Mountains Recreation Area’s Trek Into the Political Wilderness

PARKS IN PERIL: The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and similar parks will not be turned into massive condominium complexes. They will not be sold off to the state or county. They will remain national parks forevermore.

At least, that’s what excited park advocates were declaring earlier in the week when the House rejected legislation that would have created a special commission to decide whether some parks ought to be sold off.

But soon after the legislation was defeated by a vote of 231 to 180, groups such as the National Parks and Conservation Assn. were sounding the alarm again: The Santa Monicas were in danger of being stripped of National Park Service protection.

It was behind-the-scenes legislative maneuvering that caused the sudden change. Several hours after the bill was defeated Tuesday afternoon, lawmakers attached it to the Interior Department’s budget reconciliation bill, which gives it another shot at passage next month.

“Not only is this a destructive bill, but it is the key in the door that those who would exploit America’s public lands are counting on to help open up forests, wildlife refuges, wilderness areas and other public lands to exploitation and development,” said Paul C. Pritchard, president of the conservation group.

Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson (D-Woodland Hills) has remained confident all along that the Santa Monicas would survive scrutiny even if a parks-closing commission were set up. The sprawling wilderness area has too many rare plant and animal species and is too valuable a recreation resource to leave federal oversight, Beilenson argues.

But just to be sure, Beilenson, who authored the legislation that created the recreation area, joined a bipartisan coalition Tuesday in defeating the bill.

He will have another chance next month.

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CHINA SYNDROME: County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, just back from a three-week trip to China to try to secure ancient mummies for an exhibit at the county’s natural history museum, apparently still has China on his mind. During a joint news conference with fellow supervisors on Monday, Antonovich used a Chinese proverb about problem-solving. The next day, he proposed sending each member of L.A. County’s delegation to the state Legislature a letter complaining about their apparent lack of effort--and lack of a politically feasible bailout plan--on behalf of the county during an all-night session. As he put it: “We got shanghaied in the middle of the night.”

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MUMMY DEAREST: Antonovich said it appears that the county will get two of the red-haired, blue-eyed, 4,000-year-old Caucasian mummies for an exhibit that could begin at the Museum of Natural History in March, 1998. The museum would like at least two more. The 23-day trip was paid for by the museum’s private foundation. The tab for Antonovich and three museum employees: $30,000.

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PARTY CRASHER: It was just a simple goof, Jan Heidt said.

The Santa Clarita city councilwoman and longtime Democrat wanted freedom from partisan politics earlier this summer and decided to register as a nonpartisan, independent voter.

The problem was, she registered with the American Independent Party, a staunchly conservative group that supports the right of citizens to bear arms and favors strong action to halt illegal immigration.

“I made a stupid mistake,” Heidt said Friday. “It was embarrassing and humiliating.”

Heidt registered again this week, she said, noting that she declined to state a political party affiliation on the registration form, the solution that most independent voters choose.

She also emphasized that she had no plans to run for elective office next year, after her current term expires.

“I’m out of it,” she said.

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CASHING IN: Los Angeles City Councilman Marvin Braude was undoubtedly influenced by his wife when he set aside $3,000 from his salary to help fight domestic violence.

His wife is Dr. Marjorie Braude, a psychiatrist all too familiar with cases of battered women and ruined families.

The councilman said this week that he plans to return at least $10,000 of his salary by the end of 1996 to help the financially strapped city.

Braude, who represents parts of the San Fernando Valley, said the first installment is earmarked for a conference on domestic violence being organized for this fall. What happens to the rest of the $10,000 is as yet undetermined, he said.

The former chairman of the council’s public safety committee, Braude is eager to help victims and police officers improve domestic violence prevention and response.

“I’ve been thinking about it a long time,” he said. “My wife is the one who inspired me. If you can provide people with just a little bit of encouragement, it can have a terrific impact.”

Braude’s $3,000 went to the city’s Domestic Violence Trust Fund, which is administered by the Domestic Violence Task Force. The task force was formed after 1993 LAPD data showed that about one-third of all 911 emergency calls related to domestic violence.

The councilman said he may eventually decide to return even more of his $98,000-plus annual salary.

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CASHING OUT: Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles) and other members of the congressional Progressive Caucus honored House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) this week. But this is one honor Gingrich may not want.

Members of the 48-member caucus issue a monthly Gilded Lily Award to an individual or corporation that defends or receives so-called corporate welfare from the federal government and bilks U.S. taxpayers in the process.

September’s honor went to Gingrich because, the group said, he has refused to agree to cut any of the $125 billion that corporate welfare adds to the federal deficit every year. The group, which includes the House’s most liberal members, called the conservative Speaker “a corporate welfare king” for aggressively diverting federal dollars to his own district while cutting programs for the poor.

Besides Waxman, the Progressive Caucus includes Reps. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), Xavier Becerra (D-Los Angeles), Julian C. Dixon (D-Los Angeles) and Esteban Torres (D-La Puente).

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* This story was reported by Times staff writers Marc Lacey, Timothy Williams, David E. Brady and Efrain Hernandez

Lacey reported from Washington, D.C., and Williams, Brady and Hernandez reported from Los Angeles.