Schiff Sets Up Fund-Raising Panel, Delays Entering Race

State Sen. Adam Schiff has formed a committee to run for the House seat held by Rep. James E. Rogan, whose vocal role as prosecutor in President Clinton’s impeachment trial gave him national recognition but angered many constituents and made him a top Democratic target.

Schiff (D-Burbank) good-naturedly refused Monday to confirm that he is running against Rogan (R-Glendale), an old political rival from the days both battled for the same Assembly seat.

But two weeks after flying to Washington to meet with Democratic campaign officials, the former federal prosecutor acknowledged that he has created a committee to raise money for a congressional race next year, and is planning to announce his intentions at a press conference April 9.

“I really don’t want to make a formal announcement yet,” Schiff said. “But clearly, I would like to continue the strong advocacy for local issues I have shown in the state Legislature at the federal level.”

National Democratic officials have repeatedly stated that one of their priorities for 2000 is ousting Rogan from the 27th Congressional District, a former GOP bastion that has been undergoing major demographic changes. The district went for Clinton twice and now has a slight Democratic majority.

State Democratic officials have also piled on, painting Rogan as a top target, a right-wing extremist whose zealous attacks on Clinton during the Senate impeachment trial showed he is out of step with voters. The district includes Glendale, Burbank, Pasadena, San Marino and La Canada Flintridge, among other communities.

“He passes himself off as a moderate Republican, but I think what the impeachment issue has done is show who he really is and what he stands for,” said California Democratic Party Chairman Art Torres, who met with Schiff on Monday to discuss the race. “We need to have representatives in Congress that mirror the voters in their district, and Rogan is right-wing all the way.”

Yet while Democrats focus on a showdown between Rogan and Schiff, Rogan has other fights on his mind. The former Glendale judge is strongly considering abandoning his congressional seat and running for U.S. Senate next year against Democrat Dianne Feinstein.

In a sign of his growing stature among Republicans, Rogan was received like a rock star at the state GOP convention last month, signing autographs amid booming calls to take on Feinstein.

Making light of his status as Democratic cannon fodder, Rogan showed up at the event with T-shirts and stickers of his own design, trumpeting “Jim Rogan: My Kind of Target” before a bull’s-eye background. They reportedly sold well.

“Jim is flattered by all the encouragement he has been receiving, but he has yet to make up his mind” about a Senate run, Rogan spokesman Jeff Solsby said. He added that Rogan would not comment on Schiff’s run for his House seat until it was formally announced.

Though he played coy regarding his plans, Schiff did not hesitate Monday to criticize Rogan, a favorite of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, saying Rogan had ignored local concerns to pursue partisan causes such as impeachment.

“There has certainly been a focus on partisan ideological issues more than on the local problems of the district,” Schiff said. “That partisanship is completely out of touch with our district.”

While they did not bite Monday, Rogan and his staff have been critical of Schiff in recent weeks for visiting Washington without stopping by Rogan’s office, saying Schiff was more interested in his own political career than discussing local issues with his district’s representative in Congress.

The two have also competed recently over one of the hottest issues on their turf, the proposed expansion of Burbank Airport, organizing separate forums to address the issue.

As is often the case in politics, Schiff’s decision is expected to set off a chain reaction in Sacramento. Assemblymen Scott Wildman (D-Los Angeles) and Jack Scott (D-Altadena) have expressed strong interest in Schiff’s seat. Both met with Torres recently, and Democrats hope only one seeks Schiff’s seat to avoid a costly primary fight. They have also spoken with each other in hopes of reaching an amicable solution, Scott said.

“You know how dominoes start falling in political life,” Scott said. “One of the things making all of this happen, of course, is term limits. I can only serve one more term in the Assembly, so I clearly am interested in the state Senate seat.”