What’s in a name

S.J. Cahn

The race for the 70th Assembly District, already more than usually

heated, is starting to turn on the names.

Irvine businessman Chuck DeVore, a in the race with Corona del Mar

businesswoman Cristi Cristich, is touting his endorsement this month

by state Sen. Dick Ackerman.

That backing, DeVore’s campaign says, gives him a 30-2 lead in the

important (or not) race for legitimacy that local endorsements

provide.

“Republicans are united and moving forward in this state, and with

his lifelong dedication to the Republican cause, Chuck DeVore will be

a welcome addition to our efforts in the legislature,” Ackerman said

in a statement. “We must elect Republicans that we can trust to stand

shoulder to shoulder as we work to further our fiscally conservative

agenda.”

Ackerman also throws down the current go-to name: Arnold

Schwarzenegger.

“He’ll oppose any tax increases, and he’ll support Gov.

Schwarzenegger’s efforts to root out waste and fraud from the state

budget,” Ackerman said of DeVore.

A key name to wait on: Rep. Chris Cox, for whom DeVore once

worked.

Names of a different note

Cristich is not ignoring the name game. This week, she announced

her campaign team, which includes several notable Sacramento

consulting firms: Gilliard, Blanning, Wysocki & Associates and Arnie

Steinberg & Associates.

Cristich’s campaign notes that the Gilliard group has “extensive

roots in Orange County” and names other candidates it is working

with, including Assemblyman John Campbell and Assemblywoman Mimi

Walters.

“I have the best team in place, and I am confident that we will

together achieve victory on March 2,” Cristich said.

Hate those associations

Two things of interest in a political e-mail sent to the Daily

Pilot.

The first was the link to an online petition to the U.S. Senate

titled “Permanently Stop Homeowner and Property Owner Association

Foreclosures.”

The e-mail was sent by Eddie Rose, a former Laguna Niguel city

councilman who is running for the 5th District Orange County

Supervisor seat held by Tom Wilson, which includes Newport Coast.

From the text of the petition, for those living in homeowners’

associations:

“Protect your property from foreclosures by your neighborhood

Homeowner Association (HOA) or Property Owner Association (POA). You

may not be aware of this, but throughout the United States,

developers have been and are placing nonnegotiable restrictions and

conditions of ownership on your future property as they develop the

land. These restrictions and conditions are listed in the Covenants,

Conditions and Restrictions (CC&Rs;) attached to the title of the

property.”

The link is https://www.petitiononline.com /homeback/petition.html.

One hundred one people have signed it, so it may not end up on the

Senate floor tomorrow.

The second interesting item is the list of recipients: just a

Daily Pilot editor, the Pilot’s sister paper in Laguna Beach and Los

Angeles Times writer Patt Morrison, who writes a political column on

Mondays. So if you see her mention it ... .

Writing of links

Here’s one that most -- OK, the vast majority -- of Pilot readers

either should enjoy or have known about forever:

https://www.therepublicanstore. com.

It’s linked to the Orange County Republican Party Web site and has

such unbelievable items as a Republican Elephant Bobble Head doll for

$12.95; a golf ball set (“One Wilson Tour 432 golf ball imprinted

with ‘Proud to be a Republican’ logo”) for $3.95; a leather-covered

flask for $29.95; and, for some reason, Elvis and Marilyn Monroe

items.

Best of all, for those who remember it, are the School House Rock

memorabilia.

I’m only a bill, indeed.

Will the next honorable senator come from Newport Beach?

Superior Court Judge Jim Gray is no stranger to controversy. Best

known for arguing that U.S. drug laws aren’t working, he, of late,

has presided over the county’s cases involving alleged sexual abuse

by Catholic priests.

Now it appears he’s got his eyes on something a little bigger.

The Libertarian Party of Orange County is trumpeting Gray’s

“expected” announcement that he will run for U.S. senator from

California. The announcement is scheduled for Nov. 17 at the Old

Courthouse in Santa Ana. The time is still be firmed up.

Gray lives in Newport Beach, where one would figure he has plenty

of neighbors who could offer him advice: former statewide

officeholders, staff members of politicians, folks like that.

That Libertarian label might shut down the conversation, though.

The latest news is

good news

The Republican Party of Orange County has a fairly

straight-forward bit of news on its Web site.

Under the “Latest News” category is this:

“VICTORY!!!

“73% of Orange County voters in the recall election voted to oust

Gray Davis. The margin between ‘yes’ votes and ‘no’ votes was an

overwhelming 300,000.”

Cox to meet with

North Korean defector

Two years ago, Rep. Chris Cox sent a letter to Secretary of State

Colin Powell urging the government to help North Korean defector

Hwang Jang Yeop travel to the United States.

That help is finally here.

As reported this week in The Korea Herald, an English-language

paper in South Korea, Hwang -- the highest-ranking North Korean

official to defect to the south -- is making the trip to the U.S.,

during which he will meet with a number of officials, including those

with Cox’s House Policy Committee.

According to the Herald, “The South’s authorities have been

protecting Hwang around the clock for the past six years as a

precaution against possible assassination attempts by North Korean

agents.”

The paper also notes that the South Korean government had fought

against a visit to the U.S. “citing security reasons.”

“But it was widely viewed that the main reason behind Seoul’s

opposition was concern that Hwang, an outspoken opponent of North

Korean leader Kim Jong-il, might strengthen the United States’

negative perception of Pyongyang,” the story said.

According to the Herald, Hwang also is to meet with officials from

the U.S. departments of State and Defense.