Assembly Rivals in Flag-Burning Flap : Politics: Democrats fund an Umberg mailer backing a constitutional ban. Pringle cries foul.

California Democratic Chairman Edmund G. Brown Jr. said Tuesday the state party has spent $10,000 for a campaign mailer on behalf of a Garden Grove Assembly candidate that supports a constitutional amendment to ban flag burning.

State Democrats consider the 72nd Assembly District one of their best chances this year to unseat an incumbent Republican. The $10,000 contribution to candidate Tom Umberg’s campaign is the maximum the party can give before the Nov. 6 election against Assemblyman Curt Pringle (R-Garden Grove).

Brown said the use of the flag-burning issue, which is championed nationally by President Bush, reflects the conservative nature of Orange County politics and the diversification of the California Democratic Party.

“Our candidate in Orange County is not the same as in Fresno or San Francisco,” he said. “Mr. Umberg has a very tough law-and-order record and I think that serves him well in Orange County.”

Umberg was not available for comment Tuesday, but his campaign manager, George Urch, said the flag-burning amendment should not be considered a Republican issue just because it is supported by Bush.

“Tom has served in the military for five years, he is a major in the Army Reserves,” Urch said. “So the flag has strong meaning to him.”

Pringle charged, however, that the flag-burning issue was an attempt to hide the liberal politicians supporting Umberg.

“That issue would be moving forward if it weren’t for the liberal Democrats in Congress,” Pringle said.

Pringle represents Orange County’s only Assembly district where Democrats hold an edge in voter registration. But its politics are still conservative. The district includes parts of Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Stanton and Westminster.

Pringle filed a complaint about the mailer Monday with the state Fair Political Practices Commission charging that the Democratic Party’s contribution to Umberg was illegal.

State law allows the party to contribute $5,000 to a candidate each fiscal year and $10,000 in a calendar year. Pringle charged that the mail was sent out on Friday and Saturday, a day before the new fiscal year began.

Before Sunday, he said, the party should only have been able to spend $5,000 on Umberg.

Brown responded that the letter was “totally legal” and said Pringle was abusing the process by filing a specious complaint.