Now Players, Sherman and Rogan Learn the Rules of the Game

With their election victories still fresh, the San Fernando Valley’s two new congressmen arrived in Washington Thursday to prepare for their next challenge: learning their way around Capitol Hill.

Democrat Brad Sherman, a longtime member of the State Board of Equalization, and Republican James Rogan, a member of the California Assembly, take on the humbling role of freshmen lawmakers as they begin a weeklong seminar in Governing 101.

Orientation for the House of Representatives’ 74 newcomers starts this morning with a bipartisan breakfast at which spouses and children are welcome.

After the initial breaking of bread and a freshman class photo Saturday on the steps of the Capitol, Democrats and Republicans will go their separate ways. House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and other GOP leaders will brief their party’s newcomers, while Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) will do the same on the Democratic side.

Among the topics the freshmen will hear about by week’s end are managing an office budget, the logistics of being a member of Congress and the ins and outs of House ethics rules.

They also will be looking forward to committee and office assignments. As the low men on the totem pole, they get no guarantees. Sherman, a buttoned-down certified public accountant, might end up on the subcommittee on livestock, dairy and poultry. Rogan, whose Sacramento digs were spacious, may have to settle for a cramped cubicle with a view of not much at all.

As the Congress members-elect settle in, retiring Reps. Anthony C. Beilenson (D-Woodland Hills) and Carlos J. Moorhead (R-Glendale) are poised to give up the posts they have held for decades. The outgoing lawmakers must vacate their offices by early December, clearing the way for the newcomers to take over early next year.

Demo-lition Derby

A bit of advice for Glendalian GOPers who are still in shock at the prospect of having Democrats for their state legislators: Blame it on Burbank.

Glendale itself came through for the Grand Old Party in the case of the 43rd Assembly District and 21st Senate District races.

In the Senate contest, Assemblywoman Paula L. Boland (R-Granada Hills) won in Glendale by 271 votes, or less than 1%. In Burbank, however, former federal prosecutor Adam Schiff scored big, beating Boland 49% to 41%.

In Glendale’s portion of the still-too-close-to-call 43rd Assembly District contest, the city’s GOP leanings held true to form. Businessman John Geranios won easily there, outpacing teacher union employee Scott Wildman by 11%.

Meanwhile, over in Burbank, Geranios squeaked by with 68 votes, with the Los Angeles parts of the district coming through as expected for Wildman.

According to the last numbers released by the county registrar-recorder, Wildman holds on to the slimmest of leads, a mere 168 votes. An update in this photo-finish contest is expected today.

Even though Glendale voters went for moderate Republican Geranios, the margin of GOP victory there is not what it used to be, thanks to changing demographics and a Democratic voter registration drive.

Nostalgic Glendale Republicans seeking to recall the halcyon days when Republicans steamrolled over Democrats in their town need only look at San Marino’s voting results this year--and weep for the good old days.

Boland won in San Marino with 72% of the vote to Schiff’s 35%. And in the 44th Assembly District race there, GOP Assemblyman Bill Hoge won twice as many votes as Democrat Jack Scott.

But support from tiny San Marino didn’t help Hoge, who lost to Scott, thanks to Pasadena, which also contributed to Schiff’s success. Like Burbank, Pasadena leans more Democratic than not.

Glendale, in other words, was squeezed from both directions.

Going to the Dogs

When the city’s largest dog park opens in Sepulveda Basin next month, it will provide the type of amenities that will make even the lowliest mutt feel like he’s in doggie heaven.

The park, which will open Dec. 12 at the corner of White Oak Avenue and Victory Boulevard, will include a fenced-off, five-acre exercise area where Fido and Spot can romp sans leash.

In addition, the park will provide “facilities” to serve the dogs when nature calls. That’s right, the city has installed four bright-red fire hydrants in the park.

Jack Ward, park supervisor for the San Fernando Valley, said the used hydrants were donated by the Department of Water and Power, which had planned to scrap them.

“It adds a little humor to the park,” Ward said.

He added that city workers also created sumps beneath the hydrants to provide some, uh, drainage.

The $250,000 total cost of the park will be paid with voter-approved park improvement funds and a $50,000 donation from Friskies PetCare Co., which was granted exclusive rights to use the park for promotional events for six years.

Perhaps when Friskies holds an event, it will post a sign saying: “Four hydrants. No waiting.”

Join the Supes, See the World

While County Mayor Mike Antonovich is spreading the word about the Los Angeles County government’s expertise this week and next to Moroccan civil servants, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky will be globe-trotting to a conference in Russia.

November and December are traditionally slow months at the Hall of Administration, and board members often take advantage of the respite by taking long trips paid for by someone else.

This year, Antonovich’s two-week sojourn to Cairo and Casablanca will be funded by an Arab institute in Saudi Arabia.

Yaroslavsky’s trip will be underwritten by the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, a private organization based in Washington. Their respective absences led the Board of Supervisors to cancel their meeting Thursday.

In Cairo, Antonovich will attend a regional economic summit, and in Casablanca he is scheduled to give opening remarks at a conference titled “Decision Making in Municipal Affairs.” Antonovich will return for the Nov. 26 meeting--his last as county mayor.

Not to be outdone, Yaroslavsky--who may or may not assume the title of mayor when he takes the board’s helm Dec. 3--is making like Mike. He is in Seattle speaking to the General Assembly of the Jewish Council of Federations before jetting off to St. Petersburg, Russia, to speak at a conference on municipal governance.

For the Sake of Argument

It’s normally pretty difficult to keep a politician quiet. That is why Los Angeles City Council President John Ferraro keeps an electric timer on hand to ensure that council members don’t speak for more than three minutes at a time.

But the usually talkative council was mute on Wednesday, when City Clerk Michael Carey asked if any member wanted to volunteer to write a ballot argument against Mayor Richard Riordan’s measure to create a government reform panel.

Riordan and Studio City attorney David Fleming led a campaign that collected more than 300,000 signatures to put a measure on the ballot, asking voters to create a citizens panel to study government reform ideas.

The council has been critical of the drive because it excludes them from the process. In response, the council has appointed a 21-member panel of its own to recommend reform ideas for the council to consider.

But when it came to putting their names on the ballot to speak out against Riordan’s citizens committee, no one on the council volunteered. After all, they were probably thinking about the 300,000 registered voters who supported the effort.

Finally, Councilwoman Ruth Galanter, who has been one of Riordan’s loudest critics, nominated Ferraro to author the ballot argument.

“Someone has to be the author and Uncle Sam wants you,” she said.

Seeing that no one else was volunteering, Ferraro reluctantly accepted the job. Later, he declined to say what his ballot argument would say.

“There will be no preview,” said Gayle Johnson, Ferraro’s spokeswoman.

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QUOTABLE: “While I did not always agree with him on matters of policy, I respected his intellect, his dedication to his constituents and love for the City of Los Angeles and for the City Council as an institution.” --A letter from Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky on behalf of former Councilman Art Snyder, who faces sentencing on money-laundering charges