Ken Maddox

If this is indeed a Republican year in politics, then central Orange County's 68th Assembly District would seem a sure-fire winner for the Grand Old Party. The GOP, after all, enjoys a nice edge in registered voters and has a perfectly marketable candidate in Ken Maddox, a police officer who moonlights as a Garden Grove councilman. But not so fast, says Democratic candidate Mike Matsuda. Matsuda sees a scenario that has him scoring an upset victory and heading to Sacramento after the Nov.

The south Orange County state Senate campaign had the usual edge of a close Republican primary -- accusations of being soft on illegal immigration, too chummy with union bosses, too liberal. But when midnight faxes were sent out in February by "Hard Hittin' Harry" accusing a certain car-dealing assemblyman of having a relationship with a "Chelsea Clinton look-alike staffer," Assemblyman John Campbell saw red. "I'm not even huggy," said Campbell, who once owned a Saab and Saturn dealership.

An eleventh-hour negative mailer apparently backfired Friday on John Kellogg, a GOP candidate in the 68th Assembly District race, when two Assembly members withdrew their endorsements of him saying the attack was unfair. In trying to gain an edge in Tuesday's primary election, Kellogg mailed fliers to central Orange County homes assailing candidate Ken Maddox for his "ties to a convicted child molester." Maddox quickly complained to the county GOP ethics committee, which set a hearing for 3 p.m.

An Orange County assemblyman introduced a bill Thursday that would end a local agency's ability to dump dirtier sewage into the ocean than is allowed almost anywhere else in the nation. The Orange County Sanitation District has a five-year waiver allowing it to release the moderately treated sewage. The district must decide by the end of the year whether it will apply to renew that waiver, which expires next year. The bill seeks to stop that renewal. "For too long, Orange County Sanitation District has had its head in the sand, and they've been putting our head in the toilet," said Assemblyman Ken Maddox (R-Garden Grove)

Assemblyman Curt Pringle (R-Garden Grove) on Tuesday endorsed Garden Grove City Councilman Ken Maddox in the Republican primary to succeed him in the Legislature. Pringle said Maddox "is the most committed to the conservative philosophy and will be most effective and articulate in representing that view." Pringle, who must leave the Assembly because of term limits, is running for state treasurer.

State Assemblyman Ken Maddox, a reserve officer for the Tustin Police Department, helped arrest two bank robbery suspects Monday. The California Federal branch on 17th Street and City Bank on Irvine Boulevard were robbed within 30 minutes of each other. Witnesses gave similar descriptions of the robbers in each incident, investigators said. Maddox (R-Garden Grove) was one of the first officers to arrive at City Bank.

KEN MADDOX A conservative, Maddox touts his credentials as a Garden Grove councilman and a police officer. * Party: Republican * Age: 34 * Residence: Garden Grove * Education: Bachelor of arts, communications arts, Cal Poly Pomona, 1988. * Career highlights: Elected to Garden Grove City Council, 1996. Police officer in Tustin, teaches anti-drug education program. County Library Advisory Board member. * Priorities: Supports school vouchers for pupils in low-performing schools.

County supervisors on Tuesday approved a resolution opposing legislation by state Assemblyman Ken Maddox that would dramatically trim the Orange County Fire Authority's board of directors and potentially limit city representation. Mission Viejo Councilwoman Sherri M. Butterfield, who attended the meeting, called the Garden Grove Republican's bill an "unwanted intrusion." "I urge against any legislative tampering of the board's structuring," Butterfield told supervisors.

Ken Maddox has always considered himself to be tough on crime. On Monday, the Republican Assemblyman from Garden Grove had a chance to prove it. Maddox, a part-time reserve officer for the Tustin Police Department, helped arrest two men whom authorities suspect of robbing two Tustin banks. The California Federal branch on 17th Street and Citibank on Irvine Boulevard were robbed within 30 minutes of each other. Witnesses gave similar descriptions of the robbers in each crime, investigators said.

In response to the debate over an Orange County church's expansion plans, Assemblyman Ken Maddox (R-Garden Grove) introduced a far-reaching bill Wednesday that would prevent the use of eminent domain laws to seize property owned by religious institutions. The proposed legislation was sparked by a land fight between the city of Cypress and Cottonwood Christian Center, which owns 18 acres of prime vacant land in the city.

