McClintock and Kuehl Will Play Strictly by the Rules in Assembly

In his first speech as Assembly speaker, Cruz Bustamante (D-Fresno) paid homage of sorts to conservative GOP Assemblyman Tom McClintock (R-Northridge).

McClintock is an expert in parliamentary procedure--a registered parliamentarian. We’re not sure exactly where one registers as one, but suffice it to say, he knows when to call the question.

During McClintock’s last tour of Assembly duty, he used this expertise to take on the master of the rules, former Speaker Willie Brown.

Although not an Assembly member a year ago, McClintock called the parliamentary plays when the GOP took over the speakership.

Bustamante acknowledged this Monday, but said he has found a worthy opponent for McClintock in another Valley legislator, Assemblywoman Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica).

Kuehl is the new speaker pro tem, which means she presides over Assembly sessions when the speaker is otherwise engaged (typically much of the time).

Why Kuehl?

She has “tremendous talent, understanding of the rules and great wit,” Bustamante opined, “and can even handle Mr. McClintock.”

Author, Author

One person watching the new Valley secession bill with more than a passing interest is the lawmaker who started it all: former Assemblywoman Paula L. Boland.

Boland, who has been busy closing down two offices and consolidating three residences into one, pledged her support for the bill introduced Tuesday by her successor, McClintock.

“I’ll absolutely be involved and will do anything I can from this end,” Boland said.

She said discontent with government is spreading as self-determination is thwarted by challenges to voter-approved initiatives.

“People everywhere are up in arms,” Boland said.

This sentiment can be harnessed to help push what McClintock calls “Boland II,” which would remove the City Council’s veto power over secession requests.

“It’s certainly going to be difficult,” Boland said. “[Senate President Pro Tem] Bill Lockyer and [Sen. Charles] Calderon are still going to do the bidding of the City Council and downtown interests.”

Boland, defeated in her state Senate bid last month by Democrat Adam Schiff, said she is relaxing with friends and family and has not determined her next career move.

Replacement Players

As Rep. Carlos J. Moorhead (R-Glendale) strolls quietly away from Congress, others are hustling to grab his gavel.

The retiring lawmaker will vacate his chairmanship of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual Property when the new Congress takes over Jan. 7.

In anticipation of his departure, other lawmakers are jockeying to replace him on the powerful panel that oversees trademarks, copyrights and a host of other issues.

Among the Republican congressmen who have fired off letters to Judiciary Chairman Henry J. Hyde (R-Ill.) expressing interest in Moorhead’s job are Elton Gallegly of Simi Valley, Sonny Bono of Palm Springs and Howard Coble of North Carolina.

Hyde has sent out word that he intends to stick with the seniority system in naming Moorhead’s successor, meaning Coble will most likely get the job.

Ironically, if seniority had been the rule two years ago, Moorhead might not be retiring at all. He was passed over for the chairmanship of two major committees by congressmen with less seniority, pushing him toward retirement. One of those who leapfrogged over Moorhead was Hyde.

Animal Act

County Supervisor Mike Antonovich’s tradition of pet adoptions during board meetings is likely to continue--one way or another.

As chairman of the board, Antonovich started each meeting by holding a homeless cat, dog or other animal up to the TV camera and asking that someone step forward to adopt it. His office says the program has led to the successful adoption of more than 67 dogs and cats and one bird.

There was much speculation about the fate of future animals when Antonovich was replaced as board chairman by Zev Yaroslavsky this week. The thinking went that if Zev jettisoned the title “mayor,” would he abandon the animal appeals too?

The question was partially answered at Tuesday’s meeting after Antonovich held Sammy, a male cocker spaniel, up to the zooming camera. Yaroslavsky told him, “Next week, I’m going to do this, Mike. I was kind’ve getting my courage up.” In case this is another empty political promise, Antonovich said he plans to go on with the adoptions alone if necessary.

Sound Judgment

Lobbying in City Hall takes many forms.

But Councilman Richard Alarcon literally got an earful from one group seeking his vote.

The lobbying effort came from ECHO Inc., an Illinois-based firm that builds leaf blowers. ECHO and other leaf blower manufacturers were fighting the proposed ban on the use of blowers within 500 feet of a residence.

At issue was the noise and dust generated by the gas-powered machines.

But ECHO claims that it makes one of the few gas-powered blowers in the country that generate less than 65 decibels of noise--about the level of a normal conversation.

ECHO representatives asked Alarcon and the rest of the council to exempt their quieter blowers from the ban.

To prove how quiet the devices are, ECHO sent Alarcon a tape player, headphones and a cassette recording of an ECHO blower in operation.

Alarcon did not immediately listen to the cassette--he prefers something with a little more melody--but he nonetheless proposed an amendment to Marvin Braude’s measure that would exempt leaf blowers that produce less than 65 decibels of noise.

The council, however, rejected Alarcon’s amendment and eventually adopted the ban.

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QUOTABLE: “We told everybody last year, we were not going to go away.”

Jeff Brain, leader of a group favoring the defeated

Valley secession bill, which was reintroduced

in Sacramento this week