O.C. Legislative Delegation--Distinguished by Mediocrity : * Sen. Marian Bergeson Is the One Bright Spot Among Our Republicans

What makes a good legislator? It’s more than simply wearing one’s political ideology on one’s sleeve. The best legislators--whether Republican, Democrat or Independent--are those who stay true to their political beliefs while constantly seeking ways of solving local and state problems.

Viewed this way, the members of Orange County’s Sacramento delegation get decidedly mixed reviews. All are conservative Republicans with one exception--Democrat Tom Umberg of Garden Grove--and they range in effectiveness from excellent to poor.

The Times already has endorsed Umberg, who is seeking his second term in a hard-fought race in the 69th District against Republican Jo Ellen Allen.

There is little suspense, however, in any of the other legislative districts, which are so decidedly Republican that the winner of the GOP primary is virtually assured of victory on the Nov. 3 ballot. The Times chooses not to endorse in the general election in any Assembly district other than the 69th, or in any state Senate district. Still, the fall campaigns provide a good occasion to take stock of Orange County’s representation.

Starting with the good news: Orange County can boast one of California’s best legislators in state Sen. Marian Bergeson of Newport Beach, now seeking her third term. Bergeson, who is chairman of the Senate Local Government Committee, has energy, integrity and a willingness to work toward solutions.

Bergeson leaves to her GOP colleagues their common complaint that they cannot get things done because Democrats dominate both houses of the Legislature. Instead, she keeps plugging away and gets good results. Among the issues Bergeson has focused on in her current term are protection of adoptive parents in do-it-yourself adoptions, ending free distribution of tobacco products on public property and requiring helmets for children who ride bicycles to school. She wins some and loses some. But she works hard on behalf of Orange County and rates an “A” for overall effectiveness.

Ranking near the bottom is Gil Ferguson of Newport Beach. Ferguson, who is seeking his fifth term, puts his energy into partisan Republican politics. While that’s netted him the recent election to the No. 2 leadership spot in the Assembly’s GOP caucus, Ferguson has little to show for his tenure in Sacramento.

Ranking between Bergeson and Ferguson are five-term Doris Allen of Cypress, who is running in the new 67th Assembly District; Mickey Conroy of Orange, who is seeking a second term in the 71st Assembly District; Ross Johnson of Fullerton, seeking an eighth term in the 72nd Assembly District, and John R. Lewis of Orange, seeking a second term in the 33rd Senate District.

None is a standout.

Johnson, former minority leader in the Assembly, is the ultimate insider party politician. But there’s not much to point to in the way of legislation during his current term. One notable bill? A measure that would have allowed the Department of Motor Vehicles to sell records to direct-mail marketers. Luckily, Gov. Pete Wilson vetoed it.

Allen is a veteran who has been interested in educational and environmental issues, but she has not really stood out during her fifth term. Lewis, a former assemblyman, appears much more comfortable as a senator, a house that is more deliberative and better suits his political style. But he still is not much of a “doer.” Conroy failed to distinguish himself as a freshman.

It’s worth mentioning that Republican Curt Pringle of Garden Grove, who was defeated by Umberg in 1990, likely will return to the Assembly in the 68th District, a new district added to the county due to reapportionment after the 1990 Census. Pringle had little to offer during his previous term in the Assembly. There is nowhere to go but up for him after sitting out a term.

All in all, with few exceptions, Orange County does not have the top-quality representation it needs and deserves in Sacramento during these difficult economic times.

That’s a loss for everyone.