Young, Griset Switch Parties, Now Republicans

Santa Ana Mayor Dan Young and Councilman Dan Griset, two stalwarts of the Democratic Party in Orange County for the past decade, announced Thursday that they are becoming Republicans.

Griset and Young, who are close friends as well as council allies, gave a variety of reasons for the switch, but deep philosophical differences with the Democratic Party were not among them.

“This decision is for me taking out full membership in the Orange County life,” Griset said. “I’ve decided I can be more effective in terms of community involvement and public service working within the Republican affiliation.”

Griset, who lost a bid for the 72nd Assembly District seat in 1986, said he is “tired of being a folk hero” to Democrats in Orange County--which he called “the most unusual place in the world.”

“Maybe it’s a concession that comes with growing older,” said Griset, who turns 44 today. “It’s a way to expend energy on programs rather than defending yourself . . . . People are willing to work harder to support the efforts of local people like us if we happen to be Republicans.”

‘More Conservative’

Young, 37, until Thursday one of the local Democratic Party’s brightest prospects, said marriage, raising a family and being an entrepreneur have changed his outlook over the years.

“I have to make a living in the business world,” he said. “We get more conservative as we develop roots in the community.”

Young noted that the business community has been the strongest backer of the council’s continuing effort to clean up Santa Ana through an ambitious redevelopment program.

“They have answered our call for quality housing, quality shopping, quality neighborhoods,” Young said. “After a while, these experiences change your fundamental vision and what party affiliation you have.”

Orange County Democratic Party Chairman John R. Hanna, in a prepared statement, accused Young and Griset of turning “their backs on friends and principles for personal gain.”

Hanna dismissed Griset as a man with “little political future.” But he saved his harshest words for Young, who was Hanna’s roommate for a time after college.

Motives Defended

“Young now becomes the Manchurian Candidate of Orange County, a party-hopper who will carry the banner of the highest bidder,” Hanna said. “It is only appropriate that Dan Young becomes a Republican at a plush restaurant event thrown by a Newport Beach Republican developer only days after beating up on the homeless in Santa Ana.” (The city recently began picking up and throwing away bedrolls and other property left in public parks by homeless people).

Young said of Hanna: “John is one of my closest friends in life. I intend to maintain my personal relationship with him.”

Young and Griset both denied that they switched parties to advance their political careers or to attract money from conservative developers for their council campaigns.

“I happen to be the mayor of the 10th largest city in California,” Young said. “I’m not looking to any office.” Young added that he has already raised $85,000 for the November election, when he plans to run for mayor. That sum is more than twice what he has ever raised for a previous council race. Griset, who is running for reelection in November, said he has raised between $50,000 and $60,000 so far.

For the past two weeks, Young had parried questions about rumors of his impending switch with the response that he had not yet made up his mind and would comment at the appropriate time. Griset, however, said in an interview last week that the rumors about him were not true. “It’s a lie,” he said in the interview. “I have no plans now or July 7 or this year to change my registration.”

Griset defended his action by saying that he “wanted to end speculation” about the move out of deference to his host at Thursday’s luncheon at the Santa Ana restaurant where the announcement was made. The host was Newport Beach developer George Argyros.

Wilson B. Hart, a political ally of Griset and Young who made the same jump in April of last year, said the deception was an “effort to throw reporters off the trail for a few days.”