Public Affairs Special; Election 1988: Candidates State Senate 33rd and 37th Districts

KOCO public affairs specials are made possible by grants from Disneyland Park announcing its new attractions Star Tours. Now boarding passengers for a space flight adventure by Cygne landmark incorporated developer of Southern California real estate and builder of Landmark homes by Peter and Mary Muth foundation creen Foundation. And by supporting viewers of this television series. We welcome to election 88 the series of election program designed to present the candidates and the issues to voters for the November general election. Your vote does matter and this program aims to help you be better informed and making those voting decisions. And today's program will present candidates for state Senate in the 33rd and 37 districts. There are five elected members of the California Senate representing Orange County of the 33rd District is held by a Democratic incumbent and the 37

district is held by a Republican incumbent in the thirty third state senate district has about 25 percent of the territory in Orange County and 75 percent of the Los Angeles County. It occupies the western portion of Orange County the Orange County segment of the thirty third district includes the cities of Buena Park La Palma Cypress Garden Grove Los Alamitos the Los Angeles area include Downey Norwalk Lakewood surrealists Bellflower Santa Fe Springs Woody or Hawaiian Gardens and RTU. There are about 286 thousand voters in the thirties or district of these honored and or 38 percent are Republican and 150 2000 or 53 percent are Democrats giving the Democratic Party an edge over 42000 voters 75 percent of the voters live in the Los Angeles County and 25 percent in Orange County. The 37 states in a district occupies an enormous section of southern California that stretches from the Pacific Ocean to the Colorado River. It includes Orange County Imperial County and parts of Riverside and northern San Diego County in Orange County that include the cities of San Clemente Newport Beach Laguna Beach Dana Point

Capistrano Beach Seal Beach and parts of Laguna Niguel Huntington Beach Irvine Westminster's San Juan Capistrano and the communities of Sunset Beach Surfside Ross Moore Silverado Canyon and Modjeska Canyon in northern San Diego County. The 37 district includes Fallbrook and Riverside County. It includes hemat Sun City Temecula Rancho Calif. and Imperial County. The district includes the city of brawly Calexico Holtville and imperial. There are about 300 95000 registered voters in the thirty seventh district of these 221 thousand or 56 percent are Republican and 130 4000 or 34 percent of Democrats are Democrat giving the Republican Party an edge of 87000 voters 20 64 percent rather of these voters were in Orange County 18 percent live in Riverside County 9 percent in northern San Diego County and 9 percent are in Imperial County and elected member of the California State Senate will receive forty thousand eight hundred and sixty six thousand dollars per year for a four year term of office plus eighty seven dollars per diem

for every day that the legislature is in session. And now let's meet the candidates. Cecil Greene Democratic state senator for the 33rd has a district has served the state senate since 90 since May of 1987. His committee assignments are transportation education agriculture water resources and local government. Senator green is chairman of the public employees retirement Committee. He was formerly mayor of Norwalk and resides in Norwalk cannot be Republican for the 33rd District as chief of staff for Dean danaë supervisor in Los Angeles County he's presently a city councilman and speedo's and previously served twice as its mayor. He's active in the optimist clubs and the L.A. partnership taskforce for the homeless. He lives in speedo's Senator Mary Bergsten Republican incumbent in the thirty seventh district has served in the state senate since 1984. Prior to that she served in the assembly from 1978. Senator Bergsten is chairman of the Senate local government committee and vice chair of the budget and fiscal review committee. In addition she serves on the committee for education transportation and agriculture and water resources. She

resides in Newport Beach. Pat McCabe Democrat of the thirty seven district is a certified public accountant working currently for the accounting firm of water K Martinak CPA. She's vice president of the Democratic Club of West Orange County and is active with the Alliance for survival in the Sierra Club. McCabe lives in Huntington Beach. J. Mark Sugar's libertarian in the 37 district has been teaching and has been teaching assistant since 1984. He is personally working towards a Ph.D. in Classics at UC Irvine and has hosted various radio programs on the university radio station KUCI FM. He resides in Irvine. Each candidate will now make a one minute statement about his or her candidacy after which I'll ask questions on the issues. And now let's start with Senator Reid. Thank you Jim. To me it's a pleasure to be here on your program again after the election. Last year you and I have gotten together on several of these forums and what has happened to me in the last 15 months in office has been very exciting.

