Patterson’s Bid Turns Supervisor Race Into More Than a Yawner

When the mayors of Anaheim and Orange were the only announced candidates for 4th District supervisor, political consultant Robert Nelson said, ‘I’m falling asleep.” Then, former Rep. Jerry Patterson declared his candidacy, and Nelson’s opinion changed.

A three-way race “changes the dynamic from winner take all in June to the probability that there will be two elections,” Nelson said.

Two rounds of voting mean a costlier campaign for all candidates and tough decisions on how much to spend on the primary and how much to save for the general election.

Contrast for Voters

If no one gets more than 50% of the vote June 3, the top two vote-getters will vie in the November general election to represent the district, which includes Anaheim, Orange, Buena Park, La Palma and slices of unincorporated county territory.

“I think it is very possible I could win in June, but I am pragmatic enough to know that it will probably go to November,” Patterson said last Tuesday in declaring his candidacy. “And I am prepared to go to November if it takes that.”

Mayor Jim Beam of Orange said Patterson’s candidacy will provide “the voters with quite a distinct contrast from a political philosophy standpoint.” It’s the kind of contrast that could enliven the race.

Beam and Anaheim Mayor Don Roth are Republicans, while Patterson is a Democrat. Party registration in the district as of last July was 48% Republican, 42% Democrat and the remainder independent or other parties.

Affiliations Not Listed

Beam’s campaign manager is Assemblyman John R. Lewis (R-Orange), a leader of the conservative Republican group in the Assembly known as the “cave men” and a leader of Republican campaign fights against Democrats.

Roth has support from Assemblyman Ross Johnson (R-Fullerton), whose voting record is about as conservative as Lewis’ but who has not been viewed as quite so stridently anti-Democrat. Patterson is rated more liberal than the other two candidates, but able to attract business support and financial backing.

Although the supervisor’s post is ostensibly nonpartisan, and the candidates’ party affiliations are not on the ballot, Nelson says, he believes that voters know which contender belongs to which group.

Nelson, who is not involved in the campaign, said if all three candidates have roughly the same amount of money and if party membership becomes a major issue, then “all the Democrats will know Jim Beam is being supported by the right wing of the Republican party . . . and Republicans will know Patterson is a Democrat.”

So far, all three candidates have said they want the race to remain nonpartisan and to concentrate on issues such as transportation, affordable housing, toxic waste disposal and the need to find sites for a new jail, new airport and new dump.

Beam declared his candidacy first and has campaigned the longest.

A former executive director of the county Building Industry Assn. and now a real estate developer, Beam planned last year to challenge Supervisor Ralph B. Clark for the seat. He announced his candidacy soon after Clark said last August that he would not seek election to a fifth term.

Roth, who had said he would run against Clark, entered the race two months after the supervisor bowed out. Patterson, who said he would not run against Clark, was the last to enter and is far behind in raising money.

But Patterson said he believes that his late start in fund raising is offset by his lead in name recognition.

Two polls taken for the candidates show Patterson, a former mayor of Santa Ana and five-term member of the House of Representatives, with the highest name recognition in the district, followed by Roth, mayor of a city of 235,000, and Beam, mayor of a city of 99,000.

“I do not accept the thesis that I am way behind,” Beam said in an interview last week. He said polls taken for Roth and Patterson were “biased.”

But in case people do not know who he is, Beam is stepping up his speaking schedule, taking a leave from his business and campaigning full time.

His calendar for one month includes talks before local organizations of legal secretaries, gardeners and management executives, plus Kiwanis and Rotary chapters.

Says He Has Resources

He dismissed suggestions that he lacks name recognition but said that “even if it were valid, we are going to have the resources to get my name and record before the voters.”

Indeed, a major plus for Beam is money. He will not say how much he has, but associates have put the figure at $200,000 in cash and $100,000 in loans so far. Roth said he has $160,000 cash on hand. Patterson said he has pledges of $100,000.

The candidates are not required to file their fund-raising statements until the end of the month.

Harvey Englander, the political consultant running Roth’s campaign, said Patterson will have to raise money in a hurry.

“The U.S. Post Office does not take pledges for payments” to mail campaign literature, Englander said. “They take cash.”

Englander conceded that Patterson “has got some name recognition” but said that “not all of it is positive,” as shown by Patterson’s loss in 1984 to Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove) in the battle for Congress.

Record Called Impressive

Englander said Roth “has an extremely impressive record in governing the City of Anaheim,” which has three-fourths of the voters in the 4th District.

The consultant added that solving transportation problems will be a key theme in the campaign, “and the approaches to do that will certainly be an issue.”

The experimental car-pool lane on the Costa Mesa Freeway, which Beam strongly supports, has been opposed by some motorists. Beam, who is a member of the Orange County Transportation Commission, said, “My guess is Don (Roth) will use this as a political issue.”

Beam said Roth is vulnerable for not acting to stop the lawsuit by the California Angels baseball team against the City of Anaheim from reaching trial. In the trial under way in Orange County Superior Court, the Angels are fighting city plans to build a high-rise building on the Anaheim Stadium parking lot.

“I think there are those who think the City of Anaheim has been quite unfair to the Angels,” Beam said.

No Endorsement From Clark

Aides to Clark said the supervisor is not expected to endorse any of the three candidates or to dole out any of the about $250,000 in funds he collected before announcing he would not seek reelection.

The candidates will be able to turn to others, however, including the Irvine Co., whose director of corporate affairs, Michael Stockstill, said the company probably will donate to all three candidates.

As the largest private landholder in the county, the Irvine Co. has a major stake in development policies and is a frequent contributor to candidates.

“I think it is one of those happy circumstances where the election of any of the three would be viewed as favorable by our company,” Stockstill said. “All three have a solid record of supporting the responsible economic expansion of the county. All three of them are good people. All three of them are eminently well qualified to do the job. We would be pleased to see any of the three elected.”