CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS 72ND ASSEMBLY DISTRICT : Democrats Clash Over Alleged Illegal Contribution

Assembly candidate Jerry Yudelson charged in a complaint to state election officials Tuesday that his Democratic primary opponent has received an improper campaign contribution.

Democrat Tom Umberg, who is facing Yudelson in the June 5 primary, disputed the allegations and responded by calling his opponent a “compulsive liar.” The complaint was filed with the Fair Political Practices Commission.

The complaint said Umberg used the results of a $3,000 poll conducted in November by the Orange County Democratic Foundation in soliciting support for his candidacy during a December trip to Sacramento. Yudelson charged that Umberg had not filed the proper documents to be a candidate in December and therefore the poll represented an illegal contribution.

Umberg denied that he was ever in Sacramento in December and said that he never talked with any legislators about his candidacy until February, after he announced his campaign. He also said the only information from the poll that he received was included in a letter the foundation sent to its members.

“This guy is desperate,” Umberg said. “He’s going to throw as much garbage as he can, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s true or not. He has a complete disregard for the truth.”

In a statement, Yudelson responded: “Give me a break. The guy moved his family and bought a house in Garden Grove, and he was given the full value of that poll before he did that. To expect us to believe anything else is like asking us to believe in Santa Claus or the tooth fairy.”

Yudelson and Umberg, both of Garden Grove, are running in the Democratic primary for the 72nd Assembly District now represented by incumbent Curt Pringle (R-Garden Grove).

Audrey Redfearn, chairwoman of the Democratic Foundation, said the group conducted the poll last fall to determine if Pringle could be beaten. The poll tested hypothetical match-ups between Pringle and four possible Democratic candidates, including Umberg and Yudelson.

It found that Umberg would beat Pringle and Yudelson would lose, Redfearn said. She said the results of the poll were offered to all four Democrats and were published in a letter to the foundation’s members.