Does Betsy Butler have the Best Supporters Ever?

As the dust settles, successful candidates recalibrate, and our mailboxes cool down, we should take a moment to recognize the political loss of Betsy Butler, a major force in Southern California politics who seemingly played a part in nearly every race over the past five years. 

Though she has advocated for decades in support of the causes central to every one of her campaigns, her career in office spanned just two years from 2010-2012 in the California State Assembly’s District 53.  Before redistricting and political dynamics shifted her into a losing bid against current Assemblymember Richard Bloom, Ms. Butler had 14 bills signed by Governor Brown, an impressive feat for any legislator – let alone a freshman. 

Some people credit her loss to Bloom to the incredibly divisive primary battle that preceded and ultimately undercut her support base for the general. Others point to a story by Anderson Cooper that highlighted Butler’s abstention from voting on a bill intended to curb classroom sex abuse that was written in the fallout of the Miramonte scandal. Voters critical of Butler felt that her failure to vote was indicative of a callous political decision not to cross the California Teachers Association. Supporters of Butler defended her nonvoting stance by pointing out issues in the bill’s language that many felt impinged on teachers’ due process rights. 

Regardless, the debate played a significant part in her loss in 2012 and tarnished what many considered her rising star. 

And yet, Ms. Butler’s base of support buoyed her hopes to return to the Assembly. Out of office in 2012, Butler quickly recalibrated her focus and began running in early 2013 for the Assembly in District 62 to replace termed-out representative Steven Bradford. This district appeared ripe for the taking as the field seemed to clear, most fearful of the Betsy Butler political fundraising juggernaut and her apparent advantages in a district that essentially pieced back together most of the original district where she was elected in 2010.

Then Henry Waxman announced his retirement from the US Congress and this threw a huge monkey wrench in all of Southern California in early 2014. The shuffling of the political deck that ensued proved too alluring for Butler. 

"And yet, Ms. Butler’s base of support buoyed her hopes to return to the Assembly. Out of office in 2012, Butler quickly recalibrated her focus and began running in a new Assembly district, AD 62, where she hoped to replace termed-out representative Steven Bradford. This district appeared ripe for the taking as the field of candidates seemed to clear for her, most of them bowing to her previous fundraising prowess." 

At this point in the Assembly race, first time candidate Autumn Burke had begun to build a broad base of support as the most viable contender against Butler and the possibility of Butler’s exit from the Assembly race began to excite many. 

And then the Democratic Party met one weekend to debate who to endorse in both the Assembly race where Butler was running and the State Senate race she was considering. 

For those unaware of the process, endorsements of candidates occur in two phases. The first is the pre-endorsement vote. This is where candidates show up to pitch themselves in front of citizen delegates, people who live in the district and are elected as delegates to consider endorsements. The delegates then vote on whether to recommend an endorsement. If anyone meets a supermajority threshold, the delegates will formally recommend an endorsement at the California Democratic Convention. Sometimes no candidate will get that recommendation. 

Because the Assembly district and the State Senate district in question have large areas of overlap, Ms. Butler had delegate supporters who were able to cast votes in both endorsement contests. Furthermore, because Ms. Butler had not decided which race to run in, she pitched herself in both the State Senate and the Assembly meetings. Unfortunately, she did not prevail in either and no candidate received enough votes to garner the endorsement either. 

Soon after the endorsement vote weekend, Butler decided to exit the Assembly race and enter the race to replace Ted Lieu in the State Senate. Unfortunately, the friction over her decision to pursue both endorsements resulted in an exodus of support for Butler’s Senate run by other politicians with many rescinding their previous endorsements. Whether merited or not, this severely handicapped Butler’s Senate run where she placed fourth this past Tuesday. 

I do not believe that this is the end of Betsy Butler’s service. She is a tireless advocate for seniors and veterans with an astounding record in her two years serving us in the state assembly. Her short tenure in the assembly alone will continue supporting a higher quality of life for us and I know she will continue to work hard to make Southern California a more equitable place to live, work, and raise a family. 

But, this article is really about Betsy Butler’s supporters. Looking back at the last five years, it is clear that they have been on a rollercoaster of highs and lows and that Ms. Butler has been blessed with the kind of staunch advocates any politician would envy. 

Despite the loss of her original district; despite the accusations of disloyalty to our students; despite the loss to Richard Bloom; despite the accusations on the Assembly/State Senate endorsement vote; and despite the cattle call to abandon her from so many in the media … their allegiance to her has never waivered and their advocacy for her has never lessened. 

Her network of grassroots proponents is to be admired for the fierceness of their loyalty, the authenticity of their concern, and the honesty of their support. Each one has contributed greatly to his or her community outside of Betsy Butler and together, they have been the engine of a political powerhouse. 

This is the kind of advocacy and democratic engagement California needs. With a mere 13.5% turnout in our last election, the steadfast voter engagement Betsy Butler has incited should be commended and built upon. For that reason, we should take a moment to reflect upon all they have given Ms. Butler and all she has contributed to the collective conversation of Southern California. 

And find out how to duplicate this to build upon the miserly turnout we have come to view as the new normal in the democratic process.

(Odysseus Bostick is a Los Angeles teacher and former candidate for the Los Angeles City Council. He writes The Bostick Report for CityWatch.)

-cw

CityWatch

Vol 12 Issue 47

Pub: June 10, 2014