Wilson’s End Run

Gov. Pete Wilson deserves a fair hearing for his appointees who require confirmation by the state Senate. But once the Senate determines there is a legitimate reason to reject an appointee, a governor should abide by that decision. That is not what happened, however, when the Senate was poised to turn down the appointment of Richard Becker as director of the state Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.

Rather, Wilson withdrew Becker’s nomination and then named him chief deputy director of the same agency, a position that does not require Senate approval. But since there is no director, Becker has become acting director with essentially all the powers of department leader.

Wilson aides say the governor intends to appoint a new director but that it might take some time to find the right person. The governor’s critics on this issue, including 57 of the 63 scientists working in the department, fear the job will not be filled and that Becker will remain the de facto director until Wilson leaves office.

There have been varied complaints about Becker’s performance as director and before that as a deputy director in charge of scientific affairs. Among the targets of these complaints was his implementation of a departmental policy that required the destruction of scientists’ written arguments and data that ran counter to the agency’s final position on an issue. In essence, the policy ordered the elimination of any record of debate. It was revised following an uproar, but no one has provided a satisfactory reason for establishment of such a policy in the first place.

The department also has been accused of unnecessarily delaying the listing of toxic substances that may be found in the water that Californians drink and the air they breathe. Not all problems in the department are Becker’s fault, but they are symptomatic of the need for a strong new leader who will uphold the highest standards of science. The governor’s term has 16 months to run. Surely he could find such a person well before then.