Hopefuls Sound Anti-Incumbency Theme : Politics: Lack of time leaves little room for debate, but candidates’ forum gives many of the candidates a chance to meet their opponents.

Nearly two dozen candidates for state and federal offices in Orange County gathered Wednesday evening in the county’s largest nonpartisan campaign forum of the 1992 election year.

It’s still early in the general election season, so Wednesday’s event sponsored by the Orange County Bar Assn. was the first opportunity for many of the candidates to meet their opponents.

But with such a crowded schedule of candidates for the state Assembly and Senate and the U.S. Congress, there was barely time for introductions and little opportunity for a substantive debate of issues. Also, probably reflecting the lack of competition in many of Orange County’s solidly Republican districts, only three incumbent lawmakers appeared.

Many of the challengers, however, made the absent opponents the target of the anti-incumbency themes. The issue was especially acute for state offices that have been involved recently in Sacramento’s unprecedented budget problems.

“We have to tell Sacramento and the incumbent party to stop (in order) to save our state,” said Jim Toledano, a Democratic candidate for the state Assembly district representing Newport Beach.

There are 15 contests on the November ballot for seats in Orange County’s delegations to Washington and Sacramento.

Eleven of those seats are held by Republican incumbents, each of whom is considered a favorite to win reelection because of the GOP edge among registered voters or the candidate’s ability to organize and finance a competitive campaign.

Democrats hold only one of the state or federal offices in Orange County, and Republican Party officials have said they will make it a priority to win that one back this year.

Democratic Assemblyman Tom Umberg of Garden Grove won his seat in 1990 and in his first bid for reelection he is facing Republican Jo Ellen Allen, president of the politically conservative Eagle Forum of California.

Umberg, the only Assembly incumbent on the panel, sought to distance himself from the budget problems.

“The folks up there have abdicated their responsibility to vote for their conscience or their constituency,” Umberg said. “It’s an embarrassment.”

Allen responded, however, that all of the state’s legislators should be held accountable.

“We need . . . an entire new membership in the Assembly,” she said.

So far, Allen would appear to have an uphill race to unseat Umberg.

Democrats have made significant gains recently among registered voters in the district, which is nearly 65% Latino and includes the cities of Santa Ana and Garden Grove. County officials said Wednesday that registered Democratic voters outnumber Republicans in the district, 53% to 37%.

There is one open seat in the county’s Assembly delegation representing the south coastal cities where Republican William Morrow is facing Democrat Lee Walker. And two of the six congressional districts representing portions of Orange County are also vacant, but both seats are shared with neighboring counties.

In addition to the Orange County candidates, the closing speeches of the evening Wednesday came from the Republican Party’s two U.S. Senate nominees--appointed Sen. John Seymour and former television commentator Bruce Herschensohn.

Their Democratic opponents--former San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Barbara Boxer (D-Greenbrae)--did not attend.

For the Republican Senate candidates, however, the event was an opportunity to help bolster their support in Orange County, a crucial region for California GOP candidates. In a recent poll conducted in Orange County by The Times, Seymour, a former mayor of Anaheim, was leading Feinstein, 52% to 39%. Herschensohn held a slimmer lead over Boxer among Orange County voters, 49% to 41%.