Orange County’s Long Ballot List Has 2 Hot Races

A hot presidential race, a bare-knuckled battle of insurance initiatives and a U.S. Senate contest lead the parade as Californians vote today.

There are also two AIDS initiatives, another on cigarette taxes and one that would restore a state program for enforcing worker health and safety standards in the private sector. And in Orange County, voters will decide two of the hottest legislative races in the state, as well as the fate of four citywide slow-growth initiatives and a measure that could create the county’s 29th city.

In mild weather, with a slight chance of drizzle, about 80% of Orange County’s 1,183,166 voters are expected to cast ballots today in 2,160 precincts, according to Orange County Registrar Donald F. Tanney. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Tanney said that to avoid delays voters should fill out their sample ballots at home. Also, he said, those who can should avoid going to the polls in the peak times--before and after work hours and during lunch hours.

Because there are 29 statewide initiatives and numerous local ones on the ballot, some state officials fear lines could be long at some polling places.

Tanney said he has informed precinct workers of the voting booth time limit of 10 minutes, which was upheld Sunday by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. But while they may, during the busiest times at the polls, urge some slower voters to hurry, they will not “put stopwatches on people,” Tanney said.

“I do not expect to ask someone to leave a voting booth if they’re struggling with the ballot,” he said. “I do not believe that was the intent of the law.”

Caren Daniels-Meade, spokeswoman for the California secretary of state, said she is optimistic that voting will go smoothly because of a record number of absentee voters this year.

“We’ve got almost 2 million absentee ballots this year out of a projected 10.4 million voters in this election,” Daniels-Meade said. “So, we hope a lot of people will go into the booth with their choices ready on the ballot initiatives.”

Tanney said he is expecting about 60,000 absentee ballots to be cast in Orange County. They will be counted as long as they are postmarked no later than 8 p.m. today or are hand-delivered to the polls before they close.

Orange County voters will cast ballots today for members of Congress in five districts, state senators in four districts and members of the state Assembly in eight districts.

In the 72nd Assembly District, Democrat Christian F. (Rick) Thierbach of Garden Grove, a Riverside County prosecutor, and Republican Curt Pringle, a Garden Grove businessman and planning commissioner, have spent a total of $2.1 million on their campaigns. They are vying for the seat vacated when Assemblyman Richard E. Longshore (R-Santa Ana) died the day after the June 7 primary.

In the 33rd state Senate District, a quarter of which is in Orange County, incumbent Cecil Green (D-Norwalk) is trying to hold onto the seat he won last year in a special election. His opponent is former Cerritos Mayor Don Knabe. Together, they have spent $2.65 million on the race.

Voters also will choose local officeholders in 14 Orange County cities, 13 school districts and 13 library, water and other special districts.

Down to the Wire

There are measures on the ballot that would slow development in the cities of Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, San Juan Capistrano and Costa Mesa. In Costa Mesa, voters will decide whether the controversial Home Ranch project can proceed and how large it should be, if so.

In the presidential race, Republican George Bush and Democrat Michael S. Dukakis campaigned down to the wire in California.

Bush was in Los Angeles County Sunday, and Dukakis held a rally in San Francisco Monday morning and a huge rally at UCLA Monday night.

From the start, strategists in both parties have said that Dukakis must take California’s 47 electoral votes if he is to have any chance of putting together the 270 required to win the White House.

Bush is expected to win easily in Orange County, where Republicans have a 54.9% to 34.7% voter-registration edge over the Democrats. But he must win it heavily in order to overcome the vote in more Democratic areas of the state if he is to deny Dukakis a victory.

The Democratic ticket has won California’s electoral vote only once--in 1964--since 1952.

This time the Democrats spent $4.5 million to put together an extensive get-out-the-vote effort statewide.

The Republicans have also put together a major turnout effort, according to state coordinator Bill Hussey.

“We concentrate on the top 10 counties (in population), and in a close race our volunteers could make the difference as they walk precincts and use phone banks to get out the vote,” said Hussey.

Republican U.S. Sen. Pete Wilson and his challenger, Democratic Lt. Gov. Leo T. McCarthy, fought it out, almost unnoticed at times, for one of the most coveted jobs in American politics.

Wilson, first elected in 1982, worked hard to expand his Republican base, going after environmentalists and pro-Israel voters whom Democrats often count on.

San Francisco Rally

He campaigned Monday with President Reagan in his base of San Diego and Orange counties.

McCarthy campaigned often with Dukakis, including Monday, when the two appeared at a large, upbeat rally on the Embarcadero in San Francisco.

But for all of the battling over the presidency and the Senate, it was the battle of insurance industry propositions that captured much of the attention--and soaked up most of the campaign expenditures.

At least $81 million was spent by all sides on the five insurance initiatives. The propositions were put on the ballot after car insurance rates skyrocketed in California in the last 5 years.

As polling showed the insurance industry’s own initiatives--Propositions 104 and 106--running into trouble, the industry switched to an attack on Propositions 100 and 103, which would roll back rates and lead to more regulation of the industry. Another measure, Proposition 101, backed by maverick insurance executive Harry O. Miller, was doing poorly in the polls.

Proposition 100 is backed by the California Trial Lawyers Assn. and Atty. Gen. John K. Van de Kamp, among others, while 103 is championed by Ralph Nader.

The 103 measure has appeared to have the best chance of passing, according to polling, but there were reports Monday that tracking polls found a last-minute advertising blitz by the insurance industry eating into 103’s support.

The ads focus on the fact that even drunk drivers would get a rate rollback under Proposition 103.

To try to counter the attacks, the 103 campaign held a news conference Monday with Candy Lightner, the founder of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), who said that Proposition 103’s provisions “will not encourage drunk driving in any way.”

AIDS Proposition

Also on the ballot was Proposition 102, which is being watched by AIDS experts across the nation because it would force sweeping changes in the way California attacks the epidemic.

It would end anonymous testing for the AIDS virus, requiring the reporting of the names and sexual contacts of everyone who tests positive for AIDS antibodies. It would also repeal laws that forbid using test results to deny insurance or employment.

Opponents, including the California Medical Assn. and Dr. Jonas Salk, argue that the change would discourage testing.

Proponents, including Gov. George Deukmejian, argue that AIDS should be treated like any other infectious disease.

Another ballot initiative, Proposition 96, would require AIDS testing for some criminal suspects.

Proposition 97 would require the governor to restore the state occupational and safety program, which he ended after saying that federal worker safety laws were sufficient.

Also on the ballot is Proposition 99, which would increase the state cigarette tax to 35 cents a pack from 10 cents and use it to offset health costs of smoking.

In Anaheim, residents can call Yellow Cab today for a free ride to the polls within their voting precincts, the taxi company announced. The service will be available between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. More information may be obtained by calling (714) 535-2211.

The registrar of voters has set up an information service that can be reached at (714) 567-7600.

Contributing to this article were Times staff writers Frank Clifford, Richard C. Paddock, Kenneth Reich, Kevin Roderick and Judy Pasternak.