South County Well-Represented in Assembly Race

This might be the election year it finally happens: South County could get a lawmaker in the statehouse to call its own.

After years of representation by state lawmakers from neighboring San Diego County, residents of the sprawling subdivisions on Orange County’s southern flank look to be almost guaranteed the right to send one of their own to Sacramento.

Of the half a dozen candidates in the race for the 73rd Assembly District seat, only one--a longshot Libertarian--is from San Diego County.

The only battle to be decided in the June 2 primary is among three Republicans, all from South County.

The winner of the Republican primary will be heavily favored to prevail in November. Like most other districts in the county, the 73rd gives the GOP a commanding edge in party registration with Republicans outnumbering Democrats 52% to 29%.

Laguna Niguel Councilwoman Patricia C. Bates, 58, is running on her deep roots in the South County political establishment and credentials as a chieftain in the war against a commercial airport at El Toro.

Jim Lacy, a 45-year-old Dana Point attorney, is trying to outflank his rivals and prove he is the most conservative candidate in the field, making much of his service in the Reagan and Bush administrations and ties to conservative icons like Oliver North of Iran-contra fame.

Steve Apodaca, a councilman from San Clemente, is perhaps the most moderate of the three, calling himself a problem-solver who wants to go to Sacramento without an ideological ax to grind. But he’s also latched onto an issue sure to appeal to conservatives, backing ongoing efforts in the state Capitol to slash California’s pricey annual vehicle license fee.

Rounding out the field are three candidates from other parties running unopposed. The lone Democrat is Robert D. Wilberg, 56, a county parks department technician.

Donald D. Rollins, a 40-year-old information systems manager from Oceanside, is the Libertarian candidate. Matteo Ornati, 31, a Dana Point software company sales director, is representing the Natural Law Party. They’re guaranteed a free ride into the November general election.

Bates has the most established political record in the district. She was one of the founders of the city of Laguna Niguel and has served on the council since incorporation in December 1989. She’s also the favorite of the Orange County Republican establishment, winning the backing of conservatives like state Sen. Ross Johnson (R-Irvine) and Assemblyman Curt Pringle (R-Garden Grove).

Her platform is topped by her fight against the county’s plans for a commercial airport at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, which is soon to be shuttered.

“I am the anti-airport candidate,” she says flatly. “I’ve been serving in that capacity since 1993.”

Bates said she wants to give cities surrounding the air base more say in environmental reviews. She also supports legislation forcing a countywide vote on revenue bonds to fund a commercial airport.

On other fronts, Bates supports the expansion of the charter schools program, which has allowed parents more say in how their kids are taught. She wants to see gang members treated as adults by the juvenile justice system, but also hopes to steer more resources to rehabilitation and prevention. And she supports penalties against frivolous lawsuits that are hurting business in the state.

Bates is concerned that supporters of Lacy may weigh in with attacks in the final days of the campaign. Bates’ campaign team said a Republican lawyers group already has begun surveying voters to test negative charges against her. Among the charges are that Bates supports the airport, is a closet liberal who champions gay rights and backed former Assemblywoman Doris Allen, the Cypress Republican who angered GOP colleagues by dealing with the Democrats to seize the speakership.

“No, I didn’t support Doris Allen. No, I’m not pro-airport,” Bates said. “Clearly it is a campaign of lies.”

Lacy, who only a few months ago was leveling tough charges against his foes, has of late been more sanguine. He said it was “news to me” when he learned the lawyers might weigh in on his behalf with an independent attack on Bates. “I have not done one negative mailer in this race,” he said.

He wants to introduce legislation requiring a two-thirds vote on airport revenue bonds, an idea he says Bates borrowed from him. He also wants to work toward better safety standards for the construction of hilltop homes and clean up pollution in the waters off Doheny State Beach.

Mostly, however, Lacy is waving his conservative credentials in hopes of capturing the Republican right, traditionally the most loyal voting bloc in GOP primary elections.

He was national chairman of the Young Americans for Freedom for five years, was on the ground floor of the tax revolt led by Howard Jarvis, and served as general counsel for the U.S. Consumer Products Administration during the Reagan and Bush years.

In 1992, Lacy ran third in the race for Congress won by Rep. Jay C. Kim (R-Diamond Bar). Afterward, Lacy moved to Dana Point, where he has been active in the local chapter of the conservative California Republican Assembly.

Lacy has gotten backing from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn., the National Tax Limitation Committee, the Pro-Life PAC of Orange County and the National Rifle Assn. He’s also been endorsed by 13 of the Legislature’s most conservative members. “People can judge from my endorsements,” Lacy said. “I’m the conservative candidate, period.”

He’s also grabbed the coattails of Ronald Reagan, even though the former president has been out of office for a decade. “I want to carry Ronald Reagan’s legacy back to Sacramento,” Lacy said.

While Lacy wraps himself in Reagan, Apodaca is taking a strong stand against the state’s car tax to capture conservative votes. While his two GOP foes also oppose the tax, Apodaca has made it his top issue, dispatching a mailer to 40,000 district voters. “When you pay your DMV fee, you assume it’s at least going to highways, but not one penny is earmarked to that,” he said. “When people learn 25% goes to mental health, they feel deceived.”

An insurance executive, Apodaca wants to boost charter schools, continue class-size reductions and get back to education basics. He wants to support tax breaks and incentives to keep business from fleeing the state and supports a common-sense approach to protecting the environment that would “make people the first priority.”

But on at least one litmus test issue, Apodaca is more moderate than his opponents, a factor that might make him appealing to Democrats willing to cross party lines in this year’s inaugural open primary. His foes are both staunchly anti-abortion; Apodaca says he opposes abortion, “but I’m not going to impose my will on anyone else. I resent government’s involvement in any aspect of the issue.”

He has not solicited endorsements from legislators, saying he doesn’t want to be “beholden to any lawmaker” he’ll have to work with. “I’m proud to be a Republican,” Apodaca said, “but I’m equally proud to be an elected official to a nonpartisan office who has focused on solving problems.”