CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS / 72nd ASSEMBLY DISTRICT : 3 GOP Candidates to Compete in Primary for Johnson’s Seat

A primary election will be held in the 72nd Assembly District on July 18 to narrow the field of candidates seeking the seat vacated by Republican Ross Johnson when he moved up to the state Senate last week.

Gov. Pete Wilson issued a proclamation Tuesday setting the special election for Sept. 12. County election officials then immediately scheduled the primary contest for two months before that.

Running in the Republican primary are former Fullerton mayor Dick Ackerman, Fullerton Councilman Chris Norby and Yorba Linda Councilwoman Barbara Kiley. No Democrats have yet announced for the seat in the heavily Republican district, which covers the cities of Fullerton, Yorba Linda, La Habra, Brea, Placentia and a portion of Anaheim.

Tom Fuentes, chairman of the Orange County Republican Party, said the contest “will be a battle for the right anchor position. It will be the most conservative candidate who wins.”

The district has 176,538 registered voters, 56% Republicans and 32% Democrats.

Ackerman has been endorsed by both Johnson, and Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton). Fuentes said Johnson’s “support would be a substantial boost for any candidacy,” and it makes Ackerman the front runner.

“It is an outstandingly Republican district so we are going to keep it, whoever the nominee is,” Fuentes said.

Ackerman, 52, a business lawyer, served on the City Council from 1980-1992 and twice was mayor. He said he would spend about $150,000 to 200,000 in the race and has raised $50,000 already with the goal of winning a majority in the primary and making the September runoff unnecessary.

He described his conservative credentials as formidable.

“I have the strongest business background and am a past president of the Chamber of Commerce,” he said. “One of my platforms is to make sure business stays in California--too much is moving out of state because of excessive regulation.”

Kiley, 47, is a political consultant who has served on the Yorba Linda council since 1992 and was state co-chair of last year’s Proposition 187, which called for denying social services and educational benefits to illegal immigrants. She said she would spend between $100,000 and $150,000 on her campaign, including a campaign loan of $50,000 from herself.

“We are all conservative so that is not going to be the issue,” she said. “The issue is how strong an individual and how committed to conservative issues are you. I am a proven conservative and a proven fighter. . . . The battle is beginning for the conservatives to take control of California the way the conservatives have taken control of Congress.”

Norby, 45, teaches government to seniors at Brea Olinda High School, where he has worked for 10 years. He has served on the council since 1984 and is active in the campaign against Measure R, the half-cent sales tax ballot measure. He said he would raise as much money as possible, adding “how much that will be is hard to say.”

Taking note of his conservative credentials, Norby said what sets his candidacy apart is his experience in working with young people.

“The single biggest expenditure by state is on education,” he said. “I am not running to spend more on education. I know education from the inside and want to find ways to save money and put more of the dollar into the classrooms.