Candidates File for June 7 Primary; GOP Infighting Develops : Politics: Anaheim Councilman Irv Pickler files for Assembly race. A Republican feud simmers over a 70th Assembly candidate who is not backed by lame duck Gil Ferguson.

The June 7 primary election battle began taking shape Wednesday as candidates in state and judicial races met their first deadline to file their declarations to run.

Three of Orange County’s incumbent Republicans will escape challenge in the primary, but the Democrats promised to give them a fight in the general election come November.

The Republicans facing no primary opposition are: Assemblyman Curt Pringle of Garden Grove in the 68th District; Assemblyman Mickey Conroy of Santa Ana in the 71st District, and Assemblyman Ross Johnson of Placentia in the 72nd district.

State Sen. William Craven (R-Oceanside) and 73rd District Assemblyman Bill Morrow (R-Oceanside), whose districts represent portions of south Orange County, also have no primary opponents.

Among those candidates creating a flurry of talk Wednesday was Anaheim Councilman Irv Pickler, who paid a $525 filing fee to hold a spot in the June 7 Democratic Primary for the 68th Assembly District seat.

The races likely to draw the most attention are in the 69th and 70th Assembly districts, where the incumbents--Assemblymen Tom Umberg (D-Garden Grove) and Gil Ferguson (R-Newport Beach) respectively--are not seeking reelection. The filing deadline for those seats is extended until Monday. That is also the first day of filing for congressional candidates and nonpartisan county offices, such as the County Board of Supervisors, district attorney and sheriff-coroner.

A feud has already developed among Republicans over who will succeed Ferguson in 70th District, which is considered the most Republican Assembly district in the state.

Ferguson, who is stepping down for a possible run at the state Senate, accused state Sen. John R. Lewis (R-Orange) and Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) of being “self-anointed kingmakers” and endorsing Republican Phillip B. Greer, an Irvine attorney and one of at least four candidates seeking the GOP nomination in that race.

Ferguson would not say who will would be his choice for a successor, but he noted that it would not be Greer, a former Democrat.

“I cannot let these outsiders come in and dictate what’s going on in this district,” Ferguson said. “They know how I feel. They are constantly fooling around on elections. They have been doing this since high school, as I understand.”

In a statement issued later, Lewis responded: “Gil Ferguson is a hypocrite. In 1984, when he ran for the Assembly as a virtual unknown, I and other conservative legislators from outside that district endorsed him and helped elect him to office. According to Gil in 1984, we were dedicated public servants. But now we are outside meddlers.”

Despite the rivalry, Orange County Republican Chairman Thomas A. Fuentes said the squabbling would not diminish the party’s chances of winning the seat.

“None of that amounts to anything, because whoever the Republican nominee is, he is going to win the election,” Fuentes predicted.

Even though Democrats are fielding candidates in the major Assembly and state Senate races, Fuentes said their efforts would be futile.

As of the end of January, Republicans made up 52.3% of the registered voters in Orange County, compared to 34.4% for Democrats.

“The Democratic Party is essentially impotent in Orange County,” Fuentes said. He noted that the Democrats’ internal battle in the 69th Assembly District, which Umberg is leaving to run for state attorney general, could cause them to lose the only Orange County legislative seat they now hold.

But Orange County Democratic Chairwoman Dorianne Garcia predicted that her party will do better than expected because, unlike previous years, candidates were not recruited this year simply to put “warm bodies” on the ballot.

“I think we have great opportunities to get Democrats elected into Orange County elective offices this year,” she said. “Democrats have been given a bum rap.”

Garcia said the party is going to focus on the central Orange County districts where Democratic voter registration is highest.

The targeted districts include the 46th Congressional District now held by Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove), the 68th and 69th Assembly districts, and the 34th state Senate District, which is being sought by Sen. Rob Hurtt of Garden Grove. Hurtt is currently listed as the senator for the 32nd District, which was redrawn and ended up in Los Angeles County.

Garcia said that money initially raised to defeat Dornan will be spread among those four targeted races. As of the end of the year, the “Beat Bob” fund-raising totaled $40,000.

The Democratic chairwoman noted that in the 1992 contest in the 68th Assembly District, Democrat Linda Kay Rigney received 44% of the vote against Pringle.

Although Pickler declared his intention to challenge Pringle in the 68th Assembly District, he said he is not sure he will stay in the race and will decide before the March 11 deadline to file final nomination papers.

