Vasquez Says He Won’t Run in ’96 : Politics: Bankruptcy tarnished O.C. board chairman’s once-sterling reputation. His term has 18 months to go.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Gaddi H. Vasquez, a onetime rising star in national Republican politics whose reputation was tarnished by Orange County’s financial crisis, announced Wednesday he would not seek reelection in March so he can spend more time with family and friends.

The announcement by the 40-year-old Vasquez, Orange County’s highest-ranking Latino officeholder, comes amid voter outrage over the county’s bankruptcy and intensified debate on Measure R, the June 27 bailout initiative that would raise the sales tax a half-cent to help pay off the county’s debts.

But Vasquez, who will remain in office for another 18 months, said his decision has nothing to do with the bankruptcy, the proposed tax increase or predictions that he would face a grueling reelection effort.

“We would be having this discussion today under any circumstances, regardless of any of those issues,” Vasquez said. He added, however, that the long hours spent responding to the county’s financial calamity have taken a toll on him. “I love public service, but I could do without the politics of it.”

Vasquez said the commitments of public life have consumed all his free time over the past eight years, forcing him to neglect friendships and quality time with his wife and teen-age son. That was the driving force behind his decision, he said, which he has been considering for more than a year.

“I want to be able to enjoy a lot of the personal side of my life that I have not been able to focus on due to . . . this job,” said Vasquez, looking relaxed but growing emotional as he reflected on his career. “Because if you do this job right, this job will consume you.”

But even as Vasquez insisted there was nothing political about his decision, the news was quickly analyzed for its impact on Measure R, which goes before voters in just 12 days.

Polls show voters are resentful about top officials’ handling of the fiscal mess, and might oppose Measure R to punish them. County Chief Executive Officer William J. Popejoy has said he believes the tax would have a greater chance of passing if the three supervisors in office at the time of the Dec. 6 bankruptcy step aside.

“It’s a classy action on his behalf. I hope it will help further deflate the anger factor and better allow the people to examine how to get out from underneath the bankruptcy, free from some of the emotion,” Popejoy said Wednesday after Vasquez’s announcement. “I believe it helps clear the air,” even if that wasn’t Vasquez’s intention, he said.

Measure R foes said Vasquez’s announcement was an effort to generate support for the half-cent sales tax increase, which Vasquez backs.

“This is just another ploy to get this tax passed,” said Carole Walters, head of the Orange Taxpayers Assn. and a leading opponent of Measure R.

Vasquez laughed when asked whether the bankruptcy was a factor in his decision. “If I tell you it hasn’t had any effect, people are going to say, ‘He’s not telling the truth,’ ” he said.

Vasquez, who said he feels duty-bound to remain in office until his term expires Dec. 31, 1996, is the most prominent county official to leave government in the midst of the ongoing financial crisis. The list includes longtime Treasurer-Tax Collector Robert L. Citron, who resigned just before the bankruptcy and has pleaded guilty to six felonies in connection with the financial collapse, County Administrative Officer Ernie Schneider, who was fired in February, and County Counsel Terry C. Andrus, who resigned in February.

Vasquez and his colleagues claimed ignorance that Citron was gambling on risky investments which ultimately lost nearly $1.7 billion in money belonging to the county, cities, schools and other government entities.

It remains unclear what Vasquez, a former Orange police officer who continues to patrol the streets as a reserve, will do in the future. He will continue to earn $77,953 plus benefits that include health insurance and unlimited paid vacation until he leaves.

Only Assemblyman Mickey Conroy (R-Orange) had voiced plans to run against Vasquez in the March primary, but Wednesday’s announcement is sure to bring out others who want to take a shot at the county’s highest office. Vasquez did not name a preferred successor.

Conroy has said he would run to restore public trust in Orange County government, calling the supervisors “damaged goods.” On Wednesday, he had kind words for the departing supervisor.

“It’s a courageous decision on his part to not run,” said Conroy, who acknowledged he is pleased he will not have to face the incumbent.

Skeptics had a different spin on Wednesday’s announcement, speculating that Vasquez had shrewdly decided to walk away from office rather than face the possibility of a humiliating election defeat.

“I don’t believe there was any way he could run, successfully, for reelection,” said Orange County political consultant Harvey Englander. “And given everything that’s happened, it would have been a very divisive election.”

Thomas A. Fuentes, chairman of the Orange County Republican Party, said Vasquez could not be considered a serious candidate after he supported Measure R.

“Measure R is a watershed issue of enormous consequence, and no officeholder who supports the passage of Measure R could ever hope to be reelected,” Fuentes said.

“They are connected to the bankruptcy . . . and they seem to be in an untenable position,” said John H. Sawyer, general manager of the Orange County Employees Assn., which represents about 11,000 county employees. “Whether that’s fair or not, it’s the public perception.”

