Assembly’s Law-Order Panel Has a New Look

Republican lawmakers and law enforcement officers have long complained that the Assembly’s Criminal Law and Public Safety Committee is a graveyard where Democrats bury good law-and-order bills.

For Democrats, serving on the committee often has been an assignment to avoid because of the political liability incurred by casting unpopular votes on emotionally charged anti-crime legislation.

But this year the committee, which traditionally has had a liberal bent, is beginning the legislative session with a different look: a Republican chairman, a new name and a dash of cautious optimism from the law enforcement lobby.

Democratic Speaker Willie Brown, who is giving the GOP a larger role in operations of the Assembly, named Assemblyman Larry Stirling of San Diego to chair the panel.

Changed Name

At Stirling’s request, Brown changed its name from Criminal Law and Public Safety Committee to the more bland Public Safety Committee.

The committee will retain, of course, a Democratic majority of 4 to 3, which means law-and-order interests likely will continue to face difficulty in getting their bills approved and sent to the Assembly floor.

But Stirling said he has promised Brown he will run the committee in an evenhanded manner. This, he said, has not always been the case in the past.

“My commitment to the Speaker is to break the cycle of confrontation and try to run a fair hearing,” Stirling said. “That is the only commitment he asked me for and if I can’t do it I should turn in my gavel.”

For roughly two decades, the committee functioned as a cemetery for legislation that the Democratic majority considered reactionary or unconstitutional--among them measures to strengthen the death penalty, crack down harder on pornographers and relax controls on firearms.

Protected Members

By killing the bills in the committee, the panel protected Democratic members from having to cast politically damaging votes on the Assembly floor.

Both law enforcement and civil liberties lobbyists see cause for hope in the new makeup of the committee.

In addition to Stirling, the committee includes Republican Don Rogers of Bakersfield and Democrats Burt Margolin and Gwen Moore of Los Angeles, Charles Calderon of Alhambra and Robert J. Campbell of Richmond. (The seventh member will be a Republican but has not yet been appointed.)

“They all seem to be fair, open-minded people,” said Marjorie Swartz, a lobbyist for the American Civil Liberties Union who has often battled to stop bills that could violate citizen rights.

“The chairman (Stirling) has not in the past shown a particular regard for civil liberties,” she said. “But I believe he may be more sensitive to it as chairman.

Al Cooper, a lobbyist who represents the California Peace Officers Assn., the California Police Chiefs Assn. and the California State Sheriffs Assn., praised Stirling’s appointment.

“Larry Stirling is, of course, a staunch supporter of law enforcement,” Cooper said.

“Historically, that committee . . . has been very difficult to get really tough law enforcement bills out of. But there has been a change of attitude lately, because it’s been recognized that without really tough laws, our society has a greater opportunity to fail,” he said.

The change was even reflected last year, he said, when Assemblyman Byron Sher (D-Palo Alto) chaired the panel and a number of strict law enforcement bills were approved.

Now serving his third term, Stirling, 42, is philosophically conservative on many issues. An attorney, he spent much of his career dealing with police issues--first as an employee of the San Diego city manager and later as a councilman in that city.

In Sacramento, he has gained a reputation as a straightforward politician who knows when to compromise and how to work with the majority Democrats.

“My commitment to law enforcement and public safety is clear, and so he (Brown) is not picking a Republican who would be viewed as someone who is soft on the law,” Stirling said. His appointment as chairman is the choicest assignment that Brown has given to a GOP lawmaker this year. It came at a time when the Speaker was attempting to put partisan squabbling behind the Assembly and build his personal reputation as a statesman.

“I wanted what I considered to be the most competent available member in the house to chair that committee and Mr. Stirling fit that category,” Brown said. “He assures me that he intends to see that the public safety of this state is protected without violating the Constitution. It was not done to blunt any attack or any accusation.”

The Speaker also denied the Republicans’ frequently repeated charge that the committee’s role has been to kill anti-crime bills.

“The committee is a graveyard for bad legislation,” Brown said.

The last Republican to chair the committee was political moderate Ken Maddy, now a state senator from Fresno. This was during the 1977-78 session when the panel was known as the Criminal Justice Committee.

Stirling said he will retain some of the committee staff hired by previous Democratic chairmen but will fill several vacancies with “pro-prosecution” staff members.

One of the first tests of Stirling’s skill as a politician and as a chairman likely could occur when the GOP challenges the Democrats with legislation now being drafted to restore provisions of the death penalty laws that have been struck down by the state Supreme Court.

At the top of Stirling’s own agenda will be studying ways to reduce crime by career offenders.

“Most of the serious crime is committed by someone who has been in prison already,” he said.

“I want to know what we do with them while they’re locked up. We’ve basically taken the lock ‘em up and throw away the key approach when the reality is they’re getting out in 2 1/2 years--and they’re coming back as members of (prison gangs such as) the Black Guerrilla Family, the Aryan Brotherhood and the Mexican Mafia.”