Rep.-Elect Sherman Named to 2 House Panels

WASHINGTON —  Rep.-elect Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) has received committee assignments that will allow him to help shape the federal budget and international affairs--and follow in the footsteps of his predecessor.

Sherman will join the House Budget and International Relations committees, both high-profile panels on which retiring Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson (D-Woodland Hills) had served.

Meanwhile, Rep.-elect James E. Rogan (R-Glendale), who hopes to follow retiring Rep. Carlos J. Moorhead (R-Glendale) on the Judiciary and Commerce committees, was still waiting for his assignments late Friday.

The House’s two dozen committees are where much of the legislative body’s work is done, and members typically spend a good portion of their time focusing on their committee assignments. Though Sherman’s panels are not considered prime ones for bringing home the bacon for his district, he said his constituents will reap benefits from his work nonetheless.

“I didn’t get one of those bring-the-interchange-back-to-your-district kind of committees, but I think I can help my district by helping the country,” said Sherman, a member of the State Board of Equalization whose top pick had been the powerful Ways and Means Committee, which writes the nation’s tax laws.

The budget committee, maintained Sherman, will allow him to press for continued expansion money for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, a prime focus of Beilenson’s. Meanwhile, the foreign affairs panel will put Sherman in the middle of an arena that is followed closely by many in his affluent western San Fernando Valley district.

“I have a district that is not insular,” said Sherman, noting Beilenson’s efforts to reduce worldwide population growth and protect African elephants. “It looks toward the world. When you are out handing out combs”--one of Sherman’s campaign gimmicks--”people don’t just ask for a new post office. They ask about America’s role in the world.”

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Over the course of his career, the outgoing Beilenson has served on a variety of committees--including those overseeing intelligence, science and the judiciary. In recent years, he has concentrated on the Rules Committee, an influential body that serves as the gatekeeper for most major pieces of legislation.

On the International Relations Committee, Sherman will join Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley) and Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-Panorama City), who are both among the most senior members of the panel.

Sherman says he has a strong interest in international issues but a lot to learn.

“I have got to go from a congressional candidate to a congressional freshman,” Sherman said. “I certainly won’t be ready to be chairman . . . at least until 1998.”

None of the Valley’s other three congressmen--Berman and Reps. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-Santa Clarita) and Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles)--will change committees in the 105th Congress.

Waxman, however, will become the top Democrat on the Government Reform and Oversight Committee, which focuses on uncovering waste in federal programs. Taking that post means he will no longer be the ranking Democrat on the Commerce health subcommittee, although his spokesman said he plans to continue to stay active on health issues.