Orange County Politics

He describes himself as a conservative judge in a conservative county. But many of those who have watched the career of Orange County Superior Court Judge James P. Gray said his approach to the job is anything but traditional. His record--part rebel, part reformer, part conciliator--has kept him in the limelight. A decade ago, Gray's call for the legalization of drugs prompted the county sheriff to quip, "What was this guy smoking?"

A San Diego appeals court on Friday breathed new life into the effort to build an urban park at the former El Toro Marine Corps base, staying a lower court ruling that effectively killed efforts to place the issue on the March ballot. The preliminary ruling means that the 128,000 signatures gathered to place the "Great Park" plan on the ballot can be submitted to the county registrar for certification.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday declined to modify new district boundaries approved last week that left Newport Coast and an Anaheim industrial area in limbo. Under the new redistricting plan, Supervisor Tom Wilson, who opposes an airport at the closed El Toro Marine base, lost pro-airport Newport Beach to the 2nd District. But Wilson kept Newport Coast, an area with nearly 5,000 residents that the city wants to annex.

Anaheim Councilwoman Shirley McCracken, an El Toro airport advocate, confirmed Thursday that she is considering a run for the Board of Supervisors to replace Todd Spitzer, who plans to run for Assembly in 2002. "I'm keeping my options open," said McCracken, who mentioned her interest privately to associates at a Kiwanis breakfast Thursday. McCracken has been on the City Council six years, three as mayor pro tem.

Orange County supervisors adopted new district boundaries Tuesday that keep Santa Ana--the county's largest city with the biggest Latino population--intact, thus increasing the chances for a serious attempt to put a Latino on the board in 2004. The approval of the new boundaries came despite last-minute pleas from city officials to move portions of Newport Beach and Anaheim into other districts to ease the cities' future planning decisions.

Orange County supervisors adopted new boundaries Tuesday that keep Santa Ana--the county's largest city, with the biggest Latino population--intact, thus increasing the chances for a serious attempt to put a Latino on the board in 2004. The approval of the new boundaries came despite last-minute pleas from city officials to move portions of Newport Beach and Anaheim into other districts to ease the cities' future planning decisions.

Backers of a bid to build a park instead of an airport at the El Toro Marine base said a judge's order invalidating petitions collected so far would affect 128,000 signatures, far more than the 50,000 first believed. Len Kranser of Citizens for Safe and Healthy Communities said organizers did a more thorough count after Judge James Gray's ruling Tuesday. That count found that organizers were much further along in the process than was thought.

After fighting off a last-ditch attempt to sink his county charter proposal by overloading it with unwanted amendments, Supervisor Todd Spitzer won enough votes Tuesday to put an initiative on the March ballot that would let Orange County voters--rather than the governor--decide who should fill vacancies on the board. "I'm pleased that the charter will be before voters as a simple issue to just fill board vacancies," Spitzer said.

Orange County supervisors on Tuesday approved a redistricting map to serve as the basis for an ordinance on which the board will vote next month. The map, chosen from 12 original proposals and almost as many alternative versions submitted by the public and individual supervisors, will now go to the county assessor's office to be drafted into an ordinance. The board will meet Aug. 14 to debate final details of the map, which may be further modified or approved by a majority of the supervisors.

Eight contentious years ended Thursday with strained faces on the dais and victorious smirks in the audience. "It is a new day," said Melissa Taylor Smith, elected this week to the board of Orange Unified School District. On Tuesday, voters in the troubled district recalled three members of the conservative majority, the county's first school board recall in 14 years.