Westwood receives candidate
By James Thomas Snyder
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Gubernatorial candidate Kathleen Brown visited Westwood
Wednesday in an effort to woo local business owners, meet Village
denizens and sell her plan for California’s economic recovery.
Brown stopped first at City Bean Coffee on Lindbrook Street and
talked to patrons and owner Gary Selzer. Despite the Brown
campaign’s dire diagnosis of the state economy, Selzer said
business has picked up after a lull of several years. But he said
he supported Brown regardless.
"I used to be marketing director for a circus," Selzer said when
Brown asked him what he did before he opened City Bean three years
ago.
"That’s kind of like being governor of California," Brown
responded. "I sell and market California."
Brown ordered a double cappuccino, decaffeinated, and Selzer
presented a gift of three pounds of coffee, dubbing it the "City
Bean ’94 Campaign Survival Kit."
"By the way, Pete (Wilson) hasn’t been by yet," Selzer said as
Brown left. "We’re waiting for him."
The Democrat’s village visit coincided with an announcement of
80 endorsements from small businesses across California, supporting
Brown’s plan, "Building a New California," which was released last
week at a Santa Monica College rally.
Brown then visited Maxx’s Salon on Westwood Boulevard, where she
spoke with owner Maxx Mahdieh, who also said business was
improving.
"I hope when you get (elected) … you help small business," he
said, remarking, "I started (business) in the worst time, in
1992."
An entourage followed Brown as she strolled down Westwood
Boulevard meeting potential supporters. Students from Bruin
Democrats surrounded the candidate, handing out copies of the
blue-covered, 62-page plan.
"It’s nice to meet the next governor of California," said Bruin
Democrats President Murshed Zaheed. "We’re kicking butt. We’ve
registered more that 1,000 voters. The Wilson campaign hasn’t even
been on campus  Republicans have been coming to us to
register to vote."
But Brown’s visit was not entirely upbeat. Upon meeting Ken
Gabby, owner of Papillon Florists on Westwood Boulevard, Brown
encountered a more subdued interpretation of California’s economic
recovery.
"They probably want to make her happy," Gabby said of his
business neighbors afterward. "It’s very bad, and everyone knows
it. It’s getting worse and worse everyday."
Gabby, who has run his business for 13 years, said he would like
to support Brown, but didn’t think anyone could affect change that
dramatically.
"When they run, they have very many promises and many good
ideas," he said. "But when they get elected, things change, and
they’ve made so many promises they can never carry it out."
Meanwhile, Brown left her entourage and reporters behind,
strolled down Westwood Boulevard and across Wilshire into the
Murdock building to prepare for her upcoming debate with Gov. Pete
Wilson. She walked into an elevator and was handed the full double
cappuccino, decaffeinated, which had not been sipped.