Task Force Unearths a Grave Issue: ‘Dead’ Voters Cast Ballots

Election of the living dead: According to a study released last week, more than two dozen dead people from Orange County apparently managed to cast ballots in the November election. And, what’s more, they probably voted Democratic.

At least, that’s what the Voter Fraud Task Force headed by Newport Beach’s Harold Ezell, who also co-authored Proposition 187, is contending. The organization said it dug up the names of 30 residents who, according to county records, voted in November but who were also listed as officially dead before the election.

The organization suspects the “dead vote” is part of massive voter fraud statewide that tipped the U.S. Senate race in favor of Democrat Dianne Feinstein over Republican challenger Mike Huffington. Huffington is still contesting the election’s outcome in wake of the accusations.

But Orange County officials take issue with the fraud allegations based on the nine “dead voter” names it has received from Ezell’s group.

County Registrar of Voters Donald Tanney said a computer glitch tabulating absentee ballots, which has since been corrected, is to blame for most of the confusion. Tanney, however, said his office is still investigating one resident’s vote.

“When the light is shown on this whole thing,” Tanney said, “I don’t think it’s going to be a case of a dead person going to polls.”

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Wipeout: Given a trophy last year for being “the Best Surfer in Congress,” albeit the only surfer in Congress, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) has been forced to give up his Big Kahuna status.

During a “nearly formal” ceremony in Rohrabacher’s office on the opening day of Congress last week, Rohrabacher turned over the “Best Surfer in Congress” title to newly elected Rep. Brian P. Bilbray (R-San Diego). Rohrabacher didn’t have to wait for a challenge from Bilbray. He has seen Bilbray surf.

“I will concede to him that he is the best surfer, but he concedes to me that I am the chairman of the Surfers’ Caucus,” Rohrabacher said.

Bilbray marked the occasion by presenting Rohrabacher with a pin depicting a surfer riding under the curl of a tall wave.

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Total recall: To end confusion, former Assemblyman Gil Ferguson said he was “first in line” to contribute to the recall campaign aimed at Assemblyman Paul Horcher (I-Diamond Bar), the Republican turned Independent who voted for Willie Brown as Speaker of the Assembly.

“I contributed $500 out of my own pocket, not from any campaign fund,” said Ferguson, who is now seeking the state Senate seat vacated by County Supervisor Marian Bergeson. “To change his party immediately after being elected and to vote for Willie Brown is unpardonable.”

Ferguson said he received death threats after media reports suggested the Newport Beach legislator had counseled Horcher.

But Ferguson said his side was misrepresented in news reports and that he never told Horcher to vote for Brown. Instead, Ferguson said, he instructed Horcher to “go to Gov. Wilson and the get the best deal he could.”

Hundreds of volunteers will canvass Horcher’s precinct this weekend to start collecting the 18,000 signatures it needs to oust him, Ferguson said.

“He did a bad, dishonorable thing,” Ferguson said.

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Following footsteps: Shirley Carey, a Huntington Beach City School District trustee, said she thinks Marian Bergeson was an educational class act in the Legislature and ought to be followed by another pro-education booster. Possibly herself.

“I’m getting encouragement to run for Marian’s seat, and I’m thinking about it,” said Carey, who on Nov. 8 was overwhelmingly elected to a second term on the school board.

Carey noted that Bergeson’s elected career began at the school board level, as a trustee for Newport-Mesa Unified. In both the Assembly and state Senate, Bergeson carried many major education bills during her years in Sacramento.

“I think it’s important that we have another supporter of education to replace Marian,” said Carey.

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Civics lesson: A group of California history teachers recently got a chance to practice what they teach.

The National Council for Social Studies, an annual gathering of social studies teachers, was considering relocating its 1998 national convention scheduled for Anaheim. But a contingent of roughly 200 California social studies teachers, drawing upon their intimate knowledge of parliamentary procedures, thwarted the plan floated at a recent convention in Phoenix.

Proponents argued that they wanted to punish California economically for passing Proposition 187, which calls for denying education to illegal immigrants.

The Californians countered that a Golden State boycott would be misguided. Rather, most asserted that by remaining in California, the convention could bring more attention to the shortcomings of the controversial initiative than a boycott could.

“It was a heck of fight to get it (the proposal to keep the convention in Anaheim) on the floor,” said John Hergesheimer, a retired history teacher from Whittier. “It involved a lot of parliamentary trickery. But social studies teachers can be good at that.”

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UPCOMING EVENTS

* Saturday: Democrats in the 68th Assembly District are conducting a reorganizational meeting at 4 p.m. at the Fullerton Savings and Loan Community Meeting Room, 12860 Euclid Ave., Garden Grove. For information, call (714) 893-4251.

* Saturday: The Democratic Party’s 73rd Assembly District Committee will hold its biennial organizational meeting at 3 p.m. at 700 Avenida Pico in San Clemente. For information, (714) 249-2581.

Compiled by staff writer Martin Miller, with contributions from staff writers Gebe Martinez and Alicia Di Rado, and correspondent Bill Billiter.