SOCAL REPS ABSENT FROM GATHERING OTHER COMMITMENTS KEEP CONGRESSMEN FROM RETREAT.

Byline: Lisa Friedman Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - Southern California lawmakers are largely AWOL from a rare bipartisan retreat at Rancho Mirage this weekend aimed at smoothing the edges of the often-fractious California congressional delegation.

Skipping out on the chance to discuss the state's federal issues are Reps. Elton Gallegly, R-Thousand Oaks; Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks; Howard Berman, D-Van Nuys; Xavier Becerra, D-Los Angeles; Gary Miller, R-Diamond Bar; and Joe Baca, D-San Bernardino.

Sherman said he felt the retreat appeared more superficial than substantive, and instead is attending an American Legion ceremony in his San Fernando Valley district.

``If I went to my veterans and said, 'I need to go play golf with Gary Miller,' or 'I need to go wine tasting with (Fullerton Republican Rep.) Ed Royce,' you can imagine the response,'' Sherman said.

``If (Gov.) Schwarzenegger was chairing a meaningful dialogue, or a strategy session, then my veterans would understand,'' Sherman said. But, he said, ``Frankly, you look at the agenda ... what's going on is a lot of fun-in-the-sun.''

Nevertheless, organizers of the event and lobbyists who work with the California delegation say the first bipartisan delegation retreat in memory is an important step - particularly at a time when Congress is at its most rancorous.

Rep. David Dreier, R-Glendora, one of the weekend's main organizers, called it ``an opportunity for interaction among members and their families.''

Sponsored by the Annenberg Foundation Trusts, the retreat lasts through Sunday and will include policy briefings by nonpartisan groups such as Rand and the University of California on state demographic trends and economic issues.

Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver, are expected, as are former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz, a Republican, and former congressman and White House chief of staff Leon Panetta, a Democrat.

About 30 of the state's 53-member House delegation, plus U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, will be at the Rancho Mirage retreat.

As for those who won't be attending, the reasons vary. According to various spokespeople, Gallegly is in Thailand on a congressional delegation trip; both Becerra and Berman are in Mexico for a congressional policy retreat; Miller has unspecified commitments in his district; and Baca will be attending a legislative field hearing on the aftermath of Southern California's wildfires.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach, also won't attend. He decided to stay at home with his wife, who is pregnant with triplets.

Other possible no-shows include Rep. Hilda Solis, D-El Monte - her spokeswoman said the congresswoman has been feeling ill - and Rep. Ed Royce, R-Fullerton, who, a spokeswoman said, has commitments in his district and may attend only a few events at the retreat.

Dreier acknowledged that socializing is a big part of the weekend.

But, he said, getting to know each other better will help the California delegation get the things done that matter to all of them - like more federal funding for transportation, homeland security, and reimbursement for incarcerating illegal immigrants.

``There's always been talk about the fact that the California delegation has difficulty getting together,'' Dreier said.

With this get-to-know you weekend and perhaps more like it, he said, ``The idea of personal acrimony and the strident viciousness that sometimes occurs in debate will be mitigated.''

Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Lakewood, who is nearing the end of her first year in office and plans to be at the retreat, said, ``It's an opportunity for me as a new member to get to know some of my Republican colleagues that I haven't had a lot of interaction with.''

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, called the retreat ``valuable'' and said he'd like to see the California delegation get together more frequently. The state's 33 congressional Democrats and 20 Republicans meet separately each week for lunch, but rarely get together as a group.

This year the delegation has met about three times, all on policy issues of statewide importance like intellectual property rights. The entire Texas delegation, by contrast, meets for breakfast monthly.

Schiff said he thinks quarterly meetings would help California get, for one thing, a greater share of federal funds. The state gets back only 77 cents in federal spending for every dollar California residents send to Washington in the form of taxes.

``We should be the 900-pound gorilla, if we were able to act cohesively,'' Schiff said. He pointed to New York and Texas, both with large delegations like California, but which -unlike Golden State representatives - have a reputation for hanging together on state issues despite partisan differences.

``If we could cultivate that in California, we would do much better on transportation, everything,'' Schiff said.

Lisa Friedman, [phone]

lisa.friedman(at)langnews.com