O.C. Democrats Descend on Capital for Celebrations

Jerry Patterson, the last Democrat to represent Orange County in Congress, surveyed the crush of party stalwarts--and several renegade Republicans--assembled at the National Democratic Club on Capitol Hill. Then he nearly grinned.

“I think there are more Democrats from Orange County in this room today than there are back in Orange County,” he said. And if he wasn’t technically correct, that’s the way most folks felt.

About 75 Orange County Democrats who descended on Washington to get a taste of the pomp, pageantry and puffery of Bill Clinton’s inauguration took time out Tuesday to exult in their candidate’s victory and share war stories--mainly about the daunting task of securing tickets to inaugural events.

Part pep rally and part encounter group, the reception was sponsored by Orange County’s Democratic Foundation, and staged at the Democrats’ official Capitol Hill watering hole, nestled between the Democratic National Committee headquarters and the Capitol power plant.

Nearly ever major Orange County Democrat was there. The cast included Howard Adler, the local party chairman; Richard O’Neill, who founded the Orange County Democratic Foundation; Superior Court Judge David O. Carter, a one-time congressional candidate; developers Mark Lee and Mike Ray, and many other officeholders and party fund-raisers.

But the group also reflected the party’s diversity. Mai Cong and her husband, Le Kim Duh rallied support for Clinton in the Vietnamese-American community. Activist Reuben Martinez helped organize Orange County’s Latino pro-Clinton committee. And David Hoover said members of the Orange County Eleanor Roosevelt Democratic Club strongly promoted Clinton among gays and lesbians.

And don’t forget the prominent Republicans who defected to the Clinton camp during the presidential campaign.

One of the GOP converts was Orange County Supervisor Harriett M. Wieder, who allowed that this is the fourth inauguration she has attended, but the first for a Democrat.

“There are always human errors,” Wieder said. “I could tell you some horror stories I had with the first Reagan inauguration. But I don’t think the Republicans ever had this kind of a turnout. (The Democrats) haven’t done this for 16 years.”

Developer Kathryn Thompson and Western Digital Chairman Roger Johnson were all but beaming. The Republican rainmakers introduced Clinton to Orange County early last year at breakfast that sent shock waves through the GOP Establishment.

“I’m just so thrilled we bet on the right horse,” Thompson said.

Accompanying her was husband Gus Owen, who happens to be president of the Lincoln Club, one of the largest Republican financial support groups in California.

While Owen wasn’t exactly embracing the Democratic victory, he was being a good sport.

“I came back to be with my wife,” he explained. “I think that whether it’s the Democrat or Republican party, I want to see it succeed.”

Much of the chatter was upbeat--hope, renewal, exhilaration were words that echoed in more than one conversation.

The march across the Potomac, the concert at the Lincoln Memorial, the music on the Mall, “the events themselves are spectacular, they are beautiful, they are memorable,” gushed public relations consultant Bob Nelson, one of the local GOP defectors to Clinton.

But there also were the horror stories, all stemming from the overarching reality of the Clinton inauguration: too many people and too few tickets.

Anita Mangels of Laguna Beach, who headed the California Republicans for Clinton organization, had a quintessential tale, although hers had a happy ending.

Because her package of tickets had not arrived by the time she left California on Saturday, Mangels had to go to the massive Commerce Department Building on Pennsylvania Avenue, where the transition team had set up its trouble-shooting office.

“It was like going to Ellis Island,” Mangels said. “On one side of the room there were mazes you had to go through with alphabetical tables to pick up your tickets.

“And when you arrived at the window, nine times out of 10 your tickets weren’t there. So then they had you fill out a little blue form called ‘Problems Resolution.’ They walk you over to the other side of the room which is cordoned off. There are wooden benches, and it’s like the immigrants waiting to be stamped whether they are can stay or whether they have to go back.”

Fortunately for Mangels and her friend, Chris House of Newport Beach, they found a helpful clerk who actually found their tickets envelope.

Martinez and Ruben Smith had trouble getting tickets for the big Hispanic Gala held Tuesday evening. Organizers received 6,000 RSVPs for an event that had room for only 1,500 people.

They didn’t get their hands on the highly coveted tickets, but their spirits remained high.

“I feel there are a lot more Latinos who have worked a lot harder than I have, and they deserve” the tickets, Martinez said.

And as Smith looked across the room, he smiled at the collection of Democrats who have waited 12 years for one of their own to be inaugurated. “It’s been a long time,” Smith said. “I also see a lot of Republicans here. It is encouraging.”

Times staff writer Len Hall contributed to this story.