<Begin Segment 16>

SY: So, this, I get back to how rewarding it must have been to be a member of the state assembly at the time that you were.

GN: And I happened to be there, it's like the planets lining up the right way in that state had money at that time, I happened to represent a marginal district, and it was a time where Asians started to get elected to the state legislature, so there were a lot of things that could be done right at the beginning. So it was exciting.

SY: Really amazing. And then after your, were you terming out of the state assembly, is that...

GN: 2004, yeah, my last day was November 30, 2004.

SY: And the decision to run for state senate was made when? What did you --

GN: I already knew that that seat was gonna open up in 2006, so...

SY: I see, so you just, you spent the following years thinking about your next political campaign.

GN: Yes.

SY: So, and can you talk a little bit about that race? 'Cause it was kind of, it must have been challenging for you.

GN: It was.

SY: After serving. And then can you talk a little bit about that particular race?

GN: Well, the political consultant that I had is one that works for California Teachers Association. She does a lot in terms of proposition for or against education, and so that's their bread and butter. And there were three people who had told me not to have her as my consultant and I should have listened, three prominent people. But I did. I kept her. I felt like there's a certain thing about loyalty that, so you want to stay with that person. And when she had a poll done I was twenty points ahead of my opponent, and when I went through the endorsement process with CTA, and UTLA controlled it because they had a greater portion of the senate district, San Pedro, Venice, West L.A.. You also have Carson. That's part of, that's part of L.A. City Schools. Alameda. And so when they set up the -- and I had the endorsement of all the smaller local teachers' unions, Torrance, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, El Segundo, Centinela Valley Teachers Association; they all endorsed me. And I'm a former L.A. City Schools teacher. My opponent isn't, not even a teacher. What happened for the endorsement interview is that UTLA set it up two hours before the interview's to take place and called these other school district unions when the meeting's gonna be. Well, none of them could make it within two hour notice, and that was by design. So I went to the interview and the only teachers that were there were from L.A. City Schools and Long Beach, and I have no problem with the outcome, but don't corrupt the process. And that's what, exactly what they did, is they corrupted it so that the outcome would be guaranteed for them that my opponent would get the endorsement.

SY: And that's a really significant endorsement.

GN: It is.

SY: And so it --

GN: In fact, CTA is the biggest lobbyist in Sacramento. They have the most money and so a consultant that's making their living off of them, of course, is going to change their position. And turns out that my opponent never got a degree from college, and that's a killer in an election. If you lie about your education, she would've, she would've lost the seat, but my consultant refused to use that issue at all. And the three major mail pieces that were sent out had not given her their approval, and they were beautifully done, but number one was a walking piece. Instead of Jane Harmon in there, should've had Barbara Boxer in there because Jane Harmon was having trouble in the West L.A. area. When I went precinct walking there I saw all these Mark C. Winters signs on the lawns, and you're not gonna walk there with a sign that has a photograph of an endorsement of Jane Harmon. Barbara Boxer would have been the more appropriate one. It was already done. It was a done deal. She also sent the mail piece, a women's piece, without a single African American, and it had Jan Perry's endorsement. See, these things came out after the --

SY: Election.

GN: I didn't get the, no, after I didn't get the endorsement.

SY: I see.

GN: So I'm paying her to do something to defeat me.

SY: That's... yeah.

GN: And then another piece was accusing my opponent of not having any kids in public schools. Well, she never had any kids to begin with. You don't send out a mail piece like that.

SY: So was this, it wasn't deliberate. It was just her ignorance?

GN: No, no.

SY: It was just --

GN: She's not that stupid. She knew what she was doing.

SY: Wow. What a shame.

GN: You don't compare apples and oranges. That's what you're doing here.

SY: I see.

GN: Every newspaper criticized that mail piece. She's an experienced person, been around a long time.

SY: Wow.

GN: And so the three people who told me not to have her as my consultant were right. She, in fact, two people that I know that were -- well, one of 'em is still the speaker pro tem of the senate -- because they didn't take a position in support of what CTA was advocating, she puts out anti, one was Don Perata, the other one was, is Steinberg. Put an anti Steinberg sign in the city, and so Steinberg dropped her as a consultant for the Democratic caucus. So if she'll do that, you think she's going to get me elected?

SY: These kinds of things that go on --

GN: But, but those are the kind of things that go on.

SY: Yeah, but these kinds of things that go on, is that, so was that, did that have any bearing on your, in discouraging you from continuing in politics? Or was that just, did that give you more...

GN: Well, I'm a fighter, so I'm not gonna quit and go away.

SY: Right.

GN: I'm gonna raise these issues publically. Well, for one thing is, what I see is that a union like UTLA is destroying public education, and it's not the only one. That's why mayors throughout the nation, when they deal with these large school districts you'll find that they want to take over the school district because of the strength of the union. And I support unions, but I think it's too strong to the extent that they could select who the board of trustees are going to be and they don't reform the education system. Such, with the L.A. City they don't have evaluation process for teachers.

SY: Right, right. And that's not something that's --

GN: They are, it's a profession. It's not a blue collar job.

SY: Yeah.

GN: And let me say one other thing. And I won't say what year it was, when we had a caucus meeting it had to do with L.A. City Schools, and not one assembly Democrat wanted to send their kids to L.A. City Schools. Not one. If they wanted to their spouse didn't them to. Their spouses won't let 'em.

SY: Right. And yet there's nothing that they can, that you're capable of doing at that level to help change the district. Yeah, it's sad. It's very sad. So, so those --

GN: See, like at Chicago, Mayor Daly is a Democrat. He took over the school district. New York, same thing. Washington, D.C., same thing.

SY: Yeah, and most of the kids go to private school.

GN: No congressperson sends their kids to Washington, D.C. schools. They all go to private school.

SY: Right.

GN: And it's a sad note how, where public education is in the bigger cities. Now in the suburban area, in the rural area it's different. You have more quality teachers, more quality education taking place.

SY: Yeah.

<End Segment 16> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.