Board to Fight Kline’s Pullout

Orange County supervisors Tuesday pledged to fight an attempt by a Superior Court judge accused of molestation and possession of child pornography to have his name removed from the November ballot.

Judge Ronald C. Kline remains confined to his home since his December arrest on the pornography charge--two days after filing unopposed candidacy papers for reelection. He was the second-highest vote-getter for the office on the March 5 ballot, trailing attorney John Adams, one of 11 write-in candidates who campaigned against him.

Two weeks ago, Kline filed suit to remove his name from the November ballot, challenging a state law that allows names to be removed only if the candidate is elected to higher office or dies. Kline has insisted that he is innocent of the charges, but said pulling out of the race is the honorable thing to do.

A status conference on the lawsuit is scheduled for April 2 in Los Angeles County.

Supervisor Todd Spitzer said Tuesday that he wanted to make sure county attorneys would vigorously defend the law after they indicated in court papers that “they could live with” whatever the court decided.

“As a judge, Kline’s trying to bend the law in his favor, and that’s offensive,” said Spitzer, who endorsed Adams. “The public deserves the right to throw him out of office if they choose.”

The discussion came as supervisors certified the results of the March 5 election. If Kline’s name is removed from the November ballot, it’s unclear whether only Adams’ name would remain or whether Adams would face the third-highest vote-getter, attorney Gay Sandoval.

Adams was the only write-in candidate to challenge Kline’s motion to remove his name, leading to speculation that he would rather face Kline in November than Sandoval. Spitzer said there was no doubt that Adams would have an easier time challenging Kline, but added that removing Kline’s name would create a precedent, allowing candidates to drop out of races at will.