O.C. Lawmakers’ Appetites Whetted by Taste of Power

Like their fellow House Republicans, members of Orange County’s congressional delegation came here in January vowing to slay the dragons of big government, excessive taxation, and an inefficient welfare system.

They returned home during the weekend like conquering heroes of the conservative agenda, having completed most of their 100-day “contract with America” by marching lock-step with their leader, House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

For the delegation, however, the first Republican-controlled Congress in 40 years was more than an opportunity to play “follow the leader.” It was a chance for the six Republicans to be taken seriously, rise to leadership status and use the political power for which they had longed.

Some of them succeeded, but others are still like works in progress, according to observers. The higher they were in seniority--or in some cases, the more flamboyant--the more likely they were to leave their mark on the first 100 days of this historic legislative session.

Representing the bedrock of Republican conservatism, Orange County’s delegation ganged up on longtime recipients of federal funding, such as public television and radio; took on the nation’s trial lawyers through tort reform, and was unflappable in the face of criticism that Republicans were cutting welfare aid to finance tax breaks for the wealthy.

“There isn’t a delegation in the country more in sync with what we’ve accomplished and what the contract called for,” said Rep. Ron Packard (R-Oceanside), whose district includes South County.

Their positions on issues, once considered far to the right, became part of the central debate this year.

“The mainstream has moved toward them,” said John J. Pitney Jr., a government professor at Claremont McKenna College who has written about Republicans in the House. “They have clout, there’s no question. . . . As far as gaining a national platform, their ideas have to be taken seriously.”

However, Mark Petracca, a UC Irvine political scientist, wondered whether the local representatives have yet learned to shed their previous roles as naysayers of past Democrat-controlled Congresses and pass legislation.

Except for Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach), who chairs the House Republican Policy Committee and led the legal reform debate, “few members of the (local) delegation are playing any sort of serious role in helping to be constructive or creative,” Petracca said.

“I just don’t see that the rest of the delegation has sort of outperformed themselves or learned to become policy leaders or protagonists,” Petracca said. “Those are the skills that have to be learned.”

Pitney agreed that Cox played the “more important role” of the six local representatives. But the opportunities for leadership for most of the others still lie ahead in the “second hundred days,” he said.

Reflecting the sentiments of his colleagues, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach), gleefully acknowledged the chance to legislate in the new Congress.

“After six years of viewing my job as just being a public spokesman for my beliefs, it’s gratifying to have a chance to enact some of them into law,” Rohrabacher said. “We are actually able now to become legislators, rather than be adversaries.”

Here’s a rundown on what members of the delegation accomplished so far:

* Cox: His election to the House leadership team was his “most significant achievement,” Cox said, “because it permitted me to do everything else that followed.”

As policy chairman, Cox was generally involved in all 10 points of the “contract with America,” as well as negotiations on other matters, ranging from cutting off further loans and guarantees to Mexico, to the deployment of missile defense systems.

He was author of the securities litigation reform bill and one of the leaders in the debate on overall legal reform--roles that marked “his entry onto the national stage,” Pitney said.

The Newport Beach congressman won approval of his last-minute amendment to cap the amount of “non-economic” damages that can be recovered by victims of medical malpractice or defective drugs or medical devices.

The House also approved his amendment to the crime bill, which limits the federal courts’ authority to extensively retry state court cases in death penalty appeals.

Upcoming budget negotiations--one of Cox’s areas of expertise--and securities legislation resulting from the Orange County bankruptcy will continue to increase his profile.

* Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove): He co-sponsored a bill to set six-year term limits for members of Congress, one of several plans defeated in the House. Dornan also pushed for other “contract” provisions--limiting instances in which U.S. troops can be placed under foreign command; adding a $5,000 child adoption tax credit for families earning less than $60,000.

“I was a reliable vote, right down the line, item by item, vote by vote,” Dornan said of his allegiance to the “contract with America.”

He gained widespread media attention in January for a speech on the House floor in which he claimed President Clinton gave “aid and comfort to the enemy” during the Vietnam War. It prompted his removal from the floor for 24 hours, but set the stage for his Presidential campaign to be formally announced this week.

As chairman of the military personnel subcommittee, Dornan began hearings on military pay. But if the courts reject the Clinton Administration’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays in the military, congressional observers said that will be the issue that will give Dornan a chance to prove himself.

* Rep. Jay C. Kim (R-Diamond Bar): Like his fellow second-termer from Orange County, Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton), the spotlight did not shine so brightly on this junior member of the delegation. But as sophomore class whip, Kim’s behind-the-scenes job was to round up members to vote for the GOP agenda.

“I was one of the Republicans who signed the contract, and I felt very obligated to making sure we kept the promise,” Kim said.

The congressman marched so close to the leadership that he declined to join other congressional members who are naturalized citizens like himself in urging the Senate to restore welfare benefits for legal immigrants that were cut in the House.

Kim, whose district includes parts of North County, was the only local member to aggressively seek federal help for the county’s bond crisis. At his request, a federal transit agency released $8.85 million in aid to the county more than three months ahead of schedule.

He also actively pursued relief for California from burdensome anti-smog requirements, allowing the state to enact its own air quality plan.

* Rep. Ron Packard (R-Carlsbad): As the delegation’s longest-serving member, in his 13th year in the House, Packard joined the powerful “college of Cardinals” by becoming chairman of a House Appropriations subcommittee.

Packard trimmed $20 million from the current federal budget--part of an overall $17.3-billion package in spending cuts. He also amended an emergency spending bill to prohibit illegal immigrants from receiving disaster aid.

His subcommittee controls only $2.4 billion of a $1.6-trillion budget and deals with arcane federal offices, such as the Office of Technology Assessment. But it allows him to root out the waste and perks that feed voters’ distaste for Washington.

Packard reveled in the task, scrutinizing every expenditure from members’ haircuts to daily ice delivery. “The process requires that we each tackle our part . . . “ he said. “My contribution is as much as any other chairman.”

* Rohrabacher: Describing himself as “one of Newt’s good soldiers,” Rohrabacher also proved to be one of the most feisty of the delegation.

He issued a rare public criticism of Gingrich for supporting the bailout of the Mexican peso, but then lauded the “genius” of the House Speaker for resolving conflicts within the ranks and guiding passage of the “contract” bills.

When the Appropriations Committee voted to cut the public broadcasting budget by $141 million over the next two years, Rohrabacher briefly proposed doubling the cuts, causing his office to be deluged with protests. He withdrew his plan after a similar amendment failed in the House.

Rohrabacher also played a leading role on bills to reduce U.S. payments for United Nations peacekeeping operations, reduce the federal government’s regulatory authority, and to insist that new federal rules be based on sound research.

On an issue that had great local impact, the congressman introduced a bill to keep the Interior Department from trading federal land at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station for wilderness area near Cleveland National Forest owned by the Irvine Co. His opposition precipitated the Interior Department’s withdrawal of the plan.

* Royce: Success for him was seeing the House pass bills that he had introduced during his first term in a Democratic-controlled Congress--bills that had gone almost nowhere.

The delegation’s close relationship with Gingrich helped Royce make sure the “contract” included crime-fighting measures, such as protection of victims’ rights and mandatory prison sentencing, which he guided to law as a state senator.

“In my first term, I could not obtain a hearing for my ideas,” Royce said. “The difference between not even getting a hearing versus having the policy implemented is very rewarding.”

Royce served as Republican chairman of the Porkbusters Coalition, a bipartisan group devoted to identifying “pork” projects and other wasteful spending, and alerting members to the fat in legislation. He also helped secure $650 million to reimburse California for incarcerating illegal immigrants.