Riordan Reaches Out to Farmers

Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, still ruminating over whether to run for governor, reached out to rural California on Tuesday by sampling apple cake and playing with Cookie the black-bellied sheep.

Hopscotching around the state to learn of key concerns outside Los Angeles, the Republican millionaire from Brentwood toured Phillips Farms and Vineyards 35 miles south of Sacramento. He heard from fifth-generation farmers and touted his support of agriculture.

“Clearly, the heart, soul and economic future of our state depends on agriculture,” said Riordan.

In a one-hour visit, he plucked cabernet grapes from the vine, admired penned chickens and remembered fondly a month he spent on a Maryland farm as a child. But Riordan avoided policy details of water rights, urban sprawl and farm labor.

Instead, he admitted that he didn’t know much about agriculture except that it is extremely important to California--the biggest agricultural producer in the nation.

He promised that if elected, he would hire the best experts available to find solutions to farmers’ troubles.

“I’m an expert on a lot of things, but I’m not an expert in farming,” the former mayor said.

Riordan may not be a candidate yet, but he seemed into the spirit of the campaign. Just a month ago, on a radio show, he refused to criticize Gov. Gray Davis’ handling of the state’s 14-month-old electricity crisis, saying it would be unfair.

On Tuesday, however, Riordan swiped at him. He called Davis’ agriculture policies “very detrimental.” And he accused the governor of hesitating to tackle the electricity crisis, not getting tough enough with power sellers, and committing the state to “really stupid” long-term contracts for electricity. If he were governor, Riordan said, he would renegotiate the deals to get lower prices.

“You have a governor who is micromanaging and trying to be the top expert in everything: nuclear physics and brain surgery,” Riordan said. “The way you run something as complicated as California or Los Angeles is to hire the best and brightest and empower them to do the job.”

Garry South, Davis’ chief political strategist, said Riordan “has no credibility” on electricity issues.

“He is one of the gougers,” South said, noting that as mayor of Los Angeles, Riordan had once insisted that the city’s Department of Water and Power get the best price possible for electricity it sold to state grid operators. “He wanted to shoot the moon and charge the ratepayers of the state of California as much as the market would bear,” South added.

Riordan has been talking about running for governor for months, a move spurred by suggestions from a White House eager to knock off Davis. Last week, Riordan, who was forced from office after eight years by term limits, filed papers in Sacramento to begin collecting donations for an exploratory bid.

If Riordan declares his candidacy--he said he will decide in September--he will face Secretary of State Bill Jones, a Fresno farmer, and Los Angeles investment banker William Simon Jr. in the March primary election.

Riordan’s personal wealth would allow him to finance his campaign for governor, but he indicated that he would not fully finance his campaign.

“How well you’re doing should be measured by how many people are supporting you, not by how big the checks I write are,” he said.

His goal is to raise $2.5 million by the end of August, said Riordan, who would not give an exact figure on donations to date. He does not have to make such information public until January.

Documents filed Tuesday with the state show that Jones has so far raised $960,000. Simon has raised $3.3 million, and Davis has amassed $30.5 million.

In recent weeks, Riordan has been traveling the state to introduce himself to business leaders and key Republican activists and fund-raisers.

He has visited the Silicon Valley, San Francisco, San Diego and Orange County. On Monday he toured a crime laboratory in Bakersfield and Tuesday morning he met with millionaire developer Alex G. Spanos and other Stockton business leaders.

Rep. Richard W. Pombo, the Republican who represents the Lodi area, has not endorsed Riordan but helped arrange Tuesday’s visit to the Phillips farm, said Pombo chief of staff Steven J. Ding.

Brothers David and Michael Phillips, along with their 77-year-old father, Don, gave Riordan a tour of a duck pond and the former hay barn where oak barrels hold merlot and Syrah wine.

They talked briefly about rising real estate prices in nearby Lodi, a town of 60,000 that is becoming home to a growing number of commuters who work in Sacramento, Stockton or the San Francisco area.

Dave Phillips said he was pleased to meet Riordan and get a few minutes to discuss his worries. They include higher electricity prices, which make it more expensive to pump ground water and chill vegetables.

“I think he’s going to have a hard sell--being from Los Angeles--getting votes up here,” said Phillips. But, he added, “He says he’s concerned about the same things we are.”

Riordan said one factor in whether he runs will be how people respond to his style.

“What I’m trying to do is see if people like the Phillips family can tolerate me,” he said, drawing laughs.

“Are you going to be on my side? That’s what I want to know,” Riordan said to Don Phillips.

“Yeah,” said Phillips, taking his hand and smiling. “OK.”