Baby Bottles Take Center Stage In Local Assembly Race

SANTA MONICA (CBS) — In one state assembly race on LA's Westside, the issues have taken a back seat this week as thousands of baby bottles have created some heat.

The toxin-free plastic baby bottles were sent out with incumbent State Assemblywoman Betsy Butler's campaign mailers as part of her 2012 re-election campaign in the newly redrawn 50th Assembly District, reported CBS2's Dave Bryan.

"Well campaigns are all about getting out a message and last year I was incredibly proud to have a bill signed by the governor that took a toxic substance out of baby bottles and so I'm sharing that message and letting people know what I'll be working on in Sacramento and that is getting toxins out of our products and out of our lives," said Butler (D-Marina del Rey).

Fellow Democrat Torie Osborn, one of Butlers' three opponents in the June 5 primary.

A Venice blogger, who supports Osborn, wrote a piece charging that dumping thousands of plastic bottles on voters doorsteps in Santa Monica probably wasn't such a great idea -- a position staked out by Osborn.

"This is not a district that wants a bunch of littering of plastic bottles of any kind. You know, it's just tone deaf. You know it misses the feeling of the district," Osborn added.

Butler defends the baby bottle campaign, which some of her opponents are now tongue in cheek referring to as bottle-gate, by saying many families in the district are happy to have the toxin-free bottles.

"Most of us have an infant in our lives – so whether that's a neighbor or a coworker's child or even your own relative, share that great bottle because they are hard to find," Butler said.

Osborn defends the supportive blogger who wrote about the baby bottles and whose piece -- some readers feel -- reads a lot like a news article.

Osborn argues that in this day and age, everyone knows most bloggers are pushing a point of view.

"Bloggers write personal opinion. This is Marta's opinion," said Osborn.

By June 5, this issue is not likely to have a major impact on the race's outcome, Bryan reported.

The winner of the campaign for the 50th Assembly District will represent cities, including: Santa Monica, Venice and Marina del Rey.