Bush's Primary Focus Nonpartisan in Southland Stop

By SCOTT GOLD

Jan. 6, 2002 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

The Inland Empire’s self-image, long tarnished by lack of a clear-cut identity, got a boost Saturday when President Bush swept into Ontario for a “town hall” meeting. Just as intriguing to California politicos, however, was the posturing of three men striving to topple Gov. Gray Davis.

Each of the three Republicans was quietly vying for the president’s attention and blessing. Each knew full well he wouldn’t get it, not on this day, anyway. And each knew he was expected to play nice--no small task, it has seemed lately, for California Secretary of State Bill Jones, former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan and financier Bill Simon Jr., the trio that will duke it out in the March 5 Republican gubernatorial primary.

Just in case, “I’ve got a couple of baskets of rotten tomatoes to throw if I need them,” Riordan said with a laugh.

In the end, Davis wound up reaffirming the power of incumbency by scoring the only face time with the president--a 15-minute conversation in Bush’s motorcade en route to Ontario International Airport.

“Today wasn’t their day. Today was Bush’s day,” said Roy Hernandez, a Loma Linda store manager and a member of the San Bernardino County Republican Central Committee. “As the primary comes up, they will have their day. The fireworks will come. Right now the focus is on the president coming to our area.”

That was an event in itself.

It seems incongruous to hear business and community leaders from the Inland Empire, a ballooning region of more than 3 million people, say they need to be “put on the map.” But that message echoed through the Ontario Convention Center on Saturday.

The Inland Empire has always felt like the stepchild of Los Angeles--the recipient of its smog and traffic and trash, the supplier of much of its labor force, but somehow still not a player in the metropolis.

That was just one factor that brought Bush a boisterous reception Saturday, though the president was venturing into a state he lost by 1.3 million votes and focusing his attention on California Latinos--three-fourths of whom voted for Al Gore in November 2000.

“He could have been in Los Angeles. He could have been anywhere. He chose Ontario,” said Joe McTarsney, 31, an area youth minister. “Because of this, our community has recognition.”

The crowd of more than 5,000 was abuzz well before the president arrived--breaking out into robust applause, for instance, when two Secret Service agents took the stage, one to hang the presidential seal from the podium, the second to bring out Bush’s cup of water. Several members of the partisan crowd, dressed in sequined red, white and blue outfits, seemed to have raided Evel Knievel’s closet on their way to Ontario.

Bush sounded the patriotic and bellicose tones his supporters were looking for, using the word “evil” eight times in 20 minutes to describe followers of Osama bin Laden and to reiterate his determination to end global terrorism. And he catered to the Latinos the GOP is hoping to win over in California, speaking in halting Spanish on several occasions and saying that Mexico’s economic viability is of enormous importance to the United States.

“Traditionally Latinos are more Democratic,” said Fred Carranza, 64, a retired businessman from Santa Monica. “But that doesn’t mean that Mr. Bush is not going to deliver. And today he has demonstrated that he is very interested in doing that.”

Bush could also help deliver victory to one of the GOP candidates for governor, supporters believe. That served as the political subtext to the morning event.

Riordan, considered by GOP critics a Democrat in Republican clothing, only joined the race after not-so-subtle urging from the White House. The White House lobbying came after Jones yanked his endorsement of Bush and sided with Arizona Sen. John McCain before the 2000 GOP primary.

“The president can play a tremendous role in winning this election,” Jones said. “His support is going to be critical.”

But Bush isn’t expected to threaten his high approval ratings, or his bipartisan support, by wading into a California Republican primary.

“He can’t,” Riordan said. “He cannot pick any candidate.”

Said Simon: “The best way to earn the president’s support is to win the primary.”

That’s only half the battle, of course. The winner of the Republican primary will face Davis in the general election.

And though the GOP candidates have berated Davis in recent weeks, accusing him of everything from mishandling the state lottery to plunging California into fiscal crisis, the Democratic governor showed Saturday why it’s always tough to challenge an incumbent.

He was the last person to enter the Convention Center before Bush, and his arrival caused quite a stir (plus a few boos from the conservative crowd). He was the first to leave with Bush, and he then returned to the center for a crowded news conference.

Davis said he talked about several issues with Bush during the president’s ride to the airport, including his proposal to allow Highway Patrol troopers to assist with security on commercial flights that originate and end in California. The troopers would not replace the air marshals that are on some flights now, but would provide supplemental security, Davis aides said.

The governor also suggested to the president that other large states, such as Texas, Florida and New York, use their troopers for similar security measures. Troopers routinely ride planes anyway as part of their regular duties, Davis said, adding that the president seemed receptive to the idea.

Davis also said his security advisor, George Vinson, will go to the White House later this month to help fine-tune a multiple-stage alert system that would rank threats to public safety based on the credibility of the information.

Davis warned of a “credible” terrorist threat against large California bridges in November.

After federal officials said the threats should not have been announced, the governor began preparing a four-stage alert system for California.

At the request of Thomas J. Ridge, director of the White House Office of Homeland Security, Davis postponed those plans--apparently because Ridge is planning to unveil a similar system nationwide. Vinson will assist in putting Ridge’s plan together, Davis said. Finally, the governor said he will not propose any new taxes when he unveils the state budget this month.

The state is expected to suffer through a two-year, $12-billion budget gap, the worst since the recession 10 years ago. Davis said he also asked Bush if the federal government would consider defraying some of the state’s costs of providing additional security since Sept. 11.

“He gave me the impression he was interested in sharing some of those costs,” Davis said. “How and when that sharing occurs is up to him.”