San Gabriel Valley : ON THE BANDWAGON

The founders of the Azusa Democratic Club have had a falling out with their party--so much so that they’ve become Republicans.

Former Azusa Mayor Eugene Moses, one of the founding members of the club, switched his registration and is leading a membership drive for a new group, the Canyon City Republican Club. The new club has 40 members, half of them former Democrats, including current Mayor Stephen Alexander.

“It’s time to make a change to see what the other party can do,” Moses said. He and other members said that they want to adopt the GOP bandwagon of smaller government and fewer taxes.

“The club started deteriorating by itself and people started leaving it,” Moses said.

But the president of the Azusa Democratic Club, Bonifacio (Bonny) Garcia, downplayed the exodus. Membership has fallen to 60 members, from 100 in 1993, but he expects it to go up as the presidential race gets into full swing.

“I don’t know their reasons for leaving,” he said. “But it’s easier to be a winner than a loser, and in 1994, let’s face it, we took it in the teeth. . . . My attitude is ‘Great. Competition is good.’ ”