O.C. Voters Face Tough Races, Bond Issues

Orange County voters on Nov. 5 will consider potentially historic change at Santa Ana City Hall, more than $804 million in school bond measures and a host of other decisions that will affect everything from their tax bills to the location of the next South County Home Depot.

Mayors in Irvine, Garden Grove and Westminster are seeking reelection, and in Anaheim a former state lawmaker and two council members are competing in a tough mayoral race. Voters in Irvine will decide whether to repeal a utility tax and voters in San Juan Capistrano will decide whether to clear the way for a 175-home development and high school.

Here are some of the top races and issues voters will decide on election day:

Santa Ana City Council: Three Seats

In Santa Ana, where 76% of the population is Latino, voters for the first time could elect a Latino majority on the City Council.

Four Latinos are among the 10 candidates competing for three seats on the council. The winners will join incumbents Claudia C. Alvarez, Jose Solorio, Brett Franklin and Mayor Miguel A. Pulido, who is running unopposed in his bid for a third term.

In Ward 2, in central Santa Ana, incumbent Lisa Bist faces challenger and political newcomer Jose Macias. Bist, 43, has focused on neighborhood improvements and code enforcement during her first term. She also supported downtown renovation and the Artists Village. Macias, a 25-year-old graduate of San Diego State, quit his job as a sales representative to run for office and wants to see more low-income housing and after-school programs, plus library improvements.

In Ward 4, the west-central part of Santa Ana, challenger Zeke Hernandez is trying to unseat incumbent Alberta Dolores Christy.

Hernandez, 56, is president of Santa Ana’s chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens. He says he wants to cut wasteful spending and increase funding for roads, parks and recreation.

Christy, 57, said she will continue her focus on public safety and neighborhood improvements.

Six candidates are in the running for the seat representing Ward 6, which covers the southeast portion of the city.

Santa Ana development planner Mike Garcia, 30, said he knows how city government works. He is campaigning for stronger public safety, additional redevelopment and after-school programs.

Eleazar Elizondo, 30, ran unsuccessfully for county supervisor in 2000, getting 25,000 votes. The public-affairs consultant wants the city to have more after-school and day-care programs.

Also running in Ward 6 is Jennifer Villasenor, 24, a planner for the city of Rosemead who says she also supports after-school programs.

Robert L. Henson Sr., 68, is a retired aerospace worker and community activist who wants to see improved road conditions and a crackdown on city code violations, vagrancy and prostitution.

Stanley Fiala, 56, is the founder of EON, a company that seeks to stop the aging process. He said the city needs to move in a new direction and wants to make drug rehabilitation a law-enforcement priority.

Margaret Jeanne Flindt, a 42-year-old office manager, said the city needs to improve Santa Ana’s image, its roads, sidewalks and soccer fields.

Santa Ana Unified School District: Ethnic Politics Emerge as Latino Leaders Battle

In Santa Ana, a city with one of the nation’s highest concentrations of Latinos, ethnic politics and a smoldering battle between the city’s most influential Latino leaders have laced this year’s campaign for school board.

Trustees John Palacio and Nadia Maria Davis are among eight candidates running for two seats.

In the middle of the fiery campaign is a board member who’s not on the ballot: Nativo Lopez, who is midway through his second term and the target of an ongoing recall campaign.

Lopez, Palacio and Davis are viewed by many as strong allies on the board, and their detractors accuse them of race-baiting by labeling any opposition to their policies--whether it be over bilingual education or where to build schools--as an attack on Latino working families.

The three say those charges are untrue, and describe themselves as politically independent community leaders who have some common interests.

Challenger Robert Munoz, a social worker, said he finds the ethnic politics repulsive, and said the board needs to look at the city as a whole. Including Munoz, four of the six challengers are Latino.

Other candidates for the board are retired teacher Nina C. Brazelton; former school board member Audrey Y. Noji, a college administrator; parent activist Roland Lujan; and city library commissioners Oscar Garza and Lupe Moreno.

Anaheim: 2 Insiders, 2 Outsiders Seek Mayor’s Office

In Anaheim, four candidates are vying to replace Mayor Tom Daly, who is leaving office after 10 years because of term limits.

Two are City Hall insiders: council members Frank Feldhaus, 74, and Lucille Kring, 59. Two are outsiders: former Assembly Speaker Curt Pringle, 43, and former La Habra Police Chief Steve Staveley, 58.

The city they hope to lead for the next four years is a vastly different place than when Daly was first elected mayor in 1992.

Between 1990 and 2000, the population of Orange County’s second-largest city soared 23% on the strength of booming Latino and Asian communities that now dominate Anaheim’s ethnic makeup.

After a massive revitalization that modernized Anaheim’s core tourist district, the candidates say the city has a variety of needs in its diverse neighborhoods -- which range from aging, poor areas on the west side to new, upscale developments in Anaheim Hills.

The City Council has approved a new police station, gym and community center on Beach Boulevard.

In the planning stages are a new main library, a library for East Anaheim and a Tiger Woods Foundation education center for underprivileged children.

