2 Democrats’ O.C. Victories Lend Clout in Sacramento

Two Democrats from conservative Orange County who will be sworn in Monday to seats they won in the state Legislature symbolize the party’s revival in the county and its dominance statewide.

State Sen.-elect Joe Dunn of Garden Grove and Assemblyman-elect Lou Correa of Santa Ana stood united with other Democrats in the fall elections while Republicans, for the first time in nearly two decades, remained a minority in both houses and lost the governor’s office.

As newcomers, Dunn and Correa are expected to have a big say in the Democrat-controlled Legislature because their victories hammered at the heart of the state’s GOP base. Orange County Republicans have played a major role in the party statewide, often holding top leadership positions in the Senate and Assembly, and have influenced the state’s more conservative measures in recent years.

Moreover, Democrats had been left for dead in the county. Except for one-term Assemblyman Tom Umberg in 1990, Democrats in Orange County have been shut out of the Legislature since the mid-1970s.

“These two Democrats are going to be like very well-taken-care-of foreign potentates in the Capitol,” said one veteran Sacramento lobbyist and Republican insider. “These guys will have a get-out-of-jail-free card for everything they want to do.”

Republicans, who for 16 years have had a GOP governor to veto Democratic legislation they found objectionable, now are wondering how best to proceed under the new order.

“We’re obviously going to be playing defense, largely,” said state Sen. John R. Lewis of Orange, one of a few Republicans who have served under a Democratic governor. “This is a huge shift for Republicans.”

But it will be a new season for such Republicans such as Assemblywoman Marilyn C. Brewer of Irvine. “It’s not so wonderful,” she said. “Republicans can stay engaged if they stay united, and I think that will be our strategy.”

Lewis, for one, is rethinking his priorities. Where he had once wanted to introduce tax-cut bills, he now intends to focus on charter schools legislation because he believes he has an ally in a high place. Gov.-elect Gray Davis’ new education advisor, Gary K. Hart, wrote the initial charter school legislation.

Assemblyman Scott Baugh (R-Huntington Beach), who has won respect on both sides of the aisle for his ability to forge coalitions and compromises, said he’ll continue to work under the philosophy that the way to get things done is by building relationships.

Still, he said he does not expect to win on raw, partisan issues such as tax cuts. It’s more likely that the Legislature will solve the problem of financing local governments, which is not such a partisan issue, Baugh said.

Indeed, Dunn figures that most voters are interested more in problem-solving, not philosophy, and the lawmakers generally follow such a course. “On 80% to 85% of the things that need to be done, there’s no disagreement,” Dunn said.

Correa, for his part, doesn’t believe the GOP has a corner on supporting tax cuts. He said he plans to introduce a bill cutting the $800 tax that small-business owners must pay the state each year.

Because a third of the Legislature will be made up of new members, many said it is difficult to handicap the session.

“Every year is totally different--new circumstances, new people, new conditions,” Brewer said. “You have to stay adaptable.”

Republicans still dominate politics in Orange County, of course, and still will have leadership roles in the Legislature. Sen. Ross Johnson of Irvine, for example, is expected to remain as minority leader.

Many believe that Orange County will remain a focus of legislative attention despite the changes.

“There’s very little reason for anyone on the Democratic side to ignore Orange County,” said Dennis Carpenter, a lobbyist for county government.