But Supervisors Roger R. Stanton, Marian Bergeson and Jim Silva said they do not believe Vasquez’s announcement is linked to the bankruptcy or Measure R. And those closest to the supervisor say Vasquez has been talking privately for months about leaving public life--at least for now.

Vasquez, who said his decision came after long deliberation with his wife, refused to rule out a return to politics someday.

Supervisor William G. Steiner said he, too, would not be surprised by another venture into public life by Vasquez, who has spoke before both the 1988 and 1992 Republican national conventions and often hobnobbed with the likes of former Presidents Ronald Reagan, George Bush and Richard Nixon--whom Vasquez idolized.

The son of an Apostolic minister, Vasquez at 17 shared a podium with then-Gov. Reagan after being elected governor of the California Boys State convention. At 19, he became a police officer--the youngest in the history of the Orange Police Department--and valedictorian of his class at the academy.

In 1985, after five years as an aide to then-Supervisor Bruce Nestande, Vasquez was selected by then-Gov. George Deukmejian to be his liaison with the Latino community, later becoming his chief deputy appointments secretary.

In 1987, Deukmejian appointed Vasquez to the Board of Supervisors after Nestande resigned. Early on, he made his mark as an activist supervisor, requiring new housing developments to provide space for day-care centers and persuading the board to create a Hazardous Waste Task Force. He was looking out for his constituents when he opposed a jail project--and tax--that would have had a heavy impact on his district.

In Vasquez, local, state and national GOP image-makers saw the chance to court Latinos--one of the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. population--and for the Republican Party to counter stereotypes that conservatives are unsympathetic to minorities and the poor.

In his first race, in 1988, Vasquez easily trounced a minor challenger and within days was being considered for appointment as state treasurer.

The Bush campaign invited him to speak at the 1988 national convention and Vasquez offered a rousing speech from the podium. Vasquez spoke again at the 1992 GOP convention.

But despite his prominence, Vasquez disappointed some supporters by refusing to take a stance on controversial matters and shrinking from issues important to Latinos, such as Proposition 187, the measure that would deny all but emergency health and social services to illegal immigrants.

“He has failed time and time again to treat the Latino community with dignity and respect, to even acknowledge us,” said Art Montez, spokesman for the local chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens and a longtime Vasquez critic.

Over the years, Vasquez has insisted that he never held himself out as the leader of Orange County’s Latino community. And too frequently, he said, his deliberate style and cautious nature have been criticized as political waffling.

But even former colleagues have accused him of doing what is political--instead of following his convictions.

“All his decisions are made when he tests the wind and I guess he’s tested the wind this time and decided it would be wise for him not to run again,” said former Supervisor Harriett M. Wieder.

Few of Vasquez’s colleagues said they were surprised by the decision not to run again. Steiner said Vasquez looked like a new man when he told him.

“He certainly had peace of mind and it was like the weight of the world was taken off his shoulders,” Steiner said. “I think he is considering his family’s needs.”

Vasquez said months of reflection and reliance on his faith have left him determined to make his life more meaningful.

“You pass by this way once, and I want to enjoy life,” Vasquez said. “I’m a person who has entrusted his future a long time ago to someone bigger than you and me.”

Vasquez, who was in office with Steiner and Stanton when Orange County declared the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history, said he remains philosophical about the personal attacks he’s suffered because of the ordeal.

He said he believes his district, which includes Fullerton, Brea, Yorba Linda, Villa Park, Irvine, La Habra, Lake Forest and Mission Viejo, has benefited from his years of service on the board.

Vasquez said he feels he’s contributed to the economic development in the county, privatization of county services and preservation of park land. He said he hopes he’s “made government more efficient.”

“I have given this job my heart and soul,” Vasquez said. “It’s a good time for someone new to come into the process and make their contributions.”

Times staff writers Eric Bailey, Rebecca Trounson, Peter M. Warren and Jodi Wilgoren and correspondent Shelby Grad contributed to this report.

More Coverage

* PROFILE--Gaddi H. Vasquez, always the first or the youngest, faces uncertain future at age 40. A18

* IMPACT--Analysts believe surprise announcement will have little effect on Measure R vote. A18

* REACTION--Some constituents and officials are disappointed by decision, but others cheer news. A18

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Career Move

After 20 years in public service, Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gaddi H. Vasquez will not seek reelection.

Some career highlights:

* Highest-ranking Latino in Orange County government

* Worked to implement an innovative slow-growth program

* Spoke at 1988 and 1992 GOP national conventions

“I want to be able to enjoy a lot of the personal side of my life that I have not been able to focus on due to . . . this job.”