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California Assemblyman Mike Gotch R.I.P.

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By Bill Cavala
A veteran of over 30 years in Sacramento

Former San Diego lawmaker, Mike Gotch passed away yesterday after a long bout with cancer. A gentle and private man who disliked conflict, he spent much of his life in the middle of it as a politician.

In the 1980’s, Mike narrowly won a City Council seat. Four years later, he was reelected with almost 90% of the vote. He left the Council in the middle of a huge controversy, accused of pushing through the redevelopment of beloved (and dilapidated) Belmont Park in order to aid the spouse of his chief fundraiser. In the Spring of 1990 he narrowly lost an Assembly contest to replace Lucy Killea – with the Belmont Park redevelopment featured prominently in the campaign against him.

Later that year, strapped for campaign cash by the draconian set of contribution limits (later ruled illegal by the courts), Gotch used microtargeting to deliver mail messages that again gave him a narrow victory. Two years later, he again won reelection by a strong majority.

Stuck in a “competitive” district, Gotch was a central target of the Republican Party during his duration in the Legislature. When Governor Wilson backed a tax increase to balance the deficit budget of the times, the Republican Members of the Assembly refused to support it until and unless Mike Gotch voted for it first – so it could be used in the upcoming campaign against him.

When Gotch moved his family to Northern California to be within driving commute range of the Capitol, the Republican San Diego Union-Tribune wrote stories suggesting Gotch had “abandoned” his district. (Never mind that an incumbent in an adjacent seat had purchased a home in Placerville and hadn’t returned to his district for 3 years prior to his last reelection!). Facing yet another ugly reelection effort, Gotch declined to run – opening his seat for the six year stint and later Congressional run of Representative Susan Davis.

Gotch briefly returned to public affairs as Governor Gray Davis Secretary for Legislative Affairs. More conflict, as the Governor had a low opinion of term limited lawmakers and they had a low opinion of him. Gotch ultimately left that position after a blowup with the Governor’s imperious Chief of Staff.

A tumultuous public life.

Yet, when Michael ran for office, the voters always said yes. While in office, he
never acted in a manner to bring disgrace to his position. He was serious about public policy and held the respect of his colleagues. While disliking conflict, he never shirked
From facing it when it was required. (It was Gotch, using the connection between ‘unsafe’ handguns that their cheap production costs, who produced the legislation that drove those gun makers out of business, taking $50 firearms out of the children’s marketplace).

His political connections with the developer of Belmont Park had the “appearance” of impropriety and were used unmercifully against him in politics. But his actions were not motivated by private considerations, but rather by a concern to save what could be saved from what passes for ‘history’ in San Diego. To many, what was saved wasn’t enough as a memory from their childhood was desecrated. To those using Belmont today, none of that matters and what Gotch did was a good thing.

To say, at the end of his days, that kids can no longer buy guns on the black market for $50 – and that the roller coaster at Belmont still runs – are two pretty good achievements for any San Diego politician. And better than most.

He’ll be missed by those who care about public things.

Bill Cavala was Deputy Director of the Assembly Speaker’s Office of Member Services where he worked for over 30 years.

He attended undergraduate and graduate school in the 1960’s and received a doctorate in political science at UC Berkeley. He taught political science at UC Berkeley during the 1970's while he worked part-time for the State Assembly.

Cavala left teaching at UC Berkeley and went to work for Assembly Speaker Willie Brown in 1981 until his tenure as Speaker ended in 1995, and he has worked for his five successors as Speaker up to and including Speaker Fabian Nunez.

Mr. Cavala manages election campaigns for Democratic candidates.

Posted on May 20, 2008

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