South County Loses Ally but May Gain

With Supervisor Marian Bergeson’s resignation Tuesday, South County residents lose their strongest ally in the fight against a proposed airport and maximum-security jail--but are poised to gain an even more powerful voice on the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

Bergeson hopes her replacement will be a South County resident, which would mark a coming of age for one of the most affluent areas in the nation and one that has been long underrepresented in county government.

“This is going to be a defining moment for the South County,” Laguna Niguel Councilman Mark Goodman said. “It has huge ramifications in terms of whether the South County residents finally have their own representative who will protect their quality of life.”

Bergeson, like Supervisor Thomas F. Riley before her, lives in Newport Beach, requiring her to reconcile the oft-differing needs of her neighbors and the rest of the 5th District that stretches south along the coast to San Clemente.

It’s not clear when Gov. Pete Wilson will announce her successor. But Bergeson vowed not to abandon South County residents on the district’s two most heated issues: plans to expand James A. Musick Branch Jail in Irvine into a maximum-security facility and a proposal to transform El Toro Marine Corps Air Station into one of the nation’s largest international airports.

Bergeson said she will remain on the board long enough to vote against the jail expansion. She told Wilson that before she joins his administration, she wants a replacement named who will oppose the airport when supervisors vote on the proposal in December.

As the names of potential replacements made the rounds Tuesday, many were scarcely known outside of South County circles while others were more familiar. Some were surprising.

Said to be among the top contenders: Mary Jane Forster, a San Juan Capistrano resident and member of the State Water Resources Control Board; Holly Veale, former San Clemente mayor and Bergeson’s aide overseeing the El Toro issue; and Laguna Niguel Mayor Patricia C. Bates.

Other names being mentioned are Thomas W. Wilson, Laguna Niguel councilman and chairman of the Orange County Fire Authority; former Irvine Mayor Sally Anne Sheridan; Kevin Sloat, Bergeson’s former legislative chief of staff and currently the governor’s deputy chief of staff; and Mark Hoglund of Newport Beach, Gov. Wilson’s former campaign finance officer.

There was also speculation that the county’s former maverick chief executive officer, William J. Popejoy, was on the list.

Popejoy, a retired corporate executive who was appointed by Wilson to help guide the county out of bankruptcy, resigned after a stormy tenure and said Tuesday he is not interested in becoming a county supervisor.

It’s not hard to understand why--the 5th District is perhaps the toughest to represent because of its competing interests. Bergeson often had to take sides within her own district.

Most Newport Beach residents in her district, for example, support developing an airport when the military retires the El Toro base by mid-1999 because they see it as a way to curb traffic at John Wayne Airport. But most South County residents who live near the base are opposed.

North County officials are also behind the jail expansion, to the dismay of South County opponents.

But the way political pundits see the world, whoever becomes the 5th District’s next supervisor is in a good position to seek higher office. After serving the remaining two years of Bergeson’s term, her replacement is likely to win reelection. Then, the path would be clear to the state Legislature, where term limits will force Assemblywoman Marilyn C. Brewer (R-Irvine) to leave office in four years and Sen. Ross Johnson (R-Irvine) to step down in six.

“It’s very clear to me that the governor must appoint a South County resident to serve out the remainder of my term. . . . There is a fine pool of talent among South County’s men and women (especially women),” Bergeson’s resignation letter said.

While airport foes applauded her call for a South County successor, Newport Beach Mayor John W. Hedges said he’ll be glad to see Bergeson leave the board.

“She has never been a friend of Newport Beach with respect to the airport and other things--unless those things had overwhelming public support and they were safe to endorse,” Hedges said.

He also takes issue with Bergeson’s seeming preference for a female candidate and one opposed to an airport.

“I’m not sure what a person’s gender has to do with their eligibility to make decisions,” Hedges said. “But I’d prefer to see someone who can make decisions based on the welfare of the county, rather than somebody who has parochial blinders firmly installed.”

The heady notion of a South County representative on the board allowed some to overlook the political realities that even if the staunchest airport opponent from the farthest recesses of South County is chosen, it won’t have much impact. Most observers believe the board majority will endorse an airport when the issues comes to a vote in December.

Laguna Niguel Councilman Goodman and other South County leaders insisted Tuesday that they won’t be happy unless the newest board member is a bona fide South County resident and passes the no-airport litmus test.

“With a South County supervisor, we would feel that we’ve finally come of age and have some representation of our own,” Irvine Mayor Mike Ward said.

Contributing to this report were Times staff writer Eric Bailey and correspondent Shelby Grad.

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In the Running?

When County Supervisor Marian Bergeson announced her resignation Tuesday, she urged Gov. Pete Wilson to appoint a successor who is both a resident of South County and a woman. Here’s a look at three who have been mentioned as possible Bergeson replacements:

Patricia C. Bates

Age: 56

Residence: Laguna Niguel

Education: Graduate of Occidental College with degree in psychology

Family: Married for 32 years; two children

Background: Laguna Niguel mayor; on City Council since 1989; chairwoman, San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency; member, Saddleback Community College Foundation board of directors

Quote: “We need someone on the board from south Orange County. The board needs to represent the diversity in the county and should include a woman. I would bring a very critical ability in problem solving to that board.”

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Mary Jane Forster

Age: 53

Residence: San Juan Capistrano

Education: Graduate of College of Mount St. Vincent, New York City; degrees in social sciences and education

Family: Divorced, four children

Background: Former planning commissioner, San Juan Capistrano; member of State Water Resources Control Board for the past three years (appointed by Gov. Wilson); former teacher; former legislative analyst for Municipal Water District of Orange County

Quote: “I’m flattered that my name is being raised by the key players of the 5th District. . . . I’ve been a grass-roots activist for 30 years in south Orange County and active in politics on the local level, the state level and the federal level.”

****

Holly Veale

Age: 48

Residence: San Clemente

Education: Attended American University in Washington, D.C.

Family: Five children; husband is an exporter

Background: Served on San Clemente City Council, 1986-90; volunteer with Boys and Girls Club and a local literacy group; now works as a Bergeson aide, handling land-use, environmental and aviation issues

Quote: “It’s exciting, it’s very flattering, and I appreciate everybody’s vote of confidence. We need someone who is gutsy and can take the heat.”

Source: Individual candidates