<i> A behind-the-scenes look at Orange County’s political life</i> : Johnson’s Easy Win Was a Surprise to Many--but Not His Own Staff

It wasn’t so much that Assemblyman Ross Johnson (R-Placentia) won a special election last month. It was how he did it that surprised local observers.

Johnson handily defeated Assemblywoman Doris Allen (R-Cypress) and former Assemblyman Gil Ferguson of Newport Beach in the battle over the 35th state Senate District seat. He will face Democrat Madelene Arakelian in a runoff May 9.

Johnson, who entered the race with little name recognition in the sprawling coastal district, did remarkably well in Ferguson and Allen’s strongholds, precinct results show.

In Leisure World, an area that was supposed to be steadfast Ferguson territory, Johnson won nine of 12 precincts. In most of Allen’s 67th District in the Huntington Beach-Cypress area, Johnson finished a strong second.

And Johnson tallied the most votes on absentee ballots.

While most political observers were amazed, the Johnson people say they expected as much.

“We were not surprised. We thought we had opportunities in every part of the district,” said Susie Swatt, Johnson’s chief of staff.

*

Fax campaign: Political pressure from county Chief Executive Officer William J. Popejoy on local elected officials to back Measure R, the proposed half-cent sales tax increase on the June 27 ballot, is intensifying, reports Irvine Mayor Michael Ward. A message from Popejoy urging support recently popped out of Ward’s home fax machine.

For Ward, however, it’s too soon to be asking city officials to endorse a tax hike for the “status quo” county government. And Ward said he has no interest in taking the political heat off supervisors fearful of anti-tax wrath from county voters.

“I think you’ll find most of the local elected officials are going to stay on the sidelines and say to the supervisors, ‘If you think this needs to be done, then you do it.’ ”

*

Irvine Uproar

Irvine’s decision to borrow $62 million last July to invest in the now-failed Orange County investment pool has prompted a recall drive targeting three council members and calls for the resignation of City Manager Paul O. Brady Jr. But a recent Times Orange County Poll shows residents are still pretty evenly divided over the future of these city officials--at least so far.

Don’t Official Favor Oppose know Fire Paul Brady 37% 34% 29 % Recall Mayor Mike Ward 35 38 27 Recall Councilwoman Paula Werner 28 33 39 Recall Councilman Barry J. Hammond 29 33 38

Source: Times Orange County Poll

*

Taking inventory: With Congress and President Clinton competing over who can cut the bloated federal government the quickest, General Services Administrator Roger W. Johnson is taking the talk seriously.

Johnson suggested to the President’s Management Council, which is made up of agency heads overseeing the staff cuts, a temporary freeze on office leases and major-equipment purchases, such as computers, until the agencies see what is left standing after budget cuts.

“I would hate like heck to renew leases for 10 or 15 years and then have Congress change those plans,” said Johnson, the former CEO of Western Digital Corp. in Irvine, whose agency is the federal government’s chief landlord and purchasing agent. He has cut his own staff to 16,700, a reduction of 4,000 workers since 1993 when he took over the agency.

*

A friend in need: In the hours preceding the Board of Supervisors’ vote calling for an election on a proposed sales tax increase, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) decided to come to the aid of his friend, Supervisor Jim Silva, who joined the board in January.

“He’s new to these types of pressures, and I thought that as a friend I should give him some personal advice,” Rohrabacher said. “I would not recommend to him to take any position that I would not take.”

For his part, Rohrabacher said he favors the right of citizens to vote on the sales tax, but he does not believe there has been “any major reform movement in Orange County which would justify a tax increase.”

*

Civil war: With two Californians expected to formally enter the GOP race for President, it seemed like only a matter of time before the darts would start flying.

And it happened last week at the California Republican Assembly convention in San Diego, where Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove) aimed for Gov. Pete Wilson.

“Pete Wilson did not support Ronald Reagan,” Dornan said. “Pete Wilson gave us the biggest (state) tax increase in history. Pete Wilson is pro-abortion. Pete Wilson is for homosexual special rights. . . . If I have to be a truth squad of one against Pete Wilson, I’m going to do it.”

This won’t be the first time Dornan and Wilson square off. In the 1982 U.S. Senate race won by Wilson, Dornan came in fourth in the GOP primary, scoring only 8% of the vote.

*

Quote of the week: “One of the dimmer bulbs in the Assembly . . . “ --The San Francisco Chronicle’s description of Assemblyman Mickey Conroy (R-Orange) in a March 15 editorial that criticized his ill-advised invitation to a $2,500-a-person fund-raising event. The invitation promised participants ready “access,” a word rife with risky implications since the conviction last year of several Sacramento lawmakers on political corruption charges.

Compiled by Times staff writer Len Hall, with contributions from staff writers Gebe Martinez and Eric Bailey and correspondent Russ Loar.

Politics ’95 appears every Sunday.