Allen’s Actions Draw Fire From Both Sides : Capitol: Assembly Speaker’s comments denigrating manhood of foes touches off criticism from women and men in each party. Other mixed signals further erode leadership.

As criticism of embattled Assembly Speaker Doris Allen by her political enemies has continued to mount, she has taken to hunkering down in her Capitol office and scarcely appearing on the Assembly floor.

When she does emerge for news conferences and public pronouncements, the Speaker has sent mixed signals, leaving the impression that her office is in disarray.

Last week, for example, Allen said she would not resign her leadership post, but on Monday she reversed herself and said she would consider stepping down this week if she can’t raise enough money to defend herself in a recall election. In the process, she blasted the “power-mongering men” mounting the recall.

Lawmakers say the reversal shows the high-pressure job is taking its toll on Allen, who had been a little-known Republican lawmaker from Cypress until June, when she was catapulted into the speakership with the help of Democratic votes.

Now, with Allen’s leadership in trouble, some Democrats say they would consider backing her second-in-command, freshman Assemblyman Brian Setencich of Fresno. Setencich, who presides over Assembly sessions, said he has had conversations with Democrats about the speakership and presumed he would be a candidate--but only if Allen steps aside.

“She’s trying to reconcile in her mind what’s the best course of action,” Setencich told reporters on Tuesday.

To be sure, Allen has shown she can be a scrappy fighter and ultimately her resolve may stiffen. But on Tuesday, the buzz on the Assembly floor focused on the behind-the-scenes maneuvering about Allen’s fate and, should she resign, her likely successor.

Allen was unavailable for comment, but one source close to the Speaker said that unlike her flamboyant Democratic predecessor, Assembly Democratic Leader Willie Brown, Allen is not having any “fun” in the job.

With Brown’s help, Allen ascended to the speakership in June with her vote and that of all 39 Democrats. Ever since, she’s been the target of venomous attacks from other Republicans who contend she sold out her party, which gained a majority in the Assembly in last November’s election.

In the first week of her speakership, some of Allen’s male colleagues called her “emotional,” “disturbed” and “Willie Brown in drag.” One suggested that her first priority should be to fix her hair.

Criticism of Allen has continued to mount, especially in the wake of two recent incidents.

First, Allen arrived 40 minutes late last Thursday for a rare press conference to unveil her plan to bail out financially troubled Orange County. But she couldn’t describe the details of her plan and, in an unusual move, apologized for her “sloppy staff work.” Moreover, when she was asked to respond to the resignation of controversial U.S. Sen. Bob Packwood (R-Oregon), Allen responded by saying, “Sen. Bob who?”

At the same news conference, Allen also sought to dispel rumors that she would quit the speakership, telling reporters: “There is absolutely no truth that I would step aside.”

Switch to Monday night.

Allen reversed herself and said she would resign unless she gets at least an initial $300,000 to stave off the recall. She assailed recall proponents in some of the harshest language yet heard around the Capitol as “a bunch of jerks” and denigrated their manhood.

The remark touched off criticism on both sides of the aisle from lawmakers who described it as undignified. Even Allen’s strongest supporter, Setencich, acknowledged that if a man leveled a similar quip at a woman it “probably would be taken a lot more critically than her comment.”

Some of the Democrats who have supported Allen on Tuesday expressed dismay over her leadership, saying her scattered performance at last week’s news briefing and comments about Republican colleagues were just the latest signs of her problems.

Assemblywoman Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica) said Allen’s remarks on Monday were “just as bad” as the comments GOP lawmakers made about her hair or appearance after Allen became Speaker.

Allen, she said, has “appeared often to be adrift,” adding that “I wish since she is the first woman ever elected as Speaker, that she could have given a more leaderly appearance right off the bat.”

Some Republicans used much stronger language.

“I’m outraged,” said Republican Assemblywoman Marilyn Brewer, who is among the Orange County lawmakers endorsing Allen’s recall.

“Her actions are a dishonor to all women. Women have been working hard to be taken seriously, and to have her make such a demeaning remark is totally inappropriate. If a man had done that, there would have been an outcry of chauvinism.”

Brewer said that Allen’s tenure as Speaker has lived up to what many Republicans predicted it would be--poorly staffed, often irrelevant and a hindrance to the GOP policy agenda.

“From the onset, I said it was a house of cards, and once it started to collapse everything would go,” Brewer said.

The rookie lawmaker said that, with Democratic support, Setencich appears to be a likely successor to Allen. But she called him a “misguided young man” who is blindly loyal to Allen.

Assemblyman Kevin Murray (D-Los Angeles) said Democrats are sticking with Allen until she “decides she wants to make a change.” He described Allen as “honest, straightforward, a woman who honors her commitments.”

Likewise, he said, Setencich is a straight-shooter who could win support from Democrats. Other Democrats praised Setencich for his even-handedness in overseeing Assembly floor debates.

Assemblyman Richard Katz, the Sylmar Democrat in charge of many of the Assembly Democrats’ day-to-day chores while Brown is running for mayor of San Francisco, said his caucus supports Allen.

“If Doris decides to do something differently, we’ll deal with that, obviously. But that is her call,” Katz said.

But he also said that Democrats have no plans to finance Allen’s effort against the recall.

“If you do that, it becomes the hit piece against you,” Katz said. “So it’s a Catch-22 that she has to figure out how to deal with.”

Katz conceded that, because Allen has allowed Democrats to keep much of their staff and other resources, his party has been able to function almost like a majority.

“The fact that we’ve been able to function with half the resources, half the house, half the chairs [of committees], half the vice chairs, has in some ways delayed our rehabilitation because we haven’t dealt with the fact we’re a minority party.”

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