Santa Monican Makes Recall Ballot By Erica Williams August 14 -- She’s a Republican in a predominantly Democratic city and her one-person office down the marble corridors of the Water Gardens, where she operates her mediation company, now serves as her campaign headquarters. Still, Heather Peters -- the lone Santa Monican in a field of 135 candidates certified Wednesday for the ballot in California’s historic recall election -- believes she has what it takes to make things work in Sacramento. “I’ve never held elective office but as a professional mediator I deal with the politics of conflict everyday,” said Peters, adding that her campaign headquarters is really “wherever I am at the moment.” “Our job is to bring all the sides together that think there’s no way to reach an agreement," Peters said. "And I think that’s exactly what’s needed in Sacramento right now.” A self-described “centrist Republican," the 37-year-old political neophyte is pro-choice, for gun control and favors drug treatment over jail time for first-time non-violent drug offenders. She has always thought about running for public office, but has been put off by the traditional way in which candidates come up through the party system and have to cater to special interests. “Traditional politics,” she said, “is a bit like watching sausage being made.” The recall, Peters said, presented an excellent opportunity for independent candidates to run for public office without the party machine behind them and for voters to have access to less extreme candidates, unlike those that the party system typically produces. “This is an historic time in California where voters are going to get to hear the voices of centrist candidates,” Peters said. “It’s really an extraordinary opportunity for ordinary people to bypass the primary process and get their message out without a great deal of special interest funding.” Peters is listed on the October 7 ballot as a Republican because “by law, you have to run in the party in which you were registered for the prior three months.” She had to call to find out her party to make a run for governor because typically, “I vote in the party in which the primary is most compelling.” For Peters, that was the Republican primary in the 2000 presidential elections. Despite being a newcomer to the political arena and public life, Peters has so far demonstrated some media savvy. She garnered a fair amount of local and national media attention in a race dominated by the likes of a movie-star candidate, veteran politicos, a child actor, a comedian, a talk-show host and a pornography mogul. “I was able to hit the ground running, and my campaign has taken off with amazing speed,” Peters said, noting that she was the second candidate to file in Los Angeles County and had qualified for the ballot just over a week ago. Unlike many in the cast of characters that have dominated media coverage early on, Peters is taking her run to replace democratic Gov. Gray Davis seriously. She has studied the California Constitution and carefully considered “some of the most pressing issues of the day” which she weighs in on at her campaign Web site, peters4gov.com, where she has listed her positions. Most notably, Peters is appalled by the Legislature’s costly six-week delay in passing the state’s budget with lawmakers failing to act “until they were literally locked in a room like petulant children.” That cost California taxpayers $20 million a day for 33 days, she said. “California’s voters regardless of their party affiliation have to stand up and let it be known that this waste is inexcusable,” Peters said in a statement on her Web site. “California voters need to tell their representatives that they are mad as hell and won’t take it anymore.” With a campaign slogan that states “It’s Time to Take Politics Out of Government,” Peters is calling for accountability and responsibility at all levels of government. And that begins with the ouster of Davis, who she says failed Californians with his lack of leadership in the budgeting process. Peters is calling for legislators to forfeit their pay to the general fund if they do not pass a budget by June 15, the state constitutional deadline. Peters, who has been married for 14 years and has no children, hails from New York City, moving to California to attend Southwestern University School of Law on full scholarship in 1987. After graduating in 1990, she went on to become a litigation attorney with Barger and Wolen, leaving the law firm to start up Peters Mediation, which she owns and operates. Peters is running “an old-fashioned grassroots campaign” comprised of mostly friends and associates who helped her gather the 65 signatures she needed to qualify for the recall ballot. “I’ve been surprised at how many Republicans I’ve run into in Santa Monica,” Peters said of signature gathering in a city renowned for its liberal bent. “I didn’t expect to have any luck at all,” she said. “I expected to have to go down to the Orange County Fair.” So far, Peters is relying on a small team of about 10 campaign volunteers -- “no professionals” -- and hopes to build her campaign “war chest” from a deluge of small donations. “The only way a voice of moderation will be heard in this race is if that voice is supported by a large chorus of small donors,” Peters said on her Web site. Asked if she thought a real chance of taking up residence at the governor’s mansion, Peters replied, “It’s up to the voters of California to decide if I have a chance. I hope I have a message that resonates with them, and I hope they think I can be of service.” |
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