Jim Cooper's Orange County; Candidates for State Senate in the 31st and 33rd Districts.

Jim Cooper's Orange County is made possible by grants from Disneyland park and its new attraction Star Tours now boarding passengers for a space flight adventure by signal landmark incorporated developer of Southern California real estate and builder of Landmark homes by the Peter and Mary moon foundation by the cream Foundation and by supporting viewers of this television series. Welcome to election 88 a series of important election programs designed to present the candidates and the issues to voters whether your own primary election your vote does matter. And this program aims to keep you better informed and making those voting decisions. In today's program we'll present candidates for the state Senate in the thirty first and thirty third district. There are five elected members of the California Senate representing Orange County of the thirty first district is

held by Republican incumbent and a third a third if it is held by a Democratic incumbent. The thirty first state senate district is about one third of its land area located in Los Angeles County north of Orange County the Orange County segment bordered Riverside and San Bernardino County to the east. It includes the cities of West Covina walnut Diamond Bar Roland Heights HASI and the heights Whittier to harbor heights and La Mirada in Los Angeles County. It includes Placentia Linda part of Irvine Lake Forest El Toro Laguna Hills Mission be a holder going to think Gallo and San Juan Capistrano in Orange County. There are three hundred forty five thousand registered voters in the thirty first of these. One hundred eighty four thousand or Fifty three percent of Republicans and a hundred twenty six thousand or thirty seven percent are Democrats giving the Republican Party an edge of 58000 voters. But 30 states in a difficult about 25 percent of its borders and territory in Orange County and 75 percent within Los Angeles County. It occupies the western portions of Warren County

the Orange County segment of the 33rd District includes the cities of Wenna park Alabama Cypress Garden Grove and Los Alamitos the Los Angeles area and through Downey Norwalk Lakewood Cerritos at Bellflower Santa Fe Springs would hear Weingarten's in Artesia. There are two hundred sixty eight thousand registered voters in the thirty third district of days one hundred forty two thousand or Fifty three percent of Democrats and a hundred three thousand or 38 percent are Republicans giving the Democratic Party an edge of thirty nine thousand voters. And now let's meet the candidates not President William Campbell Republican a state senator for the thirty first said picture of hos in the Heights who has served in the state senate since 1976. Dan caressed the Democratic candidate of the thirty first district is a political science professor at Cal State Long Beach. He was a member of the U.S. EPA toxic task force who's also the Democratic nominee in the thirty first district in 1984. He's on the state Democratic Central Committee. Janice Lynn Graham Democratic candidate in the thirty first district is an educator

businesswoman and volunteer who taught high school for 14 years in the yard. She then opened and ran her own bed and breakfast in North Carolina. She's also been active in volunteer groups including the League of Women Voters in Orange County. Also not present is Cecil Greene of Norwalk who is the Democratic state senator for the thirty third district. Don cannot be a Republican candidate in the thirty third district of the chief of staff of Dean Ross supervisor of the 4th District in Los Angeles County. He's presently a city councilman and so we don't. And previously served twice as mare. He's a member of the regional airport authority and a Los Angeles task force for the homeless. Also not present is Margaret Vineyard Republican in the 30 their district who lives in Hawaiian Gardens in who has owned their own car muffler business for 24 years. She was unable to be here because of an illness. I should tell the viewing audience that both of the senators in this important these two important races had originally planned on

attending but they didn't they didn't the candidates had other scheduling difficulties. All right so right now let's just start out now I'm going to ask you to make a one minute statement and this one mistaken will have a lot to do with the rest of the program. An elected member of the California State Senate now received forty thousand eight hundred sixteen dollars a year for the four year term of office. Eighty seven dollars for DMN for each day the legislature is in session. Each candidate will now make that one minute they've been on his or her candidacy after which I'm going to be asking you some questions. Let's start with you stand correct. Thanks Jim. I'm Stan caress and I'm running for states in the very first district. This is the same office that I ran for four years ago when I think back about my campaign four years ago. I believe that I made some very important contributions. First and foremost I believe that I held the incumbent accountable. This is something I'm very proud of the fact that the incumbent was able to come back to his district and there I was as a challenger raising issues making sure that I was knowledgeable on his voting record bringing those issues to the public. Second of

