AD71 History and Election Overview From The PE
Posted by: Dave Everett | 05/27/2008 8:55 AM
This ran in Saturday's Press Enterprise about the race between Corona Mayor and former GOP Chairman Jeff Miller and RSM Councilman Neil Blais. They are both running for the Republican nomination in the 71st Assembly District. The premise of the article is that western Riverside County and eastern Orange County don't seem to have the same concerns. I disagree with that strongly and would consider traffic, illegal immigration, taxes/state budget and tough-on-crime measures to be at the top of both regions' priority lists.The article also has a pretty good history of the representation of western Riverside County and eastern Orange County. It goes back to when western Riverside County was represented by then-Assembly members Dennis Hollingsworth, R-Murrieta, and Rod Pacheco, R-Riverside. Eastern Orange County was represented by former Assemblyman Bill Campbell. It goes into the effect redistricting and the LA-based AD60 had on the district lines, term limits, Hollingsworth battle with then-Corona Mayor Jeff Bennett after a bitter primary battle in which Bennett spent $1 million, Spitzer running unopposed all the way up to the Miller-Blais contest, which is the first contested GOP primary in the redrawn 71st.
In 71st District Assembly race, counties form the great divide
09:45 AM PDT on Friday, May 23, 2008
By JIM MILLER Sacramento Bureau
SACRAMENTO - For seven years, western Riverside County has been part of an Assembly district dominated by Orange County voters and represented by an Orange County lawmaker.
Now for the first time since a redrawn 71st Assembly District took shape, someone from Riverside County has a strong chance of occupying that seat.
The Republican primary race between Corona Mayor Jeff Miller and Rancho Santa Margarita Mayor Neil Blais will effectively settle who wins the GOP-leaning district in November. The contest pits two men in their mid-40s, with similar conservative views and a shared penchant for news releases on who most opposes illegal immigration and tax increases.
An undercurrent to the campaign is what separates the candidates the most: geography.
Blais is from the district's western half, which includes all or parts of the Orange County cities of Mission Viejo, Orange and Irvine. Miller lives at the 71st's northeastern end in Riverside County, which includes Corona, the district's largest city, Norco and Glen Avon.
Orange County has been the source of 90 percent of Blais' campaign cash and virtually all of his endorsements, including that of incumbent Todd Spitzer, R-Orange. Blais has received no money or endorsements from Riverside County.
Miller, who claims Orange County roots and has a campaign consultant with extensive connections there, has raised about a third of his money from Orange County donors. But the bulk of his endorsements have come from Riverside County.
Blais said Orange County business and political leaders want the 71st to be represented by one of their own.
"There's a large feeling from residents in my area that it should be an Orange County seat," Blais said.
The attitude reflects concerns about maintaining the political clout of Orange County, the heart of conservative politics in California.
Whoever wins next month is very likely to be in office during the next redrawing of legislative lines in 2011. A Miller victory, some Orange County interests fear, would lead to a more Inland-centric district and the loss of an Orange County representative.
Miller downplays any geographic rivalries. He said he has more experience than Blais on issues of concern in both parts of the district. He points to his work on getting money for transportation projects and helping the campaign to pass the sex-crimes initiative known as Jessica's Law in 2006.
"For eight years I have worked on issues not just in the city of Corona and Riverside County, but also Orange County," Miller said.
Recently, the Miller camp has accused Blais' grant-management firm with helping to raise money for programs in Los Angeles County that served illegal immigrants.
Blais called the charge a lie.
Blais' campaign, meanwhile, has resurrected complaints about Miller's role in starting an energy-consulting firm while the Corona City Council was studying a takeover of Southern California Edison's power lines earlier this decade.
Authorities investigated the Corona matter and found no wrongdoing.
In 2001, western Riverside County was represented by then-Assembly members Dennis Hollingsworth, R-Murrieta, and Rod Pacheco, R-Riverside. Eastern Orange County was represented by former Assemblyman Bill Campbell.
Redistricting jumbled up those lines.
A Los Angeles County district centered around Diamond Bar was redrawn to wrap through Chino Hills and extend all the way to Orange, in what had been the 71st District. And an Assembly district concentrated at the north end of Orange County dropped down to absorb precincts in another part of Orange.
