<i> A behind-the-scenes look at Orange County’s political life</i> : If Allen Beats a Recall, Taxpayers Could Pay Her Personal, Legal Expenses

A never-tested clause in the state Constitution could come under close scrutiny--and taxpayers could face another hefty six-figure bill--if Assembly Speaker Doris Allen (R-Cypress) is successful in defeating the anticipated recall against her.

The Constitution stipulates that any state legislator can be reimbursed for all “personal and legal expenses incurred” in defeating a recall campaign. Allen’s aide, Mike Mecey, predicted the speaker certainly would consider seeking reimbursement for the $500,000 to $1 million it might cost her to defend against a recall. County taxpayers would spend another $140,000 to hold the election.

But recall coordinator Jeff Flint said because no such claim has ever been filed, it has never been determined just how inclusive “personal and legal expenses” might be.

“There is some question about what campaign expenses fit into the category of personal and legal expenses,” Flint said. “You could talk to 10 different lawyers and get 10 different answers on this.”

Assemblyman Michael J. Machado (D-Linden) recently defeated a Republican-backed recall effort and soon will file an $800,000 claim. He will be the first legislator ever to do so, his chief of staff said last week.

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Money back: Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.) made no friends among the 200 members of the Orange County chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans when he returned a $1,000 donation from the gay-oriented group’s national organization last month. Dole apparently returned the money because the Log Cabin Republicans support causes he opposes, such as allowing gays in the military.

Frank Ricchiazzi of Laguna Beach, the executive director of the national group’s political action committees, called Dole’s move “a horrible blunder that will haunt him throughout the campaign.” The group, which has 44 chapters in 33 states, was asked to donate by Dole’s fund-raisers.

“When people or companies or PACs give a candidate money, they are saying they agree with a significant number of his policies--not all of them, because we don’t agree with anybody on everything,” Ricchiazzi said. “I’d like to ask Bob Dole if he is going to give back all the Republicans for Choice money, or all the Time Warner money contributed to his campaign. Of course he’s not.”

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O.C. and N.H.: Want to know how Orange County is going to vote in the next Republican presidential primary? Then watch the results of the New Hampshire presidential primary, says Thomas A. Fuentes, chairman of the county Republican Party.

Fuentes said he and his close friend, John Sununu, a frequent county visitor and former New Hampshire governor, have often remarked on the similarities in sentiment and voting habits of residents of the two areas. Their observations came as Fuentes and Sununu walked county precincts together.

“We are always amazed at how parallel the questions from the residents are, the attitudes are, how similar in orientation and motivation,” Fuentes said, adding that family values and a work ethic dominate both areas’ agendas. “The chemistry is just real similar.”

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Assembly hopeful: Quietly emerging as a candidate for the 67th District Assembly seat now held by Doris Allen is Scott Baugh, a Huntington Beach resident and in-house attorney for Union Pacific railroad. Of course, whether there will be an open seat depends on the outcome of the recall campaign against Allen.

Baugh’s chief rival at this point is Haydee V. Tillotson, who has launched her campaign and won considerable support, including endorsements from county supervisors Jim Silva and Marian Bergeson.

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Conroy’s man: Taking a new tack in his campaign to replace Supervisor Gaddi H. Vasquez, Assemblyman Mickey Conroy (R-Orange) has written a letter urging Gov. Pete Wilson to appoint John Ben, president of the South Orange County Chambers of Commerce and owner of a chemical company in Orange, to fill the unexpired portion of Vasquez’s term. The supervisor has said he will leave office Sept. 26, and the governor’s office has been conducting an active, but quiet search for a successor.

Conroy, who announced last spring he would run for the post, originally pressed for his own appointment to the vacancy. But Conroy has reconsidered that position and sent an Aug. 31 letter to Wilson urging him to appoint Ben.

The Conroy letter to Wilson was co-signed by Assemblyman Bill Morrow (R-Oceanside). Ben declined to comment, except to say that he would like the post.

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Outsiders’ views: The efforts of Rep. Ron Packard (R-Oceanside) to forge a higher profile have not gone unnoticed by national evaluators. Here’s how he was described in the recently released “Almanac of American Politics,” published by the National Journal, and Congressional Quarterly’s “Politics in America.”

Almanac: “Until 1994, Packard was a backbencher with a highly conservative voting record; now he is chairman of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee, the panel that sets the budget for the House.”

Adds PIA: “This is a shift in focus for a member who before the [current session] was most often visible on Appropriations, working to direct federal resources to Southern California.”

UPCOMING EVENTS

* Tuesday: A special runoff election will take place in the 72nd Assembly District in North County. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

* Wednesday: The Orange County Young Republicans will meet at 7 p.m. at the Westin South Coast Plaza hotel in Costa Mesa. Call (714) 754-5955.

* Thursday: A fund-raiser for the Pete Wilson for President campaign will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Marconi Automotive Museum in Tustin. Call Wendy Cantor or Betty Presley at (714) 540-9561.

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

Politics ’95 appears every Sunday.