all I am a college professor and I take great pride in the fact that I was able to involve about two dozen of my students in the campaign. I brought them into the democratic process. I showed them firsthand what the whole American democracy is about. And I showed them that democracy is more than something they see on television something that is definitely a part of their lives. Thank you. Thank you Janet Lynn Graham. Hello I'm Jonathan Graham and I'm running for very first district. I'm running because William Campbell has not represented this district properly. I'm very concerned with issues that have to do with childcare and health and education. As a former teacher education would be one of the major focuses of the campaign and also the homeless. I'm a volunteer at the Costa Mesa soup kitchen. One afternoon we served a hundred and fifty nine bowls of soup in less than an hour. That's put a face to the homeless for me and it made a very personal commitment. Quality childcare is another thing that I'm very concerned

with. And Senator Campbell has not voted his he is pro choice his position on women's issues. His position on the things that we find are most important. I'm not what I find most important and I want to be there to represent the thirty first district on the issues that count. Thank you. Don cannot be your representative of Dean. Dana I'm right and you know Drew I was going to correct as I still have a job when I get back like I did the day I started a gym arm as you mentioned a state senate candidate some thirty third senatorial district. Obviously you know my opposition is not here today nor is the incumbent senator. But what we're trying to bring forth in the thirty third district is a campaign of opportunity of choice. As was mentioned previously and you probably mentioned earlier today it was a very expensive campaign one year ago is here we elected a senator in a special election when Paul coffer was elected Board of Equalization. The people in the area particularly the 33rd Senate district are pretty well fed up

with the cost of campaigns as well as having Sacramento dictate who that candidate may or may not be and both sides of the aisle. So with that there we're bringing together a very strong grassroots campaign and hoping to hold our own raising money and bring the choice back to the people in the thirty third district. Thus far we've done quite a good job of that. All right thank you. I'd like to ask this question for the thirty first district because if that made a lot of headlines that the Senator Campbell had a women's conference has had $60000 withdrawn from the Small Business Administration which was helping pay for the brochures I believe in that and the charge was that it was time to quote. Two senators one Republican one Democrat the wife recalled the brochures for the conference outrageously political and when one of the reasons why they were pulled back you got a fair indictment to lay at the door of Sen. CAMPBELL at the Women's Conference was more political than it was to help women. Oh yes the women have been demonstrating against the conference almost since its inception

and not because of the conference there is nothing that is wrong with having a conference for women. The thing is that we encounter useless HMO promote himself and then his vote when it comes to issues that concern women does not follow through with. Could you give be specific on a couple of work that you feel well are the one that would be of concern would be not labeling the bottles of the alcohol bottle for birth defects so you voted against that. He voted against pay equity. He has not followed through. He has a rating by most pro-choice groups have an absolute zero. All right do you want to make a comment on that. Yes I do. Clearly the conference on women is a blatant attempt by Campbell to promote himself. However I think that's only the tip of the iceberg. I think far more important are a number of issues which are pertinent to many of the voters of his district. Things like his lack of support for protection against hazardous waste materials the fact that California Public Interest Research Group Cal Perry gives him the second lowest rating in the state senate in their most recent reporting issue. I think these are problems that are important

that Campbell has not addressed I'm sorry he's not here to defend himself because I'd like to see some of his answers. Well as I say we have and by the way on here he was compelled to. He said he would and I know it's not your fault you know. Now let me let let let's go back to what you feel the most important issue that I'm going to ask you very briefly very quickly say if you had to prioritize. The most important one or two issues. What would they be. We start with Mr. stand to rest. Well I could talk all day about the various issues involved. If I'm going to talk about one specific issue we have to talk about legislative accountability. We have to talk about the ability of a legislature in Sacramento to vote one way and then come back to his district and tell people essentially that he's voting in different directions. I've seen that a number of times. He talked about his support for protection of the citizens from toxic materials as I mentioned before. You know he's conveniently absent for most of those votes. And usually opposes them in committee. There's a variety of other things I like to talk about is like a sport for Cal ocean for example. There's a variety of other things I'd like to talk about.

