California Redistricting Might Help Octogenarian Wife-Beating Slumlord Democrat Have Shot At Congress
As California’s midterm elections approach, using newly redrawn maps, an 87-year-old Democrat, slum landlord and domestic violence convict, enters the race for a formerly Republican-leaning Southern California district.
Following voters’ passage of Proposition 50, five Republican congressional seats are now in play for Democrats as three-dimensional maps redraw borders across the state. Southern California’s 48th Congressional District, currently represented by Republican state Rep. Darrell Issa, has been redrawn to include more urban and suburban Democratic voters, turning it into split, even left-leaning, territory.
As Democrats consider the new district, Mike Schaefer has thrown his hat in the ring. However, his journey is laced with drama – both political and personal. (RELATED: Democrats’ fundraising begins less than 24 hours after Republican lawmaker’s funeral)
Schaefer started as a Republican before becoming a Democrat around 2004. He ran for office about 33 times in more than 50 years, usually losing badly. One of Schaefer’s rare, early victories was his election as the youngest member of the San Diego City Council, at age 27 in 1965, to two terms.
After that, most of his campaigns were longshots in California, Nevada, Maryland and Arizona — failures like 0.98% for San Diego mayor in 1971 or 2.5% in a 2016 Nevada congressional primary.
Then came the shocker: At age 80, he won a seat on the California State Board of Equalization in 2018, defeating a Republican state senator in a late upset. Not only was Schaefer re-elected to the position in 2022, but he even received the support of his party. During his reelection campaign, Schaefer nicknamed himself “the equalizer.”
Now removed from his position, the octogenarian filed a CA-48 request Tuesday, from an address in Las Vegas. Schaefer is no stranger to scandal.
In 2001, he was disbarred from the California and Nevada bars for serious ethics violations. The Nevada Supreme Court cited issues such as directly contacting represented parties without authorization, submitting false affidavits, attempting to influence testimony, and showing blatant disregard for court orders and the rights of others. He was not reinstated despite several appeals, notably in 2014.
Veteran canvasser Fernando Flores holds door hangers promoting voting yes on Proposition 50 (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
In the 1980s, Schaefer was called a “millionaire slum lord.” In 1986, a Los Angeles Superior Court jury awarded his former tenants $1.83 million (a record at the time) after finding that he had let a 64-unit building in the middle of Wilshire be overrun by rats, cockroaches, sewer backups collapsing into ceilings and floors, and street gangs. Schaefer only owned the property for eight months in 1981, but blamed gangs for blocking improvements.
He faced similar problems at his other properties. In San Diego, he faced fire code violations and threats of prison in 1979 due to unsafe conditions. In Arizona, he was involved in a rent dispute in 1982, and he owned dilapidated apartments in Baltimore that sparked complaints of alleged neglect and poor maintenance.
In 1993, he was convicted of domestic violence. The incident led to a conviction and he later served prison time for violating probation conditions related to the case.
In 2013, Everybody Loves Raymond actor Brad Garrett obtained a restraining order against Schaefer in Las Vegas court. Garrett accused Schaefer of stalking after an argument over a free show ticket at the MGM Grand.
Schaefer allegedly continued to offer unwanted promotional offers and would not stop. The permanent order required Schaefer to stay 100 feet away from Garrett, completely barred him from the MGM Grand and required court permission for any future trials against Garrett or his staff, citing Schaefer’s history of violence and erratic behavior.
Although voters approved Proposition 50, Republicans quickly filed suit against the new maps, alleging that they were drawn in an area to favor Hispanic voters, thereby violating the federal Voting Rights Act. However, despite arguments from the state Republican Party, the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately ruled on February 4 that the maps would stand.
Schaefer joins a handful of other Democrats hoping to defeat CA-48, with Issa up for re-election in November.
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