Battle Illustrates Contrast Among Latino Hopefuls

One challenger is demeaned as a political neophyte and carpetbagger eager to hitch a free ride on the coattails of his storied father-in-law.

The other is dismissed as an ineffective pol who is soft on crime.

Welcome to one of the hottest congressional primary contests in Southern California: the race for the Democratic nomination to represent the 34th Congressional District, a mostly Latino, blue-collar swath of suburbia to the east and southeast of Los Angeles.

At stake is the eminently safe Democratic seat long owned by Esteban Edward Torres, who stunned many by announcing his retirement in March after representing the district since its creation in 1982. With the district’s heavily Democratic majority, the winner of Tuesday’s primary is virtually guaranteed to sweep to victory in November.

Vying to be Torres’ heir are two very different candidates: James “Jamie” M. Casso, 38, the congressman’s son-in-law and longtime chief deputy, and Assemblywoman Grace F. Napolitano, 61, forced by term limits to seek her political fortunes elsewhere.

At a time when the state’s Latino electorate is expanding rapidly, the fierce battle underscores a stark contrast in generations and styles among the growing ranks of Latino lawmakers.

Napolitano is a grandmother who worked her way up the electoral ladder and is known less as a legislative dynamo than for pressing the flesh at community events and responding to constituent concerns. Casso, a father of three young children, is a polished graduate of Georgetown Law School. This is Casso’s first shot at elected office.

“We’re seeing a generation of people getting involved in politics who have a sharper focus on getting problems solved through public policy rather than being exclusively constituent friendly,” said Leo Briones, a Los Angeles political consultant not working in the campaign.

Ideological differences are barely apparent between the two candidates in a district where bread-and-butter issues such as jobs, crime, education, preserving Social Security and Medicare, and improving water quality in the San Gabriel Valley hold considerable sway.

The district, a sprawling grid of tract houses, freeways, factories, mini-malls and small businesses, features at its core a series of working-class communities such as Montebello, La Puente and Norwalk. The 34th also encompasses Whittier and some upscale enclaves, including Hacienda Heights and Santa Fe Springs. Although mostly Latino, the district includes significant numbers of non-Latino voters, including whites and Asian Americans.

Of late, both candidates have been in attack mode.

In one mailing, Casso attempted to paint Napolitano as soft on criminals, citing votes against bills that would have instituted the death penalty for drive-by killers and increased penalties for illegal gun dealers, among other get-tough proposals. But the assemblywoman produced endorsements from law enforcement groups and victims’ rights advocates.

Casso’s staff has also raised questions about Napolitano’s heavily self-financed campaign--she put $220,000 of her personal savings into the effort.

Indisputably, Napolitano has the advantage of name recognition--her resume includes three terms in the Assembly and a stint as councilwoman and mayor in Norwalk. In fact, her Assembly district encompasses the majority of the 34th Congressional District’s likely voters, giving her a huge leg up on her relatively unknown opponent.

But Casso’s chances and electoral credibility are tied to a political juggernaut: Torres, the former auto worker and union foreman turned diplomat and congressman, who remains a near legendary figure in the district. Many suspect that Torres delayed announcing his retirement until just three days before the filing deadline to clear the field for his son-in-law--a charge dismissed by the Casso team.

For some time, Torres’ considerable organization has worked on Casso’s behalf, helping to build a substantial campaign war chest and to rack up an impressive series of endorsements--including backing from Supervisor Gloria Molina, three Latino congressional representatives from Southern California (not including Torres), numerous state legislators, unions and others who have been forced to take sides in the campaign.

On Thursday, Casso trumpeted the support of Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa (D-Los Angeles). The development surprised Napolitano, who works closely with Villaraigosa.

Strategists for Napolitano have attempted to turn Casso’s close links to Torres into a liability, alleging that the lame-duck congressman is engaging in an L.A. version of the notorious el dedazo (“the big finger”), in which departing Mexican presidents select their successors free of the encumbrances of democracy.

“I don’t know what this young man has done, but people in this district expect you to pay your dues,” said Napolitano, a former Ford Motor Co. clerk. “It takes audacity for someone to say, ‘It’s my turn, because my father-in-law has given me this opportunity.’ . . . In this campaign, experience is going to win out over arrogance.”

Casso, who says he first met his future wife (Torres’ daughter, Selina) while stumping for the congressman in 1982, bristles at the suggestion of nepotism. In his seven years working for the congressman in his Pico Rivera district office, Casso says, he has become intimately familiar with the district’s needs. The candidate unabashedly cites his relationship with his father-in-law, who is featured prominently in campaign literature.

“Esteban Torres gave honorable service to the communities of the 34th Congressional District for 16 years, and I think the people want that kind of tradition of service to continue,” Casso said.

Likewise, Casso has rejected Napolitano’s charge that he is an outsider because he lives just beyond the district, in West Covina. Casso says his house is on the market and he plans to move within the boundaries of the 34th.

“I toil in the cities of the 34th Congressional District day in and day out,” Casso said.

Retorted Napolitano: “The general public is tired of legacies being handed down.”