Toto, We’re Not in Power Anymore : Thespians: As a fund-raiser, Democratic Assembly members present their version of ‘Wizard of Oz.’ This time, Dorothy wears ‘the shoes of power.’

The moment the honorable members of the state Assembly took the stage at the Beverly Hilton hotel, the audience knew this was no ordinary Democratic fund-raiser.

A legislator from Sonoma had a funnel on her head. Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles was whimpering and scratching his tail, while Wally Knox looked like he’d had the stuffing punched out of him. When the tornado hit, killing the wicked Republican witch, a dog-faced Assemblyman from the Stockton area started barking, while Debra Bowen of Marina del Rey shrieked and rode off on a broom.

The Tin Woman, the Not-So-Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow and Toto then turned to Santa Monica’s Sheila Kuehl, all dressed up as Dorothy in fake braids and a gingham dress, who wondered aloud, “How can I ever get home?” And not to Kansas, mind you--her dream was of “a Democratic majority in the Assembly.”

The $500-a-plate event was intended to kick off the effort to take back the Assembly for the Democrats in 1996, and with the help of backers such as the California Teachers Assn. and Paramount Pictures, it netted an estimated $115,000. But the goofy party, hosted by the Assembly Democratic Caucus, had another purpose as well: to show that life in the Assembly will go on for the Democrats even after Willie Brown.

“I didn’t want people to worry that with Willie gone, there won’t be any more fun dinners,” said Kuehl, who wrote the script and lyrics for the evening’s festivities--and who originally cast Brown, San Francisco’s newly elected mayor who resigned from the Assembly late Thursday, to play the Wizard of Oz.

When Brown called at the last minute to say he couldn’t make it, Kuehl was philosophical, concluding that perhaps it was for the best.

“The wizard’s staying home in San Francisco, and he tells us we have to be on our own. And that’s exactly right,” she said later. “The moral of this story is: Even if you may not know it, you yourselves make the magic.”

Kuehl and her colleagues were determined to show that the freshman and sophomore Democratic legislators are capable of running their own show--and of poking a little fun at themselves as well. So they created a new Oz, one in which Dorothy wears “the shoes of power” instead of ruby slippers and seeks to find her way to a Democratic majority.

Along their journey, Dorothy and the dutiful Toto (played by Assemblyman Mike Machado of Linden) encountered a familiar trio. But this Scarecrow, Tin Woodman and Lion were looking for brains, heart and nerve not for themselves, but for the California Assembly.

“Ding, dong, the Brulte’s dead,” the chorus sang at one point, a reference to Assemblyman Jim Brulte (R-Rancho Cucamonga), who was denied the Assembly speakership last year when fellow Republican Paul Horcher voted for Brown.

Assemblyman Richard Katz of Sylmar, who is believed to be the front-runner to replace Brown as the Assembly Democratic leader, stepped in and played the Wizard, urging Democrats everywhere to recognize their own capabilities instead of relying on one all-powerful player.

In the end, Dorothy threw a bucket of water on the Republican wicked witch played by Bowen, who moaned, “Oh, no! My beautiful majority--it’s melting! Melting!”

Then, Dorothy clicked her heels three times and said, “There’s nothing like 41. There’s nothing like 41!” Forty-one represents a majority in the 80-member Assembly. Currently, there are 37 Democrats and 41 Republicans, one Reform Party member and one vacancy.

Kuehl said the production was proof that Democrats can work together--although she admitted that it had not been entirely easy to cast the show. She at first thought of Knox for the Tin Woodman--”he’s tall,” she said, “and kind of stiff.” But the Los Angeles lawmaker wanted to be the Scarecrow.

A couple of people refused to play the Cowardly Lion, fearing that the image might stick. But Villaraigosa embraced the role with gusto. He has four children, he explained. And besides, “nobody’s going to believe I’m cowardly.”

Assemblywoman Martha Escutia of Huntington Park said she had a few reservations about her part: Glinda, the Good Witch. But when Kuehl promised that her costume would be topped by a huge, ornate crown, she gave in.

“I don’t want to be seen as Miss Goody Two-Shoes,” said Escutia, who last June delivered a key vote in the battle for Assembly speaker--and delivered her first child less than 24 hours later. “But I’ve always wanted to wear a crown.”

Katz, who stepped into Brown’s part with just moments to spare, acknowledged that in this case, art seemed to be imitating real life. But he emphasized that even if he does get the top Democratic job in the Assembly, he will be taking on a new job, not a new identity.

“All the speculation is that I might become Democratic leader, but not become Willie,” he said. “Willie’s in a league all his own.”

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‘If the Assembly Had Some Brains’

(Assembly Democrats’ ditty, to the tune of “If I Only Had a Brain”)

We could chair the Rules Committee,

And help the inner city,

And really make some gains.

We could straighten out the budget,

With no debt, we wouldn’t fudge it,

If the Assembly had some brains.

We could deal with facts, not fiction,

And lessen all the friction,

And clarity would reign.

We’d out-think the old right-wing rich,

Using Einstein, not Newt Gingrich,

If the Assembly had some brains.

We could help the welfare mothers,

With jobs for them and others,

And make each child smart.

We could build up education

And cut down incarceration,

If the Assembly had some heart.

We’d provide for general health care,

Put California’s wealth there,

Help businesses to start.

We’d restore the golden dream here,

And we’d build up self-esteem here,

If the Assembly had some heart.

We could stand up to the gun nuts

And stave off all the fund cuts

And throw the right a curve.

We could tell the Gov to shove it,

Kick some butt, oh, we would love it,

If the Assembly had some nerve.

We would stand for truth and justice,

The voters all would trust us,

The people we would serve.

We’d bring pride back to the floor there,

And integrity would roar there,

If the Assembly had some nerve.