Texas Elections Advance Richards, Hutchison, Bush

GOV. Ann Richards went right to work after winning the Democratic nomination in Texas for a second term, employing the same acid wit against her GOP challenger George W. Bush that she used against his father.

Mr. Bush, managing partner of baseball's Texas Rangers, defeated Ray Hollis, a demolition contractor, in his bid for governor.

Meanwhile, United States Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison handily defeated six Texas Republican challengers Tuesday in the nation's first major primaries of the political season. She awaits the outcome of an April 12 runoff to determine who will be her Democratic opponent.

And Democratic Rep. Craig Washington lost the nomination for another term to a Houston city councilwoman. He became the first incumbent defeated in this year's congressional elections. Only polite begging in Santa Cruz

A plan to make panhandlers get permits in the California city of Santa Cruz has been defeated, but city leaders set down strict rules about where, when, and how beggars can ask for handouts.

The City Council agreed Tuesday that it would be nearly impossible to enforce a requirement that panhandlers who beg more than five times a year get free permits from the Police Department.

Instead, the council passed ordinances prohibiting aggressive solicitation within three feet of a person, blocking streets and sidewalks, or swearing. It also outlawed asking for money after dark, on buses or near banks and vending machines, and it ordered panhandlers not to lie about why they need help.

Mayor Scott Kennedy changed his mind about the permits after hearing a sermon titled ``The War on the Poor'' at church on Sunday. He said the permit requirement ``adds a tone to the ordinance that is unnecessarily Orwellian.''

The proposals have drawn attention because this coastal college town is known for tolerance and progressive attitudes.