<i> A behind-the-scenes look at Orange County’s political life</i> : Local Democrats Join Clinton in Coronado to Enjoy Victory Sunshine

Still celebrating: It’s not often that Orange County Democrats can savor victory, but they did so with gusto last week when President Bill Clinton took time out from his San Diego area vacation to hold a small private reception for Californians who helped him in his 1992 election victory.

Orange County Democratic Foundation leaders Susan Naples, Dick O’Neill and Wylie A. Aitken and his wife, Betty, were invited to the party at the Hotel del Coronado near San Diego.

Clinton didn’t win Orange County, but local Democrats rallied enough to give the Republican national ticket its lowest percentage of votes here in 56 years.

“It’s rewarding to know that those of us who have labored in the vineyards in the fields for so long have an opportunity to enjoy the sunshine,” Aitken said. “It’s been awhile since we have had a Democratic President, and Orange County Democrats need all the encouragement we can get.”

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Undecided wins: Huntington Beach Mayor Linda Moulton-Patterson, a Democrat running in the nonpartisan District 2 supervisorial race, is touting a poll showing her ahead of her two major rivals, both Republicans.

The poll of 400 likely voters--paid for by Moulton-Patterson’s campaign--shows her with 20% support, compared to 14% for Huntington Beach Councilman Jim Silva, and 4% for businesswoman Haydee Tillotson. “Don’t Know/Unsure” led the pack with 62%.

While the survey shows Tillotson trailing, campaign finance statements for the period ending March 17 show Tillotson having the most cash on hand: $157,573, compared to $50,881 for Moulton-Patterson and $26,543 for Silva. Tillotson’s treasury was boosted by $217,000 in loans she made to her campaign.

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Conceding?: It’s a little early in the political season for a concession speech.

But Phillip Knypstra, the only challenger to County Supervisor William G. Steiner, admits he doesn’t have much chance of unseating the incumbent. A professor at El Camino College and a former Anaheim police officer, Knypstra has raised no money and doesn’t plan to.

“It’s a pure contest between a guy out hustling money and a political outsider,” Knypstra said. “I paid my $820 filing fee. But I’m a cheap Dutchman who has no chance unless people wake up.”

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Moderately speaking: Hoping to diminish the conservatives’ hold on the Orange County Republican Central Committee, a new group of moderates called the Orange County Republican Majority Coalition has drafted 22 candidates to run for the 42 slots on the committee.

The fight for power will draw a lot of interest since the central committee--volunteers whose purpose is to work for the election of Republicans--can influence the makeup of the statewide GOP organization and how campaign money is spent.

Mark Ishimatsu, a Seal Beach resident and among those seeking a seat, says local Republicans really are not as conservative as the central committee’s current membership.

“We don’t want to destroy the party, we just want to change the people in the organization,” Ishimatsu says.

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Back patting: In the 70th Assembly District’s Republican primary, Marilyn Brewer has received the endorsement of the California Coalition of Law Enforcement Assns. headed by Don L. Novey, an ally of Gov. Pete Wilson.

In the same race, Irvine Councilman Barry J. Hammond has won the support of the conservative California College Republicans board.

Elsewhere, GOP candidate Bob Kerns, who is among the pack of Republicans challenging incumbent Rep. Jay C. Kim (R-Diamond Bar) in the 41st Congressional District primary, has been endorsed by Angela (Bay) Buchanan, former U.S. treasurer and sister of television commentator Pat Buchanan.

UPCOMING EVENTS

* Monday: Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach) and Claremont Institute fellow Bruce Herschensohn will discuss the crime issue at a luncheon sponsored by the Claremont Institute, at Le Meridien Hotel in Newport Beach, beginning at 11:30 a.m.

* Wednesday:The official start of the petition drive for an initiative to develop a commercial airport at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station will be held at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach, starting at 7 p.m.

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Environmental Score Card

The California League of Conservation Voters recently released its annual report card grading the environmental voting records of state lawmakers, and the scores were low for the Orange County contingent. Scores are based on voting records for 26 bills selected by the league.

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Lawmaker 1992 1993 Assemblywoman Doris Allen (R-Cypress) 0% 0% Sen. Marian Bergeson (R-Newport Beach) 45 11 Sen. William A. Craven (R-Oceanside) Absent* 25 Assemblyman Mickey Conroy (R-Orange) 0 8 Assemblyman Gil Ferguson (R-Newport Beach) 0 11 Sen. Rob Hurtt (R-Garden Grove) Not in office 6 Assemblyman Ross Johnson (R-Fullerton) Absent* 0 Sen. John R. Lewis (R-Orange) 6 7 Assemblyman Bill Morrow (R-Oceanside) Not in office 0 Assemblyman Curt Pringle (R-Garden Grove) Not in office 0 Assemblyman Tom Umberg (D-Garden Grove) 67 82

* Lawmakers who were absent from a majority of the votes were not graded

Source: California League of Conservation Voters

Politics ’94 appears every Sunday.