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ilbegone
10-31-2009, 06:56 AM
Pete Parra's 'yes' launches dream match

BY CHRISTINE BEDELL AND GRETCHEN WENNER
Oct 28 2009

The dream political matchup of Fran Florez versus Pete Parra for state Assembly turned real Tuesday with Parra announcing he's definitely running in the 30th District Democratic primary next year.

The news also adds to growing evidence that incumbent Assemblyman Danny Gilmore, R-Hanford, will not seek a second two-year term, since Parra and Gilmore are friends.

Gilmore's plans remain uncertain. Parra said Gilmore was non-committal when they discussed the race Monday night.

Gilmore could not be reached for comment Tuesday evening; he hasn't been returning calls about the race since last week.

Parra, a former Kern County supervisor and head of the county Employers' Training Resource unit, said last week he would not run for the seat once held by his daughter, Nicole Parra, if Gilmore were to seek re-election.

Parra said Tuesday he had to move forward given how far behind he is in fundraising compared to Florez, a former Shafter city councilwoman who lost to Gilmore in the 2008 general election by about a percentage point.

Parra said he also needed to act because he's heard rumblings the Republican Party was out recruiting candidates. (Matt Robbins, political director for the California Republican Party, said it's premature to publicly discuss the race because Gilmore's intentions are unclear).

"Danny says he loves me and he loves the family. I told him we feel the same about him," Parra said Tuesday. "I said whatever his decision was, I wished him well. But I had to make a decision."

He said he will move into the 30th District as he moved into the 5th Supervisorial District to hold that post. He pointed out he's lived and worked in the general area since childhood.

Florez, meanwhile, said she never expected to be the only one in the 30th District Democratic primary and that Parra's announcement doesn't change her campaign plans at all.

"Whether Danny runs or Pete runs, I'm in the race and we'll run a campaign based on my experience," said Florez, who noted her 12 years on the Shafter council and six years on the High-Speed Rail Authority.

The 30th District seat is always hotly contested. In recent years it's been one of the biggest state Legislative prizes for both parties and the victors have won by razor-thin margins.

Even by that standard the Parra-Florez matchup makes political junkies salivate because of the history of bad blood between Nicole Parra and Florez's son, state Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter.

"It should be one of the most interesting legislative races in the state because everybody who knows anything about California politics is aware of the feud," said Vic Pollard, former Californian Sacramento bureau chief.

It's also one to watch, he said, because the district is one of the few that's not gerrymandered to ensure the election of a Democrat or Republican.

Tracy Leach, a Bakersfield consultant who manages Republican campaigns, said the face-off will make "great political theater."

"If anybody in politics tells you they're not excited -- not gleeful -- about the Florez-Parra matchup, they're lying," she said.

Leach also said she believes Gilmore was genuinely shocked by the hardball culture in Sacramento.

"He's a decent man and got chewed up," she said.

Pete Parra said last week the prospect of the media seizing on the Florez versus Parra storyline was one reason he might not run because it wouldn't be healthy for the families.

Fran Florez said Tuesday she's never been involved in feuding between the two camps.

"I've known Pete for a number of years. I've never had issues with Pete," Florez said.

Pollard said it's hard to say who is a stronger candidate.

Florez's big advantage may be that her son can use his influence in Sacramento to help her raise money and get important endorsements. But, Pollard said, Parra may be able to capitalize on the antipathy toward Dean Florez among farmers and other business groups in the Valley.

Meanwhile, Gilmore throwing in the towel after one term would be extremely unusual, said Pollard and Dick Rosengarten, the Beverly Hills publisher of the political newsletter California Political Week, better known as CalPeek.

Rosengarten said it's common for politicians to move up or across but he couldn't remember the last time someone left altogether so soon.

"He's smart to get out if he doesn't like it," Rosengarten said, pointing out how dysfunctional the Legislature is on both sides of the aisle. "Why go up there and waste your time?"