Candidate:

Without the telltale beakers and Bunsen burners, many would mistake Corona Del Mar teacher Tom Lash’s science classroom as one more correctly suited for a history or civics lesson.

Stickers and posters advertising Greenpeace, progressive radio stations, and other messages critical of the status quo sprinkle throughout his classroom, reflecting the deep values Lash says he’s held since childhood.

It was only in 2000, however, when the Huntington Beach resident decided to enter his hat into the ring and challenge Rep. Dana Rohrabacher in the 46th district, after a friend of his encouraged him to run on the Green Party ticket.

After some soul-searching — and a lot of self-education, he says — he ran as a write-in candidate.

Now, Lash is running as the Green Party challenger to both Republicans Rohrabacher and Ronald R. St. John, and Democrats Huntington Beach Mayor Debbie Cook and Dan Kalmick, basing his campaign on some simple ideas he says will bring “real” — not cosmetic — change to Washington: publicly funded elections, barring corporate contributions to elections, ending the occupation of Iraq, and instant run-off voting.

Some may say Lash’s platform and candidacy is bold — even quixotic — but Lash is dismissive of the criticism.

“I just don’t think about politics like that,” he said. “At one point in time, slavery was a way of life, and we weren’t going to get rid of it. Thank God some people didn’t think, ‘Oh, why try to get rid of this immoral practice?’ — war is immoral, it has to stop, and this is one of the most immoral, illegal wars we’ve ever participated in.”

Lash was critical of the Pentagon’s operating budget, which balloons over the sum of the rest of the world’s military spending combined. He proposes a significant cut in military spending, as well as the closing of most military bases abroad, adding that directing that money to problems at home would better serve the nation.

Lash also addressed what he said was a common misunderstanding of Ralph Nader’s famous adage that there isn’t “a dime of difference” between Republicans and Democrats.

“There’s a difference between Repubs and Dems, just like there is a difference between the good cop and the bad cop — but they’re both cops,” he said. “That’s what the parties are: the corporate cop, and they are going to keep playing us … and never give us a real choice that will make substantive changes possible. And that’s what Greens want.”

To learn more about Lash’s candidacy, visit his website at tokyoprogressive.org.uk/tomlash/.

CHRIS CAESAR may be reached at (714) 966-4626 or at chris.caesar@latimes.com.