PRISON GUARDS: THE UNION THROWS ITS WEIGHT TO THE DEMOCRAT, SENDING
LUNGREN SCRAMBLING.

SACRAMENTO -- For the first time in 16 years, the state's powerful
prison-guard union on Tuesday chose to support the Democrat in the
race for governor, prompting an immediate escalation in the battle
between Lt. Gov. Gray Davis and Atty. General Dan Lungren over who can
claim the mantle of crime-fighter.

The California Correctional Peace Officers Association endorsed Davis
at its Reno convention with a large rally, giving a boost to the
Democratic nominee, who has come under attack from Lungren for not
supporting the current ``three strikes, you're out'' law.

The Davis campaign Tuesday night began running a crime ad of its own
that campaign manager Garry South described as ``a response to
Lungren's claim that Gray is soft on crime.''

Tuesday's plum endorsement comes from one of the state capital's most
politically active unions. The 28,000-member CCPOA has given $1.5
million to Republican Gov. Pete Wilson over a decade, and played a key
role in Wilson's capture of the governor's office in 1990.

``We've watched Gray Davis grow in office. We think he's also matured
in the field of crime. He's a capable administrator,'' said Don Novey,
president of the CCPOA, which has endorsed Davis in four previous
statewide elections. Novey said Davis' status as a Vietnam veteran
also figured into the endorsement, as did the group's belief that
Davis will fight privatization of state prisons.

Novey said Lungren, who enjoyed CCPOA support in his 1994 election to
a second term as attorney general, had made some blunders with the
union's rank-and-file members. Those include Lungren's support of
Proposition 226, the failed June ballot measure that would have
stymied CCPOA and other unions' abilities to raise money for political
activities, and his decision to take a 5 percent pay raise during
recession-ravaged 1991 while the correctional officers and other state
employees took a 5 percent pay cut.

Novey also criticized Lungren for using Golden State Warrior Latrell
Sprewell, whose contract was reinstated by an arbitrator after
Sprewell choked his coach, to explain his opposition to binding
arbitration for law enforcement, something the CCPOA supports.

``I disagree with Pete Wilson on binding arbitration, but Pete Wilson
would not go out and slam peace officers,'' Novey said. Choosing
between Davis and Lungren was ``a tough decision personally,'' he
said, and noted Lungren's strong support of both the ``three strikes''
law and the death penalty.

He did not say how much money the union would give to Davis, who
supported a milder version of the ``three strikes'' law.

During a Tuesday press conference to highlight his support from the
California Narcotics' Officers Association and Sacramento's district
attorney, Lungren called himself the state's ``top cop'' and
reiterated his attacks on Davis for lying about his fighting for the
``three strikes'' law that eventually passed and his lukewarm support
for the death penalty. ``Where has Gray Davis been on the death
penalty? He's been hiding behind trees,'' said Lungren. `` `Three
strikes,' he's never been around for `three strikes.You
ought not to take credit for something you didn't do.''

Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully continued the theme,
telling reporters that in the area of fighting against drugs, Davis is
``a phantom.''

Both candidates have a long list of law enforcement endorsers. But

because Lungren is attorney general and polls indicate voters have
more confidence in Republicans to handle crime, the CCPOA endorsement
is significant for Davis. ``Davis has an advantage of getting
police-union endorsements because unions generally like Democrats,''
said Jack Pitney, professor of political science at Claremont McKenna
College. ``It's a smart tactic on Davis' part to undercut his
opponent's strength. . . . You have police-union endorsements, you can
make a plausible case.''

1997 - 1998 Mercury Center.

Checked-by: Rich O'Grady