Cox still finds chair comfy

Alicia Robinson

Rep. Chris Cox made his pitch Wednesday to a Republican steering

committee to remain chairman of the House of Representatives Homeland

Security Committee. To do so, he would have to give up his position

after 10 years. As chairman of the House Policy Committee, Cox is the

fifth-ranked House Republican.

Members of the House leadership can’t chair standing committees,

and that’s what the Homeland Security Committee now is. The House on

Tuesday approved a rule change, making the Homeland Security

Committee permanent, something the 9/11 Commission had recommended.

But permanent status didn’t come easily, with resistance from the

chairmen of several other committees, who would lose jurisdiction to

the Homeland Security Committee.

The Republican caucus is expected to vote today on whether Cox

will remain homeland security chairman.

New spokesperson found for surfing congressman

Santa must have decided Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, who represents

Costa Mesa, was good last year. About a month after longtime

Rohrabacher press secretary Aaron Lewis announced his departure from

the surfing congressman’s office, a replacement has been found.

Rebecca Rudman, 27, began her duties in Rohrabacher’s Washington,

D.C., office this week.

A Southern California native with family in Costa Mesa, Rudman

graduated from UC Riverside with a business degree. She worked as a

staff assistant and press secretary to Corona Republican Rep. Ken

Calvert, then left the Hill to work in the private sector.

“As they say, I got Potomac fever,� she said. “It was really hard

going from working on Capitol Hill and reading and writing about

[political] types of issues and going to anything else.�

Local firm to donate check for Marines

Local Marines will get another boost Tuesday from the Newport

Beach committee that’s adopted them. A committee of former Marines,

including Newport Beach Mayor Steve Bromberg, has been raising money

since 2003 for food and supplies for the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines,

who are stationed at Camp Pendleton and were deployed to Iraq in

December. Money is also being raised for the Marines’ families.

Committee members will receive a check of more than $11,000 from

Costa Mesa law firm Rutan & Tucker at the Newport Beach City Council

meeting Tuesday. That brings the total raised for the Marines to more

than $60,000. The committee also organized a formal dinner as a

send-off for the Marines and helped send the young wife of a Marine

home to visit her family for the holidays.

“The word has gotten out there what we’re trying to do, and people

have been incredibly generous and very helpful by making these

donations,� Bromberg said. “The committee just feels really good

about this.�

Foley stepping into board role for O.C. trial lawyers

In a ceremony Friday in Santa Ana, Costa Mesa City Councilwoman

Katrina Foley will be sworn in as a member of the 2005 Orange County

Trial Lawyers Assn. board of directors.