Democrats See Good Chance of Ending 17-Year Absence on Board of Supervisors

Although the four-candidate race for a seat on the Orange County Board of Supervisors is nonpartisan, Democrats hope to win their first board seat in more than 17 years.

Two Democrats and two Republicans are vying to replace Supervisor Chuck Smith, whose term ends at year’s end. The 1st District seat represents about 600,000 residents in Santa Ana, Garden Grove and Westminster.

Assemblyman Lou Correa, a Democrat from Santa Ana, has the best-financed campaign and is considered by some to be the favorite. He is facing fellow Democrat Bruce Broadwater, the mayor of Garden Grove, and Republican City Councilmen Brett Franklin of Santa Ana and Kermit Marsh of Westminster.

Forty-three percent of the district’s 183,000 registered voters are Democrat and 36% are Republican, close enough that candidates from either party stand a chance to win, observers say. Even though party affiliation is not supposed to play a role, this is a race that county Democrats are watching closely.

“It’s absolutely important to have a Democratic voice on the Board of Supervisors,” said Frank Barbaro, chairman of the county Democratic Party. “The existence of a voice of a different political persuasion will cause some debate on issues that otherwise would not be talked about.”

Still, it’s difficult to discern significant differences in the messages coming out of the four candidates’ camps.

All say they are concerned about county finances, which are already targeted for a $62-million hit under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed shift of property tax revenue from local governments to the state.

All say they believe there are areas in the county’s massive government -- more than 17,000 employees serve the county -- that could be cut.

If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in Tuesday’s primary, the top two finishers will square off in November.

In a separate race, Supervisor Bill Campbell is running unopposed for reelection to represent the 3rd District.

Correa, 46, benefits from being a three-term assemblyman in a district that overlaps the boundaries of the supervisor’s seat he seeks, said Mark Petracca, a UC Irvine political science professor.

“It’s name recognition that counts at the end of the day,” Petracca said. “Correa’s got it. If there were three people in the race, he’d win it straight out.”

Correa, who grew up in Anaheim and worked as an attorney before his election to the Assembly in 1998, also holds a commanding financial edge over his opponents.

He transferred more than $300,000 from his assembly campaign fund to his supervisor’s campaign account, a move that prompted a lawsuit by Franklin. A judge ruled that the shift was legal.

Correa described himself as a moderate Democrat -- “I don’t wear my ‘D’ on my sleeve” -- and said that if elected he would set up a committee of politicians, business leaders and county employees to identify ways the county can trim its budget.

Although Franklin has faulted him for bringing money from interest groups such as Native American casinos into the local race, Correa said he does not play favorites to benefit campaign contributors.

“People give me money: I ship it off to my treasurer,” he said. “The fact an individual gives me money or doesn’t give me money doesn’t make a difference.”

Franklin, 42, a real estate broker who grew up in Santa Ana and has served on its City Council since 1996, said the county could become more efficient by downsizing and contracting out some services.

He credited his Santa Ana political success in part to learning Spanish at a language school in Costa Rica.

“For me, as a gringo elected official, they don’t expect it when I’m able to converse without a translator,” Franklin said.

He said he believes his record of service in Santa Ana will help him Tuesday.

“People like their local elected officials,” he said. “That’s why I think someone coming from Sacramento has a disadvantage because all they know is bitter partisan politics.”

Despite the Democratic Party’s slight registration edge in the district, Marsh has made a point of describing himself as the most conservative of the four candidates.

Marsh, 39, an attorney for a Santa Ana firm, said he is proud of his vote to cut the utility tax in Westminster.

Marsh said he would seek to cut waste in county government, including excess management, community relations programs and car allowances.

“Cutting waste resonates with parties across the board,” he said. “You could be in the Green Party, the Democratic Party, the American Independent Party, the Republican Party or the Libertarian Party and you’re going to support cutting government waste.”

Broadwater, 65, said his 10 years as Garden Grove mayor sets him apart. He noted his efforts to turn Harbor Boulevard from a crime-plagued neighborhood into a street lined with upscale hotels that provide a source of city revenue.

He said the most important issues facing the county transcend party lines: jobs, public transportation and affordable housing.

Still, party affiliation could become a key if the November runoff includes a candidate from each party, Petracca said.

“If Correa wins and he ends up against one of the Republicans, look out,” Petracca said. “They don’t want one more piece of evidence that the Republican hegemony in this county is beginning to crumble.”

The last Democrat to serve on the Board of Supervisors was Ralph B. Clark, who retired in 1987.