What a Card

Assemblyman James E. Rogan (R-Glendale) is in the big leagues.

It says so right on the front of the trading cards he has at the reception desk of his Sacramento office.

He doesn’t look like a major leaguer, at least as we know them from baseball cards.

There’s no cap, uniform or bat cocked on his shoulder. No batting average, home run totals or RBIs are listed. There’s not even an inside political joke on his conservative political leanings, as in right-handed batter playing right field.

Alas, this Boy of Summer is outfitted in the uniform of politics--dark suit, white shirt and tie, with the American flag over his shoulder. On the back of the card is a brief bio and his office number.

Staci Turner, Rogan’s press secretary, says the cards are a big hit with kids who visit Sacramento. Her boss is not the first legislator to have them. He’s following in the footsteps of a political foe, former Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, now mayor of San Francisco.

Rogan is generally acknowledged to be a rising star in GOP politics. That bring us to the bottom line: What is his trading card worth?

“It’s his rookie card,” says Turner. “Collectors would be wise to save Jim Rogan’s rookie card.”