GOP Pads Lead in O.C. Stronghold

With just three days left to register voters for the November election, the Orange County Republican machine is expanding its commanding lead over Democrats in every corner of the county, even closing the gap in the only district where Democrats now lead.

This weekend, both parties launched their final intensive drives to recruit new members as they deploy hundreds of workers across the county to knock on doors, telephone potential voters and staff registration tables at shopping malls, swap meets and grocery stores.

“This is going to be hectic--intense is a good word,” said Mark Galli, project coordinator for the Democratic Party’s registration drive in Orange County. “A lot of politics is an abstract thing . . . this is democracy at work.”

Nowhere in California do Republicans have a bigger lead over Democrats than in Orange County. And since the last general election in 1988, the GOP has increased the margin by another 2%, or about 25,000 potential votes.

As of Monday, 55.6% of the county’s voters were Republican compared to 34% Democrats. In the 1988 presidential election, Republicans had an edge of 54.3% to 35.3%.

With such a large pool of Republican votes, the county’s registration effort has been a high priority for the state GOP as well as the gubernatorial campaign of Republican Pete Wilson. All of the Republican candidates seeking statewide office need as many votes as possible from Orange County to offset predominantly Democratic areas of Los Angeles and Northern California.

Republican Party officials say they have spent more than $300,000 this year for the voter registration effort for the Nov. 6 election. When Vice President Dan Quayle visited the area last month, he attended a $1,000-per-couple fund-raiser specifically for local voter registration.

This weekend, the Republican Party had more than 100 paid and volunteer workers operating phone banks from offices in eight cities--Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Stanton, Garden Grove, Newport Beach, San Juan Capistrano, Yorba Linda and Westminster, said Greg Haskin, executive director of the county Republican Party.

The callers were asking Republican households whether every eligible resident is registered, appealing to the non-registered people and calling Democrats as well to try to convert them. Haskins said each office had runners deliver registration material to any house that sounded interested in joining the GOP.

At least another 100 volunteers were walking door-to-door, Haskins said. And the party sponsored several registration tables at its regional offices as well as at grocery stores and the Orange County Swap Meet.

In one bold tactic, the county Republican Party recently sent a letter to registered Democrats that read: “If you find it difficult to identify with Democratic leaders such as (Assembly Speaker) Willie Brown, (Assemblyman) Tom Hayden, (former Vice President) Walter Mondale and your newly elected California Democrat Party Chairman, Jerry Brown, (Yes, that Jerry Brown), then consider joining us.”

Haskin said Republicans consider this year especially important to register voters because the tallies will be used to determine the reapportionment that is scheduled before the 1992 election. The more concentrated Republicans are in Orange County, the harder it would be to threaten any of the existing Republican officeholders by redrawing the district lines, he said.

The substantial Republican effort has increased the party’s registration in every legislative district in the county.

In contrast, Democrats are focusing their registration effort almost completely in the 72nd Assembly District, the only area in the county that has more Democratic voters than Republican. And even there, Democrats have lost ground.

The defeat of Assemblyman Curt Pringle (R-Garden Grove) is one of the highest priorities for state Democratic leaders because he represents one of the most Democratic districts in California that is still in the hands of a Republican. The district includes parts of Westminster, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Garden Grove and Stanton.

Republicans have had registration workers mining that area for votes year-round since 1984. In contrast, the state Democratic Party just opened its office in Stanton on Aug. 7.

As a result, Republicans are 4% closer to the Democratic registration than they were when Pringle won the seat in 1988.

Democrats now have about 51.7% of the district’s voters compared to 39.3% for Republicans. In 1988, the Democratic lead was 53.6% to 37.3%. In 1984, the last time Democrats held the seat, they accounted for 56% of the district’s voters.

“This is Orange County--it’s tough here,” said George Urch, campaign manager for Pringle’s Democratic opponent, Tom Umberg. “We bear the brunt of the whole statewide Pete Wilson registration effort.”

State Democratic leaders had promised to launch a $25,000 registration drive in the 72nd District last March. Nothing was done until August and party officials declined to say how much they are spending.

The Democratic project in Stanton has 18 paid registration workers. On Thursday, they met their goal of registering 3,000 new voters. This weekend, they set up registration tables at several stores and malls in and near the 72nd District, and canvassed door-to-door.

Democrats in the 72nd District have out-registered the GOP in the seven weeks since their project was started. But they have not made up the lead Republicans have gained, especially since the June primary.

“We are holding our own,” Urch said. “If we just rolled over and didn’t do a thing, that margin would be huge.”

County Democratic Chairman Michael Balmages said his party does not have any other formal registration effort elsewhere in the county.

Left alone in other districts, Republicans have shown increases even in the areas they dominated overwhelmingly.

GOP Assemblyman Gil Ferguson’s Newport Beach district is the most Republican in California. There, Republicans increased their 1988 margin by about 1% for the upcoming election. They now lead in that area by 61.7% to 27.1%.

WHERE TO REGISTER

Voter registration drives will be sponsored throughout the county by both major political parties, the League of Women Voters and the county registrar of voters. Tuesday is the last day to register for the Nov. 6 election. Here are registration locations:

County registrar of voters, 1300 S. Grand Ave., Santa Ana; open Monday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Tuesday from 7 a.m. to midnight.

The League of Women Voters will sponsor registration this weekend at:

Price Club, 900 S. Harbor Blvd., Fullerton; 12-4 p.m.

Price Club, 17900 Newhope St., Fountain Valley; 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

California Democratic Party’s Orange County registration headquarters is at 8220 Katella Ave., Stanton.

Republican Party registration tables and offices are at:

Orange County Republican Party headquarters, 300 Plaza Alicante, Room 340, Garden Grove.

Westminster GOP office, 9191 Bolsa Ave., Room 211.

Fountain Valley GOP office, 18384 Brookhurst St.

Huntington Beach GOP office, 16041 Bolsa Chica, Room 101.

Newport Beach GOP office, 4200 Campus Drive.

Orange GOP office, 1341 E. Chapman Ave.

South County GOP office, 30230 Rancho Viejo Road, Room 204.

Stanton GOP office, 7963 Cerritos Ave.

MainPlace Mall, 2800 Main St., Santa Ana.

Vons, 230 N. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana.

Vons, 16450 Beach Blvd., Westminster.

Target, 1881 W. Lincoln Ave., Anaheim.

Target, 16400 Beach Blvd., Westminster.

Target, 13831 Brookhurst St., Garden Grove.

Target, 12100 Harbor Blvd., Garden Grove.

South Coast Plaza Mall, 3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa.

Brea Mall, 2028 Brea Mall, Brea.

Orange County Swap Meet, Orange County Fairgrounds, corner of Newport Boulevard and Fair Drive.

Registrar of Voters Donald Tanney said registration forms are also available at all city halls in Orange County, Department of Motor Vehicles offices, public libraries, U.S. post offices, chambers of commerce, senior citizens centers, high schools and most county offices.

For more information, call the registrar of voters office at (714) 567-7600.

Voter Registration Update Percentage of all registered voters Countywide Sept. ’88 Republicans: 54.3% Democrats: 35.3% Sept. ’90 Republicans: 55.6% Democrats: 34.0% 72nd District Sept. ’88 Democrats: 53.6% Republicans: 37.3% Sept.’90 Democrats: 51.7% Republicans: 39.3%