Democratic Committee Faces Tradition of Struggle

Hank Starr had never considered running for public office.

So when Democratic Party officials called the 60-year-old attorney from Bell Canyon in 1992 to ask if he would challenge then-Assemblywoman Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley) for a state Senate seat, he knew exactly what to say.

“I said, ‘You’re crazy, hell no,’ ” Starr recalled. “And then, I heard this little voice that said, ‘Jesus Christ, Hank, how often does an opportunity to really make a difference arise?’ ”

Starr, a political novice, jumped in the race and was promptly beaten by Wright, a fierce campaigner and veteran politician backed by hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions.

But Starr, who spent more than $35,000 of his own money in the race, was determined to make a difference. He later was elected chairman of the 22-member Ventura County Democratic Central Committee, whose purpose is to raise money, register voters, groom potential candidates and build the party organization.

“What I sought to bring was complete organization and professionalism to the Democratic Party,” he said. “What I accomplished was far more modest.”

Indeed, it has not been an easy job.

The Democratic Central Committee has never been able to raise much money in Ventura County. As of Dec. 31, it reported a meager $431 in its campaign treasury, compared with the more than $10,000 claimed by the Republican Central Committee. And unlike the Republicans, the Democratic Central Committee does not have its own office, sharing space instead with a Democratic club based in Ventura.

“To say one is a Democrat is to say one doesn’t have money to give to the political party. Republicans will put on a $100-a-plate dinner and collect thousands. We’ll put on a $7.50 barbecue and pay for the food.”

Another problem has been finding viable Democratic candidates to challenge Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley), Assemblyman Nao Takasugi (R-Oxnard) and Assemblywoman Paula L. Boland (R-Granada Hills) in the November general election.

Gallegly, whose 23rd Congressional District covers most of Ventura County, has amassed more than $120,000 for his reelection campaign, while his two potential Democratic challengers acknowledge that they have yet to raise the $1,336 filing fee to qualify for the ballot.

Starr and other Democratic Central Committee members said they know little about the two Democrats who have taken out nomination papers. They are Frank Stephenson, 53, a college placement consultant from Ojai, and Kevin Ready, 41, a Ventura resident and attorney for Santa Barbara County.

Takasugi said he believes that the Democratic Party recruited Dorothy Maron, his former nemesis on the Oxnard City Council, to run against him in an act of desperation.

“They just didn’t want me to run uncontested, so they probably went after her, and she begrudgingly accepted,” said Takasugi, who already has $50,000 in his campaign war chest.

Starr and Maron both said that was not the case.

“That’s always been the case,” Starr said. “She was not recruited,” Starr said. “She set out to run, and we encouraged her. She’s a viable candidate. She’s articulate and she’s experienced.”

Starr acknowledged that Maron will not have much money for the race, “but then Democrats have never outspent Republicans. The only thing we have more of is shoe leather and ideals.”

Don Cannon, a longtime Central Committee member, said it is very important that the Democratic Party not let congressional and legislative races go uncontested.

“If Takasugi runs uncontested, it means he’ll give his money to somebody else,” Cannon said. “This way, he’ll have to spend $100,000 on his own race. It keeps the money at home, instead of helping other Republican candidates.”

Starr said the Democratic Central Committee could be much stronger in Ventura County if local Democratic legislators worked more closely with the committee.

“Some of the professional legislators are deeply concerned that Republicans don’t get a free ride this year, because they will use their money to help others get elected,” Starr said. “Perhaps some of those legislators should have been down here a long time ago supporting the party so we could have strong candidates.”

Assemblyman Jack O’Connell (D-Carpinteria), who is running for the 18th State Senate District seat being vacated by Gary Hart (D-Santa Barbara), acknowledged that he has had little contact with the Central Committee leadership.

“We don’t work as closely as we probably should,” said O’Connell, whose 35th Assembly District includes portions of western Ventura County. “I can’t even tell you the last time I spoke to their group.”

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O’Connell said he has a strong campaign organization and therefore has few ties to the committee.

“I’m a little more independent,” he said. “I think the Central Committee is really for helping people get started, but sooner or later, you have to send the kid off to college. And then it’s ‘See you, dude.’ ”

Besides, O’Connell added, “it’s the Central Committee’s role to develop and recruit good candidates, not mine.”

Cannon agreed that the role of central committees, whether Republican or Democrat, is essentially a weak one because many campaign contributors would rather give directly to a candidate than to a political party.

Still, there are signs that the Democratic Party in Ventura County is maturing, as Starr puts it.

In the last 18 months, two new Democratic clubs have been established, in Camarillo and Ventura, and a third will soon be operating in Simi Valley, bringing to six the number of community-based clubs.

“I think the future looks very good,” said Paul Chapman, another committee member and chairman of the countywide club Democrats United.

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Chapman said that under Starr’s leadership, the committee has become more focused and united.

Starr said the role of central committees will be much greater in the future because of term limits, which he said will encourage more grass-roots politics. When that happens, he said, candidates will turn to local party organizations for help.

In the meantime, Starr himself said he has no plans to run for public office again.

“Remember, I’m a Democrat,” he said. “I’ve only got so much money.”