CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS 72nd ASSEMBLY DISTRICT : Democrats Zero In on Pringle in the ‘Hottest’ Race

Politically, Garden Grove and the surrounding cities that make up the 72nd Assembly District are an aberration in the middle of California’s Republican stronghold.

It is predominantly Democratic, the only such legislative district in Orange County. Still, its voters are conservative and have shown themselves quite willing to elect a Republican. So it is natural that the battle to represent this district in Sacramento has become very competitive.

Otis Turner, aide to Assembly Minority Leader Ross Johnson (R-Anaheim) called the contest “the hottest Assembly race in the state,” noting that the top priority of the Democratic leadership has been to target Republican incumbent Curt Pringle for defeat in the Nov. 6 election.

Pringle, 31, won the seat in 1988 by less than 900 votes in an election that brought charges of racism against Republican officials who hired uniformed guards to monitor polling places on election day in several Santa Ana neighborhoods.

A civil suit was subsequently filed against Pringle and other Republicans by several Latino voters who said they were intimidated by the guards. The result was a court settlement of more than $400,000. County and federal authorities are continuing a criminal investigation into possible civil rights violations.

Pringle is facing his first attempt at reelection. A product of Garden Grove public schools and a co-owner of the family drapery business, Pringle has had an active interest in civics since college when he ran unsuccessfully for City Council at age 20. He ran again and lost when he was 23 and one more time at 25.

Democrats have pinned their hopes on Tom Umberg, 35, a former assistant U.S. attorney in Santa Ana who prosecuted drug crimes, gang members and civil rights cases, including a much-publicized cross-burning incident in Westminster. The son of a paper company operations manager who grew up in suburban Chicago, Umberg is a major in the Army Reserve and a veteran of many years of active military duty.

The battlefield for these two candidates is a mostly working-class white district that includes Stanton and parts of Garden Grove, Westminster, Santa Ana and Anaheim, where a sliver of the district surrounds Disneyland. But it has a rapidly growing ethnic community that includes the county’s largest Latino and Vietnamese neighborhoods. Population counts are old, but it is estimated that about 22% of the district is Latino and about 6% Asian.

No other legislative district in the state with such a large population of ethnic minorities is represented in Sacramento by a Republican, Pringle said.

The Latino vote in this election will be watched especially closely because of the controversy over the polling guards.

Umberg has referred to the issue frequently, including in a recent letter that stated: “I am running for state Assembly because our community’s lawmaker is also a law breaker.” Pringle has denied any wrongdoing in connection with the case and has said he does not believe it will be a major factor in the outcome of the election.

In the final weeks of the race, special-interest groups from outside the district are expected to make a big showing.

The National Rifle Assn. already has made a major contribution to Pringle. The anti-abortion rights group Operation Rescue was scheduled to provide volunteers for Pringle’s campaign. And a committee financed by conservative Republican leaders has indicated that it may spend up to $100,000 for Pringle through an independent expenditure not controlled by Pringle’s campaign.

Umberg, meanwhile, has the financial and volunteer help of abortion rights groups.

“This is one of the most important races in the state,” said Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sylmar), an adviser to Umberg’s campaign. “And it’s probably going to be one of the closest races.”

Politics in the 72nd district also is distinguished by the largest population of mobile-home residents in California. And it is driven by the highest crime rates in Orange County.

In many places, doors have multiple locks, windows are barred and walls are spray painted with gang graffiti. More than half of Orange County’s major crimes--including murder--take place in the five cities that are part of the district.

As a result, crime fighting is the major pitch for both campaigns.

Umberg sent voters a letter signed by representatives of three police groups calling him a “crusading federal criminal prosecutor with a 100% conviction rate.” Pringle advertises the three crime bills he authored in the last two years. None passed, and he blames their failure on the Assembly’s Democratic leadership.

Politically, Umberg gets a big boost on the crime issue from the designation that will appear next to his name on the ballot: Assistant U.S. Attorney. Campaign officials believe that was one of the biggest reasons for his nearly 2 to 1 victory in the June Democratic primary over a hard-campaigning Jerry Yudelson.

Pringle has even gone to court to have the designation removed from the ballot, arguing that it is not accurate since Umberg had to quit the prosecutor job when he announced his campaign. A judge disagreed.

Another much-talked-about issue in the race is taxes and, once again, both candidates have similar positions. They hate them.

There are two other issues looming large in this election season that do split the candidates: Proposition 128, the sweeping environmental initiative, and Proposition 140, the measure to limit terms of state lawmakers.

Pringle was the first California state assemblyman to announce his support for Proposition 140’s term limits, and he is still one of the few incumbents supporting the measure, although GOP gubernatorial candidate Pete Wilson recently joined the effort.

The measure was inspired by a growing public frustration with a Legislature that has been wracked by scandal and criticized for inaction. But critics--including Umberg--say to remove the most experienced lawmakers would make the Legislature vulnerable to special-interest lobbyists and empire-building bureaucrats.

On the environmental initiative called Big Green by its sponsors, Umberg is a strong supporter while Pringle is an opponent.