3 Seek Aguiar’s Seat on Board

Even before the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors voted on a process to replace former Supervisor Fred Aguiar, a small list of hopefuls applied for the position, including the mayor of Ontario.

The board Tuesday unanimously adopted an application process for the job after Aguiar resigned last month to take a cabinet post in the administration of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Aguiar’s replacement will oversee a district of about 342,000 residents in southwest San Bernardino County until a supervisor is elected in November. Ontario Mayor Gary Ovitt, 56, was among three candidates who have applied for the post that pays $91,594 a year, and includes use of a county-financed car.

Helen Seagull, a paralegal hearing representative from Ontario, and Mamadou A. Diallo, a computer programmer from Ontario, have also applied.

Aguiar, who chaired the county’s Republican Party central committee, reportedly urged Ovitt and Chino Mayor Eunice Ulloa, both Republicans who have served in their cities for more than a decade, to apply for the post after Schwarzenegger picked him to be secretary of the State and Consumer Services Agency.

Neither Ovitt nor Ulloa, 56, could be reached for comment Tuesday.

In the application he submitted to the county, Ovitt said that he has lived in Ontario all of his life and “has been able to contribute to his hometown’s quality of life.”

To qualify, applicants must be registered to vote in the district.

Applicants will appear before the board Tuesday to answer questions submitted by Chairman Dennis Hansberger. Hansberger has yet to submit those questions. The board could vote Tuesday to select a replacement or delay a decision for up to 30 days.

Hansberger said he hopes the board adopts the same process to select a replacement for Supervisor Gerald “Jerry” Eaves, who is scheduled to plead guilty Jan. 21 to a felony count in a corruption scandal involving a billboard scheme. He must resign from his post before the court hearing Jan. 21.

The board’s decision to appoint replacements for Eaves and Aguiar could play a significant role in the campaign for the two elected supervisorial posts.

An appointed supervisor could gain substantial name recognition while holding the temporary post and would be in a position to solicit campaign contributions from firms that do business with the county.

Ontario City Councilwoman Deborah S. Acker said she hopes the supervisors will limit their choice to those who are not interested in running for the elected position.

Assemblyman John Longville (D-Rialto), who is running to replace Eaves, said a candidate for supervisor appointed to the temporary post would have an unfair advantage over other hopefuls in the campaign. “It seems to me in this situation, they should choose a caretaker ... somebody other than a candidate,” Longville said.

But Ronald D. Reitz, San Bernardino County counsel, said the board cannot legally require that applicants promise not to seek the elected position.