CARDENAS TAKES HOME-GROWN ETHICS TO CAPITAL.

Byline: Luz Villarreal Daily News Staff Writer

Driving through the streets of Pacoima, Tony Cardenas points to clinics where he visited as a child, the modest yellow stucco house he grew up in and Telfair Avenue Elementary School, where he attended.

Then the San Fernando Valley's first Latino Assemblyman decides to make a surprise visit to his elementary school alma mater. He walks into the school's main office and is greeted with smiles, congratulatory handshakes and cheers.

``You won,'' exclaimed teacher Laurel Brod as she catches sight of her former student. ``It must have been everything you learned in first grade. Do you remember first grade? Do you remember the puppets?''

A group of students wonder what the excitement is about.

``What did you win?'' asked 11-year-old Gabriel Lopez.

``I won State Assembly. I'll be up in Sacramento making sure all the money they spend in education goes to the schools,'' said Cardenas, the new representative for the 39th Assembly District.

Cardenas, 33, is a familiar face to many people of the Northeast San Fernando Valley, and nearly every street and neighborhood is familiar to him.

The real estate broker from Sylmar was born and raised in Pacoima and today sells homes in the area. He adopts schools through his business and speaks to high school students about college, goal-setting and community service.

Now he's preparing to be sworn in as one of the freshmen lawmakers on their way to Sacramento, and is busy talking to constituents about ways to improve the community through education, business retention and job training efforts.

By his own admission, he was an unlikely candidate. Cardenas never had political aspirations, never even ran for student body office in school.

He was unknown in political circles, though he has served as an appointee to the city's Los Angeles Business Advisory Committee and as a commissioner to El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument. He also is a graduate of the Valley Leadership Institute.

``I was under the impression that as a responsible business owner, I would do what I could for local organizations, nonprofits and schools,'' he said. ``I always thought of politics as other people's responsibility.''

But Cardenas' understanding of the community, his hard-work ethic and family values made him a strong candidate in a district whose 350,000 residents are 62 percent Latino.

His clients, business friends and acquaintances encouraged him to run. And what struck a nerve was when he learned some of the candidates running had recently moved into the district. He felt it was a job for someone with deeper roots and a commitment to the community.

Cardenas will take his oath of office in Sacramento on Dec. 2, replacing Richard Katz, the Assembly minority leader who is vacating his seat because of term limits.

Cardenas' victory was widely hailed in the community because he is the first Latino elected from the Valley and because he is truly homegrown.

``I hope the biggest thing that comes out of this is the message that outsiders need not apply, that we have reached a level of self-governance,'' said Raul Godinez, a San Fernando City Council member who endorsed Cardenas.

``His victory, I'm hoping, sends that message out loud and clear. I think the fact that he's Latino is significant. When we're still electing the first Latino, the first African-American . . . if we're still in an age of firsts, it shows we have a long way to go before we reach parity.''

Cardenas attributes his success and character to his parents. He was the youngest of 11 children raised in a strict household that struggled to make ends meet.

His parents were migrant farm workers before they settled and bought a house on Filmore Street in Pacoima in 1955.

His Mexican-born father, Andres Cardenas, had a first-grade education and was a laborer all his life. He taught his children to take advantage of their education by teaching them physically intense jobs that included gardening, roofing, framing, cement, brick and woodwork. During the summer, his sons would work with him six days a week.

``My dad worked us real hard,'' Cardenas said. ``When we got home from school, he had work for us to do. He'd ask us, `Do you want to do this for the rest of your life?' and we'd say, no way. Then he'd say, `If you don't want to do this for the rest of your life, then you better do good in school.' That was the extent of that.''

Andres Cardenas died three years ago from cancer.

Cardenas' mother, Maria, took care of the home and baby-sat other children to help make extra money. She was born on Catalina Island, where her father worked as a migrant farm worker. The family moved to Mexico when she was 3 years old. She had a third-grade education when she returned to California as Andres Cardenas' wife in 1947.

``It was a simple, humble life,'' Cardenas said. ``We grew up in a three-bedroom, one-bathroom home. That sounds impossible these days with 13 people in one house, but it worked out just fine.

``I remember my mom used to keep the house spotless, everything was in order,'' he said. ``They taught us always to be clean, neat and represent ourselves well. We were never to use foul language.''