I want to go I think by the record of what we have accomplished this last 15 months and that record is that we have received a pretty good record as far as putting in legislation recognizing all the issues we had 40 bills passed and put on the floor. We've got twenty five on the governor's desk and we had 15 of those signed into law. I have a 94 percent voting record on the Senate floor. The third highest in the Senate. And I'm very proud of that. And I would like to have the people of this district again put me in office because what I've done is I've tried to be nonpartisan as possible and I bow to the issues and the issues are there. We all know. Thank you very much. Right. That can I be or. Once again it's a mess up to visit with you had the opportunity during the primary. One correction on your statement at that particular time I was a member of the Syrian city council. I went off the Council on April 88 due to the state Senate race.

As was mentioned I am a former councilman mayor of city of Cerritos and chief of staff to Los Angeles County Supervisor Dean gainer. Obviously the senator is running on his record. We have some concerns about that record and about as a result of our candidacy. And as you mentioned we'll be discussing the issues later. All right. Thank you. Senator Ferguson please. Thank you very much Sam it's always a pleasure and certainly appreciate the opportunity to be able to present our views. I think it's a tremendous service that you provide the public and particularly those in Orange County and so I thank you for that. I like my job. I've enjoyed very much the challenges and opportunities of representing very diverse and certainly a very large district. Those opportunities I think have brought me into many many issue areas. And indeed it may be a microcosm of the state. And I think many of the problems that we've encountered dealing with water agriculture with environmental concerns with the business of education certainly traffic problems transportation issues have really

been those that we have sought or solutions. I think the solutions have been provided. I have earnestly sought to be a listener and certainly have carried the concerns in my district to the state level and been effective in implementing legislation. I look forward to working again in the next four years. Thank you. Pat McCabe thanks Jim it's a pleasure to be here with my fellow running mates. And it's been quite a challenge since I took it on in February. Ciaran as a Democratic candidate for state Senate 37 district. Part of my challenge has been putting together volunteers and a campaign organization to get the word out that there is a choice in 37 districts the general election and one of my objectives has been to support the national ticket. The Dukakis campaign and I think that through the volunteers that I brought in with my campaign we're doing that and it's been quite an interesting eight 10 month period traveling in the

district and getting to know some of the issues that need representation in Sacramento. Thank you. Mr. Sugar. Thank you. I am Sugar's the Libertarian candidate for the 37 states Senate. And I'd like to thank you for including libertarians on your show. I wish more journalists were as ecumenical as you are. You're legal. Yeah. As a libertarian I think of the electoral process as another forum that we can use to spread our philosophy and one way of thinking about libertarian philosophy. It has complete personal freedom and complete personal responsibility. It's a lot like it's a lot like what your parents told you when you were growing up. If you break something fix it. And if you take something put it back and don't hit your sister or. Here I am running.

I am in the race. People in 37 those lucky enough to have three choices this time. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Let's start with the first question of what you as candidates would put at the top the very top priority issues in this race and that could be what you think on the issues as far as legislative matters are the leadership that now exist or whatever you want it to be. But start with you Mr. Gobbi the very top priorities that you see are the issues. Well Jim I think that in the 33rd we're doing a couple of issues. I've taken a leave of absence from the supervisor's office since Labor Day. I've been out walking precincts on a daily basis. And obviously. The area of strongest concern out there is the area of crime drugs and gangs and it no longer is aligned to a particular community. I think there's not a community within the 33rd center district and Cecil would agree with me on that that feels exempt from the problem because of the problem the mobility of the society as well as the money involved. So that's a top priority issue. Crime drugs and gangs used to be sort of separated. Now it's all three in one because of the problems involved.