What else will be done -- and where -- will be among the issues the next mayor will face.

Earlier this year, the City Council approved a five-year, $583-million capital improvement fund for a slate of public improvements ranging from community centers and parks to road and sewer upgrades.

Eleven candidates are seeking Feldhaus’ and Kring’s at-large seats on the council: Richard Chavez, Steve Eichler, Robert J. Flores, Bob Hernandez, John Koos, Bobby McDonald, James Mills, Stefanie O’Neill, Manny Ontiveros, Harry Sidhu and Bob Zemel.

Irvine: Two Competing Slates and One Independent

Irvine is home to a highly charged election pitting Mayor Larry Agran and his political allies against a more conservative slate of mayoral and council candidates pushing to cut taxes and city spending and derail plans for a light-rail line.

Agran, who helped lead the campaign to kill the proposed El Toro airport and instead build a “Great Park” on the closed Marine base, is being challenged by former City Commissioner Mike House.

House, a local businessman who also opposed the airport, said Irvine’s quality of life has been threatened by what he calls missteps by the city, including the Agran-backed Orange County Centerline light-rail proposal that would link Irvine and Santa Ana.

House is running on a slate -- called “New Priorities” -- that includes council candidates Christina L. Shea, a former Irvine mayor, and aerospace executive Chuck DeVore.

Agran belongs to a rival slate that includes incumbent Beth Krom and council candidate Mitch Goldstone.

Also running for a council seat is Irvine businesswoman Linda Lee Grau, who is touting her independence from the political fray and says she will bring a common-sense business approach to making City Hall more efficient.

In September, Agran and Krom voted in favor of a scaled-down Centerline plan, and also voted to put the issue before voters by June 30. The project has been attacked by House, Shea and DeVore, who oppose construction of the light-rail line through Irvine neighborhoods.

Grau is the leading proponent of Measure GG, a local ballot initiative to repeal Irvine’s tax on telephone, electricity and natural gas services. The 1.5% tax is imposed only on for-profit businesses in Irvine, and has a $5,000 yearly cap. The tax will generate an estimated $3.6 million in city revenue for the current fiscal year.

Grau argues the tax handicaps Irvine businesses that compete with companies outside the city, and ultimately forces those businesses to pass on the tax on to customers. House, Shea and DeVore also favor Measure GG.

Agran and his supporters are against the measure, saying it will cut city revenue and could force budget cuts for law enforcement, parks, roads and services for seniors.

Garden Grove: Focus on Redevelopment

The Garden Grove mayor’s race has vacillated from nasty to bizarre, with two candidates suing each other over an allegation of criminal wrongdoing and a third candidate who goes by the name “Will B. King” and likes to wear a cardboard crown.

Mayor Bruce A. Broadwater is running for his fifth straight term and has been one of Garden Grove’s strongest advocates for revitalization and redevelopment, so much so that he is known as the “Bulldozer.” One of the projects Broadwater supported would have added hotels and an entertainment center on Harbor Boulevard, which would have increased the city’s tax revenue but also would have forced 1,000 families to relocate. The council voted to reduce the proposal in the face of growing community opposition.

Broadwater is being challenged by Anthony Joseph Flores, a former policeman who lost his job with the city’s police force in 1988. Flores, now a workers’ compensation agent and PTA member, has been a vocal critic of Broadwater’s redevelopment projects, saying someone needs to stand up for residents and property owners.

Flores filed a defamation suit against Broadwater in August, alleging the mayor called him a “felon” during a private City Hall meeting with a constituent. Broadwater countersued last month.

The third candidate is Will B. King, who is also known as William Beckingham.

King, who describes himself as the nation’s biggest gadfly, made headlines in 1995 when he was removed from the courtroom of O.J. Simpson’s murder trial while dressed in women’s clothing.

Six years ago, he was convicted of threatening his former wife’s fiance with a toy bomb, but the conviction was later overturned. King has called his opponents “maggots.”

Countywide: A Bruising Contest for Judicial Office

A countywide judicial race that was born amid controversy and scandal is finishing the same way.

Ronald Kline dropped his reelection bid for Judicial Office No. 21 after being charged with molesting a teenager and downloading child pornography. Competing to succeed him are two local lawyers.

Gay Sandoval, 50, is a former Orange County deputy district attorney who specialized in child-abuse cases. She went to Loyola Law School and has also served on several municipal boards in her hometown of Costa Mesa.

Dana Point attorney John Adams, 50, handles civil cases and also has headed up an automotive specialty retailer. A graduate of Stanford Law School, he also was an activist in the fight against an airport at the former El Toro Marine base.

The campaign took a nasty turn after a private investigator dug into Adams’ background and divorce records, and turned them over to Sandoval and the news media.

The documents included details about a $218,000 loan in 1991 that Adams failed to repay, which led to his parents losing a rental home.

Three months later, Adams made a $55,000 cash down payment on a home for himself.

Sandoval made the disclosure a campaign issue. Adams called that “despicable,” saying the incident occurred during a difficult financial period.

