Candidates Agree on Some Issues, but Display Very Different Styles

The two candidates vying for the 1st District seat on the Board of Supervisors both represent ethnically and economically diverse cities in the heart of central Orange County.

But Garden Grove Councilman Mark Leyes and Westminster Mayor Charles V. Smith are decidedly different politicians, giving voters a distinct choice come November.

Smith, a 64-year-old retired aerospace manager, has earned a reputation as a soft-spoken conciliator, serving in such influential posts as chairman of the Orange County Transportation Authority and president of the Orange County division of the League of California Cities.

Leyes, a 38-year-old government relations specialist, is considered more of a maverick who vocally opposed last year’s Measure R tax increase proposal and is a strong proponent of building a commercial airport at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.

The winner will be one of three new supervisors to join the board by January, an unprecedented turnover that will give the freshmen unusual clout. The 1st District victor will succeed Board Chairman Roger R. Stanton, who is stepping down in December after 16 years as a supervisor.

“They definitely have different styles,” said activist Bill Ward. “Sometimes, you look at a race and realize it doesn’t make much difference who wins. But I think Smith and Leyes have different outlooks in terms of how they see the county.”

Leyes has a significant fund-raising lead over Smith, as well as the backing of Assembly Speaker Curt Pringle (R-Garden Grove), a childhood friend and longtime political ally.

Leyes has raised $117,000 so far this year, compared to $79,985 for Smith. Leyes enters the final weeks of the campaign with a cash balance of $55,574, compared to $16,275 for Smith.

Nonetheless, Smith surprised many observers by placing first in the crowded March primary, garnering 29% of the vote, compared to 26% for Leyes.

Observers say Leyes’ fund-raising edge gives him a boost, but they insist that the race is still very much up for grabs.

Smith has won the backing of scores of council members throughout the county including Fountain Valley Councilman George B. Scott, who ran a close third in the primary.

He also received some key law enforcement endorsements, including the backing of Sheriff Brad Gates, the Southern California Alliance of Law Enforcement and the Santa Ana Police Officers Assn. Earlier this month, Smith picked up the highly sought backing of the Assn. of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs.

Leyes has the support of Supervisor Jim Silva and Treasurer-Tax Collector John M.W. Moorlach as well as the County Firefighters Assn. and Orange County Marshals Assn.

But Leyes’ most influential backing comes from a host of state and federal legislators, including Pringle, Assemblyman Jim Morrissey (R-Santa Ana), GOP State Senate Leader Rob Hurtt (R-Garden Grove) and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach).

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Not surprisingly, the county’s bankruptcy crisis and its aftermath is the dominant issue in the campaign.

Westminster and Garden Grove were among the few local government entities not to place significant sums of money in the county’s investment pool, which lost $1.64 billion of its value because of former Treasurer-Tax Collector Robert L. Citron’s risky investment practices.

Leyes points with pride to his strident opposition to Measure R, an unsuccessful 1995 tax increase proposal designed to help lift the county out of bankruptcy. In debates before the election, Leyes clashed with prominent Measure R supporters, including Gates and former County CEO William J. Popejoy.

“I was out there campaigning against Measure R,” Leyes said. “These are my anti-tax credentials.”

Smith said he also opposed Measure R but did not campaign against it. As chairman of the Orange County Transportation Authority, Smith said he played an important role in helping develop the countywide bankruptcy recovery plan and preventing protracted litigation among pool investors. He also successfully fought to protect the OCTA’s bus service against cutbacks.

“I’ve accomplished things in these positions, not just opposed things,” Smith said.

Both candidates support efforts by County CEO Jan Mittermeier to restructure government operations by eliminating two major county agencies and possibly cutting jobs. But they insist that Mittermeier’s plan should only be the first step in a much larger reorganization.

“It seems like she is sort of rearranging the deck chairs,” Leyes said. “What we really need is a top-to-bottom review of all county functions to determine what things we should continue to do, what things we can give over to the private sector . . . and what things we can just stop doing.”

Smith said the current structure of county government is fundamentally flawed. “Our county government was designed to handle a rural area of 50 years ago,” he said. “Now, our county is focused on urban development and cities. Government needs to be completely reorganized to effectively govern the county the way it is now.”

Both candidates favor a proposal to build a commercial airport at the El Toro Marine base, saying the development would boost the local economy. Leyes and Smith also advocate efforts to make county government more accessible to the public by holding board meetings at night and broadcasting them on cable television.

But they differ on the emotional issue of whether the county should defend officials accused of bankruptcy-related misdeeds.

Smith said he would review each case individually but generally supports providing defense funds to county employees as long as the charges stem from official duties and do not involve personal gain. The city of Westminster paid for Smith’s defense costs and damages after a jury found last year that he and other city officials violated the civil rights of several firefighters and fire union activists.

Leyes, however, said he would probably oppose providing defense funds to the officials unless they agreed to refund the money if found guilty.

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So far, the race has remained relatively quiet, though some contentious issues have emerged.

Smith and others criticized Leyes for living in a house outside the district but listing on his candidacy papers a second property he owns inside the district.

Leyes contends that he and his wife have lived in the second house since last October. “The residency question is a nonissue,” he said. “It has nothing to do with the race.”

Smith, meanwhile, has faced scrutiny over a federal court’s $2.5-million civil rights judgment against him and other city officials. The 1995 case stemmed from the firing of five firefighters after an investigation into overtime fraud at the Westminster Fire Department.

Leyes said the incident raises questions about Smith’s judgment. But Smith contends that he took tough but necessary action to protect taxpayers and prevent the firefighter’s union from dominating the department.

“The union was trying to take over the Fire Department . . . and we stood eye to eye with the national AFL-CIO,” Smith said. “The taxpayers benefited from it. We are now saving $2 million a year in fire service.”