Gray’s ruling affirms the section of the state Constitution that prohibits political parties from endorsing in non-partisan races. But the decision is a sad endorsement of a hypocritical, purely partisan strategy by the state Republican Party to muzzle free speech and discourage voter turnout in the Los Angeles race.

Until now, Democrats and Republicans have joined forces to have this provision overturned as a restriction of fundamental constitutional rights. Since 1986, both parties have endorsed in nonpartisan races. In March, 1992, California’s Republican attorney general, Dan Lungren, even announced that his office would not enforce the law. And with good reason.

In a 1984 court case challenging their involvement in the campaign to unseat then-Chief Justice Rose Bird, California Republican Chairman Tirso del Junco argued that prohibiting a qualified political party from officially endorsing or opposing a candidate in a nonpartisan election “violates the constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech and freedom of association, and denies political parties equal protection under the law.”

Isn’t it ironic? The state chairman who argued so forcefully for freedom of speech in 1984 is the same chairman who is now trying to squelch freedom of speech in 1993.

Who says there’s no difference between the two major parties?

The difference is clear. The Democratic Party stands for freedom of speech, period. The Republican Party stands for freedom of speech, but only when it suits their purpose.

Isn’t it further ironic? The state chairman who is now trying to prevent the Democratic Party from helping Mike Woo is the same state chairman--joined by Pete Wilson, Ronald Reagan and Jack Kemp--who signed a letter to Republican voters asking them to vote for Richard Riordan in the April primary.

What made Tirso del Junco change his spots?

Two things: Dick Riordan’s money and the fear of a large turnout in Tuesday’s election.

Republicans know that Riordan gave Wilson $40,000 in 1990. Republicans know that Riordan gave $500,000 to the campaign against Rose Bird. Republicans know that Riordan gave $10,000 in 1991 to overturn Roe vs. Wade. Republicans know--or at least hope--that Riordan will be there, with his fat checkbook, to support every right-wing cause and candidate.

And Republicans know that a large voter turnout on Tuesday, in this 2-to-1 Democratic city, will ensure the election of Mike Woo. So the Republican Party is opposing the Democratic Party’s involvement in the mayor’s race for the same cynical reason they opposed the “motor-voter” bill in Congress: to confuse or dissuade people from going to the polls.

But Republicans must also know that they are only hurting themselves as well. For this action, if ultimately successful, will prevent both parties from doing what they do best: informing citizens, educating citizens, encouraging citizens to register and vote. As political science professor Edmond Costantini of UC Davis has written:

“Forbidding party position-taking with respect to nonpartisan elections inevitably removes from the political playing field organizations that are uniquely well-situated to generate broad public interest in those elections and to enhance--through organizational effort--voter turnout among the citizenry. In these days of depressing low turnout in American elections, citizen participation through voting is not an insignificant value to nourish.”

In this race, of course, Republicans don’t have to worry about mounting a get-out-the-vote campaign. They have a Republican candidate who has spent $6 million or more of his own money.

Pity the poor Republicans next time they don’t have a multimillionaire for a candidate. They’ll try to put together a field organization, only to discover that they’ve shot themselves in the foot.

But who’s looking ahead? For the moment, Republicans have a mayor’s race they’re desperate to win, so desperate that they’re even willing to sacrifice freedom of speech and voter participation to win it. This is partisan politics at its worst.