Speaker Likely to Have a Valley Voice

With Antonio Villaraigosa’s announcement Tuesday that he will step down as Assembly speaker next spring to campaign for mayor of Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley is virtually assured of reaping political benefits as one of its lawmakers is elected speaker for the first time in a quarter century.

All signs point to Assemblyman Bob Hertzberg (D-Sherman Oaks), a highly organized and energetic legislator who has acted as right-hand man to Villaraigosa (D-Los Angeles) and received Villaraigosa’s formal backing Tuesday as his successor.

But there are a few others still making waves about their interest in the job, notably another Valley legislator, Assemblyman Tony Cardenas (D-Sylmar).

Hertzberg, a more moderate Democrat than the liberal Villaraigosa, believes he already has the votes to guarantee success when Assembly members choose their next speaker in January. In fact, he is already thinking about how he would implement his ideas when he takes the reins in April after a transition period.

Among his plans: moving the regional speaker’s office from downtown Los Angeles, where it is now based under Villaraigosa, to the Valley. The Valley has not had an Assembly speaker since Bob Moretti in the ‘70s who, incidentally, represented the same Van Nuys-anchored district as Hertzberg.

“I hope that makes a statement,” Hertzberg said. “Generally, you have the interest of the San Fernando Valley at heart when you are here as a member, but you can accomplish so much more as speaker. It’s always better when you are at the table, and when I become speaker, the San Fernando Valley will always have a seat, when [I am] working on the budget with the governor, on everything.”

Hertzberg, a 45-year-old lawyer and businessman, worked for years on the inside of numerous Los Angeles political campaigns, particularly in the burgeoning Latino politics of East Los Angeles, before seeking higher office. He is widely recognized as being much more savvy than the typical sophomore legislator, and is known for his efforts to bring less experienced colleagues up to speed.

Cardenas, a 36-year-old real estate broker, was the Valley’s first Latino state legislator and is a close ally of powerful state Sen. Richard Polanco (D-Los Angeles).

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Despite Villaraigosa’s decision to endorse Hertzberg, Cardenas said he will keep campaigning for speaker after receiving dozens of encouraging calls and pages Tuesday from legislators angry over Villaraigosa’s endorsement. Ironically, Cardenas and Hertzberg were at the same event, a funeral for the father of Assemblyman Dennis Cardoza (D-Merced), when the pages started coming.

“Based on the calls I have received during the last few hours, I am going to continue,” Cardenas said. “This announcement came as a shock to me.”

Regardless of who comes out on top, Cardenas agreed the Valley will certainly be the major winner.

“Obviously, the issues that face our community will have a bigger voice,” he said. “The reality of politics is that the communities the speaker represents have their issues addressed much faster. When you are speaker, you have leverage.”

Former Democratic Assemblyman Richard Katz, who represented Assembly Democrats as minority leader, said all one needs to do to gauge whether speakers can bring home the bacon for their communities is to look at the San Francisco Bay Area. For years, it was represented by former Speakers Willie Brown and Leo McCarthy and was showered with state funding as a result.

“In some ways it is immeasurable, not just for the Valley, but for Los Angeles,” said Katz, noting that Los Angeles will likely have its second Assembly speaker in a row. “With a speaker from the Valley, the Valley gets a seat at the table from day one. The Valley fair-share-type issues will get more than short shrift. Antonio worked really hard to meet the Valley’s needs, but for Bob, it is second nature.”

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Though the power of the speaker has waned due to term limits, Katz said a crafty lawmaker such as Hertzberg can make the most of the brief time he would have in the position.

“He probably has a book somewhere, full of ideas about what he would do,” Katz joked.

Actually, Hertzberg clarified, it is a three-ring binder.

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ASSEMBLY ANNOUNCEMENT

Antonio Villaraigosa will give up his speaker’s post next spring to campaign for L.A. mayor. A1