GIRDING FOR A REMATCH? : Bradley Fires a Verbal Barrage at Deukmejian, Calls Him Inept

BAKERSFIELD —  The 1986 gubernatorial campaign may well have begun on a hot afternoon here Saturday as Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley blasted Gov. George Deukmejian as “an inept caretaker” who “lacks compassion for the victims” of problems that have struck Californians in recent months.

Speaking to the annual convention of the Mexican-American Political Assn., Bradley, a Democrat, delivered his strongest and most detailed rebuke of the Republican governor since barely losing the 1982 governor’s race to Deukmejian.

“I promised when he (Deukmejian) was elected that I would keep my eye on him,” Bradley said in an interview before the speech.

‘Exploratory Motions’

Bradley also said he was in the process of making “exploratory motions” regarding a possible rematch with Deukmejian next year. He said he will make a final decision later.

But the speech he gave Saturday could well have been a campaign set-piece as it detailed what Bradley believes are Deukmejian’s shortcomings.

Two words--”compassion” and “bureaucracy”--provided clues to how Bradley would attempt to undercut the popularity that Deukmejian has enjoyed since the state’s economy rebounded from the 1982 recession.

He charged that Deukmejian “is not a leader. He is a caretaker--and an inept caretaker at that. Instead of leading California into the 21st Century with a powerful vision, Mr. Deukmejian has left us adrift in a sea of bureaucracy.”

‘Nowhere to Be Found’

The mayor further charged:

”. . . As a deadly plague of cheese poisoning swept the state, he (Deukmejian) was nowhere to be heard or found. Deukmejian said he was leaving the critical decisions to his bureaucrats--the very same bureaucrats who failed to adequately inspect the cheese plants and file inspection reports.

”. . . Throughout the crisis, the governor has been conspicuous only by his silence. Eighty-five people have died from the contaminated Jalisco cheese, but we have heard neither words of sorrow or compassion for the victims or their families.

”. . . When contaminated watermelon made hundreds of Californians sick, the governor was still missing--in inaction. Once again he left decisions affecting the health and safety of millions of Californians to bureaucrats in the Department of Food and Agriculture.

”. . . We didn’t elect bureaucrats. Unfortunately, we elected him . . . and we haven’t seen anything yet. God help us with the killer bees!

Assails Tax Plan

”. . . When the President proposed an unfair tax plan that hits hardest at California’s great middle class, our governor was silent. . . . If Deukmejian is interested in real tax reform, how can he support a plan that bestows huge tax breaks on the wealthy, while offering scant little for the average American?

”. . . Unfortunately, Deukmejian’s cowering silence on this critical issue (tax reform) demonstrates his unwillingness--or inability--to stand up for California.”

On the issue of toxic waste, Bradley charged that Deukmejian has an “I-don’t-give-a-damn” attitude: “Victims of toxic pollution throughout California have been treated more like mushrooms: kept in the dark, watered occasionally and covered with you-know-what.

‘Lack of Political Will’

”. . . The state’s failure to clean up toxic dumps isn’t due to a lack of money. We voted that money. Deukmejian’s failure is the result of a lack of political will.”

In a final blast at the governor, Bradley charged: “We cannot be in the forefront unless we have ‘hands-on,’ compassionate leadership--instead of government by remote control. We must have government with imagination and vision--but not with a governor who hides behind bureaucrats and stands silent in the face of crises.”

After the speech, Bradley met with Connie Rosales, an activist from the McFarland community near Bakersfield, where residents have charged that toxic pollution of drinking water has caused a number of cases of cancer among children.

Bradley criticized the Deukmejian Administration for not expressing more compassion for the McFarland community’s problems.