 |
 -0 |
 |
|
||||||||
 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
 |
|
Davis to Make His Case, but Not Plead It The governor's initial strategy was to hold a unified front among Democrats against the recall and against any Democratic replacement candidate. That strategy began to crumble when Bustamante announced he would run, and it has steadily eroded in recent days. On Monday, for example, U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer said she would be "very involved" in the lieutenant governor's "No on the recall, Yes on Bustamante" campaign. "It's important to have that safety net if we can't convince people to vote against the recall," Boxer told a mostly Democratic audience at Leisure World in Laguna Woods. Also, officials of the 140,000-member California State Employees Assn. announced that their executive board had voted to back Bustamante. It remained unclear how much money the union will donate to Bustamante's campaign, said the organization's president, Perry Kenny. And the California Teachers Assn., which has quarreled with Davis in the past, interviewed Bustamante as well as other candidates. As unions ponder their position, a fight appeared to be brewing before next week's convention of the California Federation of Labor. So far, the labor federation's position has been that it opposes the recall and will remain silent on the second part of the ballot. Supporters of that stand say it is the simplest message to convey to members and the most likely to keep Davis in office. But backers of Bustamante are pushing for the union to get behind his candidacy. At least some major unions are sticking with the current position. The 400,000-member State Building & Construction Trades Council of California, for instance, voted in recent days to hold firm against making any endorsement to replace Davis. "I believe if you're in a war, you go out there and fight, and if you think you can't win the war, you leave yourself a lot of outs," said Bob Balgenorth, the union's president. "I believe we can win this recall. If I didn't, I'd be staking out the position" the other groups have taken. Some labor leaders say that with fewer than 50 days remaining until the Oct. 7 vote, union members need a decision soon. "At some point, there's got to be the 'come to Jesus' moment," and the meeting has "got to be it," said Barbara Dab, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, referring to the Aug. 26 meeting in Manhattan Beach. Her organization "at the moment" is still declining to endorse a backup candidate. A formal decision on the part of the state federation to endorse a backup would require a vote of two-thirds of delegates present, if the matter is brought to a vote. Many labor leaders have expressed concern about Davis' declining support in polls. Kenny said that while his board was firmly opposed to the recall, "You can't forget about the second question; that's just foolish if you just leave it out there." With that sentiment becoming more common, there was a sense in the Davis camp that there is no more time to wait, aides said. "He feels that it's an important time to stand up and talk to voters directly about what this is about," said Davis campaign manager Larry Grisolano. "He's going to let everybody know that the buck stops with him. He's also going to set the record straight and talk about some of the battles he's had and the victories he's won." Campaign officials say that unlike past speeches, which were crafted by aides, Davis and his wife, Sharon, took the lead in shaping the address after the governor rejected an early draft. |
|
|