Right. Well as a response that you have even done cannot be is absolutely correct. It's not a new issue it's been going on for many years. It has now gotten to the forefront and higher in numbers. It is not the only issue out there are the same issues are there today. Is was there two years ago. They're just different than prioritizing. We have a problem in education which is mostly I think Orange County we have a problem with transportation which is Orange County problem and which we've been trying to direct answers to for this last period of time. Yes. Crime and drugs and narcotics and gangs are a problem. It's one of three or four that is there and we cannot just be a one issue Senator. We must look at all of those issues and do something about that. I will talk about doing something about them in a minute. Pat McCabe But would you like to share. I think a principal issue in the 37 is tied into the environment growth transportation

and an issue around the environment that I've spoken about and identified as a difference between the incumbent and me is that both the CICA wetlands. And it's an area surrounded by the city of Huntington Beach. I'd like to see that wetlands area maintained as wetlands. But the incumbent had introduced a piece of legislation that would have financed and constructed a marina through the sandy beach into the wetlands. I think it's important that we have a voice in Sacramento that's going to represent the environmental issues of this district. And I'd like to be that voice. But let's make it clear now if you were a senator you not only would not support the project that is now underway but what about what would you do in place. What would you say that development could happen. Well there are areas in which the development could occur. So you're saying that the way they're doing it is wrong. That's right. It's environmentally safe and sane insane. And it really devastates that area. All right.

I guess we should hear from you what you think are the top issue and give you a chance right. Well I'd like to respond very briefly the bill. My phone is referring to is mail and implementation or whatever the locally adopted plan would be. And we're merely looking at it at implementation at this point. And we have made the locals full partners in this and we're pursuing the continuing course of the status of that right now. Pardon. What is the state of state at the status of the bill is no longer it's it's now being studied certainly and. When it's appropriate and if it's appropriate a bill will be. But when you gave it your support you might have considered whether it environmentally sound or was it not the the feasibility program of course is one that will be forthcoming as far as any ocean cut channel and the environmental concerns have been met and obviously will be required by virtue of having the project go through numerous kinds of hearings environmental hearings. It has been a plan been adopted by the coastal commission and by the local agencies. So ours was merely an implementing piece of legislation has always been my my

premise of working with local government to facilitate their wishes at the state level. And getting to what I consider the sort of issues the top issue is to me is can only be one concern and that is preparing California for the 21st century. One vision we are now the sixth national or international power on a world basis we rank sixth in our economic activity. We want to maintain that economic activity so that we can remain competitive. It's important for the United States as well it's just California. And in order to do so we've got to provide the workforce through an adequate and appropriate education system. We've got to provide for the infrastructure and we're now working on regionalize approach and how we plan better to provide for the necessary housing and for all of those things that are absolutely essential to the well-being of the people and to the economic viability of the state and to sort of the top issues. Oh I agree everything I mentioned so far is certainly an issue. How do you define issue. Well

for me as a state senator I think the war on drugs would be an especial priority because a state senator can do a lot about it state and he can declare victory and go home. I would support legalization or decriminalization of drugs in this state as much as I possibly could. We have a problem with drugs and gangs and crime because drugs are illegal and it drives up the price. It makes it profitable for for children to sell it. So are you. Are you suggesting we legalize drugs yet simple before hopefully before we lose all of our civil rights all right hand people are getting better start the 33rd state senate district is distinctive in that it had been termed by many observers as the place where the most dollars will be spent.

