Community Corner

When Democratic Party Bosses Cling to Power

Assembly Speaker John Perez has diverted crucial funds to help Besty Butler defeat her local challengers, activist Torie Osborn and Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom, in the race for the 50th Assembly District, says Paul Hogarth.

This snippet of an opinion from Paul Hogarth comes courtesy of the Huffington Post.

California's new map of legislative districts offers Democrats an historic opportunity to pick up seats in November—and win a two-thirds majority that would make Republicans irrelevant. But in a move to consolidate control at the expense of everything else, Assembly Speaker John Perez has diverted resources from competitive "swing districts" and is instead meddling into Democratic primary fights in deep-blue seats.

In West L.A., for example, State Assemblywoman Betsy Butler has carpet-bagged into the new 50th Assembly District with the Speaker's blessing—a district where she currently represents less than 2 percent of its constituents.

Find out what's happening in West Hollywoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Perez has gone all-out to help her defeat progressive champion Torie Osborn (such as stacking the deck at Party endorsement meetings), but this weekend delegates at the California Democratic Convention will have their say when it comes to a State Party endorsement. Meanwhile, Perez and the leadership have ignored other Democrats like Al Muratsuci and Cathleen Galgiani with few financial resources—although they are fighting winnable battles in more challenging territory.

Ten years ago when it came to redistricting, Democrats in the legislature made an unholy alliance with Republicans to carve "safe" districts for each party. Not only did it polarize the legislature, but it also gave right-wing Republicans artificially high representation -- at a time when the state was getting younger, browner and more progressive every year. But with a new map drawn by a Citizen Task Force, Democrats are poised to gain seats this November -- and if they play their cards right, maybe win a two-thirds supermajority. If that should happen, we could finally pass real revenue solutions in Sacramento that make millionaires and oil companies pay their fair share.

Find out what's happening in West Hollywoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

If you were John Perez, the Speaker of the State Assembly, this should be an historic opportunity to herald resources at expanding the Democratic majority. Instead, he has made the re-election of Assemblywoman Betsy Butler his #1 priority. Even if it means moving her to a new district—because the one she currently represents is no longer as "safe" as it was. Even if it means having her challenge other Democratic candidates, progressives who have deeper ties to that community. And even if it means using the State Party's obscure rules to stack the deck at Democratic Party endorsement meetings.

In 2010, Democrat Betsy Butler was elected to the State Assembly in what was the 53rd District (Torrance, Redondo Beach, Marina Del Rey and El Segundo), defeating Tea Party Republican Nathan Mintz. But now her district has lost its more progressive areas to the north, and picked up conservative Palos Verdes in the south. It's a tougher district, no doubt—but Democrats still have a 3 percent registration edge there. And with Mintz running again, an incumbent with high name recognition should prevail with presidential turnout.

But that's not what she chose to do.

To the dismay of her South Bay constituents, Butler has opted to run in the heavily Democratic 50th Assembly District—which includes Santa Monica and Malibu. And because the new 50th Assembly District overlaps with her old 53rd District by one square mile (or 1.7 percent of the district), she can claim to be an "incumbent." Rather than do what is good for the Party, Butler is just thinking about herself—by picking a "safe" seat.

Butler's Democratic opponents are Torie Osborn, a long-time lesbian activist endorsed by Sheila Kuehl, Tom Hayden and others—and Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom.

But rather than allow a very liberal electorate to choose among three Democrats for a "safe" blue seat, Speaker John Perez has diverted crucial funds to help Butler defeat her local challengers—when the money can be used elsewhere. He and other Democrats in the legislature have donated over $88,000 to her campaign (more than any other Democrat running for Assembly)—and with Perez using his influence as Speaker, she has also received record sums from labor and environmental PAC's.

Continuing reading this commentary by Paul Hogarth, managing editor of Beyond Chron, by visiting the Huffington Post.


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