The Legislature Has a Way of Bringing People Together, Sigh

UNLIKELY ALLIANCES: History was made in the state Assembly this week, and we’re not just talking about Democratic leader Willie Brown’s deft rabbit-from-the-hat trick.

The far left reached out to embrace the far right, and while the result was not completely warm and fuzzy, it was at least a start.

Following her swearing-in, Assemblywoman Sheila Kuehl, a Democrat representing Encino and West L.A., sought out one David Knowles, a Republican assemblyman from the Sacramento region.

A staunch conservative, Knowles is known for his infamous 25-minute floor speech in 1991 describing sexual practices of homosexuals in graphic detail. Kuehl is the first openly gay representative to be elected to the Legislature.

Under the circumstances, wouldn’t Kuehl approach Knowles with some trepidation? Well, no. Not the gregarious Kuehl, a law professor who may be remembered as the teen actress who played Zelda on “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.” She wanted to give him a big hug, she said.

“He backed away and shook my hand. He appeared to be somewhat uncomfortable,” Kuehl said afterward. “But he was extremely cordial. He said, ‘I’m sure we’ll find a way to work together.’

“ ‘It’s interesting to me,’ ” Kuehl replied, “ ‘the rules of civility almost dictate that we work together, don’t they?’ ”

An even better story, Kuehl reports, was when she connected with Republican Assemblyman Bruce Thompson from Fallbrook, who approached her for help in arranging a get-together for new members.

“I said, ‘You bet! I’m great at social stuff.’ He said, ‘Incidentally, I’m the Mormon with eight children.’ ”

Says Kuehl: “Wow. When the Mormon with eight children and the lesbian get together to plan something, that is true bi-partisan work.”

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MORE UNLIKELY ALLIANCES: Also quite a distance apart on the political spectrum are San Fernando Valley Rep. Howard Berman and incoming House Speaker Newt Gingrich. But the two men found themselves in close quarters on a plane trip to Russia a couple of years back and their wives got to talking.

That marathon flight may be the reason Marianne Gingrich recently put politics aside and tapped Janice Berman as one of 10 members of a new GOP-sponsored Family Friendly Advisory Committee.

The group is designed to make the House of Representatives a more compatible place for the many fathers and mothers serving there. Committee members held a meeting by conference call this week and discussed fiddling with the hours Congress is in session and organizing events in Washington to include spouses and children.

“We’re trying to change the culture of the House of Representatives,” Janice Berman said. “It’s not really family-friendly--the hours, the unpredictability. They never give us a timetable, so you can’t plan anything.”

Making matters worse, more and more incoming lawmakers are opting to keep their families at home in the district and commute back and forth over the weekends. The House now meets Tuesdays through Thursdays but frequently holds last-minute sessions on days off, forcing out-of-town representatives to head back to Capitol Hill.

“I think the U.S. Congress has been behind some innovative American businesses in incorporating families,” Janice Berman said. “This is what good management is doing now.”

The committee, which will deliver its recommendations to the Speaker next week, is expected to propose ending Thursday sessions early enough so West Coast lawmakers can fly home that night, holding events for lawmakers’ families several times a year and scheduling vacations well ahead of time so families can make plans.

Some of the more drastic ideas never made the cut--such as Janice Berman’s proposal that lawmakers be allowed to vote on some items from their districts to reduce cross-country commuting.

Berman, a Democratic activist and former aide to Mayor Richard Riordan, says serving on a body organized by the Republican majority has made her a bit uncomfortable. But she says congressional families are congressional families, no matter on which side of the aisle the lawmaker may sit.

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GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: One person not present for the fireworks as the Republicans and Democrats duked it out over who would be elected Assembly Speaker was Pat Nolan, the former GOP assemblyman from Glendale.

Nolan, who led the charge as the Assembly’s Republican Caucus leader for five years until a 1988 FBI raid and election losses forced him from that post, is viewed by some as the rightful heir to an era of Republican rule.

He was the one, devotees wistfully say, who worked tirelessly toward the day when the Grand Old Party might take over the Assembly.

Never mind that Nolan is now serving a federal prison sentence for political corruption because of his role in raking in campaign contributions. It was for the good of the party, not personal enrichment, he says.

Some are privately saying that had Nolan still been around, he might not have failed to secure a Republican majority to elect the first GOP Speaker in 25 years, as the current leadership did this week.

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GONE, BUT STILL GOVERNING: On Monday, Zev Yaroslavsky, a 19-year veteran of the Los Angeles City Council, was sworn in as the newest member of the County Board of Supervisors.

Yet the following day, the City Council approved a Yaroslavsky proposal to extend a contract for a company he hired in June, 1993, to help the owners of quake-damaged buildings get rebuilding aid from various city programs.

It appears Yaroslavsky can govern in two places at the same time.

The council vote extended a $38,500 contract with P.S. Enterprises of Santa Monica by six months and added $47,000 to the firm’s fee. The extension also calls on the firm to monitor a redevelopment plan for quake-wracked neighborhoods in the district.

The director of public policy for P.S. Enterprises is Michael A. Jimenez, a former Yaroslavsky legislative aide and a top candidate to temporarily replace Yaroslavsky until a special election in April decides who the new council member will be.

Jimenez has already moved from his Santa Monica home to a rented room within the district in case he is appointed to the six-month post.

But Jimenez wouldn’t be able to keep the contract if appointed because city bylaws prohibit council members from having outside work.

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SHAKE-UP: State Sen. Herschel Rosenthal, moving from the Westside into the 20th District to represent his new all-Valley territory, is stepping up his role as advocate for earthquake victims.

As the newly appointed chairman of the Senate Insurance Committee, Rosenthal hopes to use his post to force opposing interests to come together to work out kinks in earthquake insurance.

“The major problem is that nobody can buy or sell a home because insurance companies are not providing earthquake insurance--and that’s a terrible situation,” Rosenthal said.

Consequently, the Democratic state senator said he wants to bring together in one room the state insurance commissioner, the industry, consumers and bankers and, if necessary, “have everybody suffer a bit” until a solution is thrashed out.

He is also making a bid to continue the Senate’s select subcommittee on the Northridge earthquake, a panel that was set to expire in November with the retirement of its then-chair, former state Sen. David A. Roberti (D-Van Nuys).