In Race for D.A., Judge Finds Big Friends of the Court

If you happen to come across Superior Court Judge Anthony J. Rackauckas Jr. on the campaign trail this week, you’ll find him using that same low-key, polite, respectful tone that’s his usual demeanor.

But behind the smile, you can bet he’s dancing. A full rumba. Or at least a nice soft shoe. And why not?

In his run for district attorney, Rackauckas has pulled off the great coup of the race. Orange County deputy prosecutors through their association this week bypassed one of their own colleagues, Wallace J. Wade, to endorse Rackauckas. It was a stinging setback for Wade, who had once been the association’s president.

About a third of the lawyers in the D.A.’s office, mostly management, don’t belong to the association. But when that endorsement goes out on political mailers countywide, many will read it this way: The judge got the prosecutors’ vote.

This doesn’t clinch the election for Rackauckas. But it won’t hurt him to start thinking about new stationery.

Wade’s disappointment is evident, but he’s determined to run a strong campaign.

“I’m certainly not out of this race, and I don’t view the deputies’ vote as fatal,” Wade said. “But clearly I would have loved their support.”

The district attorney’s race has taken some amazing turns. First, nobody expected Dist. Atty. Mike Capizzi to give up a job he would have kept winning handily into the next century. But Capizzi has a yearning to be the state’s attorney general and has chosen not to seek reelection.

Then, everyone within the district attorney’s office held back from running, assuming Deputy Dist. Atty. Bryan Brown would run. He’s hands down the most popular prosecutor in the county. But Brown, a purist in the courtroom, has no taste for the ugliness of politics. He decided to pass.

So another supervisor in the office, Brent Romney, came forward as a clear pro-Capizzi candidate. In a column last July, I predicted a close race between two good friends--Rackauckas and Romney. Rackauckas had been a deputy prosecutor for 16 years before joining the bench. He and Romney had been on the office’s homicide panel together and respected each other greatly.

But health problems forced Romney to drop out. That left the door open for Wade, supervisor for special prosecutions. Last July, I had asked Wade if he planned to run. He said it was too early for him to reveal his plans.

Probably it was already too late.

With Rackauckas’ head start, he has wrapped up most of the major law enforcement endorsements. He’s also raised well over $150,000, which easily laps Wade’s money so far. Many in the courthouse were convinced the deputy prosecutors’ vote sealed it for Rackauckas.

What Wade needs right now is a big-name endorsement to help his cause. Someone like, say, the current district attorney. Capizzi has been silent so far, busy with his own race for attorney general.

But anything can happen in politics. Wade is a highly respected prosecutor. In my years as a criminal courts reporter, I saw him win a lot of tough cases.

Rackauckas won’t breathe easily until March 6, closing deadline for filing to run. His nightmare now is that eight candidates will appear from nowhere and muddy up the waters. The primary is June 2; if it’s a two-person race, we’ll know the results then. Multiple candidates could force a runoff in November.

When Rackauckas was a prosecutor, he was never able to reach the top-level personnel position, Grade 5. But unless Wade comes up with something pretty dramatic, Rackauckas is going to pass Grade 5 and go straight to Grade A Plus.

Big F for Taste: I’m no marketing expert, but I don’t think much of those Edison Co. billboards promoting the name change at the old Anaheim Stadium to Edison Field.

“Kiss the ‘Big A’ Goodbye,” the billboards read. “There’s a brand new theme park in Anaheim. Edison Field: The ultimate playground.”

To me it’s sort of rubbing our noses in it that our beloved Big A is no more. I don’t see kissing the Big A goodbye as anything to celebrate.

Four-Part Valentine? Valentine’s week is a busy time for the folks from the Fullerton Orange Empire Chorus. It’s a group that promotes barbershop quartets.

For $35, a barbershop quartet will show up at your loved one’s door with a Valentine card, a long-stemmed rose and a couple of songs. (“Let Me Call You Sweetheart” and “I Love You Truly.”)

These singers don’t get rich from this. The money goes toward music education and scholarships at local schools. Over the last two years, the group has raised $15,000. You can reach the Orange Empire Chorus at (714) 879-9628.

Wrap-Up: None of the candidates for offices such as district attorney is a household name. Even those picking up major endorsements will need to reach the average voter. This was brought home to me Wednesday when I tried to call Rackauckas’ old courtroom in Superior Court, Department 37. (I was unaware he had already begun his leave of absence to run for district attorney.) The clerk who answered the telephone said she’d never heard of Rackauckas, and didn’t see him on any courthouse phone list.

Trying to be helpful, she said, “Maybe he’s a Muni [Municipal Court] judge. You might try there.”

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Jerry Hicks’ column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Readers may reach Hicks by calling the Times Orange County Edition at (714) 966-7823 or by fax to (714) 966-7711, or e-mail to jerry.hicks@latimes.com