Democrats Told to Work Hard but Expect Little in November Vote

Leaders of the beleaguered Orange County Democratic Party encouraged their rank-and-file members Saturday to work as hard as they can for the November campaign, raise a lot of money and hope to win one state Assembly seat.

That, and helping boost gubernatorial candidate Dianne Feinstein’s chances, is the sobering reality for the financially strapped Democrats in California’s strongest Republican county, party chairman Michael Balmages told a three-day convention intended to rally the party faithful for the Nov. 6 election.

“There are 13 (state and federal) legislative seats up for election in Orange County,” he said. “This time, we have a very modest goal--we want to win one of those seats. I think one seat out of 13 is our fair share.”

Local Democratic power has sunk so low that Richard J. O’Neill, a former state and county Democratic chairman who spoke at a morning kickoff session, said the 1990 effort should be considered a success if Feinstein loses Orange County by less than a 2-to-1 ratio.

Many of the Democratic candidates running in November were upset by the bleak assessment of their chances. Most signed a resolution to be considered by convention delegates today that declares: “Right now, this negative and self-defeating attitude has come to an end.”

“There is this butterfly within the cocoon of the Democratic Party,” said Fred Smoller, a college instructor running against Assemblyman John R. Lewis (R-Orange). “You’ve got a feisty and hard-working group of people who are running, and a sort of defeatist group on top.”

Evelyn Colon Becktell, challenging state Sen. Edward R. Royce (R-Anaheim), added: “It’s rather devastating to a candidate like myself to see such a lack of support from the party. I don’t really think it’s good to perpetuate that negativism.”

Balmages said the 1990 slate of Democratic candidates in Orange County is one of the best ever offered to voters. In every race, he said, the quality of the Democratic candidate is superior to the Republican incumbent.

Still, he said, the candidates should look beyond 1990 for success.

“I’m encouraging everyone to run again and again, as long as it takes to win in Orange County,” Balmages said at a luncheon for nearly 300 delegates, who also heard a speech from Feinstein.

Candidate Kevin Gardner, running against Assemblyman Ross Johnson (R-La Habra), agreed with Balmages that Orange County Democrats are in a “building process” and that he hopes his current campaign will at least strengthen his chances in a future bid.

“I don’t tell people I can’t win, but the odds are against me,” he said. “I may not achieve the ultimate goal of winning, but there is a lot to be said for laying groundwork for the future.”

The one seat Balmages targeted for a Democratic victory this year belongs to Assemblyman Curt Pringle (R-Garden Grove). Balmages noted that Pringle, who is facing Democrat Tom Umberg, was involved in the county Republican Party’s decision in 1988 to hire uniformed guards at several polling places on Election Day.

“It’s our job to make sure Curt Pringle pays the price for what he did,” Balmages said. “Tom is running against a guy who stole the election in 1988.”

Umberg did not attend the convention. He was recently activated by the Army Reserve for two weeks of duty in the California desert in connection with the national military mobilization to counter Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait.

Despite its Republican domination, Orange County’s Democratic population of about 363,000 voters is the party’s fourth-largest in the state. Republicans, however, have a commanding 56% to 34% edge in registration.

State Sen. Cecil N. Green (D-Norwalk), whose Los Angeles County district dips into Buena Park and Cypress, is the county’s only elected Democrat ranked higher than mayor.

In his morning speech, former chairman O’Neill reminisced about the party’s heyday.

“One day in 1977, a majority of the county’s voters were Democrats--can you believe that?” he asked. Former Gov. “Jerry Brown won the county by about 60,000 votes. Now that’s hard to believe today. We’ve got to do that again.”

Balmages followed: “Our goals are modest this time. Next time they won’t be so modest.”