Orange County Politics

Former Republican Assemblyman Robert C. Frazee of Carlsbad, who for 16 years represented part of South County, was appointed by Gov. Pete Wilson to a plum post for ex-politicians: a seat on the California Integrated Waste Management Board. Frazee, 66, will receive $90,852 a year, if his appointment is confirmed by the state Senate. Not too shabby, considering that the board, which oversees garbage collection in the state, meets 12 times a year.

Almost like seeing Elvis: In some quarters, rumors of Elvis Presley sightings grab attention. But in the Newport Beach area, sightings of Assemblyman Ross Johnson (R-Fullerton) are turning heads. Although the rarely seen Johnson is running for reelection in his north Orange County district, he has been campaigning for the coastal Orange County state Senate seat that Marian Bergeson (R-Newport Beach) will be vacating in January when she moves to the County Board of Supervisors.

Counting the minutes: Last Monday, even before the extent of the county's financial crisis was known to the public, a weary Board of Supervisors Chairman Thomas F. Riley was the first of his colleagues to file into the crowded board room at the Hall of Administration. Riley sat down and looked at the crowd and managed a smile, despite the fact that he had been up since 3 a.m., rousted out of bed with the start of a week's worth of devastating news.

Did inaction speak louder than words?: The conservative Orange County congressional delegation would win the prize on any given day for its anti-crime rhetoric. But the local congressmen--Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach), Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove), Rep. Jay C. Kim (R-Diamond Bar), Rep. Ron Packard (R-Carlsbad), Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach), and Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton)--voted last week to block a final House vote on a $33-billion anti-crime bill.

Cashing out: Assemblyman Tom Umberg of Garden Grove, the Democratic candidate for attorney general, recently did what no self-respecting politician likes to do--give back campaign money.

Dana and Willie: Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach), who stirred up nasty debates over illegal immigration on the House floor last year, has taken up the crusade for the California Civil Rights Initiative. Rohrabacher appeared Thursday night on CNN's "Crossfire," where he had to shout to be heard above California Assembly Democratic leader Willie Brown during a debate on the topic.

The testy relationship between Assemblyman Curt Pringle (R-Garden Grove) and Assembly Speaker Doris Allen (R-Cypress) hasn't helped Pringle's view of the world--literally. After removing Pringle from the powerful Appropriations Committee chair last month, Allen administered the coup de grace last week: She moved him into one of the Capitol's smaller offices. Pringle was bumped from a roomy suite with a view of Capitol Park to a two-room hovel across from the busy elevators.