Gary Mendoza
December 8, 2003

On each side of the California/Mexico border, we have one politician who is giving adult attention to serious problems and another from the same party who appears to need serious adult supervision.

In Mexico, Elba Esther Gordillo was removed this week as the legislative coordinator in Mexico’s Congress by a majority of the members of her party, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).   In her place, the PRI members have elected Former Interior Secretary Emilio Chuayffet.

Gordillo wasn’t removed for being incompetent, corrupt or irresponsible.  Quite the contrary.  During her tenure as legislative coordinator, she demonstrated a willingness to work with President Fox to address several serious problems plaguing Mexico’s economy, including changes designed to encourage critical foreign investment in Mexico’s moribund energy industry.  It was this willingness to work across party lines to solve Mexico’s problems that proved her undoing within the PRI.

Chauyffet, on the other hand, clearly believes that confrontation and obstruction are the paths to electoral success in the next national election in 2006.  His ascendancy makes it much more likely that Mexico’s problems will be allowed to fester for a few more years.

What a shame.

We have a similar set of politicians here in California.

Since becoming State Controller, Steve Wesley has sought to put the State’s interests first.  He was one of the very few Democratic voices decrying the State’s deteriorating financial condition during Governor Davis’s failed tenure in office, and he’s made it clear that he is willing to work with Governor Schwarzenegger to find a way out of the State’s fiscal crisis.  While he and the Governor might not always see eye to eye on what’s needed to be done, his willingness to be at the table in good faith demonstrates a level of political maturity that isn’t always found in Sacramento or Washington.

State Treasurer Phil Angelides, on the other hand, is so blinded by partisanship he’s becoming a caricature of the self-serving, craven politician.

During his first term, he remained mum while Davis and the Legislature went on the most irresponsible spending spree in State history.  His earlier efforts to manage the State’s debt load were mishandled so badly that even The Los Angeles Times took notice.  Now, he is leading the charge against Governor Schwarzenegger’s proposal to refinance the State’s crushing debt load that he bears some meaningful responsibility for creating, and doing so under the presumed banner of fiscal responsibility.

Chauyffet and Angelides share a commitment to ignoring serious problems so long as they can squeeze some perceived political advantage out of these problems, all the while claiming the mantle of leadership.

Angelides is lucky about one thing.  The voters of California are likely suffering from recall fatigue.  If they weren’t, he might very well be the next so-called political leader to be shown the door.

Contact Gary Mendoza at: garysmendoza@yahoo.com

Gary Mendoza is one of the most prominent Latino Republicans in the nation.  In 2002, he was the
Republican candidate for California Insurance Commissioner.  Mr. Mendoza previously served as Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles under Mayor Richard Riordan.  He
also served as California Commissioner of Corporations under Governor Pete Wilson.
 
 

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