<i> A behind-the-scenes look at Orange County’s political life</i> : Bergeson Un-Endorses Republican Moorlach for Discrediting Citron

Early withdrawal: State Sen. Marian Bergeson (R-Newport Beach) has withdrawn her endorsement of Republican accountant John Moorlach, who is battling to oust longtime Treasurer-Tax Collector Robert L. Citron, the only Democrat holding a countywide elective office.

Bergeson said she feels Moorlach is a good candidate and has a solid, professional background, but is worried that his statements on the campaign trail about Citron’s investment strategies could hurt Orange County. She worries that some of Moorlach’s questions threaten to tarnish the county’s credit rating on Wall Street.

“At this point, I’m going to stay out of it,” says Bergeson, who is retiring from the Legislature this year and is running unopposed for a seat on the Board of Supervisors. “I don’t think it’s right to be involved in something that could be detrimental to the county.”

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No stand: Two of the powerful Lincoln Club’s most influential members--Buck Johns and George Argyros--have jumped to the forefront of a petition drive to put the question of a commercial airport at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station on the November ballot. But as signatures are being gathered, the club itself is quietly remaining neutral on the issue.

After lengthy discussions, the club’s executive board has decided not to take a stand--yet, says President Doy Henley.

“Oh, we talked quite a lot about it. It’s without question a major, major issue facing this county,” Henley says. “As time marches on, we either will take a position or not take a position. . . . Who knows what will happen?”

The delicate problem for the club is that its members from South County are just as adamantly against an airport at El Toro as Johns and Argyros and its North County members are for it.

“We are concerned about people who are both pro and con on the issue,” Henley says. “Just as our club does not get involved in primary campaigns because they’re divisive, this is in a similar category.”

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Signing on: Meanwhile, the signature gathering to get the airport on the ballot continues, and the initiative backers are “about halfway there,” says Dave Ellis, a Newport Beach political consultant who is working with Argyros and Johns.

To get a spot on the November ballot, 67,000 signatures must be collected. Ellis says about 30,000 voters had already signed by early last week. To be sure of having enough, organizers hope to have 90,000 signatures by June 1.

Ellis also says they have nearly reached their fund-raising goal of $100,000. Business people are eagerly committing money to the project, he says.

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Public disclosure: The issue of personal income taxes is becoming a hot one in the wild Republican primary race in the 70th Assembly District, where candidates Tom Reinecke, Marilyn Brewer and Barry J. Hammond are slugging it out for the seat being vacated by Gil Ferguson (R-Newport Beach).

After insisting that Brewer has been making taxes an issue, Reinecke last week issued a challenge to all the candidates in the race to make public their personal income tax returns.

Hammond could not be reached for comment, but Brewer retaliated by contending that Reinecke was “grandstanding” and that he had misquoted her. Brewer did not say that the candidates’ taxes should be looked at, as Reinecke suggested she had, but only that “I pay the most taxes of any candidate in the race” because of her large, family-owned business that pays employment and property taxes, according to her son, Lance A. Brewer, who acted as her spokesman. But he declined to make public her tax statements.

As it turned out by the end of the week, Reinecke’s “challenge” wound up falling somewhat short. He released his 1992 income tax returns, but not his 1993. Reason? He filed an extension before the April 15 deadline because they weren’t prepared, according to a spokesman.

UPCOMING EVENTS

* Today: A fund-raising dinner will be held for Robert Banuelos, a Democratic candidate for the 46th Congressional District seat, at Moreno’s restaurant in Orange, 4 p.m.

* Saturday: A fund-raising breakfast will be held for William E. Dannemeyer, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, at the Irvine Marriott, 8:30 a.m.

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Voters in Recent Primaries

Voter registration and turnout for the last two June primaries in Orange County:

JUNE 2, 1992

Party Registered Turnout Percentage Democrat 372,024 179,420 48.2 Republican 603,118 295,561 49.0 American Independent 13,191 3,251 24.6 Green 2,372 775 32.7 Libertarian 6,433 1,908 29.7 Peace and Freedom 3,313 519 15.7 Nonpartisan 99,978 24,646 24.7 Total 1,100,429 506,080 45.9

JUNE 5, 1990

Party Registered Turnout Percentage Democrat 368,641 152,366 41.3 Republican 593,403 249,237 42.0 American Independent 10,952 2,255 20.6 Libertarian 5,335 1,377 25.8 Peace and Freedom 2,775 412 14.8 Nonpartisan 93,258 23,103 24.8 Total 1,074,364 428,750 39.9

Source: Orange County Registrar of Voters; Researched by CAROLINE LEMKE / Los Angeles Times

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Compiled by Times staff writer Len Hall, with contributions from staff writer Eric Bailey.

Politics ’94 appears every Sunday.