POLITICIAN WATCH : No, for Pete’s Sake

Don’t do it, Pete.

We know you hear the political winds calling your name. “Schabarum,” they seem to gently whisper. “Supervisor. Your game to lose.” The pull may seem as if it’s too much to resist.

It’s not. Resist.

For years, Los Angeles County Supervisor Pete Schabarum has delighted in thumbing his nose at those he didn’t agree with. But in March he declared that he would not run for reelection because the job was not “as much fun” as it used to be.

That decision came amid a long and bitter lawsuit over the county’s anti-Latino bias. The all-white board fought the charge, with Schabarum leading the way; his 1st District, with a growing number of Latinos in the San Gabriel Valley, was the target.

With Schabarum out of the race, others jumped in. Then a federal judge agreed that the political lines did indeed discriminate against Latinos. U.S. District Judge David V. Kenyon redrew the 1st District lines to make it a majority Latino district. Thursday an appeals court temporarily stayed that decision.

Veteran Latino politicians lined up for the job. But Kenyon also allowed that the June primary victors--and incumbent Schabarum--would still be eligible to run for office in the new district.

So now, Schabarum is muttering that running again is a “serious option.” This, from a four-term office holder who is pushing a ballot measure to limit local officials to two terms!

We know the supervisor wouldn’t want to seem self-serving and inconsistent. Let those winds blow by, Pete.