Hayden Quits Assembly Race, Cites Davis Vetoes

Bitter that fellow Democrat Gray Davis vetoed some of his key bills, Democratic 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 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 a year remaining in his 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.

Assemblywoman Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica), who shares many of Hayden’s left-leaning political views, said he will leave “a legacy of conscience.”

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 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. 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.