Roberti, Bane’s Wife Embroiled in Advice Dispute : Politics: The Van Nuys assemblyman’s spouse reportedly persuaded a Republican friend to run against the senator after being denied a role in his campaign.
SACRAMENTO — After unsuccessfully seeking to manage the special-election campaign of state Sen. David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles), the wife of Van Nuys Democratic Assemblyman Tom Bane helped persuade a Republican to run for the same seat and is serving as her unpaid adviser, sources in the Legislature say.
According to a memorandum from the Roberti campaign, the senator was willing to pay Marlene Bane $5,000 a month for a maximum of five months. But the sources, who asked not to be identified, said she wanted a considerably higher fee, possibly as much as $50,000.
One source familiar with her decision said “the bottom line†is that Marlene Bane, a longtime fund-raiser for Democratic Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco), was upset that Roberti “wouldn’t pay her what she thought she was worth.â€
She then helped persuade Republican Carol Rowen of Tarzana, an old friend, to jump into the April 7 election, said the source and others close to the Roberti campaign--a version Rowen disputes. At stake is the Van Nuys-based seat recently vacated by Sen. Alan Robbins when he pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges.
It is not unusual for Democratic campaign consultants to sometimes advise Republicans. What distinguishes this instance, however, is that Marlene Bane is the wife of a prominent Democratic lawmaker who is chairman of the influential Assembly Rules Committee and that she has split with Roberti, the Senate’s most powerful Democrat.
Marlene Bane could not be reached for comment.
Robert Forsythe, Roberti’s press secretary, acknowledged that Marlene Bane and the Roberti campaign discussed the contest but said that apparently she wanted “complete authority to run the campaign and more money†than Roberti had available.
Roberti, president pro tem of the Senate, said he is disappointed by Marlene Bane’s decision not to join his campaign.
“At a time that all Democrats should be pulling together . . . it’s not a time to fall out among ourselves,†declared Roberti, who said Marlene Bane would have been an asset to his campaign team because of her knowledge of the San Fernando Valley.
Indeed, Marlene Bane’s advice is likely to add credibility to Rowen’s maiden political campaign, in which abortion rights will be an issue. Rowen, a pension consultant, is Los Angeles chairwoman of California Republicans for Choice, while veteran lawmaker Roberti is an opponent of abortion rights.
In addition to being a fund-raiser for Brown, Marlene Bane has developed a sophisticated computer profile of voters in her husband’s 40th Assembly District, which overlaps part of Robbins’ old 20th Senate District. Roberti’s own Hollywood-area district was carved up in reapportionment and he opted to run for the open seat in somewhat unfamiliar turf in the Valley instead of campaigning against other incumbent senators in West Los Angeles or the Pasadena area.
Tom Bane acknowledged Monday that he too had discussed the campaign with Rowen, but said that his wife and Rowen have had “no contact insofar as her running the campaign.†He said Roberti’s staff sent his wife a proposal “that was unacceptable.†He minimized the dispute, saying “the whole thing is blown up from nothing.â€
In a move that is likely to further strain relations between the Banes and Roberti, Tom Bane told a reporter that he would refuse to endorse Roberti in the special election because Roberti has opposed abortion rights and the death penalty, positions Banes said his Valley constituents disagree with.
“How can I urge them to support someone who doesn’t agree with them on the key issues?†Bane said. But the lawmaker stopped short of endorsing Rowen or any candidate in the race.
Roberti faces four other Democrats in the April 7 special election. Besides Rowen, two other Republicans are in the race.
Rowen said she jumped into the race after being contacted by people from an abortion rights group who were looking for a candidate to run against Roberti. Roberti opposes abortion unless the mother’s life is in danger or in cases of rape or incest.
Rowen said she had “discussed the race with†Marlene Bane. “I’m not a politician. I’m a citizen activist running for office,†she said. “I take my advice where I can get it.
“I wish I had enough money to hire her†she said. “I’d hire her in a minute.â€
Rowen said that the Banes did not urge her to run for the seat and that “they were very surprised†after Rowen told them that she was entering the contest.
GOP campaign consultant Steve Frank said he is scheduled to meet Wednesday with Rowen and Marlene Bane, who he understands is Rowen’s campaign manager. One Valley GOP consultant said another political consultant met recently with Marlene Bane and she spelled out the entire mail strategy for Rowen’s campaign.
Marlene Bane is no stranger to controversy.
In 1986, she was embroiled in a conflict-of-interest dispute in the Legislature over computer software she helped develop and which was being marketed to the Assembly. Three years later, in a widely publicized episode, the state attorney general investigated but found nothing improper in the handling of finances by two lupus research organizations, one of which was headed by Marlene Bane and the other by her husband.
Marlene Bane is also known for the aggressive approach that her fund-raising team takes in seeking donations for Brown. Because of her role as a Brown fund-raiser and as a confidante of her husband, one lobbyist has said Marlene Bane “gets the power of an assemblyman without having to be elected.â€
Mark Gladstone reported from Sacramento and Jack Cheevers from Chatsworth.
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