Most of his brothers and sisters took on part-time jobs in their teen-age years to help support the family while maintaining good grades. Cardenas' first paying job was at age 13. He painted the Boys Club, which was then located at Telfair Avenue and Van Nuys Boulevard.

With the exception of one brother, Andres Cardenas Jr., who died at age 16, all the Cardenas children graduated from San Fernando High School. Eight of them attended college.

Andres drowned while saving one of his sisters and a cousin who were caught in an undercurrent at a beach in Rosarito, Mexico, during a family vacation 25 years ago.

``It took us a long time to go back there,'' said Nani Sanches, the sister Andres saved. ``Little by little, we all did.''

Cardenas said he can relate to many of the disadvantages children have in his district, which includes Arleta, Lake View Terrace, Mission Hills, Pacoima, Panorama City and San Fernando.

``I recognize I'm representing a district where barely 50 percent of the people have a high school diploma, much less a four-year degree,'' he said. ``A lot of parents can't identify with their kids. Our parents couldn't help us with our homework.

``Some people say that in the U.S., everybody has opportunity,'' he added. ``Well, that's true, but it's not automatic.''

That's why, Cardenas said, he has made a point to give back to the schools, whether its supplying funds to help throw a pizza party for honor students or for school supplies. He also involved many youth in his campaign.

It was Cardenas' goal to return to his roots after graduating from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with an electronic engineering degree. After college, he worked for Hewlett Packard as an engineering specialist. Today, he owns Our Community Real Estate in Pacoima, is married and has a stepdaughter and two sons.

He said he hopes to use his position to inspire young people to become involved in their communities politically.

Cardenas' toughest battle was in the primary, where he went up against four other candidates, including veteran legislative aide Jim Daytona and attorney Valerie Salkin, both of whom had better-funded campaigns.

Still, he captured 43 percent of the votes, also defeating two other Latino candidates, legislative aide Michael Del Rio and librarian-activist Jose Galvan.

Against Republican challenger Ollie McCaulley, he was the overwhelming favorite for the Nov. 5 election because of the district's large number of registered Democrat voters.

He received endorsements from key local and state Latino politicians - Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon and Sen. Richard Polanco, D-Los Angeles. He raised more than $200,000 with donations from local constituents, educators, merchants, political action committees representing unions, the medical industry, American Indian reservations, mobile home park owners and a $15,000 loan from Polanco.

Cardenas talked to other politicians and visited Sacramento to see how the state legislature worked before deciding to run.

``I realized geniuses aren't running the state of California,'' he said. ``They aren't running Washington or City Hall. I don't feel intimidated.''

It was during Easter when Cardenas announced his decision to his family. He had an instant army of volunteers with his siblings, in-laws, nieces and nephews, but his decision did come as a shock to those closest to him.

``He was not a political type, none of us were,'' said Katy Gomez, the oldest of Cardenas' siblings, who lives in Arleta. ``He felt it was the right thing to do, to represent his community.''

His oldest brother, Richard, of Santa Clarita, said Tony felt it was his responsibility.

``He felt it was time someone from our own community ran for office,'' he said. ``There was a vacancy that had to be filled, and he grew up here.''

Another sister, Nani Sanchez of San Fernando, said the family was not surprised with Cardenas' success.

``We worked the campaign, walked the precincts and did phone banks and saw the enthusiasm and all the yes, yes, yes, yes response from people,'' she said. ``A lot of people knew someone in the family because there are so many of us. They would ask, `Is he the person that is related to this person or that? He has our vote.' ''

It was only Cardenas' mother, who still lives in the Filmore Street house where she raised her children, who had initial reservations.

``At first she was kind of scared,'' Cardenas said. ``She said, `Why do you want to get involved in politics? It's a dirty business.' Coming from Mexico, that's what she thought.

``I let her know that what I'm doing falls in line with what I was taught as a child,'' he said, ``that we have to take responsibility for ourselves. We have to contribute to our community as best we can.''

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1--color) Newly elected State Assemblyman Tony Cardenas, who will represent the 39th District, tours his neighborhood.

(2) Tony Cardenas talks with former teachers and staff during a surprise visit to his grade-school alma mater, Telfair Elementary in Pacoima.

Tom Mendoza/Daily News