CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS: 72ND ASSEMBLY DISTRICT : Umberg Issues Warning to Yudelson; Charges of Lying Exchanged

Democratic Assembly hopeful Jerry Yudelson waited about one minute Thursday night at a candidates’ forum before launching the first of several broadsides at his June 5 primary opponent, Tom Umberg, who later warned Yudelson “to stay away from my family.”

The rancorous forum, hosted by the Democratic Associates, a group of young Democrats, also saw both men standing face to face at one point, accusing each other of lying. It was easily the most heated of four joint appearances by the two candidates, who are vying for the party’s nomination to face Assemblyman Curt Pringle (R-Garden Grove) in November.

“There’s a lot of issues in this campaign, and I think the biggest issue is between someone who’s a doer and someone who’s a talker,” said Yudelson, a Garden Grove businessman, who spoke first. “When I see something I don’t like, I go right for the throat.”

Repeating charges he has been leveling at Umberg for the past few weeks, Yudelson ripped Umberg for moving into the 72nd Assembly District from Irvine to run and receiving contributions from old-line county Democrats with development interests in the South County.

“In (Umberg’s) style of campaigning, you move in from the outside, go to the big money boys and the power brokers and then you announce yourself all of a sudden,” Yudelson said. “I’m the one who’s working with people in the district; he’s the one trying to buy the race.”

When it was Umberg’s turn to speak, the former federal prosecutor told the audience of about 30 that he was “sick and tired of this fella compulsively lying.”

Yudelson challenged Umberg to back up his claim that he was lying, while an enraged Umberg was telling Yudelson to sit down.

Umberg then displayed blown-up photocopies of Yudelson’s voter-registration forms. Umberg said the photocopies showed that Yudelson had repeatedly changed his address in order to run for office.

Yudelson interrupted Umberg once more: “That’s a lie,” he said.

“This fella decided he was going to run a negative campaign long before I announced,” Umberg said, explaining that one of Yudelson’s mailers included a picture of Umberg’s former home in Irvine, where he lived before moving into the 72nd District, which includes parts of Garden Grove, Anaheim and Santa Ana.

“Somebody’s been coming by taking pictures of my home now . . . and scaring my children,” Umberg said. “I don’t want anyone near my family or my home. You can do what you want to me, but stay away from my family.”