Gun-Related Deaths Cited by Candidates

In the first debate between first-term Assemblyman Jack Scott (D-Altadena) and Republican challenger Ken LaCorte on Wednesday, both men touched on personal tragedies involving the loss of family members to gun violence.

At a meeting of the Rotary Club of Pasadena, LaCorte described how his sister and her boyfriend were gunned down by a stranger in the foothills above Arcadia. LaCorte has fought for years to keep the killer from being paroled.

“It’s not a reason to vote for me, but it is the reason I got involved in politics,” said LaCorte, 33, who is running on a platform that includes eliminating parole and probation for violent offenders.

LaCorte is a member of the National Rifle Assn., which has taken out newspaper ads against Scott.

For his part, Scott told how the death of his son Adam may have been prevented had the gun involved been equipped with a trigger lock. Adam was a 27-year-old attorney when he was accidentally shot to death in 1993 by a friend at a Wilshire district dinner party.

The reference to Adam was just one of many instances during the debate in which Scott, 65, one of the Legislature’s staunchest gun control advocates, asserted the need to regulate guns and gun manufacturers.

Scott, a former Pasadena City College president, was elected in 1996 to represent the 44th Assembly District, which stretches from the northeast San Fernando Valley to South Pasadena. The race for Scott’s seat is expected to be a hot one, with Republicans targeting Scott, who leads fund-raising race with nearly $300,000.

By comparison, LaCorte, a medical supply dealer who previously worked for a political consulting firm, has raised about $140,000.

The 44th is considered a “swing district,” with about 45% of voters registered as Democrats and nearly 43% as Republicans.

The GOP would like to reclaim the traditionally conservative seat, which Scott wrestled away from Bill Hoge two years ago.

Although each candidate likes to portray himself as a moderate, they differ on many issues, including abortion.

Scott supports abortion rights, while LaCorte opposes abortion except in cases of incest or rape or to save the life of the mother.

“What he’d like to do is roll back Roe v. Wade,” Scott said of LaCorte, referring to the Supreme Court decision that established the right to an abortion.

While LaCorte said he backs a ban on all forms of automatic weapons, he added during an interview following the debate that he does not necessarily favor all current legislation aimed at them.

Both candidates oppose the proposed extension of the Long Beach Freeway through South Pasadena to Pasadena and agree that Burbank Airport needs expansion.

One of the touchiest issues during Wednesday’s face-off arose when LaCorte accused Scott of using taxpayer funds to distribute letters that he said resemble campaign brochures.

Scott denied any impropriety.

“I’ve sent out pieces that deal with breast cancer and immunization of children,” he said.