Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : McKeon Tells Class of 1st-Year Experiences

Rep. Howard (Buck) McKeon’s visit to a high-school government class Wednesday began with a political opponent’s campaign sign, but ended with a round of applause.

McKeon, (R-Santa Clarita), spoke of his first year in office to about 30 William S. Hart High School government class seniors.

“You know a whole lot more about government now than I did a year ago,” said McKeon, who admitted that he took no political science classes in high school because he didn’t think he would ever run for public office.

A former Santa Clarita mayor and a trustee on the William S. Hart Union High School Board of Education from 1979 to 1987, McKeon almost immediately noticed a John Lynch campaign placard propped in a front corner of the classroom.

“The first thing I’m going to do is get you a McKeon sign,” said McKeon, who defeated Lynch, former Los Angeles County tax assessor, in the Republican primary.

The sign appeared to be the only unexpected moment for McKeon, who talked for an hour about the process of trying to get a bill through Congress and the frustrations of being a Republican in a Democrat-dominated federal government.

“When I went back to Washington, I wasn’t partisan,” said McKeon. “I now see the Democrats have controlled the House of Representatives for 40 years. That’s too long for either party.”

Students asked about the impact of lobbyists on his decisions, why he switched positions on the North American Free Trade Agreement and what his future political aspirations may be.

“Lobbyists are a very good source of information,” McKeon said. “A congressman needs to be an expert on about 235 items each day. Typically a lobbyist is an expert about one issue.”

McKeon said his eventual support for NAFTA came from his belief that it will help businesses.

He said he was impressed by the caliber of the students’ questions and appreciated their quiet and respectful manner.

“We have town hall meetings later this week,” McKeon said. “I wish they would go like this.”