<i> A behind-the-scenes look at Orange County’s political life</i> : Democrats Agree They’ll Disagree While Debating Party Stand on Tax Hike

We know the county GOP Central Committee bucked some of the most powerful Republicans in Orange County last week by taking a unanimous stand in opposition to Measure R, the half-cent sales tax increase on the June 27 ballot.

This week it’s the Democrats’ turn. The measure will be the topic at their Central Committee meeting Monday night.

But Democrats are not united on the sales tax issue either. Mark P. Petracca, a political science professor at UC Irvine and an outspoken political voice in the county, has already come out against the measure, and party Chairman James Toledano is calling the tax “regressive.”

Toledano, however, is predicting a lively debate, unlike the Republican Central Committee meeting, where there was no discussion.

“We are going to be split,” said Toledano, an attorney from Costa Mesa. “It is irresponsible to just say no.”

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Have and have-not: Two campaigns could hardly be more different than those being run by Republican Assemblyman Ross Johnson and Democrat Madelene Arakelian, who are vying May 9 for the 35th state Senate District seat.

Johnson, the huge favorite in the race, is a powerful Assembly veteran from Placentia who spends most of his time in Sacramento but bought a townhouse in Irvine to run in the coastal district. He spent $350,000 to win the primary and has the fervent backing of Republicans throughout the state, but no campaign office of his own. Johnson, who is having a $100-a-plate fund-raiser May 4 at the Irvine Hyatt Hotel, runs his campaign out of the county Republican headquarters in Costa Mesa.

Arakelian, the owner of a garbage hauling firm, has lived for years in Newport Beach, has never held public office and has no backing whatsoever from the Democratic Party. She does have her own campaign office in Irvine, however. As for fund-raisers, Arakelian is operating phone banks and “trying to get a mailer out.”

“I’m not attached to the Democrats and they are not helping me,” she said. “The only one supporting me is Edward, my husband of 42 years.”

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Return to sender: Hoping to shore up what has been an erosion of support for President Clinton’s agenda, the Democratic National Committee recently sent out a “Presidential Poll” asking voters whether they back the President or the Republicans’ legislative plans. Also attached was a nice photo of Clinton and a Democratic Party membership form, along with a request for a contribution.

But the Democrats went looking for love in all the wrong places, primarily in the Capitol Hill office of Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach). The solicitation was addressed to one of Rohrabacher’s top aides, Gary Curran.

“If they think I am a Democrat and am going to give money to the Democratic Party, boy, do they have another think coming,” Curran said.

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Endorsements: Former Orange Mayor Jim Beam is a candidate for the 71st Assembly District seat, which will be vacated next year by Mickey Conroy (R-Orange). Beam lists among his supporters hamburger czar Carl N. Karcher, former Rep. William E. Dannemeyer, County Supervisor William G. Steiner and 23 local mayors, council members and school board trustees.

UPCOMING EVENTS

* Monday: The county Democratic Party Central Committee will meet at 7 p.m. at the Carpenters Union Hall, 1918 W. Chapman, Orange.

* Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) holds five town hall meetings in his district. On Wednesday, the meetings will be at 10:30 a.m. at the Newport Beach City Council Chamber, 3300 Newport Beach Blvd. and at 3:30 p.m. at the Stanton Cultural Arts and Recreational Center, 7900 Katella Ave. On Thursday, they will be at 2:30 p.m. at the Huntington Beach City Council Chamber, 2000 Main St. and at 7 p.m. at the Fountain Valley City Council Chamber, 10200 Slater Ave. On Friday, the meeting will be at 9:30 a.m. at Leisure World Seal Beach, Clubhouse 2.

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Dollar politics: Candidates seeking the 1996 Republican presidential nomination recently filed reports with the Federal Elections Commission showing how much money they have raised and spent. In alphabetical order, they were: former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander, commentator Patrick J. Buchanan, Kansas Sen. Bob Dole, Rep. Robert K. Dornan of Garden Grove, Texas Sen. Phil Gramm, Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar and Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter.

GOP Presidential Campaign Finances

$ Raised $ Spent Debt Cash on Hand Alexander $5,262,977 $2,201,651 $80,520 $3,061,317 (11/1-3/31) Buchanan 986,437 $669,060 $126,396 $317,377 (1/1-3/31) Dole 4,439,913 1,944,297 452,563 2,495,616 (1/15-3/31) Dornan 33,719 28,480 77,083 5,240 (2/15-3/31) Gramm 8,715,685 4,634,808 464,209 8,466,123 (1/1-3/31) Lugar 510,094 304,662 0 205,432 (2/22-3/31) Specter 1,052,307 440,808 0 611,499 (11/1-3/31)

Note: Information compiled from FEC reports filed by candidates who established campaign committees before March 31. Different periods are noted. Gramm’s current cash on hand includes $4.4 million from the beginning of the period. Gov. Pete Wilson and radio talk show host Alan Keyes did not file.

Source: The American Political Network Inc.

Compiled by Times staff writer Len Hall, with contributions from staff writers Gebe Martinez and Peter M. Warren.

Politics ’95 appears every Sunday.