POLITICS ’94 : <i> A behind-the-scenes look at Orange County’s political life</i> : Umberg’s Staff Wants Polanco and His Money Out of 69th District Race

Turf war: Assemblyman Tom Umberg (D-Garden Grove) and his staff are growing irritated with Assemblyman Richard Polanco, leader of the Legislature’s Latino Caucus, over what they consider to be meddling in the 69th Assembly District race.

Polanco (D-Los Angeles) has given his support--and a promise of big campaign bucks--to Santa Ana Councilman Ted R. Moreno, one of four Democrats trying to succeed Umberg, who is running for attorney general. But the Umberg camp is backing Mike Metzler, Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce president and another Democratic contender.

The word is that Polanco might funnel upward of $150,000 to Moreno’s campaign, although George Urch, Umberg’s campaign manager, says the figure he’s heard is $80,000.

Polanco “better have a couple million dollars for the general election, because he won’t elect Ted Moreno without it,” Urch says, noting that Latinos who might favor Moreno have made up only about 20% of the district’s likely voters in past elections.

More galling, Urch says, is that Polanco is backing a candidate against Umberg’s chosen successor. “What’s Polanco doing in our district?” he grumbled. “If Tom was in East L.A., pumping an Anglo candidate, Polanco would be jumping down our throat.”

*

Party dues: For the first time in years, the Republican Party took advantage of a law that lets a political party use the sample ballot to seek donations from registered party members.

The privilege to print the two-page letter cost the GOP more than $17,000, County Registrar of Voters Donald F. Tanney said.

The appeal was signed by county GOP Chairman Thomas A. Fuentes and John M.W. Moorlach, the party’s assistant treasurer and challenger to longtime county Treasurer-Tax Collector Robert L. Citron.

But Moorlach’s campaign isn’t mentioned because the law forbids using the letter for individual endorsements.

Former Orange County Democratic Party Chairman Howard Adler says local Democrats once used the strategy but found the costs far outweighed any returns. “If we had all the cash in the world like the Republicans, then maybe we would do it more often,” Adler says.

*

Pin the tale on Clinton: Frustrated by what he says are President Clinton’s unkept campaign promises, Newport Beach architect Christopher R. Colvin has developed a new game called “Tax Tales.”

Similar to the “Pin the Tail on the Donkey” game, players are given a “No Taxes” blindfold, spun around numerous times (depending on their tax bracket), and then sent toward the target with a tax tale/tail in hand. The target is a large poster depicting a tail-less donkey with President Clinton.

The “tales” are reminders of some of the President’s anti-tax pledges such as: “I will not raise taxes on the middle class to pay for these programs.” The three tails closest to the donkey’s behind are checked off on a survey sheet that can be sent to the White House.

Colvin says it’s nothing personal against Clinton. “It began as more of a frustration about the political system rather than the candidate in particular,” Colvin says.

*

Tricky Dick?: Richard Nixon’s death prompted County Board of Supervisors Chairman Thomas F. Riley to recall his own private moment with the former President.

Shortly after his appointment to the board two decades ago, Riley and his wife, Emma Jane, were invited to a Nixon dinner party in San Clemente. Watergate was in full bloom and Riley expected a more reclusive host.

He got nothing of the sort.

Riley says Nixon made him an unusual offer: “He told me that Mayor (Richard) Daley in Chicago (a Democrat) owed him a chit and could help with a future reelection campaign,” the supervisor recalls. “When I told him that I didn’t think so, he says, ‘Well, then, I’ll just vote for you twice.’ ”

*

Young rebels: Members of the conservative Young Americans for Freedom lined up last week at UC Irvine to take shots at Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Hayden. But they apparantly forgot they were dealing with one of the masters of the 1960s student radical movement and Chicago Seven defendant.

The verbal shots bounced off Hayden like rubber bullets. “You guys are breaking my ribs. I can barely sustain myself,” he told his hecklers as he mockingly grabbed his chest.

Hayden, whose generation warned during the ‘60s not to trust anyone over 30, gave the Republicans some advice: “Never try to argue with someone who’s over 30 and was there.”

*

Quote of the week: “I don’t know if we’ll come together, but if he’s right, he’s right.”-- Orange County Assemblyman Mickey Conroy (R-Orange) on his odd meeting of minds with liberal state Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica). Both oppose the way administrators at California’s public universities are enriching themselves with perks and high salaries while students are being socked with bigger fees. Conroy, a Vietnam War veteran, has been trying for years to get Hayden--a former anti-war activist and current candidate for governor--ousted from the Legislature.

UPCOMING EVENTS

* Today: Democratic gubernatorial candidate Kathleen Brown brings her statewide bus tour to San Juan Capistrano, Anaheim and Fullerton.

* Monday: Last day to register to vote in the June 7 primary election and the first day to apply for an absentee ballot.

* Thursday: Lynn Martin, former secretary of labor under the Bush Administration, attends a fund-raiser for Atty. Gen. Dan Lungren at the Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach, at 6:30 p.m.

Compiled by Times political writer Gebe Martinez, with contributions from staff writers Eric Bailey and Kevin Johnson.