Jerry Brown's political fortunes are stung by the pesky Medfly
"We're going to get that little bug before that little bug gets my poll ratings down any further." So vowed California's embattled Jerry Brown last week about the Mediterranean fruit fly, a pest that has pushed Brown's approval rating to its second lowest level in his nearly seven years as Governor.* California Pollster Mervin Field last month reported that 72% of state voters rated Brown's performance as "fair" or "poor." Some 60% criticized his go-slow approach to aerial spraying of the tiny golden-mawed Medfly, which thus far has afflicted only one commercial farm, but is spreading fast and could ultimately wipe out almost $1 billion of the state's $14.1 billion agribusiness income. Field also found Brown trailing the three most likely Republican nominees—Congressmen Paul N. McCloskey and Barry Goldwater Jr. and San Diego Mayor Pete Wilson—in the 1982 race for the Senate seat held by S.I. Hayakawa.
Admits Brown's father, former Governor Edmund G. ("Pat") Brown: "Anybody would be crazy not to say that Jerry's been wounded. Whether it is mortal or not is hard to say."
Brown has proved resilient before. Few politicians are as canny in voicing a vision while making cold-eyed deals. And his campaign fund is brimming: $1.1 million banked, drawing 17% interest. Says State Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, no relation and not always a friend: "It appears there's a guardian angel watching over Jerry Brown." But the Medfly uproar is the biggest flap besetting the moonbeam Governor.
State investigators caught Brown aides late last year using state-run computers to assemble a private mailing list of potential supporters. Brown was not implicated directly, and the cries of "Computergate" soon faded. Nonetheless, the episode damaged his image. Five years ago, an astonishing 61% of voters agreed with the statement that Brown was "doing more to restore people's faith in political leaders than almost anyone else." Now only 23% agree.
Brown, who is perhaps the nation's most visible advocate of alternate energy sources, may soon face the embarrassment of presiding over the arrests of scores of antinuclear protesters. They are planning a demonstration against the as-yet-unscheduled opening of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant near Avila Beach, some 60 miles north of Santa Barbara. Brown had joined a rally against the plant in 1979. But nuclear facilities are under federal jurisdiction, and Brown says he has no choice but to let Diablo Canyon operate once it is licensed. Of the expected protesters, he says: "Those breaking the law will be arrested."