Spiteful Accusations, Hard Cash Mark Primary

First off, there’s the explosive race for sheriff, in which the incumbent has been asked to resign by two of his challengers. Then there’s the combative --and expensive -- battle for a supervisor’s seat in normally staid South County. Two other supervisor posts are also at stake.

Even the treasurer/tax collector race has turned nasty, with several county leaders withdrawing their support of the presumed favorite.

Welcome to the Orange County primary.

The major countywide race is the battle for sheriff, pitting incumbent Michael S. Carona against one of his lieutenants and a Los Angeles County sheriff’s commander.

Lt. William Hunt, who is in charge of police services in San Clemente, and Cmdr. Ralph Martin have criticized Carona for a series of department scandals -- including hiring political allies as assistant sheriffs, one of whom quit after his son was arrested for sexual assault and the second of whom was indicted on charges of bribery and accused of misusing county resources.

A third challenger, former deputy Robert Alcaraz, quit the race last week and endorsed Hunt, though his name remains on the ballot.

Despite the volatile nature of the sheriff’s contest, Orange County residents could feel the most impact from the outcome of the three supervisor races, which represent a majority of seats on the five-member Board of Supervisors.

Two of the seats are being vacated because of term limits -- Supervisor Jim Silva of Huntington Beach is running for an Assembly seat; Tom Wilson failed in his attempt to move to the Assembly in 2004. Supervisor Chris Norby is the only incumbent facing reelection.

Among those seeking to replace Silva is the county’s treasurer/tax collector, John M.W. Moorlach, appointed in 1995, shortly after the county declared bankruptcy in December 1994. Moorlach had run unsuccessfully against the longtime incumbent, Robert L. Citron, whose risky investments imploded, leaving the county $1.7 billion in the red.

The 2nd District includes all or parts of Costa Mesa, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Newport Beach, Seal Beach and Stanton.

Moorlach has sounded fiscal alarms again this year about the growing annual bill needed to cover generous pension perks granted to county employees in recent years. Union leaders have disputed his warnings, saying workers are helping cover the county’s pension responsibility and that the system is sound.

Moorlach’s sole opponent, Stanton Councilman David Shawver, has been endorsed by a coalition of county employee unions. The Assn. of Orange County Sheriff’s Deputies has mailed campaign brochures supporting Shawver.

The most heated supervisor’s race involves a former assemblywoman and a city councilwoman who have spent more than $1 million combined. The bulk of the spending is by Laguna Niguel Councilwoman Cathryn DeYoung. She says she has contributed her own money to give her familiarity with voters equal to that of former Assemblywoman Pat Bates, who was termed out of her legislative seat in 2004.

DeYoung’s aggressive mailers, including putting Bates’ picture on a Mexican consular ID card, were challenged in court but allowed by judges. Both campaigns have focused on regional transportation and illegal immigration, even though supervisors have little to do with the first and virtually nothing to do with the latter.

The other candidates for the 5th District seat are former Laguna Niguel Councilman Eddie Rose and educator Gary V. Miller. The top two vote-getters will be on the November ballot if no candidate wins a majority.

The district includes Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano.

The race for 4th District supervisor pits Norby, elected in 2002, against La Habra Councilwoman Rosie Espinoza, who won national recognition for Rosie’s Garage, an after-school tutoring program. Espinoza said she decided to challenge Norby because of his opposition to her hometown’s attempts to lure a Costco to town.

The city also sued the county over development of a park; the county settled the lawsuit for $5 million.

The 4th District includes all or portions of Anaheim, Buena Park, Fullerton, La Habra and Placentia.

Other contested countywide races include investment advisor Chriss Street and Patrick Desmond, an auditor in the county assessor’s office, battling to replace Moorlach as treasurer/tax collector.

The three candidates for assessor are incumbent Webster Guillory, former county appraiser Larry Bales and Mike Lebeau, a liaison for the state Board of Equalization.