The Orange County Bar Assn. has ranked Sandoval as “qualified.” The group did not rank Adams because he did not respond to the association’s questionnaire. Adams said he didn’t believe the association would offer a full appraisal of his career as a civil attorney.

In another countywide contest, Anaheim Mayor Tom Daly is pitted against Newport Beach attorney Bruce Peotter in the race to become the next Orange County Clerk-Recorder.

The nonpartisan office handles documents ranging from birth certificates and marriage licenses to property records.

Daly, 48, has served as an Anaheim school board member, city councilman and mayor for the past 17 years, and said he has worked hard to gain the support of Democrats, Republicans and Independents.

Daly says he would like to explore setting up satellite offices at city halls, so residents would have easier access to county documents.

Peotter, 43, runs a document recording service. He says he is the better choice because he’s a Republican and Daly is a Democrat.

Peotter says he shares voters’ desire for small government.

Peotter said he would like to explore using online services to boost efficiency, and also possibly merging the clerk-recorder’s office with the registrar of voters.

Both are seeking the office left vacant by the death of Gary L. Granville in February.

Granville, who announced his retirement shortly before his death, had endorsed Daly.

School Bond Measures: Renovations and Expansions Sought

To repair decrepit facilities, tackle some long-needed renovations and accommodate surging student populations, a pair of Orange County community college districts and two school districts have put bond measures worth a combined $804.5 million on the November ballot.

The Coast Community College District--which includes Orange Coast, Golden West and Coastline Community colleges--is asking for voter approval for $370 million in bonds.

The money would be used to replace and upgrade deteriorating buildings, some of which date to the 1940s. The money also will be used for campus safety improvements and to upgrade computer systems and other technology.

The bond measure, Measure C, is being supported by a Huntington Beach councilman, local business leaders and a former state secretary of education. For homeowners in the district, the estimated annual cost would be $24 per $100,000 of assessed property value.

The Rancho Santiago Community College District is asking voters to approve $337 million in bonds to improve and repair facilities at Santa Ana College and Santiago Canyon College. The funding also would be used for construction of training facilities and classrooms for emergency workers and law enforcement.

The bond measure, Measure E, has been endorsed by Assemblyman Bill Campbell (R-Villa Park), Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido and Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona. The estimated annual cost would be $24.63 per $100,000 of assessed property value.

The Tustin Unified School District has proposed an $80-million bond measure for maintenance and infrastructure improvements at the district’s 20 oldest schools, and refurbishment of a Tustin High locker room with exposed wiring and rotting plaster. Measure G will provide funding for new heating and air conditioning systems, as well as new classrooms and science labs.

The bond measure is supported by the president of the Foothill Community Assn., as well local education officials. The estimated annual cost would be $39.92 per $100,000 of assessed valuation.

The Centralia School District is asking for voter approval of $17.5 million in bonds for major renovations at schools such as Knott Elementary in Buena Park, where the computer lab has no Internet access and sewer lines are constantly clogged by tree roots.

The money will also be used to make health and safety improvements, roof repairs and upgrades to ventilation systems at district schools.

The measure is supported by a former La Palma councilman, education officials and the CEO of the Buena Park Chamber of Commerce.

The estimated annual cost would be $24 per $100,000 of assessed valuation.

Other Local Measures: Buena Park, Fullerton, San Juan Capistrano and Garden Grove

From a proposed new police station in Buena Park to a 175-home housing development in San Juan Capistrano, voters will be asked to approve dozens of local measures.

Garden Grove voters will decide whether to raise the city’s hotel bed tax from 10% to 13%, an increase that is supported by community leaders as a way to provide additional revenue for police, fire and other city services.

Some local taxpayer groups oppose the initiative, Measure N, arguing that the city already has raised the bed tax twice. They said the new rate is higher than in most neighboring cities, and will drive business away.

In San Juan Capistrano, two divisive issues will be on the ballot.

Measure CC asks voters to decide whether to permit an upscale housing development and a high school in the foothills on the east side of town.

The Whispering Hills development would include 175 homes and would be accompanied by the city’s first public high school in more than 40 years.

Supporters include council members, school board members and the head of the local PTA.

San Juan Capistrano voters also must decide whether the city should sell 13 acres of undeveloped land to Home Depot Corp., a deal that would net the city $9 million.

Supporters of Measure DD say the sale and new store will bring in much-needed revenue, while local citizens groups opposed to the measure fear it will drive small merchants out of business and ruin the city’s small-town charm.

Fullerton voters must decide whether to elect the city clerk or have the City Council appoint someone to the post.

Currently, the city clerk is elected. Council members said Measure M was prompted by the retirement of longtime City Clerk Audrey Culver and lack of qualified candidates to succeed her.

A citizens group accused council members of trying to usurp voters’ rights, and say it should remain an elected office to keep the council from acquiring more power.

Buena Park voters will decided whether to pay a special tax to build a 50,000-square-foot police headquarters, which will include a crime lab, jail, firing range, training center and emergency-services dispatch center.

Under the proposal, the maximum tax for a single-family residential parcel would be $19 per year. The special tax may be levied only until 2033.

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Times staff writer Mike Anton contributed to this report.