Elections are always good for a lively year in government.
And 2006 is a big one at the polls. At the top of the ticket is Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who’s going into his re-election bid after a stinging loss in November’s special election and amid grumbling by conservatives.
The beef on the right: Schwarzenegger’s hiring of Democratic activist Susan Kennedy as his chief of staff.
Schwarzenegger’s Orange County supporters,who’ve provided a disproportionate share of his war chest,are sticking with him.
The New Majority, the moderate GOP group that’s been the governor’s biggest single source of support, said it remains focused on backing Schwarzenegger.
The group’s Web site said it is “looking forward to a challenging and exciting year in 2006, which will determine the direction of our state.”
Locally, several races are set to play out next year, including for the county Board of Supervisors.
The biggest involves John Moorlach, county treasurer-tax collector, who’s running for the seat representing Huntington Beach and other areas (see related item, this page).
Another seat could be up for grabs if Supervisor Lou Correa decides to take on fellow Democrat Tom Umberg for a state Senate seat.
Both could vie for the seat of Santa Ana Democrat Joe Dunn, who’s set to run for California controller.
A primary fight between Correa and Umberg,dinged by this year’s extramarital affair admission and questions about the extent of his military service at Guantanamo Bay,would be vexing for Democrats and their labor allies.
Look for a potentially contentious election fight on the Republican side for the state Senate seat left vacant by John Campbell.
Earlier this month, Campbell won the congressional seat vacated by Christopher Cox, who was appointed Securities and Exchange Commission chairman in August.
A special election to fill Campbell’s Senate seat could come early this year. So far, Assemblyman Tom Harman, R-Huntington Beach, and Dana Point Councilwoman Diane Harkey are running.
The race has the potential to divide GOP ranks, with conservatives likely backing Harkey against the more moderate and well-known Harman.
Harman is better funded. But Harkey has picked up some key endorsements, including from Campbell.
The political hot buttons of 2006 are easy to finger,immigration and the tunnel.
Immigration emerged as an undercurrent in the race for Cox’s seat, with American Independent candidate Jim Gilchrist running solely on the issue, and drawing a quarter of the vote.
Now Costa Mesa and Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona plan to start screening arrested suspects based on immigration status. Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor sought an even tougher plan that would have questioned anyone, from jaywalkers to suspected murders.
Carona himself is up for re-election this year against two challengers, Ralph Martin of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Bill Hunt, San Clemente’s police chief.
The campaign stands to be tough for Carona, who’s seen negative publicity from charges of sexual harassment and of doling out special badges to political donors.
As for transportation, a proposed 12-mile tunnel through the mountains of the Cleveland National Forest is shaping up to be the county’s biggest fight since the El Toro airport battle (see story, this page).
Some politicians have made the tunnel a key part of their campaigns, including opponent Cathryn DeYoung, a Laguna Niguel councilwoman seeking to replace Tom Wilson on the Board of Supervisor’s South County seat.
DeYoung is facing off with fellow Councilwoman Pat Bates, who hasn’t taken a stance on the tunnel.
Last week, the Orange County Transportation Authority backed a plan to widen the Riverside (91) Freeway with further study of a tunnel.
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POLITICIAN TO WATCH: JOHN MOORLACH
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Moorlach: bankruptcy seer plans run for supervisor seat |
John Moorlach, the 1,000-pound gorilla of county politics, intends to change cages next year.
He’s giving up the “lifetime” security and higher pay of county treasurer in order to run for the term-limited 2nd District seat on the Board of Supervisors now held by Jim Silva.
Moorlach, whose warnings about Bob Citron’s investment schemes went un-heeded prior to the 1994 county bankruptcy, has had an almost sainted status since then.
During 10 years as treasurer he has been an advocate of reform and transparency in government.
He says as a supervisor he’d be better able to curb county government spending and rein in pension costs which, he contends, could be more ruinous to the county than the bankruptcy.
Moorlach’s also a big backer of the controversial plan to drill a tunnel through Cleveland National Forest.
No serious candidate has emerged to challenge Moorlach in the 2nd District, which includes Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley and part of Garden Grove.
But Moorlach is loathed by public employee unions, and his ideas for pension reform could have statewide ramifications.
Don’t be surprised if a labor-backed candidate emerges.
,Rick Reiff
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CONSULTANT TO WATCH: FORDE AND MOLLRICH
Newport Beach-based government consulting firm Forde and Mollrich has a hand in two massive planned public works projects in Orange County.
One, the Great Park, is launching. The other,a proposed tunnel through Cleveland National Forest,will never see the light of day if Arnold Forde and Stewart Mollrich have their way.
F & M; is handling public relations for the park project. So far, much of the publicity they’ve generated has involved controversy, centering on the firm’s $50,000-a-month, no-bid retainer.
Critics say the deal allows Irvine Councilman and Great Park Chairman Larry Agran to funnel business to his campaign advisers.
Agran will only say that F & M; “have been outstanding strategic consultants” for Irvine in stopping an airport at El Toro and now in advising on the park.
F & M; also is working for county supervisor hopeful Cathryn DeYoung, making opposition to the proposed tunnel the centerpiece of her campaign. Her “Stop Them” message echoes the anti-airport campaign.
Whether F & M; continues its OC winning streak with the tunnel remains to be seen. Despite its local reputation for omnipotence, F & M; has affiliated with losers, too, most recently Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ballot measures.
,Rick Reiff
