Culver City – Crenshaw-area Democratic Assemblyman Herb Wesson last month emerged as heir apparent to termed-out Assembly Speaker Robert Hertzberg. If he gets the post and a vote could come as early as January it would mark the third consecutive L.A. area legislator to hold the state Assembly’s top post (Hertzberg inherited the job from Antonio Villaraigos, who stepped down to run for L.A. mayor). It would also make him the highest ranking African-American in state government.
The 49-year-old former aide to L.A. County Supervisor Yvonne Braithwaite Burke and L.A. City Councilman Nate Holden was first elected to the Assembly in 1998.
This year, Wesson has been involved in two controversial efforts. One was the successful push to legalize telephone and Internet wagering on horse races. The other is an effort to put an initiative on next year’s ballot to allow legislators to add four years to their term, provided that legislators get enough people to sign petitions supporting their re-election bid.
Question:
If you are elected Speaker, what will be your main goals?
Answer: Right now, it’s premature to comment on that. In the event that I do become Speaker, that is the time it would be appropriate to outline my goals.
Q: At the top of the to-do list is hammering out an agreement between the state and Southern California Edison to prevent the utility from slipping into bankruptcy. Will it happen?
A: There is going to be a yeoman’s effort to get this memorandum of understanding between the state and Edison approved. I cannot guarantee that an agreement will occur, but kudos must be given to Bob Hertzberg for trying to drive this effort at consensus.
Q: What other legislation are you pushing for?
A: I have several of my bills that I want to see. One of them is a mandatory kindergarten bill that I’m very proud of and would like to see signed.
Q: Gov. Davis recently signed your horse racing wagering bill. The bill has come under criticism from those who see it as a step to expand gambling in the state.
A: That bill did so much more than just make it legal for individuals to place a telephone bet or some form of an online bet. What it did was create housing standards for each and every race track for their back stretch workers. For years, these 4,000 individuals have lived in conditions that you wouldn’t keep a dog in, let alone a human being. Also, there were provisions relating to overtime payments and other wage issues.
Q: But back to the expansion of gambling
A: This is not in my view an expansion of gambling. It is legal today for people to bet on horse races in California they just can’t place their bets with a company based in the state. So 17 cents on every dollar of every bet made in this way stays in other states and doesn’t come to California where the horse race is. We just want those cents to stay in this state. I can assure you that the intent of this legislation is not to turn California into another Nevada.
Q: It’s no secret that the relationship between the Legislature and Gov. Davis has had some rocky moments. He has vetoed a large number of Democrat-sponsored bills. What is your take on that relationship now?
A: I have had a percentage of my bills vetoed. It’s the nature of the business. The governor has certain responsibilities, philosophical beliefs and allegiances; so does the Senate and so does the Assembly. Sometimes those philosophies and beliefs are in conflict and there are squabbles. I don’t always agree with the governor, but I have always found him to listen objectively to my views.
Q: Proponents see the measure you are backing as a back-door way to eliminate term limits. Does it circumvent the intent of the voters who passed term limits in 1990?
A: No it doesn’t. It actually would strengthen term limits if it passes. You will have more experienced legislators in Sacramento while still keeping the overall framework of term limits and ensuring that there is a turnover of elected officials. Quite honestly, when you’re there, six years is a blur. It realistically takes some time to understand how to do things up there.
Q: You authored legislation that requires originators of recorded political phone messages to identify themselves. Was this prompted by calls directed against Antonio Villaraigosa in the mayoral primary?
A: When I saw the articles in the newspapers about these calls, I was really upset. You know, politics is a rough and tumble business and you need a thick skin if you want to survive and move ahead. So if you or someone else want to call me a jerk, I really don’t care. But I think that I should know that it was you who called me a jerk.
In the event that individuals try to circumvent the law, there must be some way to arrest them or charge them with some crime.
Q: Are there any measures you have put forward concerning needs in your district?
A: Yes, there is a pet project I’m working on. It concerns an oil field the same oil field where a power plant was being considered two months ago. It was Supervisor Burke’s vision to turn that area into the largest urban park in the L.A. region. And since I was elected, I’ve been working with Sen. (Kevin) Murray, who also represents the area, to come up with the funds to make that vision a reality.
