Martinez Is Easy Winner for Assembly : Legislature: Democrat defeats Chu in 49th District. In 57th District, Gallegos wins; Solis takes 24th District Senate race.

Assemblywoman Diane Martinez (D-Monterey Park) handily defeated well-financed Monterey Park Mayor Judy Chu in the Democratic primary for the 49th District.

Martinez, who declined to comment after her victory, sought to neutralize Chu’s scathing attacks on her performance in office by cultivating an image as a political maverick who kept true to her ideals while irritating Capitol insiders.

Chu attempted to portray Martinez as an ineffective legislator and used an aggressive mail campaign and a small army of volunteers to try to unseat the first-term assemblywoman.

As the centerpiece of her attack, Chu publicized a recent survey by the California Journal, a magazine on state politics, that rated Martinez as an ineffective legislator.

Martinez’s reputation received a boost last week when the Assembly approved her bill to allow Caltrans to continue the Long Beach (710) Freeway through South Pasadena without the usual agreement of the city, which has long fought the extension.

Officials and residents of Alhambra, which is in the 49th District, and other constituents strongly support the extension.

Reacting to the primary loss, Chu said: “It’s an uphill battle against incumbents.”

Political experts agreed, saying that although Martinez may not be considered a legislative star, she has done nothing egregious to warrant expulsion by voters. They also said ethnic politics played a key role in the victory.

Because of its sizable Asian population, the 49th District is considered one of the best for Asian candidates. In Monterey Park, for example, people of Asian descent make up 53% of the population.

But districtwide, Latinos are about 55% of the population, whereas Asians make up 29%, according to census data. The 49th District includes parts of Monterey Park, Alhambra, San Gabriel, Rosemead, Temple City, El Monte, Los Angeles and unincorporated East Los Angeles.

Both candidates downplayed the role of ethnicity in the race, but it was difficult to ignore.

A large chunk of Chu’s campaign contributions, for example, came from Asian-surnamed donors, according to campaign disclosure statements. Had she won, Chu would have become the first Chinese American in the Assembly since March Fong Eu, now U.S. ambassador to Micronesia, left the Legislature in 1974.

Chu quickly jumped to a sizable lead in fund raising. But Martinez, with the support of the Assembly’s Democratic leadership, was able to close the gap in the final weeks of the campaign with donations as large as $20,000, according to campaign disclosure statements.

Exact figures on spending in the race will not be known until the candidates submit financial disclosure statements this summer.

Martinez is virtually guaranteed victory in November because Democrats outnumber Republicans in the 49th District by more than 2-1.

In the Assembly’s 57th District, chiropractor and Baldwin Park Councilman Martin Gallegos narrowly defeated college professor Tony Fellow in their Democratic primary.

The district includes all or part of Azusa, Baldwin Park, El Monte, Glendora, Industry, Irwindale, La Puente, South El Monte, West Covina and the county area of Bassett, Hacienda Heights and Valinda.

Gallegos received some key endorsements, including those of the state Democratic Party and two area congressmen and state senators. He also received thousands of dollars in contributions from other chiropractors.

Fellow had the support of former Assemblywoman Sally Tanner and the California Orthopedic Assn., a group of orthopedic surgeons who donated $45,000 in the final weeks of the campaign to keep a chiropractor from winning the primary.

Gallegos is expected to win in November. The 57th District has nearly twice as many Democrats as Republicans.

Assemblywoman Hilda Solis (D-El Monte) did not seek reelection in the 57th District so that she could run for the state Senate’s 24th District seat.

Solis easily beat former Azusa Mayor Eugene F. Moses in the Democratic primary in the District, which includes all or part of Alhambra, Arcadia, Azusa, Baldwin Park, El Monte, Hacienda Heights, Industry, Irwindale, La Puente, Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Gabriel, West Covina and La Habra.

Moses tried to make an issue out of a pending pay raise for legislators. The raise, due Jan. 1, will boost their annual salaries by $19,500, to $72,000.

Some legislators said they will decline to accept the raise in light of the state’s financial problems, but Solis said she is still considering the issue.

Solis benefited from the endorsements of Latino political heavyweights such as Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina. She also was able to raise about twice as much money as Moses.

The assemblywoman is expected to win the seat in November. Democrats account for 58% of the registered voters in the 24th District, compared with 29% for Republicans.

Times correspondent Deborah Sullivan contributed to this story.