GOP’s Use of Recall Sparks Debate in Central Valley : Politics: Costly effort targets Democrat Mike Machado. But some Republican voters say the tactic is unfair.

It is nearly harvest time in the Central Valley, and Assemblyman Mike Machado should be spending his legislative recess walking the family fields, checking tomatoes in preparation for the coming pick. Instead he is walking precincts, waging a bitter battle to keep the Assembly seat he won less than 10 months ago.

Machado, a freshman Democrat from this sleepy farm town near Stockton, is the latest target of a big-budget tactic becoming increasingly popular in state politics of the 1990s--the recall as a partisan political weapon.

In a special election next Tuesday, voters will decide whether the third-generation farmer has performed well as a lawmaker or his brief career in Sacramento should be cut short.

The recall has been orchestrated--and financed--by Republicans, led by a GOP assemblyman who calls Machado a “double-crossing liar.” Machado’s sin, ostensibly, is this: He supported fellow Democrat Willie Brown for Assembly Speaker after allegedly suggesting he would not.

But this campaign has a dramatic political subplot as well. Republicans want to topple Machado to strengthen their grip on the closely divided Assembly--and boost their numbers in the Legislature overall.

“Machado looks vulnerable. We think we can win,” said state Sen. Rob Hurtt (R-Garden Grove), a wealthy industrialist who has sunk more than $32,000 into the recall campaign. “There’s no secret here. This is about breaking down the Democratic machine. . . . This is about control of the state.”

Here in San Joaquin County, such cosmic consequences don’t seem to matter much. Instead, folks are more focused on Machado the man, and on this question: Does the assemblyman deserve the chance to finish the job he was duly elected to do?

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Linden (pop. 850) is one of those don’t-sneeze-or-you’ll-miss-it kinds of towns, a faded bump in flat fields lush with sugar beets, tomato plants and cherry trees. The commercial district includes a bank, three churches, two bars and a burger joint. Cars make room for tractors on the two-lane highway that runs through town.

The Machado clan--immigrants from the Azore Islands of Portugal--is well-known hereabouts for its success with cannery tomatoes, peaches and walnuts. Michael J. Machado, the first in his family to attend college, had success in the classroom as well, graduating from Stanford University and then attending UC Davis, where he earned a master’s degree in agricultural economics.

But townsfolk here aren’t much impressed with academic credentials, and Machado’s politics--though decidedly moderate by Democratic Party standards--are a bit too liberal for most denizens of this conservative burg. Although Machado authored two crime bills mandating tougher penalties and supported welfare cuts as part of this year’s budget agreement,Brian Reilly, publisher of the Linden Herald, said that wasn’t enough.

“Most of Linden is about two steps to the right of Attila the Hun,” Reilly said. “Machado is not terribly popular here.”

So it seems. At the town’s barbershop, a grizzled farmer getting a shave was asked about the assemblyman one recent afternoon. He snorted a few nasty words about “that bleeding heart liberal” before declining further comment. The barber merely scowled and snip, snip, snipped, refusing to utter a sound.

Mack Quigel, however, was more talkative. The unofficial mayor of Linden, Quigel is against Machado, pure and simple.

“I’m not in favor of him, and I don’t know many here who are,” Quigel said, listing a series of issues on which he disagrees with the assemblyman. “He’s mealy-mouthed--a guy who blows with the political wind. Sure, you might see a few lawn signs supporting him around here, but that’s just out of respect for his mother.”

Down the road a piece, Dr. Harry Sandberg hasn’t got much in common with Machado either. Nonetheless, he believes the recall is a bad idea.

“I’d rather have a Republican in there, but why recall him when he’s up for reelection next year?” said Sandberg, who has been treating the people of Linden every day since 1966, except for Wednesdays, when he goes fishing.

“Sure, he voted for Willie Brown. He’s a Democrat. What do people expect?”

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Ten miles west of Linden lies Stockton, the biggest city in Machado’s Assembly district and the heart of his political support. At the city’s minor league ballpark one recent night, a large crowd showed up to watch the Stockton Ports take on their California League rivals, the San Jose Giants.

The recall was not exactly the hottest item on the crowd’s conversational agenda. Indeed, many fans wrinkled their noses and walked away when asked about their views. But two retirees, stuck in a long line at the hot dog stand, agreed to share a thought or two.

The men are both self-described die-hard Republicans, and both voted against Machado in last year’s election. That’s where the similarities end. Bob Rohrer thinks the recall is unfair, a waste of taxpayer money; his buddy, Allan Squires, is for it, 100%.

