Speaker of Assembly sworn in on campus

  TYSON EVANS Herb Wesson, from the
district that will soon include UCLA, and his wife celebrate his
inauguration as speaker of the State Assembly in Royce Hall,
Friday.

By Sara Chon
Daily Bruin Contributor

Herb Wesson became the first speaker of the California State
Assembly to be sworn into office at a UC campus Friday.

Wesson, D”“Culver City, will represent the district that
will include UCLA in the state assembly next year if he wins a bid
for re-election.

At Friday’s swearing-in ceremony, Chancellor Albert
Carnesale welcomed Davis, Mayor James Hahn, Los Angeles Police
Chief Bernard Parks and others to UCLA, and thanked Wesson for
choosing Royce Hall as his inaugural spot.

Stephen Wesson, the younger brother of Herb Wesson and a staff
in the Department of Information and Technology at UCLA, said
nobody was more fit for the job than his brother. Speaker Wesson
also has a son, Justin, who is a second-year student at UCLA.

“I want to thank the Chancellor for today, and I am proud
to have UCLA in my district,” Wesson said. “I’m
proud that my brother and son are in UCLA.”

Noting this as the first time a speaker of the assembly has been
sworn into office at a UC campus, Carnesale called it an honor and
a landmark occasion for UCLA to host such an event.

A near-capacity crowd in Royce Hall, made up of political and
social leaders, warmly embraced Wesson and other public office
holders, but many audience members booed Mayor James Hahn when he
was introduced following Carnesale’s remarks.

Hahn has received criticism recently for opposing the
reappointment of Parks as chief of LAPD. Wesson, though, said he
still supports Parks and hopes he will be reappointed.

The mayor’s unwelcoming reception was a contrast to the
standing ovation Antonio Villaraigosa, who ran against Hahn last
year, received from the enthusiastic crowd.

Hahn congratulated Wesson as the new Speaker of the
Assembly.

“We don’t ever want to forget how important the
speaker and the state legislature is to all of us,” Hahn
said. “I’m pleased that our hometown guy will be the
speaker in Sacramento.”

Expressing confidence in Wesson, Hahn said the state is
fortunate that Wesson is in public service. The UCs depend on the
leadership of the speaker and state legislature for budgets, he
said.

Gov. Davis casually congratulated the speaker and said it was an
honor to be with Wesson. He also said he had never seen a speaker
give a “shout out” to his “homies.”

“This is a serious moment. It is more than a change of
guard,” Davis said. “This year will be a challenge in
Sacramento, no doubt about it, but we’ll make it
better.”

Wesson, the 65th speaker of the assembly, replaces Robert
Hertzberg, D”“Van Nuys.

After the oath, Wesson thanked everyone for taking time to come
to his inauguration.

“I want to thank each and everyone for coming, especially
my dear friend Antonio Villaraigosa,” Wesson said.

The crowd then gave Villaraigosa another standing ovation as
Wesson explained how the former mayoral candidate and part-time
UCLA faculty member recently had back surgery. Wesson called
Villaraigosa a warrior for still coming to his ceremony.

Wesson said he will never forget the obligations to serve the
public that come with the office as speaker, acknowledging that he
is only one of a small group elected to serve 34 million
Californians.

“I’ll never forget that,” Wesson said.

“My colleagues and I will open the door to give you the
opportunities.”

In response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the
nation’s economic crisis, Wesson said that with every
tragedy, an opportunity is born.

The great challenges of the state will be dealt with, Wesson
said, adding that the opportunity to re-unite the nation cannot be
blown away.

“For the first time, after Sept. 11, I saw Americans
““ not African- Americans, not Asian-Americas or Muslims
““ just Americans,” Wesson said.

“It is the responsibility of me and my colleagues to help
your American dreams to come true,” Wesson said. “We
will provide you with the opportunities. Speakership is not about
me, it’s about we.”

The ceremony came to a close as Wesson listed his agenda,
including plans to improve health care, law enforcement and justice
for janitors, and ended with a choir singing on stage behind the
speaker and governor.

Later in the day, Wesson took part in a ceremony renaming, and
dedicated a portion of the Santa Monica Freeway, or I-10, as the
“Rosa Parks Freeway.”

“There is, arguably, no other person who deserves more
praise and credit for our country’s social progress over the
past 50 years than Mrs. Rosa Parks,” Wesson said in a
statement.

“Dedicating this freeway in her name is the very least we
can do to show our heartfelt gratitude for her life’s work,
and is especially appropriate during this month when we honor black
history.”