WE thought that Gov. Gray Davis had declared an end to “wedgie” politics in California.

Perhaps we heard wrong. Some Latino activists are trying to hang Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa by his shorts for stretching out his hand to a man they consider their enemy. So far Villaraigosa has fended them off.

Villaraigosa’s unpardonable sin: appointing Ron Unz, who led the anti-bilingual education initiative that voters passed last year, to the Speaker’s Commission on State and Local Government Finance.

Never mind that Villaraigosa’s commission has nothing to do with Proposition 227. Or that many Latino parents happen to agree with Unz’s view of it. Or that Unz has supported some Latino causes, including opposing Proposition 187, which attempted to deny schooling to children of illegal immigrants.

Never mind that Unz, a high-tech entrepreneur from Palo Alto, is an original thinker who no doubt will offer some creative ideas about the state’s vexing system of taxation.

People who lose the ability to see other points of view often can’t let go and accept defeat. They tend to view adversaries on one issue as threats on all issues. They end up like Marcos Contreras, director of the League of United Latin American Citizens, who wrote to Villaraigosa, “We should avoid giving (a) position of influence and authority to those who can do harm to our community.”

Unz ran into Villaraigosa last year at events where the two debated Proposition 227. Unz said they came to respect one another, and talk turned to government finance. The matter is of special interest to Villaraigosa, who’s said to be considering running for mayor of Los Angeles.

Revenue problems are common to all communities and cut across ethnic and class lines. Cities are dependent on the Legislature for money. The revenue system is pinching cities and strangling schools.

Nonetheless, voters are suspicious of tax reform, and politicians are wary of talking about it. Moving the issue off dead-center will require a willingness to take risks and the patience to build a consensus. Villaraigosa took the first step with a bipartisan commission consisting mostly of Democrats but also some Republicans, like Unz and Ruben Barrales, the new CEO of Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network. Gov. Davis has promised to name his own commission this year.

The Speaker’s commission held its first meeting last week. Despite continued protests, Villaraigosa said he won’t rescind the appointment.

Villaraigosa should be praised, not pilloried, for naming Unz. Notwithstanding what Davis proclaimed, the era of divisive politics won’t end until activists on all sides stop fighting old wars and demonizing their opponents.



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