Speaker Says He Has GOP Votes to Keep the Job : Politics: Brian Setencich remains confident despite maneuvering by Curt Pringle and conservatives.

As opponents traded salvos in the battle over Assembly leadership, Speaker Brian Setencich--a Republican elected last year mainly by Democrats--predicted he has picked up sufficient Republican backing to remain at the top in 1996.

Meanwhile, his main challenger, GOP Leader Curt Pringle of Garden Grove, and the party’s conservative establishment turned up the heat on lawmakers still waffling over whom to back for Speaker.

In an attempt to aid Pringle, California GOP Chairman John S. Herrington dispatched a letter late Thursday to Assembly Republicans warning them of the possible ramifications if they backed a Speaker hoisted to power by the Democrats. He asked them to sign a written pledge to vote only for a Speaker supported by the entire caucus.

“Each of you knows the importance of having a Republican Assembly in California and each of you knows the importance of having genuine Republican leadership of that Assembly,” Herrington and Michael J. Schroeder, the party’s state vice chairman, wrote. “You owe it to the voters, to the California Republican Party and to yourselves to make sure that you carry out the Republican agenda beginning in January of 1996.”

Setencich, a freshman Republican from Fresno, is now saying he has eight solid votes in the Assembly GOP caucus, more than enough to combine with his bloc of Democratic backers to stay in power. He reacted with dismay over the letter from Herrington and Schroeder.

“I just think, frankly, that we’ve got to get away from loyalty oaths,” Setencich said. “We’ve got to start doing the business of California in an aggressive and fair manner. Certainly loyalty oaths do nothing to solve the problems we have in California.”

But he remained confident that he can retain his job, despite an aggressive push by Pringle and the powers of the Republican Party.

“I feel very confident that the coalition I’ve established is strong now and we will have a strong coalition come Jan. 3 to stabilize the House,” Setencich said.

His prediction was backed up to a degree by some Republican moderates, but they suggested that Setencich will win their votes only if he takes steps to strip the Democrats of power and perks they enjoyed even after the GOP captured numerical superiority last year.

“I say to Brian, give us some things,” Assemblyman Trice Harvey (R-Bakersfield) said. “If he gives us those things, there would be eight [Republican supporters], and maybe more.”

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Setencich made moves this week to bolster his position, naming Assemblyman Fred Aguiar (R-Chino)--whom insiders peg as either a Setencich backer or a possible compromise candidate for Speaker--second in command as speaker pro tem. Setencich also attempted to soften Pringle by appointing him the caucus floor leader, bumping up his salary and increasing his staff budget by $300,000.

Pringle, however, brushed aside the appointment as a perfunctory gesture and pressed his case that Setencich is little better than dethroned Speaker Doris Allen, who was recalled by voters last month after plotting with the Democrats to seize the Assembly reins. Allen and the Democrats cast the votes in September that gave the speakership to Setencich, the only other Republican who backed Allen.

“There’s a clear difference between what you would get from a Pringle speakership and a Brian Setencich speakership,” said Pringle, of Garden Grove. “It undermines the Republican policy agenda. And when you have uncertainty as to the leader of the party, that hurts fund-raising and election efforts. That’s really what the Democrats want out of this. And that’s what they get from Brian Setencich.”

Pringle said Setencich has failed to reshape the Assembly in the Republican mold, citing as an example his apparent reluctance to put loyal Republicans on paying commissions now staffed by appointees of former Democratic Speaker Willie Brown.

Pringle’s allies have also talked hopefully of capturing any Democrats feeling left out as that party’s Assembly caucus grapples over who will take the helm next year.

But even some Republicans are dubious.

“The Democrats trust Brian,” said Harvey, who is having to consider the political ramifications of his vote as he challenges for a congressional seat. “They trust him to treat them decent and they don’t trust Curt. They view Curt as a scorched-earth Republican.”

Another problem for Pringle is the continuing controversy over newly elected Assemblyman Scott Baugh, who replaced Allen in Orange County’s 67th Assembly District.

Baugh is being investigated for campaign finance problems and possibly playing a role when a friend signed up to run against him as a Democrat. Democrats contended the friend was a “stealth candidate” in the race only to take away votes from another Democrat, and they succeeded in having her name removed from the ballot. Democrats are having a field day with the episode, and have made a conspicuous public relations push to suggest that Pringle, who endorsed Baugh, was somehow involved.

Worse yet, some Republicans don’t like what they see.

“Even if that debacle doesn’t end up touching Pringle’s operation directly, people in our caucus are saying, ‘Why did Curt endorse this guy?’ ” said one GOP lawmaker who plans to vote for Pringle in a speakership showdown. “It goes to the judgment question.”