State Office Endorsements

California has seven independently elected offices below that of governor. Here are The Times’ recommendations for these offices in the Nov. 3 general election.

Lieutenant Governor: Cruz Bustamante. Bustamante, a Fresno Democrat, developed a reputation as a moderate, consensus-building politician as the speaker of the Assembly during 1997 and early 1998. The lieutenant governor, elected independently of the governor, serves on a variety of boards and commissions and as a UC regent and California State University trustee--and of course would become governor if that office became vacant for any reason.

State Sen. Tim Leslie of Tahoe City, the Republican nominee, is an ideologue who supported Proposition 187, the divisive initiative denying benefits to illegal immigrants. Bustamante’s style and policies are more in line with California’s needs.

Secretary of State: Bill Jones. Jones has devoted much of his four-year term to pursuit of voter fraud and cleaning up the state’s voter registration rolls, which have been clogged with deadwood for years. Jones, a Fresno Republican, was aggressive in searching for voter fraud in Rep. Loretta Sanchez’s 1996 election over Orange County Republican Bob Dornan. He has also conducted vigorous investigations of Republicans and has pursued reforms in a fair manner. Democratic nominee Michela Alioto of San Francisco has been vague in proposing her own reforms, some of which Jones has already undertaken. Jones has fully earned a second term.

State Controller: Kathleen Connell. During her term, Democrat Connell has managed to alienate much of the political establishment in Sacramento, including many members of her own party. Connell, of Los Angeles, may be acerbic and aggressive to a fault, but her audits of state agencies have been fruitful in disclosing waste and inefficiency. Republican challenger Ruben Barrales, a San Mateo County supervisor, is moderate, intelligent and personable. This is his first statewide campaign and we hope it won’t be his last. But on the basis of performance and experience, Democrat Connell has earned a second term.

Treasurer: Phil Angelides. Either Democrat Phil Angelides or Republican Curt Pringle would probably be competent as state treasurer, but Angelides gets the nod here. A real estate developer and former chairman of the Democratic Party, Angelides is making his second try for treasurer after being trounced by Matt Fong in 1994. Pringle was Assembly speaker in 1996 and “termed out” after eight years in the Legislature. He seems stuck in an ideological past, with no new ideas for the job and opposing even the statewide school bond measure. Angelides’ platform favors capital investment, within strict limits, in the state’s roads, bridges, schools and other infrastructure elements. This is wholly in line with what major business and civic groups favor.

Attorney General: Bill Lockyer. As a member of the Assembly or Senate for 25 years and the Senate’s leader in 1994-98, the Hayward Democrat showed the ability and leadership to solve real problems. Lockyer, a tireless worker and a man with a lively intellect, has a strong record on anti-crime measures, including efforts to update the state’s legally flawed ban on assault weapons. By contrast, Dave Stirling, the deputy attorney general who is the GOP nominee, admits to having “problems” with a ban on assault weapons. And he says that as attorney general he would encourage parental responsibility and discourage teenage pregnancy; how much of this is really the AG’s job? Lockyer’s priorities are the right ones, and he is the clear choice in this contest.

Insurance Commissioner: No endorsement. Even before incumbent Republican Chuck Quackenbush began his term, his $2.3 million in campaign donations from insurers raised eyebrows. He has generally tilted toward the industry, to reduce its costs rather than directly benefit consumers. He freed insurers from having to underwrite earthquake insurance, creating a controversial state agency offering high-cost, low-benefit policies. California law requires all drivers to be insured, but Quackenbush has done virtually nothing to make auto insurance more available. He says he’ll work on lower-cost basic policies and lower-cost earthquake insurance in a second term. But where was he during the last four years?

His Democratic challenger, outgoing Assemblywoman Diane Martinez of Monterey Park, lacks the temperament and experience for the job and has a platform of unrealistic proposals that probably would be challenged in court. There is no good choice in this race.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction: Delaine Eastin. Eastin demonstrated during her first term in this nominally nonpartisan office that she is a skilled advocate for better education. She pushed to return phonics to reading instruction, raise academic standards and extend the school year. A former Assembly member, she prodded the Legislature to do more for schools. She also proved she is no obstructionist when she quickly implemented Proposition 227, which she had opposed.

True, Eastin was hobbled and boxed in by political opposition from Gov. Pete Wilson and his appointees to the State Board of Education, but that is the result of a flawed system. She is more knowledgeable than her opponent, Gloria Matta Tuchman, an enthusiastic first-grade teacher who championed the dismantling of bilingual education. Eastin deserves a chance to show what she can accomplish in a second term.

For other Times endorsements, go to the Internet site https://www.latimes.com/endorsements.