ELECTIONS ’88 : Democratic Hopefuls Picket Times Over Coverage of Local Campaigns

A group of Orange County Democrats, including two candidates for Congress and two for the state Senate, picketed in front of The Times’ Orange County facility Friday, demanding that the newspaper expand its coverage of local Democratic campaigns.

Carrying a hand-lettered sign reading, “Republicans Get the Press, Democrats Got the Issues,” Allen Friedrich, president of the Democratic Club of West Orange County, said the 11 protesters believe that The Times has “virtually ignored the Democrats.”

Lida Lenney, a Laguna Beach City Council member running in the 40th Congressional District, said “the lack of coverage perpetuates a myth that all people in Orange County are Republicans and that the Democrats shouldn’t even bother to get out to vote, that there is no way they can win.”

Times Orange County Edition Editor Narda Zacchino, who met with representatives of the group, said: “Certainly the hottest political races this year have been in the Republican primaries, and these races have gotten extensive coverage. There has been no intent to ignore Democratic candidates or Republicans who are not front-runners, who also want more coverage of their campaigns. But news developments surrounding the leading Republican candidates have required us to provide more coverage of them.”

Also participating in the two-hour protest at The Times’ offices in Costa Mesa were Janice Graham, running in the 31st state Senate District; Guy Kimbrough, in the 42nd Congressional District, and Pat McCabe, in the 37th state Senate District.