In These Races, the Heat Goes On

Amount spent by Orange County supervisor candidate Patricia Bates, per vote: $20.53.

Amount spent by rival Cathryn DeYoung: $93.21.

In what easily was the most expensive supervisor’s race in county history, the two sides spent nearly $3.4 million battling it out for a board seat representing a district that stretches from Aliso Viejo to San Clemente.

Bates wound up with 44.3% of the vote compared with 37.6% for DeYoung, and both will campaign until Nov. 7 to pick up the votes garnered by candidates Eddie Rose and Gary Miller.

DeYoung’s campaign poured at least $2.7 million into the race, of which she herself lent $2.1 million. The Bates campaign spent nearly $700,000, the candidate lending $279,000. Final spending reports have not been filed.

On Wednesday, the two sides revealed little of their strategies or spending plans for the coming months, including whether the campaigns would be as aggressive as they were for the primary.

The race was marked by harsh attacks, with dozens of voter mail pieces and TV commercials. Bates sued unsuccessfully to stop DeYoung from circulating a mailer with Bates’ photo on a Mexican consulate identification card, in an attack on her Assembly vote on a bill officially recognizing the cards.

“I think you look at it almost like a football game,” DeYoung said. “We’re heading into the second half, and we’ll be competitive, you know? Whether or not it will be the same in terms of intensity, that’s really difficult to say.”

But if her comments Wednesday were any hint at her approach, voters can expect more of the same.

Three times during a brief interview, DeYoung criticized Bates for accepting campaign funds from what she called interest groups, and said that spending her own money made her beholden to no one.

“What people need to come to a decision about is ‘What do you want your representative to be?’ ” she said. “Do you want a termed-out Sacramento legislator, with a long record of taking special interest money -- over $1 million -- and now having the support of the sheriff’s union, or do you want someone who’s independent of those influences?”

Bates was at pains to take the high road. “The job of representative is to understand the priorities of the district, and the issues seem to have taken a back seat in the primary. It’s shortsighted and not fair to the voters. My hope is that [the runoff] will be focused on the issues and who has responses to those, who has the best plan for those and go forward that way.”

The vitriol was not limited to the 5th District. County employee unions poured more than $400,000 into races in which most of their candidates lost. The Assn. of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs spent at least $215,000 on sheriff challenger Bill Hunt, who lost to incumbent Michael S. Carona, and supervisor candidate David Shawver, who was crushed by Treasurer John M.W. Moorlach, 69.5% to 30.5%.

The deputies’ contract is up for renegotiation in October, three months before the new members take their seats.

Moorlach has criticized county employee pensions as too expensive, and on election night said the union wanted “to make Orange County into France.” Nick Berardino, president of the Orange County Employees Assn., fired back Wednesday.

“We got into this election because we felt that our members have been methodically bullied and assaulted by John’s constant attack,” Berardino said. “We stood up, and we will continue to stand up. We’re not going away.” But he added that “we will also continue to cultivate the best possible working relationship with the Board of Supervisors.”

The elections will do little to change the political makeup of the board. But more changes could be in the works if Supervisor Lou Correa, who trampled Assemblyman Tom Umberg for the nomination to the 34th Senate District by 18 percentage points, prevails in a fall campaign against Republican Assemblywoman Lynn Daucher of Brea.

A special election would have to be held in 2007 to fill the seat held by Correa, the lone Democrat on the board.