With Victory, Katz Steps From Brown’s Shadow : Politics: New Democratic chief in Assembly is known as skillful power broker. He is an ally of the former speaker.

In his losing bid for mayor of Los Angeles, veteran Assemblyman Richard Katz found that his reputation as a Sacramento insider was a liability.

But on Monday, Katz turned his insider’s savvy into an asset and rounded up the votes to succeed Willie Brown as Assembly Democratic leader. Brown held the post a record 15 years.

Katz’s victory helps the Sylmar Democrat emerge from the long shadow cast by former Speaker Brown--who last week was elected mayor of San Francisco--and allows him to make a modest comeback after being trounced in the 1993 Los Angeles mayoral contest.

In Katz, 45, lawmakers have chosen a Los Angeles native who loves country and western music and basketball, including spirited pickup games twice a week at the YMCA. In fact, Katz says he was playing ball early Monday with Speaker Brian Setencich (R-Fresno), who once played professionally in Europe.

Off the court, Katz is glib, hard-working and tenacious. Supporters say he has the skill to help Setencich stay in power, despite GOP efforts to topple him, and lead Democrats back next year to majority status in the 80-member lower house.

Such a turnaround would cap a 16-year Assembly career for the middle-of-the road Democrat, who is blocked by term limits from seeking reelection in 1996 and has turned down appeals to run for other offices.

A smiling Katz, who is married with no children, told reporters he views his new job with “trepidation,” jokingly recalling the cliche: Be careful what you wish for because it just might come true.

Veteran Assemblyman John Burton (D-San Francisco) said Democrats turned to Katz instead of his rival, Cruz Bustamante of Fresno, because the San Fernando Valley lawmaker had battled the GOP for years. “It was felt by a majority of the caucus that the caucus was better off with a more experienced [leader].”

That was Katz’s message, too. “We need someone who’s been through the wars before, who knows their way around the budget as well as the campaigns,” said Katz, who as Democratic leader will sit in private negotiations on the state budget with Republican Gov. Pete Wilson and other legislative leaders.

But even his friends say Katz, long in Brown’s inner circle, needs to overcome a reputation among some colleagues for being temperamental, selfish and untrustworthy.

“The role he played under Willie called on him to be the tough guy. . . . Sometimes he had to directly challenge people,” said Assemblyman Louis Caldera (D-Los Angeles). “That role under Willie is very different than being leader” and he will have to take a different tack to unify the caucus.

In the past, former aides recounted tales of telephones shattered by Katz in anger. Asked about the outbursts of temper, Katz said “years ago, that was true,” but not now. Still, Katz said, he continues to bring “energy and intensity to what I do. Politics is a passionate business.”

Republicans respect Katz as an adversary.

“Katz is schooled in media relations and has been part of Willie Brown’s political campaign operation,” said Assemblyman Jim Brulte (R-Rancho Cucamonga), a former GOP Assembly leader.

“Richard Katz is Willie Brown-light, probably [with] less political baggage than Willie has but just as partisan a Democrat, just as tough a warrior.”

Indeed, Katz has been through hundreds of political scraps that have prepared him to be the leader of the Democrats. As a student, Katz majored in political science and lost a race for student body president at San Diego State.

Katz worked on South Dakota Sen. George McGovern’s 1972 presidential campaign, and in 1975 was elected president of the Santa Monica Democratic Club. Around that time, Katz started a graphics business that specialized in design of campaign literature.

Moving to Granada Hills in 1977, Katz became involved in community activities and in 1980, bucked the Reagan landslide and defeated incumbent Republican Assemblyman J. Robert Hays. Since beating back a stiff challenge in 1984, Katz has easily won reelection.

As a lawmaker, Katz has built a solid record as tough on crime. He was among a minority of Democrats who worked to defeat former state Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird.

Katz is more liberal on issues such as the environment. In 1984, for example, he won passage of the Toxic Pits Cleanup Act, which stopped the use of surface ponds for toxic waste storage and disposal.

As chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee, Katz has been a key player in transportation issues. Among other things, Katz was the architect of legislation that established the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

In 1992, as he was poised to run for mayor, Katz and other lawmakers pushed through legislation allowing the city to take $44 million in harbor funds to soften the blow of state cuts.