No sitting Republican lawmaker, meanwhile, was eager to have Corona in their district.
Only a year earlier, Hollingsworth had defeated then-Corona Mayor Jeff Bennett after a bitter primary battle in which Bennett spent $1 million. That fueled fears he might challenge an incumbent in a redrawn seat.
Term limits prevented Campbell from running for re-election. In 2002, Spitzer ran for the seat with no Republican competition from Bennett or anyone else. The Miller-Blais contest, in fact, is the first contested GOP primary in the redrawn 71st.
The Riverside County portion of the district doesn't seem to have the same concerns as famously parochial Orange County.
Former Norco Mayor Harvey Sullivan said he thinks Spitzer has represented the region well.
Sullivan, who has endorsed Miller, said he would have no problem with a Blais victory.
"I don't see that as being a great difference between the candidates. We're a lot alike," Sullivan said of the district's two parts.
But Irvine Councilman Stephen Choi, an early candidate for the 71st who later dropped out and endorsed Blais, said he struggled to connect with the Riverside County portion of the district during his short-lived campaign.
"It's very awkward. There are two different cultures to begin with," he said.
Reach Jim Miller at 916-445-9973
ELECTION
The candidates running in the 71st assembly district's Republican primary:
JEFF MILLER
AGE : 44
RESIDES: Corona
FAMILY: Married, two daughters
OCCUPATION: Insurance agent/broker
EDUCATION: Cal State Fullerton, degree in criminal justice; Foothill High School
TOP FIVE PROFESSIONAL AND COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES: Corona mayor, member of City Council since 2000, board member of Corona Norco YMCA, Corona Heritage Foundation, Corona Regional Medical Association. Riverside County Transportation Commissioner. Past chairman of the Republican Party of Riverside County.
CAMPAIGN WEB SITE AND PHONE NUMBER: www.millerforassembly.com, 951-315-8433
NEIL BLAIS
AGE : 46
RESIDES: Rancho Santa Margarita
FAMILY: Married, one son
OCCUPATION: President and CEO of Blais and Associates, a grants management firm
EDUCATION: California Sate Polytechnic University, degree in aerospace engineering
TOP FIVE PROFESSIONAL AND COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES: Eight years with McDonnell Douglas in program engineering; 15 years at EQE International/ABS Consulting in emergency management consulting; Rancho Santa Margarita Cityhood Committee; Rotary International Coto de Caza / Rancho Santa Margarita Del Sol.
CAMPAIGN WEB SITE AND PHONE NUMBER: www.neilforassembly.com, 949-322-4127
CATEGORY:
2008 Races, AD71 Watch
All things being equal, Miller's ability to build a district wide coalition, raise campaign funds (3 to 1), and his work on vital district concerns such as transportation and infrastructure cast a large shadow on Blais' competency. Be that as it may, there have been some hurdles that Miller has had to overcome that could have easily been avoided. I know Brandon Powers and he has done a phenomenal job navigating through the incompetency of hokey and ill prepared mailers put together by the Floyd and Lusco team(I understand there are very few lining up to hire them for future campaigns.) He has also effectively utilized Miller's strengths and resources. I predict a Miller win over Blais, but hopefully there will be lessons learned for those seeking office in the Inland Empire region. There's no need to create more problems for the Republican Party, much less an individual campaign as a result of careless attacks from unprofessional consultants.
Well said "abe", but people who have been around long enough know this is a pattern but usually they work for candidates who are behind and don't have much to lose by being reckless.
For example, if you look at the work they have done on the Bogh campaign, they have made more misguided attacks than one can count, and have been called out by newspapers even. What do they do? Shrug it off and throw another fistfull of union money at the problem.
Miller actually has a good shot at this one and I hope they cut their losses with F&L and move forward for a strong finish.
No offense to Blais, who I hear is a good guy, but Miller is just more qualified for the job, despite regional lines through the district.
I do admit, that it would be nice not to have a large chunk of the county carved out and represented by the OC - this may be brought up in the next round of redistricting.
As of now though, I think Miller can represent both counties better than Blais who is strictly a OC local guy.