Anaheim Speech Added to President’s Schedule : Politics: Bush will talk to employees at Odetics, a high-tech company, on Thursday.

Orange County has been included in President Bush’s fast-changing campaign schedule that features a visit to Anaheim on Thursday for a speech to the employees of Odetics Inc., a high-technology firm that builds components for the space program.

The President’s visit was scheduled so quickly that the campaign did not send the usual notices to the Orange County Republican Party or the local GOP congressman, Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove). As a result, local party officials said they did not believe any GOP dignitaries or elected officials were planning to attend the event, as they usually would.

Bush campaign officials said Tuesday that the President would be in Orange County for only a few hours before leaving to stay overnight in Los Angeles. The timing of the schedule was not released, but Bush was expected to land in Orange County on Thursday at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station before speaking to about 500 Odetics employees.

Marty Wilson, a strategist with the Bush campaign in Sacramento, said the Anaheim company was identified by Gov. Pete Wilson’s office because of its experience in converting defense-related jobs into commercial production. He also acknowledged that the event was scheduled in just the past 48 hours after negotiations with the White House about a proper location.

At Odetics, a spokeswoman on Tuesday referred all inquiries about the President’s visit to the White House. Holly Barnett also said the company makes electronic recording devices, some of which are used on the space shuttle. She said about 50% of the company’s business is with the government, but none of it is now related to defense.

There were no public events scheduled for the President in Orange County, but on Friday, Bush is expected to speak with residents at a “town hall” meeting in the Riverside Convention Center. Details of that event, however, were not released.

Orange County promises to be a major factor in the President’s campaign since California carries a whopping 54 electoral votes and a Republican victory in the state is practically impossible without a big win in the heaviest GOP county.

Bush has been to Orange County nearly a dozen times since he became President. His most recent visit was barely a month ago when Bush spent two nights in Newport Beach just hours after Ross Perot brought his undeclared campaign into the county. During his visit on June 19, Bush met with Southern California campaign workers and he gave a speech to the nonpartisan Industrial League of Orange County.