Airport Backers Are Late

Sample ballots for the March primary election will include a statement urging support for Measure F, an initiative pushed by opponents of a commercial airport at El Toro, but no argument against it.

The opposition ballot statement was delivered too late Friday to be included, registrar of voters Rosalyn Lever ruled. Political consultant David Ellis, representing pro-airport Citizens for Jobs and the Economy, arrived just seconds after registrar officials locked the doors at 5 p.m.

In candidate races, Board of Supervisors Chairman Charles V. Smith drew a last-minute challenger--Santa Ana elementary-school teacher Eleazar G. Elizondo--while Supervisor Todd Spitzer will be unopposed. The other three supervisors do not face reelection until 2002.

The most drama of an otherwise quiet evening occurred when Ellis arrived after the 5 p.m. filing deadline. He had been in the office earlier but discovered that one of five people who signed his ballot statement was not registered to vote, as required. So Ellis left to get an additional signature--and got stuck in traffic on the way back.

“We’ll be in court Monday morning” to try to persuade a judge to let the statement be included, he said late Friday.

Initiative backers praised Lever for enforcing the rules. Ballot statements are considered important by both sides because they often are the only arguments considered by voters before casting ballots.

“I’m not going to gloat over this,” said Jeffrey Metzger, chairman of Citizens for Safe and Healthy Communities, organized to promote the initiative. “It doesn’t matter if they’re on or off [the ballot]; the initiative speaks for itself.”

Said Bill Kogerman, with the anti-airport Taxpayers for Responsible Planning, “ ‘F’ stands for 5 o’clock.”

The “Yes on F” argument, submitted well before the deadline, was signed by Supervisors Spitzer and Tom Wilson, Assemblywoman Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel), Mission Viejo Councilwoman Susan Withrow and Orange Councilman Michael Alvarez.

The “No on F” argument was signed by Dist. Atty. Anthony J. Rackauckas, Anaheim Mayor Tom Daly, Huntington Beach Councilman Dave Garofalo, Westminster Police Chief James Cook and UC Irvine professor Judith Rosener.

Political observers thought Smith might draw an opponent backed by South County airport foes because of his strong advocacy for an airport at the closed Marine base. But Elizondo, a first-time candidate, said he favors the airport, although he is not happy with the county’s planning process.

“If it’s going to be resolved, there has to be movement from both sides,” he said. “It’s tearing the county apart, and that’s very sad.”

Elizondo said he decided to run against Smith because of a recent decision by supervisors to divert some of the county’s expected proceeds from a state lawsuit against tobacco companies. The board voted to spend most of the $35 million a year to finance jail construction and pay off debt from the county’s 1994 bankruptcy, with a smaller amount for health care programs.

“Most of the kids in my classroom qualify for federal [meal] programs, so I see the need firsthand,” said Elizondo, who also worked on campaigns for Assemblyman Lou Correa (D-Anaheim) and U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer.

Smith was unavailable for comment late Friday. Spitzer, who collected $300,000 in a campaign account expecting at least one challenger, said, “I’ve worked very hard to represent my constituents, and I think they recognized that.”

Late filing documents indicated there will be contested primaries in eight state and federal races in Orange County, and in 10 local races, including supervisor, judge and Board of Education seats.

THE RACES

Four congressional races include multiple Republican candidates. Among them: Rep. Gary Miller (R-Diamond Bar) and Tony Ma, a retired engineer from Yorba Linda, filing in Orange County for the 41st District; Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) and Long K. Pham, an engineer and businessman from Newport Beach, in the 45th District; retired eye doctor Howard D. Garber of Anaheim and schoolteacher Gloria Matta Tuchman of Santa Ana vying to replace Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Santa Ana), who is unopposed in the 46th District primary.

In the 48th District, there will be seven GOP candidates: state Sen. Bill Morrow (R-Oceanside), car alarm entrepreneur Darrell Issa, teacher Mark Dornan of San Juan Capistrano, businessman and electrician Ed Mayerhofer of Lakewood, retired Marine Joe Snyder of Capistrano Beach, physician Don Udall of Corona del Mar and William D. Griffiths of Oceanside. The two Democratic candidates in the race are Peter Kouvelis, a retired Marine, and mortgage banker Richard K. Maguire, both of Dana Point.

In the 47th District, Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach) is unopposed, but there will be four Democrats vying to replace him, including university management professor John Graham of Irvine, retired police Lt. Don Irvine of Irvine, businessman Jim Keysor of Laguna Woods and business litigator Maziar Mafi of Laguna Beach.

Three Assembly races will host contested GOP primaries in March. The candidates are: former Assemblyman Dennis Brown of Los Alamitos, Huntington Beach City Councilman Tom Harman and businessman Jim Righeimer of Fountain Valley for the 67th District seat held by outgoing Assemblyman Scott Baugh (R-Huntington Beach); 71st District Assemblyman Bill Campbell (R-Villa Park) facing mediator Gary C. Beck of Santa Ana; and Fullerton Councilman Don Bankhead, Brea Councilwoman Lynn Daucher and businessman Bruce Matthias of Anaheim vying for the 72nd District held by Assemblyman Dick Ackerman (R-Fullerton), who is running for state Senate.

There will be seven contested races for judge. Candidates are: Yorba Linda Mayor John Gullixson and Deputy Dist. Atty. Marc Kelly for seat 1; Deputy Dist. Atty. John Conley and court Commissioner Erick L. “Rick” Larsh for seat 6; senior judicial attorney Tom Dunn and court Commissioners Sheila Fell and Michael A. Leverson for seat 7; prosecutor Terese S. Oliver and court Commissioner Gary Paer for seat 10; former Dist. Atty. Michael R. Capizzi and Deputy Dist. Atty. Stephanie George for seat 24; consumer attorney Fred Anderson and Judge H. Warren Siegel for seat 26.

In the final contested judicial race, four candidates will face off for seat 30, including court referee Michael J. Cassidy, consumer attorney Jamie Duarte, Deputy Dist. Atty. Dan McNerny and retired prosecutor Jan Nolan.

Two of three county Board of Education seats will be contested in March. Candidates are: businessman Jose Luis Moreno challenging incumbent Felix Rocha Jr. in area 1; and retired educator Joanne L. Stanton challenging incumbent Eric H. Woolery in area 3.