A behind-the-scenes look at Orange County’s political life

Orange County’s elite were abuzz earlier this month when Elizabeth Dole left early from an exclusive $10,000-a-couple political fund raiser Oct. 1 at the Hyatt Regency Irvine. Her post-salad departure, blamed on fatigue, came on the heels of her husband’s decision to skip the event to bone up for the first presidential debate.

Now a GOP campaign aide is taking the blame for the would-be first lady’s premature exit. Robert P. Davis, a senior advisor to Dole, apologized to event host George Argyros in a letter obtained by The Times.

“I made absolutely the wrong decision in trying to shorten the evening for Mrs. Dole, without first discussing it adequately with her,” Davis said in his note to Argyros. “The result was disruptive, embarrassing and, frankly, unacceptable.”

Argyros said no apology was in order. “They didn’t need to do that,” he said. “I think everyone understood--this is a busy campaign; she has been a busy campaigner. . . . We were delighted she was there for the time she was there.”

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Sign of Crime: The Huntington Beach police union is injecting itself as a player in the city’s upcoming council election. But members can’t seem to stop the thieves who are tagging or taking their campaign signs.

Many of their political posters, which tout two council challengers endorsed by the union and berate the three incumbents seeking reelection, have been spray-painted with a circle and slash or stolen outright.

It’s prompted the peeved police association to put up a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any sign scofflaws.

“It’s a deliberate sort of thing,” said Police Assn. manager Terry Orosco. “Police have 1st Amendment rights too.”

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Yo, Bill! Sure, he’s only the mayor of Santa Ana, but Miguel A. Pulido Jr. had the opportunity last week to dole out a perk that was positively presidential: a shot at shaking hands with President Clinton.

As a White House ally and mayor of the host city, Pulido was able to pass on a list of names to the president’s advance team of people allowed in the standing-room-only VIP area.

But one employee at Pulido’s Ace Muffler Shop in Santa Ana had a different take on the 150 phone messages waiting for Mr. Mayor the day before last Thursday’s presidential visit.

“There’s so many brown-nosers, you wouldn’t believe it,” he said. “We’re hearing from people we haven’t heard from in 10 years.”

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Big-Screen Campaign: Laguna Niguel council candidate Mimi Krogius Walters doesn’t hang with Sly, Bruce or Arnold, but every day she shares space on the silver screen with Hollywood’s biggest stars at a local Edwards theater.

Walters bought advertising time at the mega-chain’s five-screen complex off Crown Valley Parkway, where a slide bearing her picture and campaign slogan flashes several times between movie showings.

“It’s the closest I’ll ever get to being in the movies,” said Walters. “But this is working for me. I’ve had people come up and say ‘Hey, I’ve seen you in the movies.’ ”

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Religious Conversion: Jim de Boom had only one reservation about abandoning his seat as a trustee of the Newport-Mesa Unified School District: he didn’t want a candidate backed by the Education Alliance to move in. So, when Brian Kevin Theriot announced he was running for the spot, de Boom asked him straight off if he had any ties to the conservative group.

At the time the answer was no, but now it’s yes.

Theriot, who has chalked up two defeats in two runs for Costa Mesa City Council, has also received a $400 contribution from Fieldstead and Co., a philanthropy controlled by conservative political benefactor Howard Ahmanson.

De Boom said he is disturbed by what he considers a disingenuous flip-flop by Theriot, but is relieved another candidate, Dana Black, is vying for the spot.

Theriot said he did not deliberately mislead de Boom. He approached the Education Alliance for support “several weeks ago,” but he was not aware they were one of the religious groups that de Boom wanted to keep off the board.

Besides, he said, just because he has their support doesn’t mean he will adopt their agenda. “I am known as a cowboy,” Theriot said. “I call my own shots.”

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Positively Genteel: The campaign season may be getting hotter and the mailers nastier, but politics in Mission Viejo has turned positively genteel.

After a recent cable television debate, incumbent Councilman William S. Craycraft turned to his competitors for two council seats and suggested they all do a power dinner at Buffy’s, a well-known South County truck stop.

“We had a bite to eat, a piece of pie, and talked about politics,” said Craycraft, who had three of the other five candidates accept his invitation. “It was very cordial, very friendly.”

By Times staff writer Eric Bailey with contributions from correspondents Hope Hamashige, Jeff Kass, Russ Loar and Frank Messina.

Politics ’96 appears every Sunday. Items can be mailed to Politics ‘96, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626, or faxed to (714) 966-7711.