Californians Caught Up in House Shuffle

California lawmakers made a mixed showing this week in the scramble for choice seats on crucial House committees in the 99th Congress.

On the Democratic side, Rep. Barbara Boxer of Greenbrae walked off with a plum committee assignment, but at least two other representatives were disappointed. Meanwhile, there was a big shuffle among California Republicans, who secured new seats on a wide range of committees.

Boxer, after waging a vigorous behind-the-scenes campaign for a Budget Committee seat, was the second-highest vote-getter among more than a dozen Democrats vying for the nine available spots on the panel. Budget Committee assignments were among the most coveted, because the panel will be a key force in upcoming battles with the White House over spending priorities.

Because committees are where most congressional spade work is done, congressmen often ask for assignments to panels where they will be in a position to shape legislation that is most crucial to their districts.

For example, Rep. Gene Chappie (R-Roseville), who has fought environmental battles for his area’s salmon fishermen, traded his Small Business assignment for a seat on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee.

Traded Assignment

Assignments are made by vote of special committees of each political party in Congress. These special panels--the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee and the Republican Committee on Committees--are balanced according to regions and interests. Their decisions must be endorsed by a caucus of the entire party House membership, but this ratification is almost automatic.

In balloting for the powerful Appropriations Committee--which, along with the Ways and Means and Budget committees, is an influential “money” panel--Rep. Bill Lowery (R-San Diego) was the only Californian selected. Rep. Sala Burton (D-San Francisco) lost by only one vote in the seventh round of voting.

According to House sources, Burton stands a good chance of winning an important consolation prize, the spot on the influential Rules Committee that was vacated by the death earlier this week of veteran Rep. Gillis W. Long (D-La.). House Speaker Thomas P. (Tip) O’Neill Jr. (D-Mass.) next week is expected to make that appointment to the committee, which determines how and when legislation reaches the House for debate.

That would open the slot Burton now has on the Interior Committee, possibly to Santa Monica Democrat Mel Levine. After leading the field of candidates for the Interior Committee through a series of preliminary ballots, Levine fell one vote short of an assignment on the final vote. He had sought the committee as a means of exerting influence over two issues important to his district: offshore oil drilling and accumulating acreage for the Santa Monica Mountains National Park.

With four Californians already on the Interior Committee, the seat went to Peter J. Visclosky, a first-term Indiana Democrat who had been defeated in his earlier bid for the Banking Committee.

Other committee appointments made this week:

- Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove), the only new member of California’s 45-member congressional delegation, to the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

- Matthew G. Martinez (D-Monterey Park), to the Small Business Committee.

- Mervyn M. Dymally (D-Compton), to the Post Office and Civil Service Committee.

- Alfred A. McCandless (R-Bermuda Dunes), to the Banking Committee.

- Ron Packard (R-Carlsbad), to the Science and Technology Committee.

- William E. Dannemeyer (R-Fullerton), to the Judiciary Committee.