Political Endorsements

The U.S. Department of the Interior on Saturday endorsed the first state-sanctioned Indian casino in California--approving a pact that most of the other gambling tribes oppose. The four-page endorsement, signed by Kevin Gover, the assistant secretary for Indian Affairs under Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, gave the federal imprimatur to a controversial compact between Gov. Pete Wilson and the Pala Band of Mission Indians, allowing the San Diego County tribe to open a reservation casino.

Gov. Pete Wilson is backing former Assembly Speaker Curt Pringle in his bid for the Republican nomination for state treasurer against Assemblyman Jan Goldsmith. Wilson, who rarely issues endorsements in primaries, decided to support Pringle in the June 2 contest because "he believes Pringle can deliver, knows the issues, and is a shrewd and savvy politician," a senior Wilson advisor said Saturday. The governor plans to make an official announcement of the Pringle endorsement Monday.

Angry that their union's executives refused to support Los Angeles County Sheriff Leroy D. Baca in the November election, a growing number of deputies are calling for the ouster of the group's powerful Board of Directors. Saying that the leaders of the Assn. for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs are out of touch with union members, rank-and-file Baca supporters are circulating petitions among deputies demanding that the group's leaders step aside.

Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan waded into one of Orange County's most divisive issues Monday when he enthusiastically endorsed plans to build an international airport at El Toro, accusing the project's opponents of ignoring the needs of the poor. "To stick your head in the sand and say, 'We have ours,' is morally wrong and stupid economically," Riordan told an audience of political and business leaders who back the airport.

Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan has set off a flurry of criticism over his plans to appear in Orange County to push for an international airport at El Toro. Riordan is scheduled to speak Monday at a fund-raiser organized by Newport Beach businessman George Argyros and other local supporters of the plan to convert El Toro Marine Corps Air Station into a commercial airport.

Corina Alarcon said Friday that Mayor Richard Riordan has endorsed her candidacy for the City Council seat vacated by her husband, solidifying her front-runner status in the race to represent the north San Fernando Valley's 7th District. Alarcon, who filed papers Friday to begin fund-raising for the race, already has the endorsement of her husband, Richard Alarcon, who held the seat until he joined the state Senate on Monday.

After a difficult hunt for candidates to run against Los Angeles Board of Education members, Mayor Richard Riordan announced Monday that he will support three challengers and one incumbent, all of whom the mayor said "have the fire in the belly" needed to overhaul Los Angeles' education establishment.

Corina Alarcon said Mayor Richard Riordan has endorsed her candidacy for the Los Angeles City Council seat vacated by her husband, solidifying her front-runner status in the race to represent the north San Fernando Valley's 7th District. Alarcon, who filed papers Friday to begin fund-raising for the race, is the wife of Richard Alarcon, who held the seat until he joined the state Senate on Monday.

Bolstered by legions of new Latino voters and flush with success from last month's state election victories, organized labor in Los Angeles has set an ambitious goal for itself in next year's municipal elections: taking control of City Hall, one council district at a time. Should the strategy succeed, local labor unions could play a major role in selecting the city's next mayor in 2001.