California Elections : Hot Issues Imported From Afar in 38th Congressional Contest

Guerrilla warfare in Angola and harbor improvements in San Francisco may not seem like Orange County issues, but they have become hot controversies in the mail campaigns waged by Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove) and Assemblyman Richard Robinson (D-Garden Grove) in the 38th Congressional District race.

During recent weeks, Dornan and Robinson have sent out a flurry of political mailers focusing on these and other wide-ranging issues--plus local concerns--as the two candidates enter the home stretch of their increasingly nasty and expensive contest.

The combined fund raising of both campaigns topped the $1-million mark last week, making the race one of the nation’s costlier congressional battles. Dornan reported raising $676,959.40 and Robinson reported $436,996 through Oct. 15, according to federal records.

Most of the money has been used to produce and deliver a barrage of slickly produced political mail. Both campaigns are expected to shower voters with brochures, letters, telegrams, potholders and other appeals between now and next Tuesday’s election.

The race will be largely decided by these last-minute mailers, since no further debates are scheduled by the two candidates. Robinson, who debated Dornan twice last week, on Monday turned down a proposal by his rival for three more face-to-face meetings.

Dornan said he and his opponent had a public “opportunity and an obligation” to meet again. However, Robinson said through an aide that he will restrict himself to his mail campaign because Dornan has shown “he doesn’t know how to behave himself and makes scurrilous accusations.”

So far, Dornan has the edge on Robinson in the sheer volume of political mail. Since the campaign got under way in June, he has sent voters more than 11 separate mailings, including a personal appeal from President Reagan. By contrast, Robinson’s first districtwide mailer reached voters two weeks ago. Since then he has mailed out two additional campaign messages and plans to send additional letters and brochures over the next several days.

Both candidates agree that the 38th District--a largely blue-collar area that includes Garden Grove and parts of Anaheim, Buena Park, Santa Ana, Westminster, Stanton, Midway City and Cerritos--has a multitude of local problems, ranging from chronic traffic congestion to soaring housing costs.

While the two mail campaigns address some of these concerns, they mostly have hammered away at foreign policy issues, the reconfirmation of California Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird and the political scandal involving W. Patrick Moriarty and have exchanged a variety of personal attacks.

Dornan, a flamboyant, conservative legislator, landed the first punch back in June. He and his wife, Sallie, sent out letters accusing Robinson of accepting prostitutes and other favors from Moriarty, former Anaheim fireworks manufacturer now serving a prison sentence for political corruption. Robinson has denied the charge.

Two weeks ago, Dornan sent a brochure blasting Robinson’s vote to give San Francisco $20 million for harbor improvements, while the Garden Grove assemblyman also proposed “increasing our taxes to improve our freeways.” The congressman was referring to Robinson’s sponsorship of Proposition A, the sales tax increase for transportation that was defeated by Orange County voters.

However, Robinson has rejected the charge, explaining that his 1984 vote affecting San Francisco was actually part of the distribution of a $370-million state park bond issue approved by the voters. That fund earmarked $58 million for parks in Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, plus $60 million for the coastal conservancy, a portion of which went to Orange County, he said.

Last week, a Dornan brochure charged that even though Robinson opposes the reconfirmation of Rose Bird, he voted in 1984 to increase her salary to $93,140. The letter also contained a strong anti-crime endorsement from U.S. Atty. Gen. Edwin Meese III. Robinson has responded that he and other legislators merely were approving a request by Republican Gov. George Deukmejian to increase salaries for all of the state’s constitutional officers.

This weekend, Dornan sent out letters of endorsement signed by the mayors of six district cities, including Garden Grove, Anaheim, Buena Park, Cerritos, Stanton and Westminster. The letters praised the congressman for his achievements in the district and criticized Robinson for being aloof from local problems.

On Monday, Dornan mailed a brochure defending his travels as a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which included a strong endorsement from Vice President George Bush. He also mailed a letter from Joe Jenco--the brother of former U.S. hostage Father Lawrence Jenco--thanking Dornan for the trip he made to Syria this year in an attempt to win freedom for the four U.S. hostages.

Floods of Potholders

Meanwhile, Robinson has been flooding district voters with potholders bearing his name, a trademark of his previous assembly races. The first mailing was accompanied by a letter from his mother, Margaret, expressing “hurt and outrage” that Dornan would “rather lie about my son’s personal life than discuss his own performance in Congress.”

Sounding a familiar campaign theme, Margaret Robinson then criticized Dornan for traveling to Ethiopia, Costa Rica and Nicaragua--all in an effort to “meddle in the politics of Africa, Asia and Central America--while ignoring the needs of the 38th District.

In the last few days, Robinson mailed a second wave of potholders, this time containing an attack on Dornan’s Central American and African policies. He also sent voters brochures blasting Dornan’s proposal to give $41 million in U.S. foreign aid to Angolan guerrilla leader Jonas Savimbi, whom Robinson has called a “self-described Marxist-Leninist.”

Both candidates have clashed in public debates over U.S. policy toward the controversial Angolan leader. Robinson has called Savimbi a dangerous radical who has pledged to blow up American oil production facilities in Angola. Dornan has hailed Savimbi as a “freedom fighter” against Angola’s Marxist government, stressing that the African leader recently met with Reagan in the White House.

Finally, Robinson has sent voters a letter of endorsement from COPS, the California Organization of Police and Sheriffs. General Manager Al Angele, who signed the letter, described the group as a statewide organization of “front line” police officers and sheriffs, and praised Robinson for his “strong anti-crime record in the Assembly.”

Sources of Funds

Both candidates have engaged in heavy fund raising to pay for these mailers. Dornan’s campaign has been financed largely by a direct-mail operation tapping a multitude of contributors across the nation, many of them members of right-to-life groups, fundamentalist Christian organizations and anti-gun-control associations.

Dornan’s campaign records also show contributions from other individuals, including $2,000 from Gene Autry, $1,000 from the Irvine Co. Employees Political Action Committee, $9,000 from the Auto Dealers and Drivers for Free Trade PAC, $2,000 from the Fund for America’s Future PAC and $1,000 from the Credit Union National Assn. PAC.

By contrast, Robinson has relied more heavily on contributions from political action committees, labor groups, several Democratic congressmen and other donors.

Beside a $30,000 loan from his campaign firm, Berman & D’Agostino Campaigns, his records show contributions of $1,000 from Lew Wasserman, chairman of the board of the MCA entertainment conglomerate, $5,000 from the Committee on Letter Carriers Political Education, $5,000 from the National Education Assn. PAC, $2,500 from the Committee on Political Education, AFL-CIO, $2,500 from the Communications Workers of America, $5,000 from the United Auto Workers, $2,500 from the Machinists Non-Partisan Political League, and $5,000 from the California Trial Lawyer Federal PAC.