Elephants are also on radar of Lloyd Levine, who wants to ‘do big things’
Sacramento Bee (California)
He’s the Capitol’s Elephant Man. He once applied to star in “The Bachelor” TV show.
He dubbed one of his bills the “Vampire Slayer” act and another the “How Many Legislators Does It Take to Change a Light Bulb?” act.
Democratic Assemblyman Lloyd Levine definitely marches to a different drummer — befitting, perhaps, for a huge Bruce Springsteen fan.
But his job?
He takes that seriously.
“I’ll consider myself a success if I can look back 20 years from now and believe that the state’s a much better place because of some of the things I did,” Levine said.
Asked if he’s likely to achieve that goal, Levine smiles.
“That’s a tough question to answer without sounding too arrogant, but yeah, I think I am.”
Whether he’s fighting over his bill to allow terminally ill patients to take their own lives, or demanding better treatment of pachyderms, or raising eyebrows by traveling to Japan last week with corporate players in industries he helps oversee, Levine, shy in his youth, now revels in the spotlight.
“I didn’t want to come up here and just tinker at the margins, change one word or one code section,” Levine said. “Not that some of that stuff isn’t important, but I wanted to come up and do big things.”
The 37-year-old Van Nuys resident, who owns a duplex in River Park and dates KCRA-TV journalist Edie Lambert, has crafted successful legislation to create a statewide plastic bag recycling program, bolster the number of solar roofs, require utilities to meet energy-efficiency goals, and allow telephone companies to offer cable TV programming.
But the 6-foot-3, 160-pound Levine — who once dreamed of becoming a jockey — is best known, perhaps, for pending legislation to ban the sale of incandescent light bulbs, require nearly every dog and cat to be spayed or neutered, improve the living conditions of captive elephants, and to permit doctors to prescribe fatal medication to terminally ill patients whose death is imminent.
Critics brand the Los Angeles County lawmaker, son of a political consultant, as a flaming liberal and aggressive self-promoter whose legislation, such as the light bulb bill, tends to exacerbate “nanny government” by over-regulating private matters.
Assemblyman John Benoit, R-Palm Desert, said he likes Levine but that some of his bills “definitely go over the line into managing people’s lives beyond what I think is appropriate.”
Assemblywoman Sharon Runner, R-Lancaster, said Levine is trustworthy and competent but that banning the common light bulb is silly, adding, “I don’t mind telling him that.”
Levine said he and Republicans simply see government’s role differently. If phasing out the incandescent bulb results in widespread use of more energy-efficient models, he asks, why not do it?
Levine also has targeted various social or ethical issues, seeking a ban on the sale of cloned pets, a public school crackdown on teen dating violence, and better enforcement of laws prohibiting harassment of gay and lesbian students.
As chairman of the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee, Levine drew criticism last week for traveling to Japan with other legislators, regulators and various officials in the energy and telecommunications fields, which his committee regulates.
The purpose of the trip was to tour Japan and discuss telecommunications and energy technology. Expenses were paid by the California Foundation on the Environment and the Economy, or CFEE, a nonprofit whose board of directors includes top energy and telecom executives.
The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, a political watchdog group, blasted the trip as a “luxury vacation,” noting that one attendee was a top official from AT&T, a prime beneficiary of Levine’s cable TV bill.
“I think when you’re sipping sake and singing karaoke with corporate executives in Japan, Californians’ best interests might not reach the top of your list of concerns,” spokeswoman Carmen Balber said.
Levine said he resents the implication of special-interest influence. He learned much from a Japanese system that offers the lowest broadband rates and best high-speed data processing in the world, he said.
“It makes me able to do my job back here better, for California citizens,” he said. “I never felt pressure, in any way, by anybody on that trip.”
CFEE has organized numerous other legislative trips in years past. Levine traveled with the group to Brazil in 2006 and to Ireland and Germany in 2005, costing the nonprofit a cumulative $24,000, records show.
Levine, like many other legislators, receives substantial support from powerful Capitol interests. Energy and telecom groups donated more than $108,000 to his campaign coffers in 2005-06, while labor unions chipped in roughly the same amount.
Levine said he is zealous about separating contributions from policy.
“I cannot say this strongly enough,” he said. “I have not, nor would I ever, take any kind of monetary reward or compensation for anything I’ve done.”
Colleagues praise Levine’s work ethic and persistence, if not his frequent puns or his performance in dressing as a police officer and lip-synching to the pop song “YMCA” at an Assembly end-of-session bash.
Many legislators know that Levine is a serious marathoner and sports lover, who enjoys coaching youth teams. Fewer know that he’s allergic to cats or that he considers himself a good cook, a handyman, and that he can knit, sew and do needlepoint.
“He’s very knowledgeable about the substance of issues that he advocates for, and he works well with everybody on this floor,” said Assemblyman Dave Jones, D-Sacramento.
Assemblywoman Patty Berg, D-Eureka, said he’s so likable that “I’d adopt him as a son.”
But after five years as a legislator, Levine said some people still remember him most for pursuing a stint on “The Bachelor,” in which a bevy of women pursue a single man. He ultimately withdrew his application.
“That doesn’t embarrass me,” he said of the experience. “It’s funny. It’s entertaining. But I’m a little sheepish about it.”
For years, Levine and Lambert have worked within miles of each other in Sacramento, but neither knew the other until a chance encounter hundreds of miles away, in a Seattle airport.
Each had been visiting relatives for Thanksgiving in 2005. They began talking casually, one passenger to another, and each apologized because neither recognized the other, Levine recalled.
“We’ve been dating ever since,” said Levine, who keeps several photos of Lambert in his office. “She’s absolutely wonderful.”
Levine, whose Assembly district is heavily Democratic, plans to run against former colleague Fran Pavley for the Senate seat of Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, who will be termed out next year.
Former Assemblyman Dennis Mountjoy, R-Monrovia, said he considers Levine a friend but that they’ve had heated battles on the Assembly floor, sometimes over trivial things.
“We had one heavy clash on the floor because I called him ‘Lloyd,’ ” Mountjoy recalled. “His name isn’t ‘Lloyd,’ it’s ‘Mr. Levine,’ on the floor. He demanded that respect. So I said, ‘Well, sorry, Lloyd.’ ”
Levine, a supporter of gay marriage and driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants, is “as left as left goes,” Mountjoy said.
“He’s as crazy as any other Democrat,” Mountjoy said, laughing.
Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, Democrat
Residence: Van Nuys
Age: 37; born July 3, 1969, in Burbank
Education: Bachelor’s degree in studio art, University of California, Riverside, 1992; completed course work at California State University, Sacramento, toward a master’s degree in public policy and administration, 1996
Experience: State Assembly, 2002-present; legislative director to then-Assemblyman John Longville, 1998-2002; legislative assistant to then-Assemblyman Ed Vincent, 1997-98; state Employment Development Department, researcher in labor market statistics, 1995-96; Political Data Inc., data collection, 1988-94; self-employed photographer, 1992-94
The Bee’s Jim Sanders can be reached at (916) 326-5538 or [email protected].
