Legislators Face Job Shuffle as Y2K Nears

Y2K is more than a computer problem for five veteran state lawmakers from the San Fernando Valley. Because of term limits, all five will be looking for new jobs in two years.

Sens. Tom Hayden (D-Los Angeles) and Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley) face senatorial extinction, and the jig is up for Assembly members Wally Knox (D-Los Angeles), Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica) and Tom McClintock (R-Northridge).

Wright said she’s not sure what’s in her political future, but she’s positive about who will be the front-runner to replace her in the upper chamber: McClintock.

“Tom’s been preparing for this for a long time, let’s face it,” Wright said Thursday.

The most interesting twist on the term-limits shuffle will be the battle to replace Hayden.

Both Knox and Kuehl already have announced they’ll be running for his seat, pitting the longtime Democratic colleagues against each other for the nomination.

“One of the tragedies of term limits is that a race like this should happen, but it’s a fact we have to live with,” Knox said.

Kuehl, the speaker pro tem, said they both realized this might happen when first elected to the Assembly in 1994--and vowed not to let their looming face-off in 2000 affect their working relationship in the Assembly.

“What’s going to happen? Whoever gets the most votes is going to win,” Kuehl said.

As for her replacement in the Assembly, Kuehl said it’s wide open.

“For all I know, Tom Hayden is going to be interested,” she said.

Chick’s Victory HH’s Defeat

The failure of Los Angeles Charter Amendment HH on Election Day was a victory of sorts for Los Angeles City Councilwoman Laura Chick.

The charter amendment crept quietly onto the ballot only to create a last-minute hubbub as it began to dawn on local politicians that this seemingly innocuous attempt to give the mayor and City Council more control over proprietary departments such as the airport would be seen as a run on those department’s coffers.

The backlash against HH was poised to hit Chick particularly hard. While other council members voted for it before realizing its implications, Chick signed her name to the voters’ pamphlet arguing in favor of the measure.

Chick proved herself an Olympian back-peddler, moving quickly to withdraw her support for the measure as opposition swelled. But there remained that pesky problem of her signature, indelibly touting the measure on the voters’ pamphlet.

Lucky for her, the issue died with the negative vote, averting what surely would have been an awkward political predicament had it passed.

Bound for the Pound

When a well-behaved puppy trotted off Vanowen Street and into Chick’s Reseda office Monday, her staff assumed he was just tagging after his owner on some civic errand.

“He followed a constituent in from the parking lot,” reported one staffer, who did not wish to be identified.

But despite the dog’s polished demeanor--he sat down politely next to the constituent in question--he was in fact a vagabond. Chick’s staff gave him some water and put him in a nearby conference room to await the dogcatcher.

Perhaps the young mutt, a seeming cross between a Labrador and a pit bull, turned to Chick for a reason. As chairwoman of the council’s Public Safety Committee, she oversees the city’s Animal Regulation Department.

Chick’s position, however, bought no favors Monday. Her office had to wait its turn for an animal control officer, just like anybody else. It took about an hour and a half.

Clearly, the pooch was “not top dog,” the staffer said.

“It’s a lucky dog that now hopefully will be able to be reunited with his owner.”

Mr. Rogan’s Neighborhood

Rep. James E. Rogan (R-Glendale) said he’s not worried about being shuffled out of office in 2002 after the California Legislature redraws congressional district boundaries.

The Democrats will probably control both the state Legislature and governor’s office and--at the very least--will be tempted to gerrymander Rogan’s district to include even more Democratic voters.

But Rogan, who squeaked by Tuesday with less than a 4% margin of victory, said he’s always drawn support from Democrats. Republicans make up only 39% of the registered voters in the 27th Congressional District, compared to 44% for the Democrats, yet Rogan won the past two elections. The district includes Pasadena, Glendale and Burbank.

The Republican said he’s more likely to step down in the future to spend time with his family. “I don’t want to make a career out of it. It’s a tough job--travel’s awful,” Rogan said.

Campaign Mailbag

Among the weirdest, wildest and woolliest charges leveled in the pile of campaign mailers sent out this election:

A Republican--Randy Hoffman of Thousand Oaks--criticized Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman of Sherman Oaks because he “voted for [the] presidential impeachment inquiry.”

The last-minute mailer apparently had little impact.

Sherman was reelected to the 24th Congressional District, beating Hoffman by 20 percentage points.