Contentious Race Taking Shape in Liberal Stronghold

The race for the 41st Assembly District seat is barely underway but already promises to be one of the region’s more unusual political battles in the coming year, pitting the general manager of a major Los Angeles City department against one of founders of Agoura Hills and an outspoken children’s advocate, among others.

Democrat David Freeman, the avuncular head of Los Angeles’ historic Department of Water and Power, made his intentions clear to seek the seat in late summer after state Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Los Angeles) veered away from seeking election to the post. Hayden first was inclined to run in a neighboring district, then backed out of legislative politics altogether.

Some Freeman supporters had hoped his announcement would chase off competitors, but that hasn’t been the case. Democrat Fran Pavley, a teacher and longtime council member in Agoura Hills who helped found that city, has filed notice of her intention to seek the seat, along with three other Democrats: former Santa Monica City Councilman Tony Vasquez, Brenda Gottfried and William Wallace.

Two Republicans, children’s advocate Jayne Shapiro and conservative activist Stefan “Stu” Stitch, are also vying for the seat, which traditionally has been considered a liberal stronghold. It is being vacated by Assemblywoman Sheila Kuehl, who is being pushed out by term limits.

In 1998, the district overwhelmingly voted for Kuehl over a little-known Republican challenger and even more resoundingly for Democrat Gray Davis over Republican Dan Lungren. Still, observers say the area’s liberal past does not make it a lock for a Democrat.

“True, it’s a liberal seat, but not as liberal as the neighboring one,” said political consultant Joe Cerrell. “As you move north in the district, into Malibu and those areas, you hit some spots that are more affluent and less liberal.”

So far, the campaign has been a gentle one. Most observers pick Freeman as the front-runner while acknowledging that Pavley, Vasquez and Shapiro bring obvious strengths to the race.

Each is focused on issues involving education, with Pavley emphasizing her lifelong work as a teacher as well as her former spot on the Coastal Commission, credentials that give her credibility among educators and environmentalists.

Vasquez potentially commands a base in Santa Monica, the district’s biggest population center, and Shapiro says that her work on behalf of Kids Safe, a nationwide nonprofit child advocacy group of which she is the president, has given her broad political contacts and appeal.

“I really do believe that I have real-life experience and a track record,” she said.

Shapiro, a pro-choice Republican whose Kids Safe board includes honorary members from both political parties, emphasizes her coalition-building skills, exemplified most pointedly in her successful campaign for the passage of Megan’s Law, the sexual offender registration law.

Shapiro also stands to benefit from the state’s open primary system. Under it, all the candidates for the seat will appear on the ballot, but if none receives a majority in next spring’s election, the runoff will feature the top Democrat and Republican in a head-to-head contest.

Since her main challenge in the initial round comes from the more conservative Stitch, some people close to the race pick her as the favorite to win the most Republican votes.

On the other side, the main issue is Freeman, who by most accounts is the favorite in the campaign’s early stages. Observers say Vasquez could challenge Freeman in the Santa Monica area, however, and Pavley could hurt him in the district’s northern reaches.

“The issues that are being discussed as priorities in the district--education and the environment--are the ones that I’ve been dealing with for years,” she said. “I’m thrilled that education is finally the most important issue in this state.”

Freeman, meanwhile, is planning to leave the DWP soon to concentrate on the campaign full time. Although he initially had intended to campaign on weekends and after hours, Riordan administration officials were concerned that the campaign would distract him from his other duties and pressured him to step aside.

He has filed for a leave, and if it is denied, he will use vacation time in order to wage his first effort at elected office, sources said.