Checchi Sets Themes for Possible Bid for Governor

Prospective gubernatorial candidate Al Checchi tossed his hat toward the political ring Tuesday, asserting in his first policy address that state leaders have done California wrong with their insistence on trimming government’s sails.

In a thematic address to Town Hall Los Angeles that touched on the multimillionaire businessman’s upbringing and his political priorities, Checchi portrayed government as the single unifying force for good in a wildly diverse California.

“We have heard that government is not the solution, but the problem. We have heard that we live in an era of limits and that government must do less, and we have heard that we should measure government not by how small it is, not by how well it meets our needs,” said the Northwest Airlines co-chairman, alluding to the maxims of former governors Ronald Reagan, Edmund G. “Jerry” Brown Jr. and others.

“We are now reaping what we have sown.”

The speech to several hundred members of the Town Hall civic club was the first public address by Checchi, who lives in Beverly Hills, since he announced his exploratory campaign for governor in December. The executive has piqued interest in the political community, in part because of the money he could throw into a race. Checchi’s net worth is conservatively estimated at $550 million.

Checchi said after his speech that he plans to spend about six months talking to Californians and gauging the appeal of his candidacy before he makes a final decision.

His speech was shot through with lofty themes, lamenting the loss of optimism in California, and harking back to the sense of community the state and nation had during past crises, such as World War II.

He was sharply critical of what he termed the “collapsing” public education system, the racial divisiveness that he said had been sown by unseemly politicians and the championing of initiatives verging on anarchy. He also touted the power of economic development to help cure many of the state’s problems.

“Here in California, we have developed a seething disrespect for government and our leaders,” he said. “We routinely and brazenly take the law into our own hands with the initiative process. This is legislative vigilantism and it is producing alarming results, laws that are often crude, incomplete, unconstitutional.

“We have taken the craft of legislating, a process that requires reasoned debate, detailed analysis and thoughtful drafting, and we’ve reduced it to graffiti.”

Checchi presented himself as the outsider better able to fix government’s ills than those who have long toiled in politics. That outsider sensibility is key to his chances, his advisors have said, because it serves to set him apart from the other candidates. Among Democrats, Lt. Gov. Gray Davis has said he will run for governor, and three others are considering a bid--U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, former White House chief of staff Leon Panetta and state Controller Kathleen Connell.

During his address and in response to questions from the audience, Checchi said he favors increased spending on education and favors cash grants, tax credits or other incentives to help businesses hire welfare recipients and to keep businesses in California. But he was short on detail.

Asked whether he would raise taxes to fund his priorities or would simply move money around within the state budget, he demurred and said he would work over the coming months to develop specific plans.

Asked how he would accomplish other goals--such as reforming the initiative system and improving race relations--he indicated that he would use the governor’s bully pulpit to expound on those issues.

One of the men whom Checchi hopes to follow in office, former Gov. George Deukmejian, said he thought the speech was “safe” and included little that has not been espoused by others.

“It wasn’t particularly inspiring,” Deukmejian said. “It reminded me of speeches I’ve given over the years--kind of dull.”