Eric Bauman, a gruff and tireless political operative who led two of California’s strongest Democratic organizations earlier than resigning amid misconduct allegations, died Monday.
His household mentioned in an announcement that Bauman died at UCLA West Valley Medical Middle after an extended sickness. He was 66.
Born within the Bronx to an Military physician and a registered nurse, Bauman went to navy college and moved to Hollywood simply earlier than he turned 18. He turned a nurse and met his husband, additionally a nurse, in a hospital cafeteria throughout an in a single day shift within the early Eighties.
Motivated partially by the AIDS disaster, Bauman turned lively within the Stonewall Democratic Membership Los Angeles, a progressive political group, and was elected president of the group in 1994.
Bauman grew L.A. County Democratic Celebration right into a political drive as chairman from 2000 to 2017 and expanded the variety of Democrats successful elections at each degree of presidency, from water boards to the U.S. Home of Representatives.
“I turned the L.A. Democratic Celebration from a $50,000-a-year group right into a $1.5 million-a-year group,” he advised a reporter in 2011.
With a Bronx have an effect on and a gold signet ring on his pinkie finger that he twisted when he was underneath stress, Bauman constructed a status as an old-school get together boss who would provide the unhealthy information straight. Democrats in contrast him to Ray Liotta, and a few referred to as him the “Godfather of Democratic politics.”
“Folks come as much as me on the road on a regular basis and suppose I’m Joe Pesci,” he advised the Occasions in 2017. “I attempt to work with that.”
Bauman ran for state Democratic Celebration chair in 2017. After a bruising election that uncovered the fractures between the progressive and institution wings of the get together, Bauman was elected by a mere 62 votes.
He was the primary overtly homosexual and first Jewish particular person to chair the get together.
“I don’t put on a button that claims, ‘Have a look at me, I’m homosexual,’” Bauman mentioned in a 2009 interview with the UCLA Movie and Tv Archive. However, he mentioned, “I by no means fail to acknowledge my accomplice from any podium. It’s in my bio. It is part of who I’m.”
The excessive level of his tenure was the 2018 midterm elections, when California Democrats flipped seven seats within the U.S. Home of Representatives and received again a veto-proof supermajority within the state Legislature.
Bauman mentioned he wished to overturn California’s voter-approved “jungle major” system, which permits the highest two vote-getters to advance to the overall election, no matter get together. Bauman argued that Democrats ought to decide their very own nominees, somewhat than spending tens of millions of {dollars} combating within the primaries.
In late 2018, The Occasions reported that Bauman had made crude sexual feedback and had engaged in undesirable touching or bodily intimidation in skilled settings, citing 10 get together workers members and political activists.
Bauman resigned, saying he deliberate to hunt remedy for well being points and alcohol use. The state Democratic Celebration fired high staffers within the wake of the allegations and ultimately paid greater than $380,000 to settle a sexual misconduct lawsuit introduced by three of his accusers. A celebration spokeswoman didn’t reply to requests for an announcement on Bauman’s demise Tuesday.
After his resignation, Bauman disappeared from public life for a number of years. Extra not too long ago, he started internet hosting a radio present referred to as “The UnCommon Sense Democrat” on the Inland Empire’s KCAA-AM 1050.
Within the mid-2000s, when Republicans nonetheless represented many outlying areas of Los Angeles County, Bauman arrange a “purple zone program” on the L.A. County Democratic Celebration that funneled cash and volunteers to Democrats operating for seats in GOP strongholds.
The investments had been a bet, however they constructed relationships and higher candidates — and generally, an extended shot candidate really received, mentioned former state lawmaker Miguel Santiago, who first acquired concerned with the get together within the early 2000s.
“He was actually hungry for Democratic wins,” Santiago mentioned. “There was no seat that that man left on the desk, whether or not it was a neighborhood faculty seat, a college board race, a water board race.”
Bauman additionally labored to strengthen ties with organized labor, now the California Democratic Celebration’s strongest ally, and construct voter registration and turnout.
State Assemblymember Mark Gonzalez, who chaired the county get together after Bauman, mentioned he spent numerous hours as a younger volunteer coming into details about newly registered voters into the get together database.
The information got here from a sales space that the Democratic Celebration arrange outdoors citizenship ceremonies the place newly eligible voters might register to vote as Democrats, he mentioned. Bauman despatched a signed card to every particular person, congratulating them and welcoming them to the get together.
“That touched individuals, and it confirmed them that they matter,” Gonzalez mentioned.
Bauman additionally labored for Gov. Grey Davis and insurance coverage commissioner John Garamendi and as a guide to a number of Meeting audio system, together with Anthony Rendon of Los Angeles and Toni Atkins of San Diego.
He’s survived by his husband and accomplice of 42 years, Michael Andraychak, and his father and sister, Richard and Roya Bauman.
