Sherman Credits Moderate Views; Foe Faults Dole

Democratic congressional candidate Brad Sherman on Wednesday declared his election victory to be a show of support for his sensible and moderate views, but Republican opponent Rich Sybert blamed his loss on Bob Dole.

“It is a nice victory and a vote of confidence,” Sherman said after winning 50.4% of the vote in the 24th Congressional District, which includes Thousand Oaks. Sybert picked up 42.5% of the votes cast Tuesday.

Elections officials have more than 20,000 absentee ballots to count in the district, but they do not expect the tallies to turn around Sherman’s lead of 15,213 votes.

Sybert called Sherman late Wednesday afternoon to offer his congratulations after the bitterly fought race.

“He conceded and wished me well,” Sherman said. “He was gracious.”

Sybert was unavailable for comment Wednesday.

But his campaign manager, John Theiss, said Sybert blames his poor showing, in part, on the premature concession announcement by Dole’s spokesman, made a couple of hours before California’s polls closed Tuesday evening.

“Our phone banks got an alarming response from Republicans,” Theiss said. “They told us, ‘Why should I go vote? The race is over.’ We lay considerable blame at the top of the ticket.”

Despite Dole’s announcement, Ventura County’s other Republican congressional and legislative candidates breezed to easy victory Tuesday and vowed to continue their battles for conservative causes in the state and nation’s capitals.

“I believe there was a common message in this election,” said Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley), who easily brushed past Democrat Bob Unruhe to win his sixth two-year term in Congress. “The people want to have a government that has checks and balances and is moving ahead on the issues.”

In the 24th Congressional District race, Sherman offered a different interpretation of his victory, saying his moderate views on issues were more appealing to voters looking for an appropriate successor to retiring Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson (D-Woodland Hills).

“I’m not going back to Washington as a freshman thinking that I’m going to lead the country in a whole new direction,” he said. “I’m going back there to be a part of what I hope is a sensible and moderate Congress.”

Sherman will assume his new office in January, abandoning his seat on the five-member State Board of Equalization.

Gov. Pete Wilson has the power to appoint someone to fill the remaining two years of Sherman’s term on the obscure but powerful board that hears income tax appeals and oversees the collection of business taxes.

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“My hope is that the governor will appoint a CPA or a certified tax specialist to fill out the remainder of my term,” said Sherman, who has a reputation as the board’s policy wonk as its only certified public accountant and tax lawyer.

Looking ahead two years, Sherman said he knows that he will face a tough reelection campaign. He plans to return to his home in Sherman Oaks “virtually every weekend” to meet with constituents and get to know voters in the district that stretches from Thousand Oaks to Van Nuys and Malibu.

“I’ll be back an awful lot,” he said. “Some of the folks at the various business clubs may get tired of me.”

Sybert spent about $610,000 of his own money in this congressional race and an earlier bid for the seat two years ago. He was much closer to victory in 1994--coming within 3,536 votes of ousting Beilenson.

Theiss said he did not know if Sybert, an attorney and toy company executive, would consider a third bid for Congress.

“He has put his life on hold for four years, and now it is time for him to spend time with his family and consider all of his options,” Theiss said.

Sherman said he popped the question when Sybert called.

“I did ask him if he was likely to run for the seat in 1998,” Sherman said. “And he said he hasn’t had time to focus on what he would do.”

Republican candidates swept the other races in districts representing portions of Ventura County.

In the 38th Assembly District, former Assemblyman Tom McClintock made his political comeback by handily defeating Democrat Jon Lauritzen. After a four-year hiatus, McClintock said he is eager to return to the Legislature to continue his crusade to cut taxes and government spending.

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On the first day of the upcoming session, he hopes to introduce a bill to set up a commission--modeled after the nation’s military base-closing panel--to ferret out “useless bureaucracies” and bring them up for a vote in the Legislature for consolidation or elimination.

On the second day, he said he will introduce a bill that takes over efforts by his predecessor, retiring Assemblywoman Paula L. Boland (R-Granada Hills), to allow the San Fernando Valley to secede from the city of Los Angeles.

“I would like to broaden it,” McClintock said, to give “self-determination to any community that is ill-served by a dysfunctional or abusive big city.”

The district includes Simi Valley, Fillmore, and portions of the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys.

Assemblyman Nao Takasugi (R-Oxnard), who brushed off a feisty challenge from Democrat Jess Herrera, said he wants to focus on a state income tax cut as his top priority. But he fears that he may face limitations, now that the Democrats are poised to retake control of the Assembly.

“This past year, I’ve enjoyed being chairman of the Revenue and Taxation Committee,” said Takasugi, whose district stretches from Port Hueneme to Thousand Oaks. “But if that is taken away, that cuts back what I can accomplish.”

Assemblyman Brooks Firestone (R-Los Olivos) won an overwhelming mandate from his electorate, which includes voters in Ventura, Santa Paula, Ojai and most of Santa Barbara County. He, too, is disappointed that he will lose his leadership position as chairman of the Assembly Higher Education Committee.

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But Firestone said he has run the committee in a fair, even-handed way, and hopes that his Democratic successor would allow him to continue to “play a meaningful role” on issues involving state colleges and universities.

State Sen. Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley) also had an easy time winning reelection, despite the spirited challenge of Democrat John Birke, a Chatsworth attorney. She was unavailable for comment Wednesday.