Rogan and Largent Could Connect on a Spiral to Higher Office

No need to worry about Rep. James Rogan (R-Glendale) being a little fish in the big pond of Washington.

Cable and online news service MSNBC has already decreed that Rogan has the potential to go so far he may swim up Pennsylvania Avenue into the Oval Office someday.

Rogan was named to MSNBC’s top 10 list of political stars in the next century, a distinction he shares with six children of prominent political fathers and an ex-wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks--Rep. Steve Largent (R-Okla.).

A biography of Rogan is headlined, “A Genuine Original from California.”

It starts out suggesting that Rogan might be the Republican the party will turn to to win back California, which has voted Democratic in the last two presidential elections.

Staff members agreed with the bio’s assessment of their boss as not needing baby-sitting by the staff.

“The challenge with Rogan is to keep up with him,” said Chief of Staff Greg Mitchell.

One quibble with the bio: It says Rogan is from the “outskirts” of Los Angeles.

Glendale, outskirts?

If East Coast pundits got out here more, they would discover the outskirts of Los Angeles these days are quite a bit farther away than Rogan’s district.

The Stassen Factor

Being a political prodigy has its pitfalls, MSNBC reminds. There’s overexposure, indiscretions and callow remarks to weather.

None is worse than fizzling, however.

Consider Harold Stassen, the poster politician for unfulfilled promise. A boy wonder governor at 31, Stassen became a standing political joke by running for president until he was 84.

Labor Pains

On his first day as chairman of the Assembly Labor Committee two years ago, Assemblyman Wally Knox (D-Los Angeles) was surprised to find himself faced with a Republican bill to do away with an American institution: the eight-hour work day.

Thus began the former union lawyer’s involvement in an issue that has only recently captured public attention, but that had more to do with the Democratic sweep in November than most people know.

Knox said assaults on the eight-hour day were what galvanized unions--and their workers--to go all-out for Democrats this election year.

Many of the hordes of precinct walkers and get-out-the-vote workers came from union ranks, stirred by worry that the GOP might succeed in relieving employers of having to pay overtime to workers on the job more than eight hours in one stretch. Overtime payments would only kick in after 40 hours.

“There was no issue that got the attention of union members and workers like this one,” Knox said.

Now that the governor is seeking to circumvent the Legislature by having a wage board--whose members he appoints--change the law, the stakes are even higher.

That was why Knox called a news conference in Sacramento on Wednesday to declare that such an end-run may be illegal, according to the Legislature’s lawyers.

While proponents of changing the workday say it will allow for more flexible scheduling, Knox and others believe the true motive is to save on overtime costs. That would amount to a $1-billion-a-year pay cut to California workers, according to Knox’s calculations.

As more people become aware of Gov. Pete Wilson’s plan, Knox predicts “a firestorm of criticism” will result. And if the governor does succeed in the short term, an initiative will be written for the 1998 ballot.

“It is the governor of the state of California against everyone else,” Knox said.

Global Guy

It doesn’t stir up emotions like a candidates forum on abortion. It may lack the hormonal flow unleashed during a debate on immigration policies. But in a global sense, it’s important stuff.

The concept is extraterritoriality--how U.S. laws affect the conduct of foreign governments--and Rep. Howard L. Berman will be lecturing on the topic tomorrow--in Switzerland.

The Panorama City Democrat has been invited to speak on the weighty, if arcane, subject at the World Economic Forum, meeting for its annual session in the alpine ski resort of Davos.

It’s Berman’s third trip to the high-profile gathering of the world’s political and business leaders, which this year attracted Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, House Speaker Newt Gingrich and hundreds of movers and shakers from around the world.

The forum subscribes to the primacy of global free-market forces and enjoys its lofty reputation as a world economic agenda-setter, although some critics dismiss the gathering as a lot of hot air. (Expensive too; businesses pay $20,000 to sign up.)

Only about half a dozen members of Congress get invited to the series of seminars, individual meetings and receptions. Berman sits on the House International Relations Committee and is regarded as something of an egghead in foreign affairs.

The politicians receive no honoraria for their participation, but their travel and hotel expenses are paid for. Berman’s wife, Janice, accompanied him on this visit, but, typically, none of his congressional staff joins him on the trip.

Buddy, Can You Spare a Joke?

It was a serious setting. Mayor Richard Riordan, City Atty. James K. Hahn and a slew of council members gathered at Riordan’s office to announce a proposed law to crack down on aggressive panhandlers.

The mayor called it “a quality of life issue.”

Councilman Joel Wachs stated: “People have the right to feel safe in their streets.”

Then came Council President John Ferraro, a 30-year council veteran who acts as the patriarch over the often unruly council meetings.

With a serious expression, Ferraro voiced support for the crackdown but added that the city should also be looking into the “conspiracy” among panhandlers to control every freeway onramp in the city. He noted that each freeway onramp only has one panhandler, indicating some orchestrated effort.

“There has got to be something behind this,” Ferraro said as he finally cracked a smile.

Television reporters who had little experience with Ferraro’s wry sense of humor during the regular council meetings were caught off guard.

“What is he talking about?” gasped one cameraman.

“He’s only kidding,” a veteran City Hall reporter responded.

“Really?” the cameraman asked.

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QUOTABLE: “Warner Center could become a ghost town.” --Council member Laura Chick, on the threat of five HMOs to leave the city over a tax dispute