POLITICAL NOTEBOOK : Judge O’Brien Back on Bench, His Supervisor’s Race in Limbo

Back to the bench: Judge Gregory O’Brien, who left Pomona Superior Court six months ago to run for county supervisor, is reluctantly donning his robes again.

O’Brien suspended his campaign and returned to the bench Monday. He said he could not afford to continue his unpaid leave while waiting for the courts to decide whether to hold a runoff election in the 1st Supervisorial District, in which he and Sarah Flores would run, or whether to schedule a new primary election.

O’Brien finished second to Flores in the June primary, putting them in a runoff, but U.S. District Judge David V. Kenyon nullified the results on grounds that county supervisorial districts had been drawn to discriminate against Latinos. Kenyon ordered a new election under new district boundaries, but his ruling has been stayed pending an appeal. A final court decision could take months, O’Brien said.

So O’Brien has canceled appearances, closed his campaign office and stopped raising funds. He said his campaign is $120,000 in debt, but the deficit could be quickly erased if the runoff is rescheduled and the campaign begins anew.

No-strings debate: After weeks of wrangling, state Sen. Ruben S. Ayala (D-Chino) and his Republican opponent, Assemblyman Charles W. Bader of Pomona, have finally agreed to debate each other--no strings attached.

Until late last week, Ayala had said he would debate Bader only if Bader signed a promise to refrain from personal criticism during the final weeks of the campaign. Bader refused, saying criticism is part of a campaign, and he accused Ayala of ducking debates.

Then late last week, Ayala notified Bader that he would agree to debate him without conditions.

Bader said Ayala’s sudden willingness to debate must mean that Ayala’s surveys agree with his own, which show the 34th District race very close. If Ayala were comfortably ahead, he wouldn’t be accepting a debate challenge, Bader said.

But Ayala said he has never been afraid of debates, and especially not against Bader. Ayala said he debated Jerry Lewis, who is now a Redlands congressman, when they ran against each other for the Senate seat 16 years ago. And, he added, Bader “is no Jerry Lewis.”

Representatives of the two candidates were scheduled to meet today to discuss a debate schedule.

Fore the greater good: Vice President Dan Quayle took time out from the press of campaigning to glad-hand some schoolchildren and drive a few golf balls during his swing around the edges of the San Gabriel Valley last week.

Just before an appearance in Ontario to boost Assemblyman Bader’s bid for a state Senate seat, Quayle greeted a group of fifth-graders from Pomona’s Allison Elementary School at Ontario International Airport. Quayle’s airport landing wasn’t publicized in advance, but the children had no trouble finding out about it. Their principal is Bader’s wife, Rosanne Bader. The next day, Quayle broke away from a news conference at the Quiet Cannon restaurant, which sits on a golf course in Montebello, to hit a few golf balls at the adjoining driving range.

Jesus Geraldo, driving range manager, said only a few golfers were there when the vice president walked up, introduced himself and started hitting balls. Geraldo said Quayle showed impressive form, hitting the ball 150 to 160 yards straight away with a six-iron. “He’s a good golfer,” Geraldo said.

Short subjects: The Pasadena Republican Club announced its support of Proposition 140, which would limit the terms of state officials. The club has opened a headquarters at 243 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, to promote this measure and aid Republican candidates . . . The Jerry Voorhis Claremont Democratic Club has opened a campaign office at 981 W. Foothill Blvd., Claremont, to help congressional candidate Georgia Houston Webb, Assembly candidate Selma Calnan and other Democrats . . . The Glendora Republican Club has opened a campaign office at 203 S. Glendora Ave.