GOP to Get New Chairman With Shove by Gov.

Former Republican Rep. Clair Burgener will become acting chairman of the California Republican Party on Saturday, state party sources said today. The action resolves a long-running and embarrassing dispute stemming from charges the Environmental Protection Agency has made against a business owned by the party’s vice chairman.

Burgener will fill out the term of Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who is leaving the chairmanship to seek the Republican U.S. Senate nomination. Antonovich entered the Senate race today.

Party Vice Chairman Bill Park of Bakersfield had been expected to become acting chairman when Antonovich left the job, but the state’s ranking Republican officials, Gov. George Deukmejian and Sen. Pete Wilson, urged him to stop seeking the job and to work out potential legal problems involving Park’s waste management company, Environmental Protection Corp.

Charged by EPA

Park’s company has been charged by the federal Environmental Protection Agency with various improprieties, including incorrect paper work at the company’s two dump sites. Spokesman Will Fox said today that Park’s company is waiting for hearing dates to be set by an administrative law judge.

According to several party sources, Park has met at least twice with Deukmejian, who asked him not to seek the job of acting chairman since the EPA matter has not been cleared up. The Deukmejian Administration is especially sensitive about the toxic wastes issue because of difficulties encountered in improving the state cleanup program and also because of an ongoing FBI investigation of the program.

Answers on Saturday

Burgener acknowledged today that he is considering the job of acting chairman but refused to go further, saying “this will all be resolved on Saturday,” when the executive committee of the state party meets in Los Angeles.