County supervisors on Tuesday approved a resolution opposing legislation by state Assemblyman Ken Maddox that would dramatically trim the Orange County Fire Authority's board of directors and potentially limit city representation. Mission Viejo Councilwoman Sherri M. Butterfield, who attended the meeting, called the Garden Grove Republican's bill an "unwanted intrusion." "I urge against any legislative tampering of the board's structuring," Butterfield told supervisors.

Assemblyman Ken Maddox has asked the Orange County grand jury to examine whether more than $1 million earmarked for fire protection in Irvine was improperly spent for tree trimming, fire-station landscaping and other expenses. In a letter sent Monday, Maddox (R-Garden Grove) also asked jury Foreman Joseph Gatlin to review the authority's governance structure.

In response to the debate over an Orange County church's expansion plans, Assemblyman Ken Maddox (R-Garden Grove) introduced a far-reaching bill Wednesday that would prevent the use of eminent domain laws to seize property owned by religious institutions. The proposed legislation was sparked by a land fight between the city of Cypress and Cottonwood Christian Center, which owns 18 acres of prime vacant land in the city.

The Orange County Fire Authority took the unusual step Thursday of opposing a proposed Assembly bill that would disassemble its governing board--even though the legislation has yet to be written. State Rep. Ken Maddox (R-Garden Grove) introduced a "place-holder" bill--aptly called AB911--earlier this month with the intent of restructuring the powerful 23-member board and replacing it with a five-member elected board. Maddox said he has until Feb. 23 to submit the actual language for the bill.

Ken Maddox has always considered himself to be tough on crime. On Monday, the Republican Assemblyman from Garden Grove had a chance to prove it. Maddox, a part-time reserve officer for the Tustin Police Department, helped arrest two men whom authorities suspect of robbing two Tustin banks. The California Federal branch on 17th Street and Citibank on Irvine Boulevard were robbed within 30 minutes of each other. Witnesses gave similar descriptions of the robbers in each crime, investigators said.

State Assemblyman Ken Maddox, a reserve officer for the Tustin Police Department, helped arrest two bank robbery suspects Monday. The California Federal branch on 17th Street and City Bank on Irvine Boulevard were robbed within 30 minutes of each other. Witnesses gave similar descriptions of the robbers in each incident, investigators said. Maddox (R-Garden Grove) was one of the first officers to arrive at City Bank.

The Orange County Fire Authority took the unusual step Thursday of opposing a proposed Assembly bill that would disassemble its governing board--even though the legislation has yet to be written. State Rep. Ken Maddox (R-Garden Grove) introduced a "place-holder" bill--aptly called AB911--earlier this month with the intent of restructuring the powerful 23-member board and replacing it with a five-member elected board. Maddox said he has until Feb. 23 to submit the actual language for the bill.

I am gratified to see the Garden Grove Unified School District is committed to the DARE program (Dec. 22). It is easy to get caught up in the anti-drug-education zeitgeist that has become prevalent. As a council member with the city of Garden Grove, I am a proponent of DARE and see it as an asset to our community-oriented policing program. Too many people look for a single instant solution to the problem of drug abuse. Changing and shaping attitudes is a long-term process. We need to look at collective successes over time.

Bidding to gain ground in the state's most Republican county, a pair of Democratic challengers Tuesday forged ahead of incumbent Assemblyman Jim Morrissey and state Sen. Rob Hurtt. Democrat Lou Correa held a commanding lead over Morrissey, an Anaheim Republican, with more than half the vote counted in the 69th Assembly District. Meanwhile, attorney Joe Dunn continued to cling to a narrow lead over Hurtt in the central county's 34th Senate District.

KEN MADDOX A conservative, Maddox touts his credentials as a Garden Grove councilman and a police officer. * Party: Republican * Age: 34 * Residence: Garden Grove * Education: Bachelor of arts, communications arts, Cal Poly Pomona, 1988. * Career highlights: Elected to Garden Grove City Council, 1996. Police officer in Tustin, teaches anti-drug education program. County Library Advisory Board member. * Priorities: Supports school vouchers for pupils in low-performing schools.