Recalling what the kids think

S.J. CAHN

With less than two weeks to go before Californians decide the future

of Gov. Gray Davis (at least it doesn’t seem like anything else is

going to pop up to stop it), I decided to do an unscientific

survey/focus group of a piece of the electorate that was supposed to

be fired up by the campaign, especially with Arnold Schwarzenegger

running.

That group: 30-odd Orange Coast College students in an

introduction to newswriting class (which happens to be mine).

The bottom line: About two-thirds said they planned to vote, the

same students who said they had voted in the past.

Not that they liked whom they had to choose from.

“I don’t like any of the candidates,” said 20-year-old Chris

Cooper, who described himself as a Democrat who thinks state Sen. Tom

McClintock is the candidate with the most experience (and who is

clearly the most conservative of the major candidates).

Anyway, Cooper went on, what can voters expect anyone to

accomplish in the three remaining years of Davis’ term? Most likely,

spurred on by the sheer fear of the recall, Davis would probably be

more aggressive than any of the candidates seeking to replace him.

His opinion wasn’t shared unanimously.

“I just want Davis out,” said Morgann Franson, 22, who has seen

her waitressing tips dry up as the economy has withered. “The sooner

we start reversing the damage he’s done, the better.”

For her and Cori Chipman, 21, that “damage” is largely to their

education. Because of budget cuts, Chipman may not get an

intersession course she needs to move on from OCC.

They and others in the class suggested -- encouragingly, I’d say

-- that their interest in the race wasn’t for the reasons pundits

have said. It isn’t because they are wowed by Arnold’s celebrity

candidacy. It’s actually because the budget cuts have hit them where

they hurt: their education (via budget cuts) and their cars (via the

renewal fee increase).

And that is an argument that supports the idea that young people

are not interested in politics and government because neither seems

to affect them (as opposed to older adults who have children in

schools, mortgages to pay and larger incomes to be taxed). But

they’ll get interested when it is clear that governmental decisions

do.

Arnold’s candidacy is not resonating with them for a simple

reason.

“Arnold, he sounds like he’s got some good ideas, but it’s all

about putting it into action,” said Julia Goldman, 21, who saw Arnold

at his Cal State Long Beach stop. “What’s he done?”

Arnold never gives any specifics, Destiny Snyder, 22, said.

The hiatus caused by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision

has turned some off.

“Now I have a week and a half to figure it out,” Christina

Schumacher, 23, said. So why bother, she asked?

The students who are especially engaged said they do talk about

the recall with friends -- just those who know what’s going on,

though. Where they have most of their discussions is at work,

potentially with older co-workers.

Finally, the students said that friends and family who live

outside of California are laughing at us here. One who watched the

Emmys on Sunday felt the sting of the humor directed at us.

We’ll see if that ends when the election is over.

* S.J. CAHN is the managing editor. He can be reached at (949)

574-4233 or by e-mail at s.j.cahn@latimes.com.