POLITICAL NOTEBOOK : Congressional Bid by Diamond Bar’s Kim Is No Surprise

Kim Comes In--When Diamond Bar Mayor Jay Kim publicly expressed his disappointment with the field of Republican candidates in the 41st Congressional District recently, observers knew that it was only a matter of time before he entered the race himself.

And so it was no surprise when Kim announced his candidacy Monday.

In opening his campaign, Kim voiced concern about everything from illegal immigration to AIDS to the sick economy. His prescription for economic improvement includes tax credits for investment, lower capital gains taxes and hard bargaining with the nation’s trade partners.

A 52-year-old engineer who came to the United States from Korea 31 years ago, Kim will face a field that will include former Assemblyman Charles W. Bader of Pomona and James V. Lacy, former chief counsel for technology in the U.S. Department of Commerce.

There are more than 12,000 Republicans in Diamond Bar, but Kim will have to appeal to a much broader audience to win the GOP nomination.

More than half the district’s 108,560 Republicans live in San Bernardino County. The San Gabriel Valley portion of the district, with about 26,914 Republicans, includes Diamond Bar, Rowland Heights and part of Pomona. The district’s remaining 25,262 Republicans live in northern Orange County.

Three-Way Race--Pomona Mayor Donna Smith and Ontario City Councilman Gus Skropos have joined Chino Mayor Fred Aguiar in the quest for the Republican nomination in the new 61st Assembly District.

Smith enters the race with the disadvantage that only half the voting population of Pomona is in the new district and that most of those voters are Democrats.

“Obviously, I’m going to need support in other communities,” she said.

Only a few weeks ago, Skropos declared he would not run and offered his support to Aguiar.

But he had a change of heart. For one thing, Skropos said, he is worried that Aguiar, an executive with Lewis Homes, might not be independent of developers in Sacramento.

In addition, the candidate said, Aguiar attracted so much early support from local political figures that it seemed as if a “back room deal” had been struck.

Besides, the No. 1 issue with voters is crime, Skropos said, and as a San Bernardino County deputy district attorney, he said he is better equipped than his rivals to deal with that problem.

Meanwhile, another potential candidate, David Wilson, a former aide to Rep. David Dreier (R-La Verne), said he has decided not to run and will support Aguiar. He said the Chino mayor is “very well-organized and very well-liked, and there didn’t seem to be any point in running.”

Short Subjects--State Sen. Newton R. Russell (R-Glendale) and Assemblyman Paul Horcher (R-Hacienda Heights) have formally declared their candidacies for reelection.

La Verne Mayor Jon Harry Blickenstaff will deliver his state of the city address at a Chamber of Commerce breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday in the President’s Dining Room at the University of La Verne.

San Dimas Mayor Terry L. Dipple will report on his city’s progress at a Coordinating Council meeting at 11 a.m. Friday at the McKinley Home For Boys.

Former California Atty. Gen. John K. Van de Kamp will be honored at a reception sponsored by 55th Assembly District Democrats from 2 to 5 p.m. March 1 at the Jackie Robinson Center in Pasadena. Tickets are $20 per person, $30 per couple and $12.50 for those on limited incomes.