A behind-the-scenes look at Orange County’s political life : Where There’s a Will, There’s a Vote for Cox as Dole’s Running Mate

With the GOP presidential nomination already settled before Tuesday’s California primary, political bird-watching has been focused on who is at front-runner Bob Dole’s side as he campaigns in key primary states.

Govs. John Engler of Michigan, George Voinovich of Ohio and Tommy G. Thompson of Wisconsin--all said to be under major consideration to be Dole’s running mate--shared the Dole spotlight during last week’s Midwest primaries.

So who was with the Dole entourage when he flew to California this weekend? Newport Beach Rep. Christopher Cox, who probably isn’t on most veep short lists except one: that of conservative commentator George Will.

“The attorney general, Mr. [Dan] Lungren, has won statewide and is quite popular, or you can take a risk on a congressman,” Will said during last week’s “This Week With David Brinkley.” “And I’ve said before, Chris Cox is my choice, who could be--overnight with the powers of publicity--could be a national figure, and should be.”

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How quickly they learn: During a visit to Santa Ana’s Greenville Fundamental School, GOP presidential candidate Patrick J. Buchanan met up with Allison Conley, a seventh-grader from a neighboring school who is the “Pat Buchanan” in her campus’ mock presidential primary contest.

Conley’s campaign isn’t doing so well, but better than that of the real Buchanan, she told the candidate.

So far, Conley said, she is trailing “Texas Sen. Phil Gramm,” who won the Texas primary in her race. “I didn’t do that good because he kept saying I was racist,” Conley said as onlookers erupted in laughter.

Conley also proved she has done her Buchanan homework, telling how she refers to Dole on her campaign trail: “He has no vision for America.”

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Together on T and U: While they don’t agree on much, the county’s Democratic and Republican parties are united on one thing: opposition to the two charter proposals on the ballot Tuesday.

The Democratic Party of Orange County decided last week to oppose Measures T and U, which would establish a charter for the county and expand the Board of Supervisors, respectively. The Republican Party announced its opposition to both measures last month.

Jim Toledano, county Democratic chairman, said his group is opposed to the charter’s concentration of power in the hands of the supervisors and its opening of the door to privatization.

“This charter would freeze into law a completely archaic system that has no relevance to Orange County in the 21st century,” Toledano said. “The Board of Supervisors was designed to manage a rural county with plenty of open land and a few small cities--the antithesis of what we have today. We need a structure that recognizes that we are an urban area with many independent, self-governing cities.”

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Pringle County: They may not rename the county after Assembly Speaker Curt Pringle of Garden Grove, but it appears the local political landscape is being made over in his image.

Pringle has moved political scratch-your-back beyond the usual endorsement stuff, where a political leader gives his blessing to a worthy colleague or up-and-coming politico. Pringle does that all right, but he also has another method: Tuesday’s ballot is sprinkled with a selection of close Pringle relations, friends and associates.

Alexis Pringle (that’s the speaker’s wife) is running for the GOP Central Committee from the 68th Assembly District, as is Pringle deputy chief of staff Jeff Flint. Also running for Central Committee from the 69th Assembly District is Bradley Wilkinson, a Pringle legislative aide.

Pringle’s physician, Ken Williams, is a candidate for the county Board of Education from Area 4, and Pringle’s best friend and childhood buddy, Mark Leyes, is running for county supervisor in the 1st District.

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Hurtt help? The state Capitol is rumor central these days. But here’s the most entertaining notion we’ve heard this week.

The background: There’s talk of a longshot Democratic attempt to unseat Pringle as speaker if a key ally--Assemblyman Scott Baugh (R-Huntington Beach)--is forced out because of his indictment last week on alleged campaign wrongdoing.

Now the byzantine spin: With the speaker clinging to power by a narrow margin, some Capitol insiders are speculating that Senate GOP Leader Rob Hurtt (R-Garden Grove) was trying to help Pringle by giving a $40,000 campaign donation to the state Senate primary campaign of Democrat Assemblyman Curtis Tucker Jr., who is trying to unseat liberal Sen. Teresa Hughes of Inglewood. As this theory goes, a grateful Tucker would be willing to sit on his hands instead of voting for a Democrat.

The whole story had Rob Stutzman, Hurtt’s spokesman, rolling his eyes. “There was no deal of any sort for that contribution,” Stutzman said. “The contribution was based on the fact that Mr. Tucker will be a better vote for job creation.”

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Democrat steps up: It looked for awhile like Assemblyman Dick Ackerman (R-Fullerton) would get a free ride to reelection this November in the 72nd District in north Orange County. He had no Republican challengers in the primary and, until recently, not even a Democrat to run against him.

But no longer. Democrat Carol Zyla of Fullerton, a single mother making her first try for office, is attempting a write-in candidacy Tuesday with the hope of getting on the November ballot.

Zyla, a 26-year-old motel front-desk supervisor and Fullerton College graduate, said she was spurred into action by the notion that the county needs to get back to a two-party system. “Our voice as Democrats is not being heard anymore,” Zyla said. “The Republicans are saying less government and lower taxes, but they’re not doing anything.”

According to county Registrar of Voters Rosalyn Lever, there are two ways Zyla can win a place on the November ballot: either receive an endorsement from the Democratic Central Committee or garner 1,106 votes, a number representing 1% of all the votes (110,596) cast for that Assembly district in the last general election in November 1994.

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

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