MOM'S THE WORD STEWING DEMS DON APRONS IN PROTEST.

Byline: Harrison Sheppard Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO - One woman came barefoot onto the Senate floor, wearing a housedress and pearls and carrying a toaster. Others donned kitchen aprons emblazoned with a scarlet letter M - for Mother.

In all, 10 women senators and five men senators - all Democrats - staged a protest Monday against the comments of popular San Fernando Valley minister Ralph Drollinger, who had said it was ``sinful'' for female politicians to leave their children back home while they went off to Sacramento.

Drollinger, a former UCLA basketball star who leads a Bible study class for legislators, made his comments in a note for a session last month.

On Monday, Democratic senators organized their response.

Sen. Debra Bowen of Redondo Beach did it barefoot and bearing kitchen appliances. Senate President Pro Tem John Burton of San Francisco wore a pink-flowered apron. Sen. Richard Alarcon of Van Nuys donned an apron that proclaimed ``You Can Never Be Too Rich or Too Thin.''

``I know that still in many elements of society, I am viewed supposedly as a bad mother,'' said Sen. Martha Escutia of Norwalk, who sees her two sons, ages 8 and 5, primarily on the weekends while the Legislature is in session.

``And that's why I'm wearing my scarlet M, because some people do think perhaps that I am a bad mother. Let me tell you the sense of pride that I saw in my sons when they came here and they saw this wonderful chamber. And they do have pride in me, as to the work that I do day in and day out.''

Drollinger, a pastor at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, one of the nation's largest fundamentalist churches, is president of a national group called Capitol Ministries, which works to bring the Bible to state lawmakers across the country. He has led weekly Bible study classes in the Capitol for legislators and staffers for seven years.

In conjunction with the class, Drollinger wrote a note several weeks ago, citing the Book of Proverbs, which details the duties of a woman to her family.

``It is one thing for a mother to work out of her home while her children are in school. It is quite another matter to have children in the home and live away in Sacramento for four days a week,'' Drollinger wrote.

``Whereas the former could be in keeping with the spirit of Proverbs 31, the latter is sinful.''

In a phone interview from his Newhall home, Drollinger said his comments were not meant to denigrate single mothers or working women, but to say those with young children should put their parental responsibilities first.

``I'm all for the most talented women in the state serving in public office, but I would desire, and I think Scripture would support this, that they share those talents with their children, if they have children at home who are young, and then share their gifts with the state as (the children grow older).

``I think the state's interests are best served if they (the children) grow up to be healthy rather than feeling like their mom left them.''

Republican leader Sen. Dick Ackerman of Tustin said he wished that the Democrats would spend their time on more important issues, noting that Friday is the deadline for legislation to be passed out.

``There's a lot bigger issues we should be spending our time on than commenting on that right now.''

This is not the first time that Drollinger has created controversy in the Capitol.

In February, his statement that Catholicism is a ``false religion'' because it doesn't closely adhere to Scripture drew the ire of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver, both Catholics.

That statement prompted the removal of the class from its space in Schwarzenegger's suite of offices. Drollinger said he voluntarily withdrew so as to not provoke a confrontation.

On Monday, he stood by his comments about Catholicism, and said any religion - Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism or others - which does not teach close adherence to the Bible is a false religion.

Drollinger is a 7-foot-1 former UCLA standout who turned down an NBA career in the late 1970s to play for a Christian basketball team that traveled the world to play and preach the Bible during halftime. He later became involved in the sports ministry movement.

He decided to reach out to politicians in 1997, setting up Capitol Ministries. The nonprofit group now has a presence in 10 states and is working on seven others, with the goal of eventually reaching all 50.

Drollinger's weekly Bible study class in Sacramento is primarily attended by Republicans now, although he said he used to have more Democrats. He teaches two sessions, one exclusively for legislators - attended by 10 to 15 per week - and one open to the public but primarily attended by staffers and lobbyists. The space in the Capitol is provided to him free of charge, as it is to many other community and nonprofit groups with the sponsorship of a legislator.

Drollinger said he had heard some legislators talking about trying to remove him from the Capitol, although those involved in the protest Monday said that was not their intent. Drollinger said this would be a particularly bad time to remove his class from the Capitol.

``If they do it's kind of like - I don't want to sound mean in saying this - but we've got a state that's been out of control now for a long time. We've got legislators that, in essence, leave their kids at home.

``They get us in $15 billion of debt and the next thing you know, they'll want to kick the Bible teacher out of the Capitol.''

Harrison Sheppard, [phone]

harrison.sheppard(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Clad in kitchen-wear, from left, state Sens. Martha Escutia, Deborah Ortiz and Sheila Kuehl listen as Sen. Jack Scott takes the floor in response to a Valley minister's recent disapproving remarks about mothers as legislators.

Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press

(2 -- color) Ralph Drollinger criticizes lawmaker-moms who leave kids back home.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News