Tom Umberg

Assembly candidate Tom Umberg, an Army Reserve officer and one of the Democrats' top hopes for winning a Republican seat in November, has been dispatched to a military base in the California desert in the Middle East crisis mobilization. Umberg, a paratrooper who was an Army captain in Korea and Italy before joining the Reserves as a major in 1988, reported Thursday night to Fort Irwin, about 40 miles northeast of Barstow.

Assemblyman Curt Pringle (R-Garden Grove) accused his Democratic opponent Tuesday of misleading voters because he plans to be identified on the ballot as an assistant U.S. attorney, even though he quit that job in January. However, Democratic candidate Tom Umberg said that California Secretary of State March Fong Eu's office has cleared his designation and called it standard practice for candidates who have resigned a position to run for office.

Democratic Assembly candidate Tom Umberg has raised more than twice as much money this year as his Republican opponent, Assemblyman Curt Pringle, but he spent almost all of it during a tough primary fight. In financial disclosure statements filed by both campaigns Tuesday, Umberg reported $24,000 in the bank compared to about $103,000 for Pringle, the freshman incumbent from Garden Grove. Umberg also had debts of more than $20,000 while Pringle had none.

Democratic Assembly hopeful Jerry Yudelson waited about one minute Thursday night at a candidates' forum before launching the first of several broadsides at his June 5 primary opponent, Tom Umberg, who later warned Yudelson "to stay away from my family." The rancorous forum, hosted by the Democratic Associates, a group of young Democrats, also saw both men standing face to face at one point, accusing each other of lying.

Despite his pledge just five days ago that he would not attack his Democratic rival, Assembly candidate Jerry Yudelson blasted his primary opponent Tuesday as being the handpicked choice of Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, who "only wants someone he can control." In a written statement, Yudelson also once again referred to his rival, Tom Umberg, as a "yuppie lawyer from Irvine."