Ventura County Assemblyman Pedro Nava, engaged in the uphill political challenge of trying to go from small-town lawmaker to attorney general of California, cast a vote on Thursday that won't help his chances.

He was one of just 18 Assembly members to vote against a bill, strongly supported by organized labor, that would have allowed a proposed NFL football stadium project in the City of Industry to move forward without being subjected to review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Organized labor, of course, is a very important constituency when one is seeking the Democratic nomination for a statewide office. Nava's vote on the stadium bill certainly won't help him gain labor support for his attorney general campaign.

When I asked him about the vote today, Nava invoked the memory of his paternal grandfather, who at one time had been an elected city official in Monterry, Mexico.

Nava told the story of the time his grandfather was seriously ill and unable to attend a meeting at which a vote was taken on whether to raise bus fares in the city. After the vote ended in a 2-2 tie, some powerful city leaders approached his grandfather and beseeched him to cast a tie-breaking vote. He told them he'd take a look at it after he recovered from his illness.

After he recovered, Nava's grandfather looked at the proposal, decided it would place too great a burden on poor people, and voted against the fare increase. In short order, he was fired from his job and, when he sought re-election, was accused of being a Communist and defeated.

"How can I not honor that?" Nava asked.

The bill, by the way, stalled today in the Senate, where President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg asked the parties to try one more time to mediate their differences. He promised the Senate would reconsider the matter late this month if no agreement is reached.