A Guide to Local Lawmakers at Convention Time

Aliens--Democrats--are swooping in from Planet Beltway, a galaxy where you are less than dust without your party, and they are coming to a town where the only party that means doodly-squat is the one at Morton’s after the Oscars.

There are cities where politics is genetic: Chicago, where even the cemeteries vote Democratic. Cincinnati, so Republican that fans take a loyalty oath before rooting for the Reds. L.A. is not among them.

I defy you to name the party affiliations of L.A.’s politicians. I defy you to name our politicians. Save for the obvious, like the Berkeley Battler, Jackie Goldberg, or Venture Capitalist Capo Richard Riordan, they are not identifiably partisan. They don’t run or serve with a little D or R after their names.

To the Democrats’ question, what have L.A.’s elected Democrats done for us lately, the answer is, not much, and rather proud of it. It was Riordan who pushed to get $4 million of city money voted into the Democrats’ not-exactly-starving piggy bank. And it was some Democratic council members who sewed their pockets shut and voted no. (At least county supervisors voted on party lines to splurge on $1 million for law enforcement overtime.)

Delegates, you’re not on Planet Beltway anymore.

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A political convention is like a cruise. You eat, you buy souvenirs, you drink, you network, you go home 15 pounds fatter. Now that the high and purposeful business of nominating a candidate is settled in the primaries instead of in swanky hotel suites, how are our elect filling their dance cards?

Been there, done that--John Ferraro gave the Pledge of Allegiance at the convention here in 1960. Recovering from gallbladder surgery, the council president will watch it on TV--if he can find a channel carrying it. Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky is a delegate and a political junkie who tunes in C-SPAN reruns of Eisenhower’s acceptance speech. He sees the convention as “like a trade show,” devoid of suspense but, for a time, the very nucleus of political life--even here.

Loyal opposition--Supervisor Mike Antonovich heads to Philly as a GOP delegate. Hal Bernson, with Rudy Svorinich Jr. one of two council Republicans, departs for a transportation convention before the Democrats wrap up, leaving orders to shut down his office if things get too scary.

Loyalists--Supervisor Gloria Molina, at every convention since 1976, is a vice chair and a super delegate, necklaced with the DNC equivalent of backstage passes. She powered up the Latino Committee 2000 (“We’re here, we’re brown, we’re not leaving town”). Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke is a delegate who’ll co-host a Bel-Air party for black politicians and star power like Myrlie Evers Williams.

Rita Walters is a delegate who will “go to meetings and parties and jump up and down,” although the last time she did, in 1996, her watch went flying off, lost in knee-deep confetti. Gore delegate Alex Padilla only turned old enough to vote in the 1992 election. Running on the adrenaline of youth, he would like to hit every major workshop and caucus, and will be at the Democratic Leadership Council’s big-deal big do for the up-and-coming. Nick Pacheco has a “Rock the Vote” event on Olvera Street.

Waiting by the phone--Acting council President Pro Tem Ruth Galanter’s spokeswoman said rather grandly that Galanter is “the highest-ranking local Democrat during the convention,” and will be “making the rounds with major Democratic politicos and being seen with the presidential candidate,” although when or where, she couldn’t say.

Not with a 10-foot pole--Some council members who voted no at least once on the $4-million bailout: Joel Wachs may go to a Nelson Mandela event but will boycott fat-shrimp fat cat parties and spend the week bunkered in City Hall. . . . Laura Chick may hit a couple of parties and then trim trees or fill potholes in her district that the $4 million might have done. . . . Cindy Miscikowski will spend the convention’s balloon-drop final night at the Hollywood Bowl.

Out and about--Now that the LAPD has characterized protesters as the Tonton Macoute in sea turtle costumes, few officials will be among them, except Goldberg, who will be “monitoring and mediating.” The Democrats’ red carpet isn’t exactly rolled out for good Democrat Michael Feuer, who voted against the $4 million, so he may spend his time at receptions for gay and lesbian and Latino and Korean delegates.

Outta here--Mark Ridley-Thomas crows that he “will be preparing to give my acceptance speech. . . . I’ve been waiting 40 years” to say that. Nate Holden is on the rules committee--there’s a contradiction to wrap your head around.

It’s a full moon; brace yourselves.

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Patt Morrison’s column appears Fridays. Her e-mail address is [email protected].