Pregnant Legislator Delivers a Key Vote : Politics: Democrat Martha Escutia flies to capital for roll call.

Martha Escutia is very, very pregnant--due to deliver her first child any day. Beset by gestational diabetes, Escutia, 37, admits she belongs in bed.

But this mother-to-be is a member of the state Assembly, serving at a time of extraordinary change. So on Sunday, Escutia climbed aboard a private, pressurized jet and flew from her home in Los Angeles to her workplace in Sacramento. Her mission? To cast the deciding vote in the fateful, fickle battle over who would be the next Speaker of the state Assembly.

On Monday, she did just that. At precisely 1:12 p.m., Escutia took part in a roll call vote on the Assembly floor, loudly announcing “Doris Allen” when asked to reveal her choice for Speaker. Escutia’s presence gave Allen (R-Cypress) a total of 40 votes. Assemblyman Jim Brulte, the Republican leader, captured just 38.

A native of Los Angeles first elected in 1992, Escutia said she was delighted to be on hand for the momentous event. Once her doctor approved the journey, Escutia said she felt it was her duty as an elected official to return to the Capitol for the vote.

“This is a historic moment--the chance to vote for California’s first woman Speaker--and I would not have missed it for the life of me,” said Escutia, who was highly visible in a bright red maternity dress. “This event is something we’ll talk about with our son 20 years from now. . . . I just hope to God he’s a Democrat.”

Escutia (D-Huntington Park) has been a pivotal figure in the speakership battle for quite some time. Republicans had secretly prayed for an early birth, while Democrats hoped the baby--a boy already named Andres--would wait and give his mother time to fly north and have her say.

“This is a time when every vote counts, and I know the Republicans were looking for an opening to elect a new Speaker without me around,” Escutia said. “I warned them not to try any shenanigans. I told them I’d be here no matter what.”

In recent weeks, however, it looked like the Republicans might get their way. Although Escutia’s due date is June 15, a mild case of gestational diabetes meant her odds of delivering early went up. On May 8, she went on maternity leave, and has been conducting legislative business by phone from home ever since.

For outgoing Speaker Willie Brown, Escutia’s absence was another opportunity to display his flair for the dramatic. Because commercial airlines will not accept passengers with advanced pregnancies, Brown enlisted a friend to fly his plane from San Francisco to Burbank to pick up Escutia and her husband. Apples, bananas and Diet Cokes were provided on the flight, and no air sickness bags were needed, the assemblywoman said.

Though Brown scripted her return to the capital two weeks ago, it was kept tightly under wraps. As late as Monday morning, Brown denied making any special arrangements for Escutia, and most of her own aides believed their boss was still home in bed, awaiting delivery day. Even the Assembly clerk listed her as absent when Monday’s floor session began.

Why the secrecy? “This is like high-stakes poker,” said Escutia’s chief of staff, Suzanne Wierbinski. “Martha’s the ace, and you don’t play it until you have to.”

After Monday’s vote, Escutia’s Democratic colleagues praised her--and said they would expect no less of someone described as disciplined, enthusiastic and dedicated to her work.

“It’s very typical of her to be here when it counts,” said John Vasconcellos (D-Santa Clara), Escutia’s seatmate on the Assembly floor, “and today, it counts. I was delighted to see her.”

Denise Moreno Ducheny (D-San Diego) said Escutia’s presence demonstrates “how seriously she takes this job. It’s evidence of her commitment. Now we’re all just hoping for a healthy baby.”

Republicans--smarting from their defeat--had a somewhat different take on the matter. Indeed, some suggested that Escutia was endangering the health of her unborn child by traveling to Sacramento for the vote.

“I was quite surprised” to see her, said Assemblyman Larry Bowler (R-Elk Grove). “I didn’t think she would jeopardize her baby.”

Assemblyman Tom Woods (R-Shasta) made similar comments, noting that he was under the impression that she had missed the prior month of Assembly sessions because her doctor had ordered her to remain in bed.

Escutia, her voice conveying her anger, took the floor to respond:

“As you can see, I am fine. The baby is healthy. He’s been kicking up a storm since yesterday, very anxiously awaiting his first vote for the first woman Speaker of California.”

Her husband, Leo Briones, was visibly upset by the Republicans’ comments: “That is immoral, outrageous and anti-Christian,” he told The Times. “And they should go home and pray on it.”

Although her doctor approved her trip, Escutia and her staff took some extra precautions to ensure that if she went into labor while in Sacramento, all would go well. A map of the route to the hospital--about 20 minutes away--was drawn, and a copy was given to the Assembly’s sergeants-at-arms, who kept a close eye on Escutia’s condition during Monday’s proceedings.

Escutia is the latest in a string of lawmakers to make personal sacrifices to attend a legislative session when every vote counts. Last year, state Sen. Leroy Greene (D-Carmichael) interrupted his recovery from gall bladder surgery to cast a key vote for a bill recognizing people who live together as domestic partners.

Four years earlier, Assemblyman Sal Cannella (D-Ceres) left his hospital bed to cast the deciding vote for the budget. Cannella had just undergone surgery for kidney stones and was in considerable pain.

“They wheeled me to the floor, then I shuffled to my chair and sat on a pillow,” Cannella recalled Monday. “Whether it’s days short of having a baby, or hours after surgery, we need to do what we’re elected to to.”