Bergeson Is Considering Candidacy for Lt. Governor

Sen. Marian Bergeson indicated Friday that she intends to run for lieutenant governor in 1990 and that she will make a final decision--and announce it--within 10 days.

Bergeson, a Republican from Newport Beach, would be the second Orange County senator to enter the race. Anaheim Republican John Seymour has said he intends to run and is planning to host 10 fund-raisers before June 30 to begin building a campaign treasury.

Bergeson, interviewed Friday, declined to confirm that she has decided to run. But the veteran lawmaker left little doubt that she plans a campaign for the post, now held by Democrat Leo T. McCarthy, who has said he will seek a third term in 1990.

“I’ve discussed this with my family and with others whom I am close to,” Bergeson said. “I’m ready to make a very serious stab at it.”

She said The Times had “caught her in the middle” of telephoning about a dozen or so supporters for confirmation that they would back her should she enter the race. One of those supporters told The Times that Bergeson had said she was virtually certain that she would enter the race.

‘Serious Discussions’

Bergeson also said she has had “serious discussions” with a political consultant but that she had not yet hired one. She would not name the firm.

“All of that information will be revealed at the time I announce if it’s a go or a no-go,” she said.

Bergeson, 61, has been a member of the state Senate since 1984. Before that, she served three terms in the Assembly. She has also served on the Newport-Mesa Unified School District Board of Education and the Orange County School Boards Assn.

In the Senate, Bergeson is a member of the influential Appropriations Committee. She is the first woman to serve on that panel, which considers all bills that would spend state money. As chairwoman of the Local Government Committee, Bergeson has tried to draft legislation to deal with the problems created by California’s rapid growth.

Bergeson said she expected that she and Seymour would run “very similar campaigns” and that her effort would not suffer a great deal from having a fellow county politician in the race.

Seymour, in an interview, said a Bergeson candidacy would “obviously have some impact on what I consider to be my Orange County base.”

“Any candidate would like to believe they’re not going to have any opposition,” he said. “I’d like to be the only candidate from Orange County. But I have a great deal of respect for Marian. She will make an admirable opponent. I’m still going to run my game plan the only way I know--all out.”

Fund-Raisers for Seymour

Seymour, who has said he would probably quit the race if he could not raise $250,000 by June 30, will have his first fund-raisers of the year next week in Santa Rosa and Sacramento. He has scheduled an Orange County dinner for May 18 and has already sold tickets for 80 tables at $2,000 per table. Invitations are going out for it now, he said.

By soon announcing her decision to run and filing papers with the secretary of state’s office, Bergeson can also begin raising money. The timing is important because individual donors and businesses that contribute $1,000 to her campaign by June 30 may give another $1,000 between July 1 and June 30 of next year.