THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE:

Each Christmas Eve, Assemblyman Chuck DeVore joins what he calls “a quiet brotherhood” of men out shopping at the last minute for their wives.

“They kind of give each other the secret knowing glance,” DeVore said. “It’s that brotherhood of procrastination.”

Hectic holiday shopping isn’t the only holiday tradition in the DeVore household. The assemblyman said family has made it a yearly Thanksgiving and Christmas custom to invite friends who don’t have anywhere else to go during the holidays over for a late lunch.

Like DeVore, County Supervisor John Moorlach said he still has some last-minute shopping to do, but the holidays are mostly an opportunity to “take a little time off to rest at home,” he said.

Each year, Moorlach spends Christmas Eve with his parents and siblings and then has a Christmas at home with his wife and two sons.

Other lawmakers experience the holidays as an extended party-hopping session.

Assemblyman Van Tran, who says he’s been busy with holiday parties since the beginning of the month, will continue to brave his busy schedule as Christmas Day approaches.

“There’s one tonight at the Garden Grove Chamber of Commerce, on the 23rd I have a Christmas party with my in-laws and one with my parents on the 24th,” he said. “You got to spread the love around!”

Politicos can often be overwhelmed by their high-speed party regimen, Tran said — all sorts of invitations pour in, forcing state officials to keep their tuxedos pressed for most of the month.

“You kind of have to watch what you eat, because you can gain a lot of weight this time of the year,” he joked.

But, Tran’s holiday isn’t all about wheelings-and-dealings — the assemblyman’s office has also teamed up with AT&T; to donate 300 long-distance cards to California National Guards stationed in the Middle East, packed with 100 free minutes for a Christmas call home.

State Sen. Tom Harman, on the other hand, said he was looking forward to a calm Christmas at home with the Mrs. He hosted 150 people at a holiday party in his Huntington Beach home last Friday.

“It’s the first time in probably 20 years that our adult children will not be able to join us for the holiday,” he said. “So, we’re going to have a quiet Christmas this year.”

Rep. John Campbell jockeys between Christmas Eve celebrations at his mother’s house and his home in Irvine to celebrate with his wife’s family on Christmas Day. Campbell always makes his wife’s “sinfully good” recipe for eggnog at family celebrations and his special “sinfully rich” mashed potatoes. The secret sinful ingredients are lots of butter and cream, Campbell said.

DAIGLE THANKED WITH BAT

Local golf enthusiasts recognized Newport Beach City Councilwoman Leslie J. Daigle Wednesday for her efforts to save the back nine holes of Newport Beach Golf Course.

Daigle was presented with a baseball bat with the inscription: “Thanks for going to bat for us!” at the Santa Ana High Quarterback Club golf tournament fundraiser at the course.

Daigle credited the Newport Beach City Council for taking a stand against plans to turn the back holes into a parking lot for John Wayne Airport.

Newport Beach resident and GOP benefactor Buck Johns also was recognized at the tournament for his support of the campaign to save the golf course.

Newport Beach City Council voted unanimously in May to oppose any plan to remove the back nine holes after Daigle urged the city to take an official stance. Golfers and the golf course’s owners flooded Supervisor John Moorlach’s office with letters opposing plans to pave over the back nine holes.

STAFFER EARNS ATTENTION

Harman announced this week that his district coordinator, Cynthia Determan, was elected by her Republican peers to receive the annual “Donald Award.”

The award, named for Don Gilchrist, a former administrative assistant to State Sen. John Lewis, annually honors one Republican legislative staffer who puts others first while working for an elected Republican in Orange County. Determan is the 11th recipient of the award.

“This could’ve easily gone to any of the staffers in the office,” she said. “I think it’s a recognition of the hard work we did for our constituents this year, because everything in the office is really a team effort.”

Determan also thanked the senator for the opportunity to serve the 35th Senate District.

“I love what I do for a living, especially with someone like Senator Harman, whom I respect so much,” she said. “He does this because he cares about public service — he’s an honest man, a sincere man, and it’s just a privilege to work for someone you respect.”

The senator said he found it remarkable that a staffer under his purview for only a year had already made such an evident impact.

“That’s a very prestigious award — certainly a refection on the high standards of work and quality that Cynthia has brought to my office,” he said. “I’m honored to have her working for me, and I think the award is very much deserved.”

BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at [email protected]. CHRIS CAESAR may be reached at (714) 966-4626 or at [email protected].