State’s Lawmakers Split on NAFTA in Unusual Ways

Often accused of internal squabbling, the California congressional delegation is deeply divided over President Clinton’s North American Free Trade Agreement. But this time the differences of opinion can hardly be blamed on shortsighted partisan politics or regional spats.

Reflecting the unpredictable, sometimes bizarre alliances the NAFTA debate has spawned nationwide, some California House members are staking out positions that are out of character. Others simply want to wait until the last minute to avoid taking political heat over the volatile issue.

With the House vote only a week away, 13 members of the delegation are still uncommitted. Nineteen say they favor the pact and 20 are vowing to vote against it, according to a telephone survey conducted over the last two days.

Some economic conservatives, whose backing would ordinarily be assumed, say they are deeply troubled by technical details; others say the agreement has been poorly negotiated. Some wavering Democrats, normally strong Clinton allies, have required intense White House lobbying to move them into the “yes” column. Even the terms conservative and liberal have lost meaning in the debate.

A top aide to one prominent Southern California Republican expressed amazement that Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) has agreed to support the pact but Rep. John T. Doolittle (R-Rocklin) has announced his opposition.

“It seems like it should be the other way around,” the aide said.

One factor affecting some decisions is Texas billionaire Ross Perot’s opposition to NAFTA. Perot’s political organization, United We Stand America, has enlisted allies in the House, including Doolittle.

For many California members, the agreement is intertwined with the red-hot issues of illegal immigration and a stagnant state economy.

Rep. Jay C. Kim (R-Diamond Bar), who was invited to the White House on Wednesday for some gentle persuasion, left the session undecided.

“Illegal immigration is a big issue, and the congressman sees NAFTA as a golden opportunity to address it. But he doesn’t think the treaty goes far enough,” aide Sandra Garner said.

Kim, along with other members, is urging Clinton to press Mexico into taking back Mexican prisoners who are in California jails, thus reducing the state’s costs of incarcerating them.

For others, the problems stem from specific economic issues. Rep. Richard Lehman (D-North Fork) remains concerned about how the agreement would protect wine and flat-glass producers in his Central Valley district.

“The way the treaty is written is very unfair and will translate all the way down the market, possibly forcing some wine producers to relocate in Chile.”

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-El Cajon), an ardent NAFTA opponent, said it “hits a particularly sensitive chord in California.”

“Many members think it will exacerbate illegal immigration in the short term,” Hunter said. “And, unlike . . . some parts of the country, we have seen the physical movement of plants and equipment to Mexico. That removes it from the academic area to the realm of real occurrences.”

Some vote counts show the White House to be 25 to 30 votes shy of the 218 needed for passage. Meanwhile, Hunter has announced that opponents rounded up 219 or 220 “hard” anti-NAFTA votes.

NAFTA supporters reject those numbers and hope that Clinton will eke out a narrow victory.

Rep. Bob Matsui (D-Sacramento), who has been hustling for NAFTA votes since early in the year, sees a silver lining in the persistent number of undecideds.

“They wouldn’t be where they are if they didn’t believe that NAFTA is the right thing to do,” Matsui said. “Some of them just need political cover or have minor problems with the side agreements.”

Even Hunter concedes that the Administration might win some last-minute converts. “My instinct tells me the President has the ability to buy a few votes.”

Lehman, who is undecided, applauded the “full-court press” the White House was applying.

“They really learned from their lesson from the tax bill,” he said. “It’s a real ‘networked’ approach, with business leaders, House members and Cabinet secretaries making their pitches.”

The last Los Angeles Times Poll on the subject, conducted in mid-October, indicated that 30% of Californians favored NAFTA, 33% opposed it, 7% were undecided and 30% had not formed an opinion.

California Delegation on NAFTA

The following listing shows where California House members stand on the ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement. It is based on a telephone survey of members’ offices conducted Tuesday and Wednesday. But given the volatility of the issue, members’ positions may change. The pact is expected to come to a vote next Wednesday.

FOR

Anthony C. Beilenson (D-Woodland Hills); Howard L. Berman (D-Panorama City); Ken Calvert (R-Riverside); Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach); Randy Cunningham (R-San Diego); Calvin Dooley (D-Visalia); Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove); David Dreier (R-San Dimas); Vic Fazio (D-West Sacramento); Steve Horn (R-Long Beach); Michael Huffington (R-Santa Barbara); Jerry Lewis (R-Redlands); Robert T. Matsui (D-Sacramento); Al McCandless (R-La Quinta); Ron Packard (R-Oceanside); Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco); Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach); Bill Thomas (R-Bakersfield); Esteban E. Torres (D-La Puente).

AGAINST

Gary A. Condit (D-Ceres); Ronald V. Dellums (D-Oakland); Julian C. Dixon (D-Los Angeles); John T. Doolittle (R-Rocklin); Don Edwards (D-San Jose); Sam Farr (D-Carmel); Bob Filner (D-San Diego); Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley); Dan Hamburg (D-Ukiah); Jane Harman (D-Marina Del Rey); Wally Herger (R-Marysville); Duncan Hunter (R-El Cajon); Tom Lantos (D-Burlingame); Matthew G. Martinez (D-Monterey Park); George Miller (D-Martinez); Ed Royce (R-Fullerton); Lynn Schenk (D-San Diego); Pete Stark (D-Oakland); Walter R. Tucker (D-Compton); Lynn Woolsey (D-Petaluma).

UNDECIDED

Bill Baker (R-Danville); Xavier Becerra (D-Los Angeles); George E. Brown Jr. (D-Colton); Anna Eshoo (D-Atherton); Jay C. Kim (R-Diamond Bar); Rick Lehman (D-North Fork); Howard P. McKeon (R-Santa Clarita); Norman Y. Mineta (D-San Jose); Carlos J. Moorhead (R-Glendale); Richard W. Pombo (R-Tracy); Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Los Angeles); Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles); Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles).