Stand-In Liebermans a Concern Among Some Democrats

The notice offers a chance to spend an “afternoon with the Liebermans.”

Lest those invited to Democratic gathering get the wrong idea, the featured guests are Harry and Ellin Lieberman, a couple of physicians from South Pasadena. They are no relation to Democratic vice presidential nominee Joseph I. Lieberman.

Stephen Mather of United Democratic Headquarters in Pasadena says the Lieberman name may create a little more buzz for the event, even though most people know it is being held at the Liebermans’ house to recognize their party work.

Some Democrats say the use of stand-in Liebermans is a sign of a problem that is cause for concern.

Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore and his running mate, Connecticut Sen. Lieberman, are confident they will win California and therefore have not given the state as much attention as they should, and that could hurt lower-level Democratic candidates facing more difficult challenges, some worry.

“I’m concerned about the lack of campaigning” by the top of the ticket in California, said Sid Gold, a Granada Hills physician running for Congress against Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-Santa Clarita).

“It certainly would help me if they had more of a presence out here,” Gold added.

Said a worried official for another Democratic legislative candidate: “The fact that George Bush is spending millions of dollars in the L.A. media market and Al Gore is not will have an impact on the lower-level races.”

The Republican Party is spending $600,000 a week on issue-oriented television ads that party spokesman Brian O’Neel believes will also help Republican legislative candidates.

There are currently no television ads running in the Los Angeles area for the Gore-Lieberman ticket, in part because Gore is focusing efforts on states where the race is tighter.

But Peter Ragone of the California campaign for Gore said the state’s voters have not been ignored. Lieberman has been to California three times since his nomination, and his wife, Hadassah, was in the state on Wednesday.

There is also going to be a strong get-out-the-vote effort that will help lower-level Democratic candidates in addition to Gore, Ragone said. “We have been running a vigorous campaign in California,” he said.

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HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE?: Rep. James E. Rogan (R-Glendale) has seen his 27th Congressional District shift politically over the years. Democrats now make up 44% of the registered voters and Republicans only 37%.

But the picture is even grimmer for Rogan in his own Burbank neighborhood, where he has lived for two years. Democrats make up 45% of the registered voters in Rogan’s home precinct, while Republicans only account for 31% of the registered voters.

That 14% lead for Democrats in voter registration hurts, but Rogan is hopeful he can overcome it on election day, said Jason Roe, his campaign manager.

“Congressman Rogan has always had the ability to appeal to crossover voters, particularly in his backyard,” Roe said.

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THE KING IS MISSING: On the cartoon cover of a recent campaign mailer, a woman has opened a flier that reads, “Schiff Kidnaps Elvis!”

Inside, Rogan is seen on a television commercial alleging “Adam Schiff Voted Against Puppies.”

You may have guessed the mailer is from Rogan challenger Adam Schiff, a rare attempt at humor in an expensive, intensive, increasingly bitter campaign.

Schiff, a Democratic state senator from Burbank, seeks to set the record straight on a host of issues that he believes have been misrepresented in “hit mailers” by the Rogan camp.

Schiff said one pro-Rogan mailer accused him of voting to allow felons to drive school buses.

“The truth,” the Schiff mailer says, is that “the bill Rogan cites . . . actually expanded the list of felonies that [prohibits] someone from driving a school bus! It passed the legislature on a 119 to 0 vote.”

Rogan officials said their accusations have been on the money, and in turn accused Schiff of trying to sanitize his record.

Jeff Solsby, a spokesman for Rogan, said the school bus bill included a loophole that might possibly allow some felons to drive a bus.

“Just because a bill has good intentions doesn’t mean it can’t have bad consequences,” Solsby said.

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THUMBS UP OR DOWN? Talk about firing up the opposition.

Councilman Mike Feuer proposed Wednesday that anyone who wants to buy a gun in the city of Los Angeles should be fingerprinted.

The concept, if approved, would boost prosecutors’ power to go after criminals and others who illegally try to buy firearms.

“The National Rifle Assn. has said government needs to do a better job enforcing existing gun laws,” Feuer said in a release. “That’s one area where we agree. It’s time to go after criminals who try to get weapons.”

Au contraire, the NRA shot back.

“This is designed to make it as difficult as possible for those who choose to own a firearm to protect themselves and their families,” said Chuck Michel, a civil rights attorney who represents the NRA.

“The ultimate goal,” Michel said, “is to make it impossible to make that choice.”

The Los Angeles Police Department also supports the idea of a thumbprint to weed out banned gun buyers.

“We support the councilman’s concept,” said Lt. Don Farrell of the LAPD’s detective headquarters division. “A thumbprint will be a good tool for law enforcement.”