Estimates have been made that in the race involving you two gentlemen it'll be something like $2000000 before November 8th or by November 8th metric and IB you filed 480 one thousand dollars five ideas forward and $81000 for your better than that what you get up till September 30th from July to September. And Senator GREENE You have filed six hundred and one thousand. That means a million dollars already and another million dollars maybe $200 some people say that kind of spending for a local state Senate race is almost obscene in its amount. I'd like to hear from both of you on. Well I would like to read my armis amount of money being spent on this race Jim. And people would say it's obscene and it is I think it's terrible that we have to spend the amount of dollars to maintain a seat. It is a key seat in the in the state of where that 24 Democrats 15 Republicans. Right. And but this is a seat that is targeted by both parties. And so it has the major push to win. It is a key seat in the state. I think it's a fair question to ask

whether you think more reform is needed when we got up to this incredible amounts of 2 million dollars being spent on a local race. I totally agree. When are you going to get more of the farm. Prop 70 did not go far out. There has to be reform and there has to be thinking but that reform has to be legitimate not only to have the incumbents stay in place but for the challenger to. And we haven't gotten that. Why are not seen. I figure that it's reprehensible. You set out there as a candidate taking on an incumbent. Obviously it's very difficult to raise the kind of money that an incumbent senator can raise or has the ability to draw from. We try to do very well to hold our own to reform needed reform is needed in the worst way. And I think in a couple of ways particularly I think they just to have flat has to be a cap on spending. And Mr. Green's last election with Mr. Gresham I think it worked out to about $38 a vote. That was something I was very in in that race right. Very very expensive. And I have no problem with a cap of any sort. I mean you know as far as you want just as

long as a challenger has an equal footing with the incumbent but let's get down to what we have now the real differences. Why should someone elect Don cannot be instead of Cecil green. Well it's one of the real things of separation where the choice of who's you you're giving a all. I think at this particular point in time that the real significant differences just the independent leadership that's been very obvious. Mr. Roberti spent a lot of money to get Cecil there. And obviously it's very important for him to have to maintain that seat. And we're going to do it. I know that I have to hold my own fundraising wise but I also know that I will be outspent. I mean just what's wrong with the leadership you said the leadership is wrong what is wrong with the leadership particularly as it they're always the 30th District I think it's just the liberal leadership of the Senate in opposition to what the voters in the 33 Senate district my want. Cecil has worked very hard to be independent but obviously when the votes count Mr. Roberti pulls a chain and Senator Greene is there. Can you give an example of what the best example I can give is the treasurer

vote than longer and where Mr. Green indicated that he had an open mind. Senator McCain was quoted as saying that he considered Senator Greene a strong vote for the leadership and the next day Senator green voted against him on that. Let's have a debate. We battled what. About that. And I would like to rebut that. I might change was not pulled by any man done can be. It hasn't been from day one in the Senate. And you keep pointing with under your mailers and so forth. My bad attendance record I must point out the same the same place you got your statistics also gave me credit for voting for six thousand two hundred forty seven votes. It gave me a 94 percent voting record. And you said I'm an absentee senator. Now you say I was told to change by at the London Boat. I myself pull my chain on the boat and I myself analyzed what he was. And I felt that he was not the person for the job. It was not just me but there was a lot of people I will not be had the strings pulled by a

governor or senator pro-tem president of the Senate. I'm sitting next to a lady here that you say I'm a liberal. My vote has been at ninety four point four percent the same as Mary Burgas. Now if I'm a liberal so is Marian and I don't think she is we represent our district and have tried you out of it and we found that me very quickly. Very quickly it takes six thousand votes and maybe a number of issues from how to grow cabbage to the other things that could be a 90 percent. But the Journal released a report of the 36 key issues you voted 99 percent with Senator David Berty. Well you could take a lot of numbers and I never criticized your attendance record. What I just said I'll be I you like if you look at the journal it was not a fact but a policy. And it's a newspaper as well as you know and my record was not with the Hebrides. I know that somewhat like 74 percent of the time with him and that is fantasy. And your whole election has been the attack of my record and I take

