Hayden Quits Assembly Race, Cites Vetoes by Davis

Bitter that fellow Democrat Gray Davis vetoed some of his key bills, state Sen. Tom Hayden on Tuesday bowed out of a race for a West Los Angeles legislative seat, saying, “I want to be home, not in a Sacramento motel.”

Barred by term limits from seeking reelection to the Senate, the graying anti-Vietnam War icon had been considered the front-runner in the March Democratic primary in the 42nd Assembly District.

But Hayden, once again veering from the predictable political script, said that instead he will consider other options, including running for office in Los Angeles, where he lost a 1997 bid for mayor.

“Earlier this year, the election of Gray Davis as governor awakened my interest in running for the Assembly. . . . But my optimism faded into a jaded realism,” Hayden said in a letter distributed to friends and reporters.

Hayden, who has another year remaining in his Senate term, said he was appalled earlier this year by Democratic support for the bombing of Serbia, continues to be angered by the corrosive force of money in politics and was amazed at Davis’ vetoes, which he called “coldhearted and even irrational.”

Davis, the first Democratic governor since Hayden was elected to the Legislature in 1982, rejected legislation, including bills by Hayden, to ensure inner-city students equal access to education and establish a commission to improve prison conditions. Michael Bustamante, Davis’ press secretary, said he hadn’t spoken to the governor about Hayden’s decision not to run.

“He [Davis] signed the ones [bills] that certainly made sense, that were going to make a difference for California. If they don’t make sense, they don’t get signed,” Bustamante said.

Hayden’s influence has extended far beyond his own district, affecting Orange County residents in particular on environmental issues that have been close to his heart.

As the sponsor of SB1277, a bill that would ban the building of new roads through state parks, Hayden this year angered some Orange County transportation officials who said he was unfairly interfering in a local matter.

The effort is considered to be among the most serious challenges to the controversial Foothill South toll road proposed through South County, and was fiercely fought by toll road officials.

On Tuesday, though, Transportation Corridor Agencies officials said they believed his impending departure would change little.

“We do not expect it to have any affect on the fate of SB1277,” said agencies spokeswoman Lisa Telles.

The $644-million, 16-mile toll road would split the narrow inland park at San Onofre State Beach down the middle, if the route endorsed by toll road officials goes forward.

Officials in Hayden’s office said he remains committed to getting the bill passed in the time he has remaining.

The legislation, which was shelved this year, is expected to be revived when state lawmakers reconvene in January.

“It’s going to be a battle until the end,” said Kate Neiswender, a consultant to Hayden on the Natural Resources Committee.

But some who have worked closely with Hayden say his departure from the state scene will leave a void, particularly on controversial environmental issues.

“He was a real true believer in the environmental ethic in a kind of a spiritual way,” said Dan Silver of the Los Angeles-based Endangered Habitats League.

Assemblywoman Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica), who shares many of Hayden’s left-leaning political views, also offered a charitable picture of Hayden’s legislative record, saying he will leave “a legacy of conscience.” She said that “for a progressive like Tom, a lot of his battles were uphill.”

Beyond the intraparty fights, Hayden seemed to be using the eve of his 60th birthday as an opportunity to take stock of his life. Among other things, he and his wife, Barbara, are considering adopting a child, and the commuting life, never particularly satisfactory, was looking even less appealing.

Hayden has a grown son from his marriage to actress Jane Fonda and helped raise her daughter.

“As I now approach 60 years of age, including 40 years of activism, I began to wonder if there were other ways to combat racism, poverty, inequality and corruption than by commuting to Sacramento for another five years,” Hayden said in his letter.

“I was confident of winning reelection. But was I running for the sake of running? Was I on a treadmill? The only way to know was to get off, and let others in the bloom of their ambition have a try.”

Hayden made his announcement on the eve of today’s deadline for filing for the March 7 primary in the heavily Democratic district. Though Democratic political consultants indicated Hayden would probably have won the primary, he had been expected to face stiff opposition from, among others, West Hollywood City Councilman Paul Koretz and attorney Amanda Susskind.

Hayden’s announcement was the latest twist in a career divided between left-wing activism and mainstream Democratic politics, including unsuccessful runs for the U.S. Senate and governor.

Since 1982, when he was elected to the Assembly from Santa Monica, Hayden has gained a reputation as one of the smartest people to serve in public office. But there was always the sense in Sacramento that he never reached his potential because he lacked the discipline to stay focused on an issue and make alliances or shed his image with colleagues as a kooky left-winger.

Still, in the Senate, where he has served since 1992, Hayden seemed to have gained a level of respect that eluded him in the Assembly, where he was never viewed as a team player. In the Senate under former Republican Gov. Pete Wilson, Hayden seized on a little-used procedural device to turn what is typically a routine review of gubernatorial appointments into a spirited scrutiny of state agencies.

While carving out a reputation as a strong environmentalist, Hayden last year took on the powerful prison guards union during hearings on brutality by guards at Corcoran State Prison.

As a member of the Assembly, Hayden never fit in with the Democratic leadership. In fact, in 1991 he watched as his colleagues obliterated his district in the decennial redrawing of legislative lines. It prompted him to return to his roots as a reformer, assailing the machine politics of then-Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco).