Foe Foresees Big Loss for Justice Bird

Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird will not only lose her job in the upcoming election but lose by a percentage unprecedented in California political history. So says Bill Roberts, the veteran California campaign manager, who organized one of the several anti-Bird organizations now active in the state.

“She will lose by the largest margin ever cast against any candidate in California,” Roberts confidently predicted during a question-and-answer session with reporters on Friday.

Roberts, who has handled campaigns for such candidates as President Reagan, former President Gerald M. Ford and Gov. George Deukmejian, said that public opinion polls he has seen show Bird going into the November, 1986, election with voter’s views fixed against her more strongly “by twice” than he has ever seen.

In response, Steven M. Glazer, spokesman for the pro-Bird Committee to Conserve the Courts, said: “These right-wing consultants have orchestrated a campaign of hate, lies and distortions about the court. The test for confirmation is competence, not adherence to their special-interest agenda.”

He added: “I’m confident that the public will strongly support the retention of all the justices, especially the chief justice, as they learn the facts about the court.”