San Juan Speech : Deukmejian Vows a ‘2nd Gold Rush’

Under cloudy skies at a San Juan Capistrano estate called Rancho del Dios, Gov. George Deukmejian promised 600 young executives Friday evening that, if granted a second term, his Administration would create “a second California Gold Rush.”

“While the pessimists are panning the future, we’ll keep on panning for gold,” Deukmejian said. “We want to create a second California Gold Rush, staking a permanent claim on prosperity, opportunity and unmatched leadership among the states. . . .

“My pledge to you is this: Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your prosperity.”

This was the Republican governor’s last scheduled fund-raiser for a campaign against Los Angeles’ Democratic Mayor Tom Bradley that is expected to cost Deukmejian more than $10 million.

Speaks of Accomplishments

And as his audience stood on wide patios below a sprawling Tudor-style home, Deukmejian spoke of accomplishments that have become familiar themes during the campaign.

He spoke of cutting government spending, erasing a $1.5-billion deficit and saving taxpayers $3.5 billion “by using my veto authority 1,677 times.”

He also mentioned Los Angeles’ recent $625,000 fine, imposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, because of sewage that was pumped into Santa Monica Bay, and he referred to Bradley as “this Sultan of Sludge.” When the audience laughed and clapped at the characterization, Deukmejian stopped his speech a moment. “You like that?” the governor asked with a smile. “I love it,” a man in a gray business suit called back.

Deukmejian also spoke of getting rid of California Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird because she refuses to enforce the death penalty. And, once again, he demanded that Bradley take a stand on the issue of removing Bird. “Tom, you can run for governor, but you can’t hide. With 25 days to election day, it’s time to tell the truth,” he said.

Depicting his Administration as one of common sense and consistency, Deukmejian declared: “Tom Bradley’s ideas are out of date. His policies are out of step. His campaign is out of focus. And on Nov. 4, he’s going to be out of luck.”

Meeting at Estate

The $75-a-person fund-raiser was sponsored by the Young Executives of America, a national group of politically active businessmen under the age of 40. It was held at the family estate of Young Executives founder Brandon Birtcher, a Laguna Niguel developer. Guests parked their cars in a large riding ring, then wandered past a small chapel and the stables to several patios and the magnificent house.

Earlier Friday, in Anaheim, Deukmejian held an informal meeting with Orange County reporters and editors. Over ice cream and soft drinks, he discussed a wide range of issues, from Bird to Orange County’s significance in the coming election.

Orange County is critical in his race, he said, noting: “We hope we will get a very, very large plurality in Orange County” to offset expected losses in Democratic areas elsewhere in the state. “We’d certainly like to do as well as or better than we did four years ago.”

In 1982, Deukmejian beat Bradley 49% to 48% statewide but won Orange County by a nearly 2-1 margin, with 415,172 votes to Bradley’s 249,059.

Also at the afternoon meeting, Deukmejian took issue with Bradley’s charge several weeks ago that the governor had taken no action to improve the county’s congested freeways. He noted that his Administration had spent $51 million on Orange County freeways this year alone and had budgeted $450 million for Orange County over the next five years.

The governor also couldn’t resist taking a few potshots at Bradley over the issue of potholes. In recent visits to Los Angeles, Deukmejian said, he had noticed “quite a few chuckholes around. I don’t think the mayor has been doing a particularly good job of taking care of the streets and roads. It’s getting almost as bad as New York City.”