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Parra blasts back, says she's staying a Democrat
| Friday, Jun 20 2008 4:20 PM
Last Updated: Monday, Jun 23 2008 7:47 AM
The Kern County Democrats’ intraparty slugfest continued Friday as Assemblywoman Nicole Parra lashed out at the county party’s central committee and her longtime rival, State Sen. Dean Florez, even as she called for an end to too much partisanship.
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With her father Pete Parra standing at her side, Nicole Parra talked about party loyalty, which critics had said she lacks, during a June news conference.
Nicole Parra speaks at a hastily called press conference in front of the courthouse concerning party loyalty. Standing behind and supporting her are from left, brother Peter Parra, mother Yolanda Parra, and father Pete Parra.
Parra called a news conference Friday, a day after the committee released a series of letters criticizing Parra for publicly supporting Republican Danny Gilmore instead of Democrat Fran Florez, Dean Florez’s mother.
Parra said she has been the victim of worse. Specifically, Dean Florez worked on the campaign of her 2004 opponent, Dean Gardner, she said.
She said specifically that Florez had promoted Gardner and helped set up a phone bank for Gardner. And she said Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, would back her up. McCarthy, traveling back to Bakersfield from Washington, could not be reached Friday afternoon.
Parra called for the committee to issue a letter chastising Florez.
Gardner said Parra is wrong.
“Nothing could be further from the truth,” Gardner said. “It was not something that could happen within the Democrat party, that he could help a Republican.”
And Florez issued his own statement, denying that he worked for Gardner.
“We may not always see eye to eye, but I have never endorsed or assisted any Republican to defeat her,” Florez said in a press release. “I’ve endorsed Nicole, I’ve voted for her, and I appeared in her campaign literature. I even appeared in a radio advertisement on her behalf.”
Parra said she was surprised Florez would say that in writing. Gardner, on the other hand, was probably just unaware about what was happening at the strategy level, she said.
County party Chairwoman Candi Easter, who signed the letters, said she had never heard such an allegation.
The letter to Parra said she doesn’t have to endorse Fran Florez, but should at least stop working against her. And if not, she should quit the party.
Parra said she thought long about re-registering as an independent, she decided not to — at least not yet.
Parra said all she’s done is introduce Gilmore at a few public events.
And she decried the idea of voting for someone based simply on party affiliation.
“This seat requires a person to cross and work across party lines,” she said. Gilmore is capable of that, while Fran Florez is not, she claimed.
“I’m the head of a partisan group,” Easter responded. “It’s my job to make sure we stay partisan.”
She said she released the letters Thursday evening because “I don’t want Democrats in this party to get the idea that we ever support Republicans for office. We don’t.”
Letters were also sent to Democratic leaders, calling for Parra to lose her committee positions and her credentials to the Democratic National Convention.
Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, in an e-mailed statement, said she is unworried.
“At the end of the day, Assemblywoman Parra remains an independent Democrat committed to the Valley and I’m confident she will endorse the Democratic nominee in November to keep fighting for the Democratic values of clean air, agriculture, and economic growth,” Bass said.
Parra said Fran Florez has not contacted Parra to ask for her endorsement. Parra said she had asked Dean Florez for his endorsement when she first ran, but he declined to grant it.
Parra said electing a Republican to the Assembly would not hurt the Democrats, because they need moderate Republicans to pass the budget.
“I believe that Danny Gilmore, if elected, would vote for the budget if it helps the Valley,” she said.