O.C. Legislators Encouraged by Speech

If they were Siskel and Ebert, the Orange County state legislative delegation would have given Gov. Pete Wilson a modest thumbs up.

By and large, the county’s legislators were relatively enthusiastic about Wilson’s State of the State speech Wednesday evening in the august confines of the Assembly chambers. If anything, the governor was finally echoing sentiments many of Orange County’s conservative lawmakers have been voicing for years: slash regulations, cut taxes and help create more jobs.

“I think he pushed some of the right buttons,” state Sen. John Lewis (R-Orange) said. “I appreciate the fact he honed in on the need for job creation. At least he has sounded the call, and hopefully it’ll be followed by some action.”

Sen. Marian Bergeson (R-Newport Beach) agreed that Wilson’s speech should help prod the Legislature to take steps to ease the mounting burdens on free enterprise that have helped push California’s economy over the edge.

“I think this speech puts pressure on the entire Legislature,” Bergeson said. “I don’t think we can sit around now finding fault and blame. We know what’s wrong, now let’s get it fixed.”

Assemblyman Curt Pringle (R-Garden Grove) was bullish on the speech, particularly that Wilson focused on the plight of small-business owners.

Pringle also said he was heartened that some of the Assembly’s freshman Democrats greeted Wilson’s speech with enthusiastic applause--unlike their more seasoned party colleagues.

“Cutting taxes, cutting regulations and cutting the cancer of workers’ compensation--it’s all crucial,” Pringle said.

South County Assemblyman Bill Morrow (R-Oceanside) was particularly pleased that Wilson called for cutting taxes to spur the economy. He also expressed hope that Wilson will follow up his words with constructive deeds.

Assemblyman Mickey Conroy, meanwhile, said Wilson was “right on point on all the issues,” but still needs to prove he can come through for California’s business community.

Conroy (R-Orange) pointed to a large manufacturer of electrical circuit boards in his own district who is threatening to move out of California because of regulatory difficulties. “The governor needs to clear up problems with people in those agencies that overregulate,” Conroy said.

Orange County’s only Democrat in the Legislature, Assemblyman Tom Umberg of Garden Grove, said “the tone of the speech was good--the tone of reconciliation, that we need to focus on this pressing situation.”

But, Umberg said, “we need more than just that. We really need a long-term plan, a strategic plan for California. We need some vision here.” Umberg said the state needs to address issues such as converting from defense to other industries and reforming the educational system.

“The governor laid out a short-term agenda that was short on specifics,” Umberg said. “I liked what was before us tonight, but I think we need more.”