“I was looking at supervisor, I was looking at mayor, and at the Assembly district,” Pickler said at the county registrar of voters office.

But, said Pickler, with his “good friend” Tom Daly now in the Anaheim mayor’s seat, he is “leaning” toward the Assembly race.

Pringle said he would take a challenge from Pickler or any other Democrat “very seriously.” But he remained confident he would prevail in November, suggesting that the race would come down to “a very clear-cut distinction between ideals” on issues such as taxes and big government.

Firing his first salvo of the campaign, Pringle noted that Pickler supported utility tax increases in Anaheim. “I oppose tax increases and have consistently done so in Sacramento,” he said. “Irv Pickler has supported taxes.”

Times staff writers Eric Lichtblau and Eric Bailey contributed to this report.

Primary Election Filings

The following candidates are on file with the Orange County registrar of voters office to run in the June 7 primary. Not listed are judicial candidates running unopposed. Please note that candidates running for Congress and county offices have until March 11 to file election papers.

STATE OFFICES

ATTORNEY GENERAL

Democrat -- Tom Umberg, Garden Grove

INSURANCE COMMISSIONER *

Republican -- Wes Bannister, Huntington Beach -- Glen J. Dulac, Huntington Beach

American Independent -- A. Jacques, Santa Ana

BOARD OF EQUALIZATION

3rd District

Democrat -- Francis P. O’Donnell, Villa Park

Republican -- Ernest J. Dronenburg Jr., El Cajon **

Peace and Freedom -- Maxine B. Quirk, Orange

STATE SENATE

34TH DISTRICT

Democrat -- Donna L. Chessen, Buena Park -- Wayman L. Nelson, Santa Ana

Republican -- Frank L. Adomitis, Anaheim -- Rob Hurtt, Garden Grove

Libertarian -- Thomas E. Reimer, Anaheim

38TH DISTRICT

Democrat -- T. Leon Berry, Laguna Hills

Republican -- William A. Craven, Oceanside **

STATE ASSEMBLY

67TH DISTRICT

Democrat -- Jonathan Woolf-Willis, Huntington Beach

Republican -- Doris Allen, Cypress ** -- Francis A. Nottke, Huntington Beach

68TH DISTRICT

Democrat -- Irv Pickler, Anaheim -- Linda Kay Rigney, Garden Grove

Republican -- Curt Pringle, Garden Grove **

69TH DISTRICT *

Democrat -- Michael Metzler, Santa Ana -- Ted R. Moreno, Santa Ana

Republican -- Judy Buffin-Edge, Santa Ana -- Jim Morrissey, Anaheim -- Virgel L. Nickell, Santa Ana

Libertarian -- George Reis, Santa Ana

70TH DISTRICT *

Democrat -- Jim Toledano, Costa Mesa

Republican -- Marilyn C. Brewer, Newport Beach -- Phillip B. Greer, Irvine -- Bruce E. Peotter, Irvine -- Thomas G. Reinecke, Newport Beach

71ST DISTRICT

Democrat -- Jeanne Costales, Lake Forest -- Bea Foster, Santa Ana

Republican -- Mickey Conroy, Santa Ana **

72ND DISTRICT

Democrat -- Allan L. Dollison, Brea

Republican -- Ross Johnson, Placentia **

Libertarian -- Geoffrey A. Braun, Placentia

73RD DISTRICT

Democrat -- Lee Walker, Laguna Niguel

Republican -- Bill Morrow, Oceanside **

O.C. JUDICIAL

SUPERIOR COURTS

OFFICE NO. 9 * -- Barbara (Tam) Nomoto, no address listed -- Gary P. Ryan, Santa Ana

MUNICIPAL COURTS

NORTH O.C. OFFICE NO. 4 -- Peter J. Ferguson, Fullerton -- Luis A. Rodriguez, Laguna Niguel **

SOUTH O.C. OFFICE NO. 1 -- John C. Connolly, Mission Viejo -- Pamela L. Iles, Trabuco **

WEST O.C. OFFICE NO. 2 -- Barry S. Brown, Long Beach -- Daniel C. Dutcher, no address listed ** -- Caryl Lee, Fountain Valley

** Incumbent

* The filing deadline has been extended until Feb. 14 because the incumbent did not file to run for reelection.