All right now and let's go to give you a chance for them. Well I think you asked the question as the issues that I thought were most important I think top priority would be health care. Health care is one of the major crisis that we're facing. Whether it's for baby Cal or whether it's for long term nursing care. And I would be very much in favor of developing a program a comprehensive health care the home of childcare is a major crisis. These are the things that I would be most concerned with education where California is now 47 and class size and right down the bottom the list of per capita spending. These are the issues that I find are the most important. All right Don could you tell us what you feel. I've got to prioritize the issues. Jamie and you know 30 30 Senate district I think that there. And what we're verifying and finding out is is this really four important areas and we want to tie together and that's in the area of drug abuse and gang violence and murder being spilled over into all streets of America. There is no community is exempt from the problem

the area of transportation the area of education. And in the thirty third sent a district an area that I mentioned earlier and that's just the the choice that people felt in the special election they didn't have a choice and that the candidates were pretty well mandated on both sides of the aisle and they want to bring it back. But that's tied in obviously at the grassroots level but the three most important issues there are gang violence education drug abuse and transportation. All right but let's come to another thing that I feel of the important issue not in this race but other what races and I are going to be expressed in two propositions one is Proposition 68 the other proposition 73 both little would limit campaign funding donation that would put limitations on campaign spending. But 68 would also provide for matching funds 73 would prohibit matching funds. How are you going to vote on that let's start with the you stand caressed. Well I'm advocating First of all a yes vote affirmative vote on 68 a no vote and 73 which I think is a smokescreen. Sixty eight promises and will

deliver legitimate. Forthright campaign reform 73 by prohibiting matching funds simply allow the big moneyed interests again to run politics to control the agenda to provide the money necessary to run and keeping the rest of us the individuals of the state the citizens away from the political process. Don how do you feel about that in 68 73. Obviously I'm involved in a situation a thirty third senatorial district where my opponent in the fall. Sisa grain will have absolutely every dollar he needs for re-election. They spent close to two million dollars to put in there a year ago. And so I have some pretty overwhelming odds financially. Hopefully we're able to you know hold our own in the area of campaign financing. Obviously I would like to see some reform but I think that the one of the keys and I have not taken a position at either on sixty or seventy three. One of the keys is to protect the idea that you have the ability to run against the incumbent that you want a fair shot out of the chute

so whether it be on a per capita basis or whatever there needs to be some reform because obviously. Senate race in the thirty third district was the most expensive in history. But you haven't decided how you going to vote I'm 68 or so nor yet. All right how about you. Well I'm yes I'm 68 no on 73 right of women voters. Research 68 very carefully. And having been a past president I know what kind of study goes into anything that they will back however I wish they had gone a little bit further with that it does not cover the governor and the governor will still have access to putting funds wherever he wants to put them. So with a Republican governor in office that does give me some pause. But I would advocate yes on 68. No I'm 73. All right Miss Graham I don't come right back at you again. Proposition 71 and 72 would both make some changes in the Gantt spending. Yes but you know 71 would increase appropriations of almost all government entities whereas 72 by Paul Gann would have some limitations but it would also put sales tax money from gasoline. And limit

it only to being spent right predation. How you vote on the yes are 70 one now and 72 72 would take funds out of the general fund which would cost in education and other things. So it's yes 171 no 172. Dan again yes and 71 no 170 to 71 would provide for flexibility with the state give them the opportunity to spend the funds where it's necessary. Seventy two would be like a straitjacket requesting or requiring rather that certain monies be spent only in one narrow area in preventing from being spent in variety of other areas where the money is desperately needed. So once again yes in 71 no and 72 Don I think you have three in agreement yes a seventy one no one 72. Think one of the things is happening in government today and as the public views government is that they're looking for areas of flexibility that used to be where they try to be government overhead and say that everyone is crooks and now with the kinds of problems with the gangs or the homeless or whatever there's some compassion that needs to be brought back to government. 71 offers some flexibility in the way

things are financed and the spending limits for local governments. And so I'd be supportive 70 want to know 172 just too restrictive. One of the more serious chronic problems facing Southern California particularly is water. Long range access to water. As you look into the next 12 years down the line in the year 2000 and yet legislatively It's been a tug of war so I'd like to start stand I'm going to ask you the question. What would you do as a elected official elected senator to try and break the impasse over the North-South deadlock over water supplies for southern California. One of the main problem is the way our government operates in Sacramento as it appears that they only respond to a crisis. It seems like what they're doing now is waiting until there is no water before they start doing something about it. The time to act now is in order to bring water here in Southern California where it's needed. Obviously there are many sources are things like the song nation plants. There's also bringing water from other sources within the state. Nothing is being done about it because there's no crisis the crisis seems to be far