objection to it. And I think that that's true leading of the voters of this district. You know I would like to see you sign the campaign pledge to do a fair equal and an issue campaign rather than an attack on a person and his record. And it's a record of the state of California. And you yourself can check it if you took the time I would be glad to sign a campaign pledge to say when you sign against Mr. Gresham in 1987 Why did I sign it. Because you didn't present that one. I think left maybe a chance over here. Now what is the thing that separates you. Voters have to decide whether they want to pat McCabe or a Marion Breaux-Frist. Ferguson OK what is the thing that you say separation besides the what the environmental issue what is she doing wrong. Well recently she identified a new regionalism seminar throughout the state to attack or learn about the growth problem. I think it's a good step but I think it should also include some of the local community grassroots organizations and which includes residents homeowners of those areas that have

differing concerns from developers. The region of Orange County has developers on that new regionalisms seminar. And I think it would be a broader based group to include local community grassroots organizations including local Grafite. I don't think that you're including the Bergsten are you playing we have we have tried to make a very broad based group are keeping the groups small. Obviously we can invite every we had Tom Rogers who I consider to be one of the strongest proponents of the slow growth movement in Orange County who is a member of a very select group that met with us. We have four task force groups and I'm very proud of the effort because I think we're trying to get the dialogue of people talking to people we're not including elected officials at this point. Having people who have opposing points of view trying to get the kind of exchanges necessary to really get people to understand what the problem why when we're 8 or 12 developers and building industry association represented Also I'm not sure what you're referring to are the membership of the committee we had

a membership that was made up that the meeting there were some 20 people that were there. They were representing the housing groups meaning housing proponents for people that are concerned about low income housing. We did have representation from the business community. We had representation certainly from the community groups on all sides people who we feel are part of the decision making group within our districts. Let me go to more questions very quickly and I asked you that your answer these were very rapid very fast answer. California is now the sixth among all the nations of the world. If California were a sovereign state its economy would make its sixth among all the nations in the world and yet in class size this state has ranks 50th out of all 50 states in its class size. So my question is are you going to support these three propositions 78 79 and 98. The first to 78 and 79 or for school construction and the higher education. The second 179 is school construction and not higher than in K to 12 education. The third one was

98 which would mandate mandate school level. How are you going to vote on those three propositions if I might. First because 78 is my bill and I feel very partial to it. It's a school construction. Absolutely not 78 is the higher higher age of 78 higher and this and finally a little in Orange County because the UC Irvine program is predicated upon the funds that will be. Enabled through that particular bill. How about 79 79. Very strongly support if we have a $5 billion unmet need. 98 98 I'm not supporting him for the very reason I served as the conferee on the budget. We reduced the budget. Millions of dollars in areas other than education. If this is an act of higher education the UC system and CSU system may well experience a 25 percent reduction of the summer and $200 billion a year on 78 and 79 the bonds you're saying. Yes. The other 98 no. Quickly what are you voting yes on all three. All right. How are you voting senator. I'm like my burgers. I've seen the studies. I've been there and I

will support asthma instead. And for those same reasons you court 78 and 79. How about 98. But I do not support it. There is a need. But it's a measure that is talking about a surplus. If we have it. All right let's have your very support all for it. You support all three and how about you. Hosel three because I have I catch a lot of flak for this but I have a philosophical problem as libertarian with putting my descendants or future residents of California in debt to get something that I want. What about this. We're 50th in class sizes up trouble. Well we spend a lot of money on education. I mean if I know there is a problem with class size but perhaps we ought to be looking at how the money is actually spent. I mean is it too much of it being spent on administration is too much being spent on it electives. I mean is

it too much being spent on that bureaucracy. You know that's the kind of thing to look at first. All right. Our time is about up right now and I want to thank the candidates for their comments. Please be with us tomorrow at 7:30 pm when will present the candidates for the 30th in the thirty nine congressional districts. I'm Jim Cooper. Thanks for being with us. See. THE.

U.S. public affairs specials are made possible by grants from Disneyland Park announcing its new attractions Star Tours. Now boarding passengers for a space flight adventure by Cygne landmark incorporated developer of Southern California real estate and builder of Landmark homes by Peter and Mary Muth foundation by the creen Foundation and by supporting viewers of this television series