Davis Decries Use of Veto Messages in Campaign Ads

Stepping into an especially contentious, high-profile congressional race, Democratic Gov. Gray Davis has blasted Rep. James E. Rogan (R-Glendale) for what Davis contends are “false and outrageous” statements in Rogan’s campaign against the challenger, state Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank).

Over the last month, Rogan’s campaign in the 27th Congressional District has used excerpts from several of the governor’s veto messages and other state legislative records to imply that Schiff is soft on crime. The items have been alluded to in several Rogan political mailings and in a cable television ad paid for by the Republican Party.

For example, one Rogan mailer said Schiff voted to “weaken laws that keep felons from driving school buses.” It referred to Assembly Bill 1485, which Schiff supported, that would have added to the list of violent felonies barring someone from driving a school bus. The governor vetoed it last year because it also would have reduced the waiting time, from seven years to three, before a convicted felon could apply for a bus driving job.

Davis is angry about Rogan’s use of his veto messages involving that bill and several other Schiff-supported pieces of legislation.

“Any insinuation that I believe Adam Schiff would ever compromise public safety is false and outrageous,” Davis said in a statement issued late last week and released by the Schiff campaign Wednesday.

“This kind of baseless charge has no place in a campaign for public office, and I resent the unauthorized and deceitful use of my name in connection with it,” Davis said.

The governor in his statement also praised Schiff as a “stalwart ally in the fight against crime” and cited several Schiff-authored crime and public safety bills that he had signed into law.

The Rogan campaign said it stands by its charges and produced a list of 14 bills that Schiff supported and Davis vetoed. Their topics included job training enrollment, a child support-payment amnesty program, allowing journalists free access to state prisoners and altering requirements on who can obtain controlled drugs.

“It’s not surprising to me that a partisan governor would flip-flop in order to help a member of his party,” said Rogan campaign manager Jason Roe. “I’m sure he would like to undo his veto messages.”

The race has drawn national attention--and enough contributions to make it one of the costliest House contests in history--in part because of Rogan’s prominent, controversial role in President Clinton’s impeachment trial last year. It is one of several races that will determine which major party controls the House of Representatives next year.

Davis’ remarks helped highlight continuing complaints by Schiff that Rogan is distorting Schiff’s record. Schiff contends that Rogan is trying to keep voters from focusing on Rogan’s own conservative voting pattern in the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena area district, which is increasingly Democratic and centrist.

“It’s part of a pattern of misrepresentation, of so many bizarre statements, 180 degrees from the truth, that I don’t know how to answer them all,” said Parke Skelton, Schiff’s campaign consultant.

The campaign recently added a “Truth Behind the Attacks” section to its Web site and even tried a little humor with a recent satiric mailer that has the Rogan camp declaring, “Schiff Kidnaps Elvis!” and “Adam Schiff Voted Against Puppies.”

The Rogan campaign has said it is Schiff who is deceiving voters and has been trying to portray him as a free-spending liberal.

Rogan spokesman Jeffrey Solsby said Wednesday the content of Davis’ veto messages “demonstrate how far out of touch Adam is with his own party’s moderate Democrat leader.”