away. I don't believe that we should wait another five or 10 years when until we run our wire in order to bring the water here. The planning the projects should begin very very soon. When I've interviewed other. And Commons was assemblymen that state senators. They say it's too political and too politically charged. How long can we keep on saying that issue too politically charged for us to address it. I'll ask you that. I think the time to stop doing that is now we've had some legislation where Arizona is going to be getting a bigger quantity of the Colorado River. We're going to be in big trouble down the line. We've had proposals where water companies are willing to go in and make repairs just for the water that they will save and it's been turned down especially by Imperial Valley. We are living in what is basically in Southern California an arid environment yet many of us who come from the northeast demand that it be as green as the northeast. We have to come to grips with that. We have to be and begin to realize

what we have is a precious commodity when it's finished it's finished and we've got to cooperate. They can no longer be Northern California versus Southern California this is California. We are one state. We are one people. We need our water. It's time to think ahead. Now we have a Water Commission which has to have control and we have to stop fighting amongst ourselves and begin to cooperate. Well it's another situation at some point in time that there must be a develop a win win situation for both the north and south somehow. Unfortunately so many times when they say things are politically charged until the public is feels it in their pocket they can touch it or see it. The politicians don't want to deal with the issue such as the trash annoyance foresees a trace problem right now until some Thursday morning when you try to set your trash to be picked up it's not picked up is in a landfill space. The same thing of Fortune I think is in the in the water situation. Go to brush your teeth you turn on your faucet there's no water. The public's going to have to put some significant pressure on the elected officials too

to have them have some course of action to take some course of action to solve this problem. I've taken the tour of the Delta and all that and and it's funny when you discuss it with various people whether it be north or south the difference of opinion and the violence of which they perceive us down here is we starved for water and that you can't have any of our water kind of thing so something is going to have to be done legislatively and I think it's going to take there with the will of the people to put that pressure on the politicians unfortunately. I'm going to put another question to all of you because this is a primary election. In your case the one Democrat's going to have to win and one Democrat going to have to lose. Why should someone elect stand Carette for the candidate over your opponent. Well one of the things we agreed upon when we began to run is that we would not campaign against each other we would simply campaign against what we saw as a real Republican enemy. What's more frank we're both good Democrats. I believe my strength basically is the fact that I understand the stick to district. I've been here a long time. I've run the this campaign four

years ago I'm not familiar Bill Campbell's record. I ran against him four years ago two years ago I was a research consoling for Gray Davis when he was running for staking out a state controller against the same Bill Campbell. So it seems to me like I've spent most of this decade running against Bill Campbell so his I probably know more about his record than I like to say his wife does. But the fact of the matter is that I have seen a number of occasions that he votes a certain way in Sacramento. Then we comes back to forums in his home district. He sort of tries to soften his votes tries to make it seem like he's actually voting in a different way I think that's important. I think I have that knowledge and expertise and that's perhaps something that I have to offer. Jan I have to ask you the same question life itself on that van over your opponent because I think I can win. I have experience on older have children taught from nursery school right through substituting on a college level so I have a a wide background in educational issues worked in the volunteer things with the soup

kitchen and a variety of the volunteer programs. I'm concerned with the issues I know what they are I do my homework and for the first time Dale Campbell is vulnerable and I like to say it's because of me. When we started on him with the SBA and now with the conference when I started going around especially to the great American write in saying Write to the newspapers where does the money go for Bill Campbell's conference. Where is it go one hundred million dollars would you know the answer to that. You answer I sure do it's in the register those people who have followed it the register is finding out it's in his wife's pocket and it's his aides pockets and I think this investigation is really going to go. Not only is he going to be in trouble on the way in on the conference for women but he's already in debt from the controller's race. The SBA is not going to give him funds anymore. And any man who is callous and insensitive enough to say the only way you can deter a car thief is to put a pit bull with AIDS when your car does not deserve to represent a district like the thirty first. This is a quality district. We want quality representation.

