Seems to be a quick consensus shaping up in the wake of Congressman John Campbell’s announcement that he won’t seek re-election in the 45th District. Look for State Sen. Mimi Walters to quickly consolidate support for the GOP nomination for the seat, which represents chunks of Central and South OC and is still considered safe for the party despite recent tints of blue in some of its precincts. “I’d be surprised if someone emerged who was stronger than Mimi,” none other than local GOP boss Scott Baugh told the Insider. Neither Baugh nor several others who pegged Walters as an early favorite saw the recent conflict-of-interest probe into charges that Walters used her influence to benefit her husband’s business as a problem going forward. Walters was cleared by the Fair Political Practices Commission recently …
Former Irvine Mayor Sukhee Kang—who won the Democratic nomination for the 45th District seat and fell to Campbell in the general election last year—looks to be in an ideal position to ponder the possibilities of another try. Kang is now working for Michael Drake at UCI, serving as “Special Advisor to the Chancellor for South Korea Relations,” according to the school …
Professor Rajeev Tyagi will serve as interim dean of the Paul Merage School of Business at UCI until at least Oct. 1. No word on whether Tyagi, who’s been the school’s senior associate dean for five years, is in the hunt to succeed Andy Policano as the permanent hire …
Fighter pilot/general-turned-U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia James B. Smith came to town to address the World Affairs Council of OC but found time for a round of golf at Pelican Hill with retired Superior Court Judge Jim Gray, VCer Tommy Papa (CRESO Capital Partners) and our own Executive Editor Rick Reiff. The ambassador, a self-described “Georgia farm boy,” is no stranger to OC, thanks to his wife, Janet Breslin-Smith, a former prof at the National War College who grew up here. She took her husband’s golf outing as a chance to visit with her USC sorority sisters. Smith said the Saudis are adjusting well to the “Arab Spring” demand for more individual rights, and he attributed U.S. coolness toward its Mideast ally—just 36% approval for Saudia Arabia in a recent Gallup poll—to “shared interests but not always shared values.” Being a closed society—“they don’t do tourist visas”—keeps the desert kingdom a “bit of a mystery” and doesn’t help its popularity. Natch, Reiff scored an interview with Smith that will air later this month on his “SoCal Insider” …
Fifi Chao checks in with honors for Ugo Allesina of Prego as Chef of the Year, adding recommendations on easy summer dining (see Fifi’s Best, starting on page 21) …
Allow the Insider to add this recommendation: Beat the heat with a bowl of gazpacho at the Pacific Club, where the chilled soup is a real treat …
Biased opinion: give 2600 Michelson first prize for presentation on the drought-tolerant garden that greets visitors to the office tower, which sits on the bias at the corner of Michelson and Teller.
