Morrow Poised to Take Seat in GOP Stronghold

With incumbent state Sen. William A. Craven leaving office because of term limits, the door appears wide open in the lopsidedly Republican district for Assemblyman Bill Morrow (R-Oceanside), who already represents part of the district that straddles Orange and San Diego counties.

Morrow said he is attempting to move to the Senate for the same reason he first ran for the Assembly in 1992.

“I didn’t go up there to set the table and conduct business as usual,” Morrow said. “I went up there to kick the table over. I wanted to be diligent, very vocal and loud, and I think I’ve been successful.”

During his tenure, Morrow, 44, has written legislation that limits cities’ liability on skateboard accidents and helps cities create skateboard parks for youths. He also sponsored a law making it mandatory for motorists from both directions to stop when coming upon a school bus with flashing red lights.

The school bus law was advocated by an Orange County man whose 7-year-old son was killed in traffic in 1994 after getting off a bus.

There are few hot-button issues among the 402,213 voters in the 38th Senate District. The huge district begins in Laguna Hills, goes south to Del Mar, then inland to Escondido.

Morrow said he opposes the use of El Toro Marine Corps Air Station as a commercial airport, but that issue doesn’t carry weight for voters south of Camp Pendleton.

Of his challengers, it is not so much any particular issue that has prompted their opposition. They said having one Republican “hand over” the district to another smacked of a back-room deal--a charge Morrow rejects.

“He’s basically an incumbent and Craven gave [the district] to him, which is why I’m running,” said Libertarian Paul H. King, 43. “Hopefully, somebody will see through it.”

It is King’s second challenge of Morrow.

In 1992, King received 6,229 votes to Morrow’s 70,593. But King adds that he spent less than $20 on his campaign.

“I’m not running to win. I don’t hold any false hopes here, but I’m trying to keep Bill Morrow honest and hope to send a message to keep government small,” King said.

Democrat Madelene Arakelian, a 64-year-old businesswoman, said she’s running because Sacramento needs a “mother and grandmother concerned about the issues, rather than another politician.”

Arakelian painted an unfavorable description of Morrow as an attorney in the Marine Corps who jumped into politics “without ever holding down a real job.”

Her characterization caused Morrow to chuckle.

Said Arakelian: “He doesn’t have a lot of understanding about raising a family like I do.” She said politicians have become members of an elite citizenry; the government pays “for their cars, insurance, their staffs. And I think the deal-making is outrageous.”

Another challenger is Barbara Blair, a 51-year-old interior designer with a business in Encinitas. She is the Natural Law Party candidate.

“The Natural Law Party makes a lot of sense,” Blair said. “I want to stress that we really want to work with all elected officials and end all this party conflict and bickering. We want to work with everybody in getting changes made and improving the quality of life for everybody.”