<i> A behind-the-scenes look at Orange County’s political life</i> : Sen. Gramm Becomes First of GOP Presidential Prospectors to Visit O.C.

Courtin’ the county: That sucking sound heard in Newport Beach on Saturday was the first drain on GOP dollars being swooshed up by potential presidential contenders.

The first one in town after November’s national Republican sweep was U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm (R-Texas), who schmoozed Saturday with top GOP financial donors, party leaders and activists at the offices of Newport Beach developer Buck Johns. Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kansas) will try to drop by in mid-December, Johns said.

Republican presidential candidates are breaking speed records to Orange County, Johns said, now that California plans to hold its 1996 winner-take-all primary in March, making this a key early primary state. Previously, the candidates would come here to raise money, but now they have to raise money and grass-roots support, said Johns, a board member of the conservative Lincoln Club.

“We’re going to have a lot of fun,” Johns said. “These people are going to be coming to town, and they are going to keep coming, and they are not going to stop. We are in the eye of the storm.”

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Storm watch: Another intense storm is brewing on the Democratic side, where folks are lining up to take on Orange County Democratic Party Chairwoman Dorianne Garcia, after the party’s battering in last month’s elections.

The possible challengers to Garcia are all former candidates defeated in November: Jeanne Costales, who lost in the 71st Assembly District to incumbent Mickey Conroy (R-Orange); Mike Farber, who was defeated by Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove) in the 46th Congressional District; former Anaheim Councilman Irv Pickler, who lost to Assemblyman Curt Pringle (R-Garden Grove) in the 68th Assembly District; and Jim Toledano, who was defeated by Republican Marilyn C. Brewer for the open seat in the 70th Assembly District, which includes Laguna Beach and Newport Beach.

Citizens-to-be

Hoping to show the potential of the Latino vote in Southern California, the National Assn. of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials released a report on the growing number of immigrants who are eligible to become U.S. citizens. According to the report, there are 3.7 million non-citizen adults in California, including 1.6 million amnesty applicants. There are 143,652 Orange County immigrants who have applied for amnesty, three-fourths of whom live in five cities:

Amnesty % of all O.C. City applicants applicants Santa Ana 67,720 47.1% Anaheim 23,232 16.2 Garden Grove 7,841 5.5 Fullerton 5,660 3.9 Orange 5,620 3.9

Source: National Assn. of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials

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Not this time: In an election season filled with suspicion of voter fraud, Republicans were skeptical when they heard that Santa Ana Councilman Ted R. Moreno, a Democrat, had taken out 15,000 applications to register voters. But, as it turned out, only 84 of them were returned before the Nov. 8 election. And no one was more surprised than Moreno. “I thought it was a thousand,” he said. Despite the commonly held belief that he was behind the voter registration drive, Moreno said he simply got the applications from the county and then turned them over to the owner of a Santa Ana-based Spanish-language newspaper, who planned to distribute them through the local soccer leagues. Apparently, the plan fell short of its goal.

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Movin’ on up: The GOP takeover of the state Assembly means some local Republican lawmakers stand to get some nice promotions when they reconvene this week. Here’s how it looks:

* Ross Johnson of Placentia: Mentioned as chairman of the powerful Rules Committee, although he might pass it up to focus on his bid for the state Senate seat being vacated by Marian Bergeson of Newport Beach, who is joining the Board of Supervisors.

* Doris Allen of Cypress: Also eyeing Bergeson’s seat, but may be in line to head the Education Committee, despite concerns by some of her conservative GOP colleagues that she’s too friendly with the California Teachers Assn.

* Mickey Conroy of Orange: Expected to become chairman of the Utilities Committee.

* Curt Pringle of Garden Grove: Could become top dog on the powerful Ways and Means Committee; also being mentioned as heir apparent to GOP leader Jim Brulte of Rancho Cucamonga if the latter becomes Assembly speaker.

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Postscripts:

* Immediately after the November election, Dornan said he wanted to join the crowded field of Republicans considering a run for President and hoped to make a decision during the Thanksgiving weekend. But conventional wisdom says you need $25 million to get your foot in the door. Dornan’s not there yet and, at this point, he remains undecided.

* Phil Yarbrough, a Rancho Santiago Community College professor who was elected in June to the Orange County Democratic Party Central Committee, has resigned to rejoin the GOP. It’s not his first switch. As a lifelong Republican, he supported Texas millionaire Ross Perot’s presidential bid in 1992 before becoming a Democrat and voting for Bill Clinton.

* Robert Novak, the conservative political commentator, spoke last week to a group organized by outgoing Assemblyman Gil Ferguson (R-Newport Beach). Because Novak doesn’t make political endorsements or appear at political fund-raisers, Novak said he was there as a “friend” of Ferguson. The event was billed as a “thank you” lunch for 54 of Ferguson’s closest friends.

Compiled by Times political writer Gebe Martinez, with contributions from staff writer Eric Bailey.

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