GALLEGLY FOE BLASTS RECORD; CHALLENGER SAYS CONGRESSMAN AVOIDING DEBATES.

Byline: Lisa Mascaro Daily News Staff Writer

Republican Rep. Elton Gallegly has been swept into victory for six terms to represent a big chunk of Ventura County, drawing support in a majority Democratic district where voters cross party lines to keep him in office.

``Elton's never had any trouble getting people on both sides of the aisle to support him,'' said Paul Leavens, chairman of the Ventura County Republican Party. ``He's going to be there a long time.''

Not so, say supporters of Democrat Daniel R. Gonzalez, a Simi Valley attorney who has been pressing the flesh for weeks in the 23rd Congressional District hoping to draw Democrats to the polls and push him past Gallegly on Nov. 3.

``People saying they like Mr. Gallegly depends on what community you're talking to - go out to Oxnard, see how many people like Mr. Gallegly. Go out to Ojai,'' Gonzalez said. ``He's no friend to Hispanic or Latinos, and I believe I will capture both Republicans and Democrats.''

In California and Washington, D.C., the race for the seat is heating up as Gallegly burns the midnight oil in the House Judiciary Committee considering the Clinton scandal, and Gonzalez walks door to door in neighborhoods where voters are talking about issues like education and health care closer to home.

Since Gallegly was first elected 12 years ago, few challengers have come close to the former Simi Valley mayor's claim on the district that stretches from Simi Valley to Oxnard and Carpenteria.

It's a race that most observers say costs about $400,000 to win, so the congressman's $500,000 war chest poses a financial obstacle for Gonzalez. The challenger had raised just $9,500 through the last filing period, which ended in June, but said he has brought in much more from labor unions and residents across the district.

``I don't think it's a race, I think it's a slam dunk,'' Leavens said. ``I just think it's token opposition to keep Elton alert.''

Gallegly supporters say his strength crosses party lines because he is a so-called big-tent Republican, a phrase used to describe the party's efforts to reach out to new members. Further, they say Gallegly helps himself by returning home most weekends to the district and ensuring his office returns letters within five working days.

But Gonzalez supporters say the congressman has done little with his time in office. And they hope to capture votes from the growing Latino community, which tends to vote Democratic, and tap into voter discontent over Gallegly's stands on immigration issues. Notably, Gonzalez was an outspoken critic of Gallegly's joining immigration authorities during a nighttime sweep.

The challenger, who previously worked on housing and poverty issues in Santa Barbara County, said Democratic turnout during the June primary skyrocketed in certain neighborhoods in Oxnard, and he expects the same in November.

``I think Mr. Gallegly's in for a surprise,'' said Hank Lecayo, chairman of the Ventura County Democratic Central Committee. ``Mr. Gonzalez is getting his campaign off the ground. He's spending a lot of time pressing the flesh.''

Gallegly, working overtime in Washington, hauls out his record to prove his 12 years have been well spent.

He is among a handful of congressmen sitting on three committees, including the now-powerful judiciary committee debating the possibility of impeachment proceedings for President Clinton. The congressman also has sponsored two bills that became law this session, which he asserts is 10 times the congressional average.

Gallegly said his concerns this election season are education, health care and Social Security, which he wants to ensure is funded with a balanced federal budget.

During a marathon session on Capitol Hill, Gallegly puts the telephone down so he can cast a roll call vote, part of the lawmaker's near-perfect voting record that he says shows how hard he works for the 23rd District.

``One thing I have not done in my life is rest on my laurels,'' Gallegly said from Washington, where he was preparing for a Saturday session and a Sunday tour of the hurricane-torn Caribbean. ``I take this job very seriously.''

Gonzalez's issues are also focused on education, safety, health care and Social Security, issues he believes Congress should be working on.

The Gonzalez camp ties Gallegly to the party that is keeping the Clinton scandal front and center in Washington, D.C., when public opinion polls show voters are tired of the issue and want lawmakers to focus on other issues.

``He's sitting in a Congress that's probably the least productive in the last 30 or 40 years,'' Gonzalez said.

``While they were looking at a $40 million peep show, the world's economies are in recession, they're not taking care of business like they should be doing,'' he said. ``I think the voters are going to see a backlash on the Republicans on Nov. 3. . . . They are known as a do-nothing Congress, and Mr. Gallegly is a do-nothing congressman.''

For his part, Gallegly takes his role on the committee as a responsibility to fulfill, just like any other part of his job, and encourages voters to call his toll-free hotline or contact his offices for updates on other issues he is working on.

As for Gonzalez's repeated insistence that the two debate, Gallegly said he's had work to do in Washington and can't take time now for the election. ``The main thing I have to do is keep the commitment I made when I ran the last time,'' he said. ``I've got a job to do, he may not.''

In response, Gonzalez insists he's ready to fly to Washington, D.C., to meet the Gallegly on his turf.

``I'm ready and willing to debate him at any time,'' Gonzalez said on his way to a meeting with voters in Camarillo. ``Why can't Elton Gallegly debate me?''

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PHOTO (1--Color) GALLEGLY

(2--Color) GONZALEZ