COMPETING VISIONS FOR HIGH DESERT FUEL RACE.

Byline: HARRISON SHEPPARD Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO -- Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford is challenging Assemblywoman Sharon Runner, R- Lancaster, in the Republican primary because, he says, he feels he can develop a better overall vision for the High Desert region and thinks Runner has been too influenced by special-interest money.

He said he objects to Runner taking money from gambling, alcohol and tobacco interests, feeling it is inconsistent with her conservative views.

``People say these monies do not influence their decision making. I would beg to differ,'' Ledford said.

``People don't help without an expectation of at least access or at least proposing concepts, and they test the waters to see how tolerant you might be toward things like Indian gaming.''

Ledford, who has been mayor since 1992, said the city has been approached at least twice in the past about Indian gaming -- and turned it down.

Runner, who is running for her third and final term, said that as a member of the Republican leadership team in the Assembly her job is to raise money not just for herself, but for other Republicans around the state.

Accepting those funds, she said, doesn't mean she will be influenced by those interests. She said she has fought against off-reservation gambling.

``I get money from all kinds of people because of my efforts to not tax the hard-working families of California any more,'' Runner said.

The district, which covers Lancaster, Palmdale and parts of western San Bernardino County, is considered a safe seat for Republicans, who outnumber Democrats by a 45-36 margin.

The winner of the Republican primary will face Democrat Robert ``Bo'' Bynum in the general election. Bynum is a Palmdale school board trustee and retired owner of a sporting goods business.

Ledford said he is not just running out of criticism of Runner.

He would like to bring an overall planning vision to the High Desert region, something he believes is lacking.

Given the area's rapid growth, he said, there is a need for a vision to deal with that growth such as regional transportation planning.

``I just know I can do a better job,'' Ledford said. ``I've trained for this position for 20 years. I know the issues and I know how to work with people to promote consensus for the entire district.''

On education, he said, he would work to change the state funding formulas, which he believes shortchange High Desert cities that have smaller property tax revenue than cities like Los Angeles.

He would also like to increase the number of vocational education and apprenticeship programs.

Runner said she is looking to continue some of the work she has done on education and public safety.

One bill she is working on now would raise by three months the age at which children enter kindergarten.

The bill, she said, would help ensure the youngest children enter school when they are truly ready.

It would also lower school enrollment and save the state at least $700 million a year for 12 years.

``It's about being able to put those dollars to preschool programs and target programs for those who already need it, not those who already have their children in preschool and can afford to pay for it.''

She and her husband, Sen. George Runner, R-Antelope Valley, are also sponsoring Jessica's Law, a measure on the November ballot that seeks to crack down on sex offenders.

She has also worked on measures to give tax credits for military and aerospace projects, which help fuel the economy in her district.

Ledford, she said, should be running as a Democrat, as he has supported some Democratic candidates in the past, and has supported tax increases such as the tripling of the car tax.

Ledford responded that when he has supported Democrats, it has usually been in nonpartisan races. On the car-tax issue, he wrote a letter to Runner several years ago in support not of keeping the car tax high, but of the state continuing to provide the same funding to local cities, regardless of whether the tax was maintained.

Bynum, who also served on the city planning commission, said he has no preference for which candidate he faces in the general election.

His top priority, he said, is improving vocational education.

Bynum, who coaches girls' basketball at Palmdale High School, said one of the complaints he hears most from high school students is about the difficulty in getting well-paying jobs by those who choose not to go to college.

A renewed emphasis on vocational education in high school, along with efforts to lure more manufacturing jobs to Palmdale, he said, should help those teens.

``I want to get these kids an opportunity to go on and become meaningful contributors to society,'' Bynum said.

He would also like to see improvements in the regional infrastructure system and tougher prison sentences for violent offenders.

Bynum is also a former professional football player and a U.S. Navy veteran.

harrison.sheppard(at)dailynews.com

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36th Assembly District race

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