UNION COALITION BACKS DEMS IN LOCAL RACES.

Byline: KAREN MAESHIRO Staff Writer

LANCASTER -- A coalition of labor unions Wednesday endorsed the Democratic challengers in the local state Assembly and congressional races and an incumbent and a challenger in the Antelope Valley Hospital board election.

The unions endorsed Democrat Robert Rodriguez, who is vying to replace incumbent Rep. Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, in the Nov. 7 election.

They also endorsed Palmdale School District trustee Robert ``Bo'' Bynum in the 36th state Assembly District race, a seat now held by Assemblywoman Sharon Runner, R-Lancaster.

In the hospital election, where two seats are up for grabs, the unions threw their support behind incumbent June Snow, a retired registered nurse, and challenger Roger Berger, a retired fire paramedic.

Representatives from the Antelope Valley Community Labor Coalition said at a news conference that they selected candidates based on their support of legislation and local policies that support workers and their families.

``As the gap between the rich and everyone else grows larger, it has become clearly evident that we can no longer afford to vote for politicians who say they are for working families but then vote for bills that send jobs overseas or support policies that do nothing to protect our communities, improve the quality of our environment, the quality and availability of health care or decent wages for working people and their families,'' said Paul Scott, chairman of the Antelope Valley Community Labor Coalition.

Rodriguez, the son of a machinist with the Santa Fe Railroad, said it meant a lot to him to be endorsed by labor.

``I grew up in a labor family. I saw how important it was to have union representation,'' Rodriguez said. ``We have a congressman who refuses to vote for a minimum wage increase yet congressional salaries have gone up by $20,000 since 2000.''

Bynum said he would bring to the forefront issues of working-class families and a middle class that seems to be disappearing.

``I will go out and work as hard as I can to represent the district and make sure your issues and requests are addressed in Sacramento,'' Bynum said.

Berger said Antelope Valley Hospital is no longer meeting the needs of the community and is captive to special interests, namely High Desert Medical Group, which employs three members of the board. Those hospital directors have denied the allegations.

``The hospital is no longer meeting the needs of the community. They are meeting the needs of special-interest groups,'' Berger said. ``We need to bring the community back into the hospital.''

Snow was out of town and did not attend the news conference in the front of Antelope Valley Hospital.

Runner said she thinks most union members are fighting against legislation that the majority of Californians want.

Runner said unions helped kill legislation introduced by her husband, state Sen. George Runner, R-Lancaster, at the urging of the Palmdale School District and supported by Bynum that would have changed state law so that public school workers who plead guilty to drug charges but complete a drug treatment program don't qualify for back pay for the time they are off work.

``I believe activists in unions are out of touch with what the people of California want,'' Runner said.

Scott Wilk, a spokesman for McKeon, said the congressman voted for a minimum wage increase last fall and has helped working families, including voting for the 2001 tax cut that has put $1.1trillion into their pockets and broadening access to higher education by voting to double money spent on Pell grants.

Wilk said Rodriguez wants to roll back the tax cut that would result in an average family of four making $50,000 having to pay $2,000 more in federal taxes.

``(Rodriguez) believes the federal government knows how best to spend people's money. Mr. McKeon believes families know best how to spend those funds,'' Wilk said.

McKeon, who is seeking his eighth term, faces Rodriguez and Libertarian David Erickson in the race for the 25th District congressional seat representing much of the Antelope Valley and Santa Clarita, as well as the Owens Valley, part of San Bernardino County and the Mammoth Lakes area.

Bynum is challenging Runner, who is seeking her third and final term. In 2008, she will be forced out by term limits.

Snow and Dr. Don Parazo are seeking re-election to the hospital board to which they were both elected in 2002.

The three challengers are Berger, Deborah Rice, a nurse practitioner who was elected to the board in 1996 and 2000 but did not seek re-election in 2004, and high school clerk Maricela Tisbert.

The coalition represents Antelope Valley workers belonging to unions, including American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 685, Mojave Education Association, Rosamond Teachers Association, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Antelope Valley Teachers Association, Palmdale Elementary Teachers Association, Keppel Union Teachers Association, Teachers Association of Lancaster, Eastside Teacher Association, Wilsona Teachers Association, Service Employees International Union, United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, United Auto Workers and others.

[e-mail]

[phone]

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

(color) From left, Paul Scott, leader of the Antelope Valley Community Labor Coalition, gives the group's endorsement to Robert Rodriguez, Robert ``Bo'' Bynum and Roger Berger. Next is Bynum's wife, Dee, and coalition members.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer