Dozens File to Run in Primary

The final crop of candidates filing for next year’s elections in Orange County yielded a few surprises Friday amid a handful of competitive legislative races.

The most interesting is the return of former Rep. Robert K. Dornan, a Republican who served 18 years in Congress until 1996.

He paid his filing fee Wednesday to challenge Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) and turned in voter signatures late Friday, according to early postings on the county registrar’s Web site.

Term limits opened up a half-dozen Assembly seats and one state Senate seat for new representation next year, drawing several candidates in partisan primaries.

Other races saw only incumbents seeking reelection in the primary.

The county’s 44 Superior Court judges are also unopposed.

A race to succeed outgoing Supervisor Chuck Smith drew three challengers, while Supervisor Bill Campbell, who won a special election for his seat this year, won’t be challenged in his bid to seek a full, four-year term.

The most local action is expected from Assembly districts where current members cannot seek re-election because of term limits, including Assemblyman Ken Maddox (R-Garden Grove), Assemblyman Lou Correa (D-Anaheim), Assemblyman John Campbell (R-Irvine) and Assemblywoman Pat Bates (R-Laguna Niguel).

Assemblyman Bob Pacheco (R-Diamond Bar), who represents a slice of northeast Orange County, is also departing because of term limits.

Pacheco’s wife, Gayle, and Villa Park Councilman W. Bill MacAloney are vying in the Republican primary to succeed him.

The dean of the county’s legislative delegation, state Sen. Ross Johnson (R-Irvine), first elected to the Assembly in 1978, also is stepping down.

Maddox and Campbell are seeking Johnson’s seat in the March 2 GOP primary with retired Marine Col. Joe Snyder.

Correa filed signatures to run for Smith’s nonpartisan supervisorial seat, as have Santa Ana Councilman Brett Franklin, Westminster Councilman Kermit Marsh and Garden Grove Mayor Bruce Broadwater.

If none of the candidates wins at least half the vote, there will be a runoff in November.

In the most competitive local primary, six Republicans filed signatures to run in March hoping to succeed Campbell in the coastal 70th Assembly District.

They are businesswoman Cristi Cristich, party activist and businessman Chuck DeVore, engineer Long K. Pham, business owner Marianne Zippi, community college trustee Don Wagner and Chonchol D. Gupta.

Other primary matchups will pit two Garden Grove City Council members, Republicans Mark Leyes and Van Tran, against each other in the 68th Assembly District, now held by Maddox.

Democrats Claudia Alvarez, who is a deputy district attorney, and former Assemblyman Tom Umberg both filed signatures to run in the Democratic primary for the 69th Assembly District seat that is being vacated by Correa.

In Bates’ south Orange County Assembly district, Supervisor Tom Wilson will face Laguna Niguel Councilwoman Mimi Walters and Jim Gibson in the GOP primary.

Wilson has a free run at the seat since his supervisorial term ends in 2006.

Another contested primary, based on signature filings, is the 47th Congressional District in which Republicans Alexandria Coronado, a member of the county Board of Education, and businessman Virgel L. Nickell are running.

The county registrar must still certify the voter signatures before the filings are official.