Liberal Voters Buck Trend in 23rd District

When liberal voters in the 23rd state Senate District handed Assemblywoman Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica) a victory last week, they showed they will very likely in November become the first in state history to elect an openly gay woman to the California Senate.

But that wasn’t the only trend they bucked.

The latest results from the Los Angeles County registrar’s office Wednesday showed that those who cast their ballots in the district voted overwhelmingly against Proposition 22--the proposition that requires the state to only recognize marriages between men and women.

Although the proposition won by a wide margin statewide--garnering support among both Republicans and Democrats--about 60% of the voters in the 23rd Senate District--which includes Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and the Valley communities of Sherman Oaks and Studio City--voted against the controversial proposition. Only 36% voted for it.

The numbers reflect a virtual reversal of state results, where 61.3% of voters supported the emotion-packed proposition, and 38.7% voted against, according to figures provided the office of Los Angeles County Registrar Conny McCormack.

E PLURIBUS: Republicans who won federal and state legislative primaries in the San Fernando Valley are getting together Saturday for a unity breakfast, and candidates say they will need all the unity they can get.

Thanks to heavy voter registration advantages for Democrats in many districts, many are underdogs in their November elections.

“It’s going to take a team effort to win,” said Tim Rosales, a spokesman for Rep. James Rogan (R-Glendale). “Democrats have an edge in voter registration in all of these districts.”

Less than two weeks after he placed second in the open primary to Democratic challenger Adam Schiff, Rogan is hosting the breakfast at the Pasadena Doubletree, in part to thank about 400 supporters he has dubbed “Rogan’s Heroes.”

The event will also include speeches by state legislative candidates Craig Missakian from the 43rd Assembly District, Susan Carpenter-McMillan in the 44th Assembly District and Paul Zee in the 21st state Senate District.

While Rogan’s national fund-raising effort has made him the best-funded House candidate in the country, the event will give Zee, McMillan and Missakian a chance to tap into Rogan’s base of support to help their campaigns as well.

“It’s going to be their first big presentation as nominees to a friendly crowd,” Rosales said.

Zee, who faces Democrat Jack Scott in November, said he is looking forward to making his case to Rogan backers.

“It’s important for me to get their support,” Zee said. “It’s very important for Republicans to stick together and be united.”

McMillan, who faces Democrat Carol Liu in November, said her primary reason for attending the breakfast is to show support for Rogan.

Rogan is being targeted by Democrats upset with his role in the impeachment of President Clinton. McMillan has also incurred the wrath of Democrats for serving as a representative for Paula Jones, who accused Clinton of sexual harassment.

“We all want to help each other to win,” said McMillan, who described herself as a “huge underdog.”

State Senate Republican Caucus Chairman James Brulte will serve as master of ceremonies, signaling the party will become more involved in backing candidates now that the primary has selected the GOP nominees.

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HARD CHOICE: It’s a female field of candidates of the sort she says she would like to see more often.

But in a rare runoff between two women candidates in the 41st Assembly District, feminist activist Tammy Bruce--a Democrat--has decided to endorse Jayne Murphy Shapiro--a Republican, over Democrat Fran Pavley.

Bruce is best known within the 41st Assembly District--which includes Santa Monica and Brentwood, as well as Malibu, and portions of the western San Fernando Valley--for her show of solidarity for Nicole Brown Simpson and victims of domestic violence during the O.J. Simpson trial.

Bruce--who has served as president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Organization for Women--said she met Shapiro when the former registered nurse approached NOW seeking an endorsement.

No endorsement was given, but Bruce was so impressed with Shapiro--despite her political affiliation--that she crossed party lines to give her personal endorsement.

“As a feminist, I am looking at this race more within feminist theory than within political party theory,” Bruce said Wednesday. “You can be right on issues, be a feminist, and be a Republican.”

“What I’ve seen in Jayne Murphy Shapiro is great work when it comes to quality of life in women’s lives, and work on the Los Angeles Commission on the Status of Women. She is a Republican who is not afraid of the F-label.”

Pavley, who won a tough Democratic primary race last week against DWP head David Freeman, said she had never heard of Bruce, but considered herself as feminist as Shapiro and said she was surprised by the endorsement.

“I feel I am a strong woman candidate just as a role model,” said Pavley, who has taught for 28 years and served as mayor of Agoura Hills for 15 years. “But I’m doing things for everyone--women as well as men.”

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FULL HOUSE: If you want to get elected mayor of Los Angeles, conventional wisdom holds, you have to do well in the San Fernando Valley.

And if you want to make a good impression on the Valley’s movers and shakers, one great opportunity is the annual Fernando Award recognition dinner, which brings the Valley’s business and civic leaders together in one room.

So it was no surprise to organizers of this year’s dinner--held last Friday--that four of the five declared candidates for mayor in 2001 were in attendance at the Sheraton Universal Hotel Roof Garden.

There was Rep. Xavier Becerra, whose Los Angeles district is miles from the Valley, as well as Parks Commissioner Steven Soboroff of Pacific Palisades and City Atty. James Hahn of San Pedro, among the 300 people in attendance at the dinner.

City Councilman Joel Wachs, who had the least distance to travel from his home in Studio City, was the fourth mayoral candidate stumping at the dinner.

The only declared mayoral candidate who wasn’t there was Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa, who planned to attend but got sidetracked by another event.

“It always happens that before an election we get a lot of candidates at our dinners,” said Thomas R. Soule, president of the foundation that put on the awards banquet.