Don your point is not here but I have to give you a fair chance to say why should you be picked as the Republican race against your fellow Republicans. Jim I think at this point obviously between the two of us philosophically there's not that much difference and pretty much like our credentials out the line and let the Republicans decide who they want to be their opponent for Cecil green in the fall. I come from eight years on the city council twice served as mayor and fortunately or unfortunately I was mayor during a serious air crash. Served seven years now as chief of staff for Los Angeles County Supervisor Dean Dana representing a million and a half people there a seven and a half billion dollar budget. It was totally responsible for working through the mandates by state government to county government and then serve as a local elected official at City at the city level. So I think I have a real feel for what the people want. It's obvious that it's you remember a year ago I was involved in this race and stepped aside for the benefit of another candidate that didn't work out. I'm back. I have a lot of broad base of bipartisan support and we're putting together a campaign that will bring the election of the senator

from the 33rd District back to the people up there to their district. Seems you have two difficulty one of the dead 53 percent Democrats and 30 percent Republicans. And the second thing is that the moneybags seem to be coming from Sacramento. Almost without end in that phrase. Well and particularly here I want to add to your problems. Well as far as the last car is the registration is concerned that's a problem yes and wrong numbers but the thirty third senatorial district voted for Reagan some 65 percent voted for Deukmejian some 65 percent it's a very conservative voting type of a district and primaries is a it's is I guess say that they have a Democratic registration but they're very conservative their voting patterns. What about the money bags money bags would be difficult. We're hopefully we're holding our own right now and we're out working hard doing that. But what kind of money do you mind sharing with what kind of a funding have you filed so far. I raised about ice about 90000 and spent roughly 50 and where you quoted as saying if you take something like 750000 to

do this. I mean that's a Cadillac budget and we try to do a lot here and I'm completely going to have a Cadillac but it wasn't my opposition Cecil will have whatever he needs I mean he was quoted in the paper saying that he was going to spend six million dollars in his re-election and his campaign people came quickly back and said they would need more than a million million half dollars to retain that seat so it's totally out of hand and totally out of control and so we're trying to combat the fund raising by going to the local support I have a number of endorsements from local city council people who I thought might freeze but that they're standing tall next to me against an incumbent senator. So we're reaching out to all the communities and hopefully we will pull it off it looks good right now. All of you I will start with Dan please on this one. California now had the ignominious record of having forty nine of them on the 50 states in the ratio of teachers to students in class size a very unhappy. Record for this great and prosperous state. What would you do a state senator to remedy that.

Obviously it's a shame that California with a tradition that has for good public education should be ranked as situation like that. There are a number of programs to provide funding limitation on class sizes providing of teachers aides especially in bilingual class situations but also limitations on the actual number of students in a classroom. This could be done with a rational comprehensive Wong term educational planning. Unfortunately education the state has always been sort of crisis management piecemeal to just get through next year. I think of the state took the lead we could with this problem. Jan I think the state is going to have to do something with the initiative on the ballot and it's going to be OK but overwhelmingly they're finally going to come to the recognition that education is important to the voters. And once politicians recognize what is important to the voters changes will come about and the money is there for education. You quarrel with the incumbent on his education record. Yes I do because he seems to be absent every time the votes come up.

All right Don what about that. I see it in the thirty third senatorial district education's really come to the forefront there have been a number of local battles at the school district level of school board level excuse me. And there's a real concern not only from the types of teach you know the fundamental type teaching but just that there's enough money there to provide the proper education. California has a great reputation as a leader in industry. So sometimes a leader in education and throughout the country but then when you look at the role figures first is not there to back it up. So something has to be done to provide some stabilized funding for these school districts I think that's a that's a big problem for the school district to know from year to year and to provide adequate income for the teachers. All right thank you on that note we're going to have to go along we have other issues but we've covered the main ones and I thank you for being with us tonight and expressing your opinions about this. Our times almost up now. Please be with us next Friday at 8:30 p.m. when we'll present candidates for the U.S. Congress in the thirty ninth congressional district. I'm Jim Cooper and thanks for being with us. Jim Cooper's Orange County is made possible by grants from Disneyland park and housing it's

a new attraction. Star Tours now boarding passengers for a space flight adventure by signal landmark incorporated developer of Southern California real estate and builder of a landmark OEMs by the Peter and Mary Muth foundation by the cream Foundation and by supporting viewers of this television series.