Roberti Tries to Rally Gun Control Backers’ Support

In a telegenic bid to call attention to his political plight, state Sen. David A. Roberti (D-Van Nuys) on Wednesday trotted out an AK-47 assault rifle and had it fired with devastating effect at four watermelons and a head of cabbage.

The purpose of the noisy media event was to underline Roberti’s contention that he is the target of a recall campaign engineered by groups angry that Roberti authored a 1989 law banning assault rifles in California and to rally gun control advocates--and their money--to his side.

In brief remarks at the Burbank Police Department shooting range, Roberti warned that if “assault weapon extremists” succeed in recalling him it will “trigger a nationwide movement” to recall other elected officials who back reasonable gun controls.

Recall leaders said Wednesday that although 2nd Amendment enthusiasts have played a significant role, the recall effort is driven primarily by good-government advocates who believe Roberti is a carpetbagger and liberal who is soft on crime.

“If we’re all gun nuts, how does Roberti explain people like Jan Miller (a victims rights advocate) and Ted Costa (head of a watchdog group founded by tax fighter Paul Gann) who are part of our coalition?” said recall leader Russ Howard.

Anticipating his opponents, who collected more than 20,000 signatures to force him into an April 12 recall election, Roberti on Wednesday also showcased endorsements by five statewide law enforcement groups of his “Beat the Recall” campaign.

Los Gatos Police Chief Larry Todd, president of the California Police Chiefs Assn., praised Roberti’s ban on military-style semiautomatic weapons and urged that Roberti’s political salvation be made a state and national issue.

Al Angele from the California Organization of Police and Sheriffs, the man who pulled the trigger in Wednesday’s shooting demonstration, called the estimated $900,000 cost of the recall election a ludicrous waste of tax money because term limits will force Roberti to leave his Senate seat in December anyway.

Roberti’s effort to turn the recall into a national cause celebre has had some success. Sarah Brady, perhaps the nation’s best-known advocate of gun control, will be the featured speaker at a $250-per-plate March 10 fund-raiser for Roberti at the Biltmore Hotel. Brady is the wife of former presidential press secretary James Brady, who was critically wounded in an assassination attempt against President Ronald Reagan.

In 1992, Roberti spent more than $2 million to win election to the 20th Senate District seat he now occupies, which at the time was foreign turf to the longtime Hollywood representative. Despite his huge expenditures, Roberti scored only 43% of the vote.

Now, going into the recall where he must get 50% plus one to win, Roberti is finding that political money is tight. “It’s tough raising money now,” said Roberti, who has filed to run in the June Democratic primary for both state treasurer and for a seat on the state Board of Equalization.

“There’s so much going on in California (in the way of political races) that it’s critical that David reach outside the state for money,” said political consultant Joe Cerrell.

Recent campaign finance reports show that the senator had campaign cash of about $260,000 as of Jan. 1, although Roberti said Wednesday that he has about $450,000 in the bank.

Cerrell believes Roberti’s fund raising is complicated by the fact that the senator is a lame duck who is not--as he was in 1992--the powerful head of the state Senate.

“He should’ve raised more money for himself when he was (Senate president) pro tem,” Cerrell said.