<i> A behind-the-scenes look at Orange County’s political life</i> : Lack of Funds Forces Righeimer to Withdraw Bid for 67th District Seat

Short Run for Righeimer: Jim Righeimer, who had the critical backing of Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) in his nascent campaign for the 67th Assembly District seat, has taken himself out of the race.

Righeimer, who is a realtor and developer in Huntington Beach, said Friday that he realized he could not raise the cash necessary to battle Republican Haydee Tillotson, who has also announced she is seeking the seat now held by House Speaker Doris Allen.

Tillotson, who spent $400,000--the vast majority of it her own money--in an unsuccessful contest for supervisor in 1994 said Friday she is prepared “to spend as much as we need to spend to run a campaign.”

Both Tillotson and Righeimer are active in the Allen recall effort. Before that began, GOP hopefuls in the 67th District were looking at competing in a March primary. But if the recall petitions are successful, those who are eyeing Allen’s seat could be facing off as soon as November.

Righeimer said his campaign fund-raising could not get in gear that fast and probably would have only raised about $150,000. He also feared a contest between Republicans could open the way for a Democrat to win in a recall contest.

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Allen Recall Response: Residents of the 67th Assembly District will be receiving a mailer from House Speaker Doris Allen as she begins to battle the recall mounted against her by GOP conservatives and the party apparatus in Orange County.

The mailer will contend the recall is disgruntled gamesmanship by her rivals in the GOP. The mailer will extol her accomplishments, including achievements in pushing the Republican agenda in the Assembly.

Among those achievements are tort law changes, the death penalty for drive-by shootings and a 15% cut in the income tax.

Gov. Pete Wilson at his fund-raiser in Irvine on Thursday mentioned those three Assembly accomplishments as he praised the fruits that could come from complete Republican control of government in Sacramento and Washington.

The governor, however, did not say it was the Allen Assembly that had moved those measures to the floor.

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Discount Price: How quickly times change. Assemblyman Curt Pringle (R-Garden Grove) customarily commands big bucks for his fund-raising events. His annual dinner at Antoine’s in Newport Beach last winter was sold out at $1,000 a plate.

But that was when Pringle chaired the Assembly’s prestigious Appropriations Committee. No longer. For whatever reason, now that Pringle has been knocked from his chairmanship by Assembly Speaker Doris Allen (R-Cypress) and pushed into a tiny Capitol office, his price has dropped dramatically. The cost of his Aug. 17 fund-raiser at the John Crean home in Santa Ana Heights? A grand sum of $68, a figure that represents his 68th Assembly District.

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Mad Mark: A controversial 22-unit residential development proposed for Laguna Niguel by Las Vegas casino owner Jack Binion has pushed the tension between some members of the Laguna Niguel City Council and a group of homeowners in south Laguna Beach to a feverish pitch.

Mayor Mark Goodman said he has been subjected to late-night hang-up phone calls for months and accusations from opponents of the project that he took thousands of dollars in contributions from Binion, a charge he denies.

Things came to a head at the July 18 council meeting when Goodman attacked his detractors, calling their tactics “obvious intimidation. . . . It’s Bolshevism. I’m a history buff. You folks, go read about Lenin and Stalin and what they did. They tore down and threatened their public officials.”

Quipped Mark Beanan, vice president of the South Laguna Civic Assn., a group of homeowners living directly below the proposed housing tract who say it could flood their properties: “Thank you, Mayor Joe McCarthy.”

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Washington Doings: During a House Banking subcommittee hearing on the Orange County bankruptcy, Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach) issued a stinging criticism of those involved in the financial crisis--particularly Orange County government’s only Democratic officeholder then, former Treasurer-Tax Collector Robert L. Citron. Asked by a Texas congressmen about the culpability of the Board of Supervisors, Cox replied: “I don’t want to opine “ on that.

* Efforts by Rep. Ron Packard (R-Oceanside) to close the Immigration and Naturalization Service checkpoints in San Clemente and Temecula and send those resources to the border won House approval last week.

UPCOMING EVENTS

* Wednesday: Ted Costa of the Peoples Advocate, a Sacramento-based community activist group, will speak at 7 p.m. on maximizing the effectiveness of grass-roots groups. Sponsored by the Committees of Correspondence. Council Chambers in Orange City Hall, 300 E. Chapman. 7 p.m. Information: (714) 557-6146.

* Wednesday: Speak Up Newport hosts a meeting for Sen. Ross Johnson (R-Irvine) at 5:30 p.m. at the Villa Nova Restaurant, 3131 West Coast Highway, Newport Beach.

* Thursday: Breakfast with the politicians sponsored by the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce. Attending are Supervisors Roger Stanton and Jim Silva, Assembly members Mickey Conroy, Jim Morrissey and Marilyn Brewer, and Sens. Rob Hurtt and Ross Johnson.

* Thursday: Democrats of North Orange County meet 6 p.m. at Sizzler, 1401 Harbor Blvd., Fullerton. Film on endangered species and speech by Harlo Lenning of the Southern California Endangered Species Coalition. Information: (714) 680-0986.

* Thursday: Sen. Ross Johnson will host an open house from 4:30-7 p.m. at his new district office at 18552 MacArthur Blvd., Suite 395, Irvine. Information: (714) 833-0180.

* Thursday: A $250-a-person fund-raiser for the 3rd District supervisorial campaign of Assemblyman Mickey Conroy (R-Orange) will be held from 6-8 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency in Irvine. Information from Mike Williams at (714) 283-3448.

* Saturday: The Seal Beach Republican Women Federated will meet at 6:30 p.m. at the Los Alamitos Race Course. Call Jan McKnew at (714) 840-1647.

Compiled by Times staff writer Len Hall with contributions from Times political writer Peter M. Warren and correspondent Frank Messina.

Politics ’95 appears every Sunday.