Rohrer: “The way I see it, we Republicans had our chance at the polls last year, and Machado won. So we have to live with that result until the next election. That’s life.”

Squires: “You’re being way too fair, Bob. I’m a Republican. I want a Republican up there. Period.”

Rohrer: “Well, that’s tempting, but I still don’t think this recall business is right. He won the election, fair and square, so give him his shot.”

Nearby, Democrat Kathy Elsholz was spending the sixth inning in line for a snow cone, a small defense against Stockton’s withering summer heat. Her friendly face slumped into a frown as she talked about the recall. “It’s a huge waste of time,” she declared loudly, drawing a few stares. “It’s a joke.”

What really irks Elsholz, a secretary for the local school district, is the use of taxpayers’ money for the election.

“They say this will cost more than $400,000,” she said, “and that’s money this poor county needs for schools, police, you name it. If the Republicans want to recall him, they darn well ought to pay for it. It makes me so mad.”

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At the eye of the storm is Machado himself, a short, stout man of 47 whose quiet intensity is visible in his eyes. Compared to some of his freshman colleagues, he has kept a low profile beneath the Capitol dome. That changed last month, however, when he became the lone Democrat to support Gov. Pete Wilson’s tax cut proposal--a move seen by many as a baldfaced appeal for conservative support. Machado denies such intentions, and Wilson, for his part, has taken no position on the recall.

On the advice of consultants, Machado is taking the high road in the campaign, using speeches to calmly emphasize his legislative accomplishments, which doesn’t take long, given his short tour of duty in the Assembly.

But ask Machado about his opponents and their motives and the anger flashes. Republicans have spent $118,000 on the recall, and some, such as Sen. Hurtt, frankly admit Machado has been targeted simply because he is a Democrat.

“This is abuse of the democratic process,” Machado said recently, pausing after a campaign chat with the Stockton Kiwanis Club. “The recall is supposed to be used for malfeasance and incompetence in office. In this case it’s pure politics, it’s about the fringe of the Republican Party trying to impose its will on the rest of us.”

Assemblyman Larry Bowler (R-Elk Grove) is on that GOP fringe, and disagrees hotly with Machado’s assessment. Bowler, the leader of the recall brigade, contends that Machado betrayed voters by pledging to remain independent of Willie Brown while campaigning last fall and then supporting him for Assembly Speaker earlier this year.

Machado says he made no such pledge, vowing only to do what was best for the district. Voting with his party to support Brown was good for the district, he said, helping him capture influential committee assignments in areas such as agriculture.

“Mike Machado is a liar, and the bottom line is I can’t work with people I can’t trust,” Bowler said. “If we the citizens don’t hold legislators accountable, then we deserve the corrupt government we’ve got.”

Despite that noble declaration, recall critics say Bowler’s true motives relate to his interest in running for a state Senate seat that encompasses Machado’s district. By championing the recall, Bowler is grabbing local headlines that raise his profile for a potential Senate bid.

In any case, Bowler does not have much visible support among fellow Republican lawmakers, many of whom now privately concede that the recall is doomed. Few are donating money or staff to the cause, and several have been openly critical of it.

Bernie Richter (R-Chico), for instance, predicts defeat for the GOP and said the recall amounts to “an unmitigated disaster” for the party.

“Ours is a system that runs on trust, and when we start recalling people because of a single vote they cast, then you do tremendous damage to that trust,” Richter said. “These recalls create fear and suspicion. The damage is terrible.”

Assemblyman Brett Granlund (R-Yucaipa) is worried about the financial costs. He says the Machado recall, coupled with the earlier recall of Diamond Bar Assemblyman Paul Horcher and the upcoming recall battle against Speaker Doris Allen of Cypress, is draining away donations that GOP lawmakers need for reelection campaigns next year.

“There’s only so much money out there and I think you reach a point where people get sick of all the pleas for donations,” Granlund said. “If [the recall] is a winner, that’s one thing. But at the moment it looks like a loser.”

Perhaps so, but Democrats are not resting yet. Machado has raised a whopping $845,000 so far for the fight, the largest single chunk--$214,100--coming from the Assembly Democrats Victory Fund, controlled by Speaker Emeritus Willie Brown. Organized labor and other Democratic members of the Assembly have contributed sizable amounts, and donations have also poured in from a variety of interest groups ranging from dairy farmers to optometrists.

Meanwhile, a small army of volunteers from across the state--continually bused to Stockton--stuffs envelopes, telephones voters and distributes campaign propaganda.

“We’re not declaring victory yet, but it looks good,” said Democratic state party Chairman Bill Press. “Our goal is to win, and win big. Hopefully, if we do that, the recall madness will stop here.”