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Duvall takes lead in Assembly seat race
Jim Drummond - Political Perspectives
Yorba Linda Star - August 18, 2005 - Viewpoints
Section
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Excerpts:
City Councilman Mike Duvall must be considered the early
favorite to win next year’s Republican primary for
the state Assembly seat now held by Lynn Daucher (R-Brea).
A June 2006 primary win would virtually guarantee Duvall’s general election
victory in the safely Republican district, which covers western and central Yorba
Linda along with all of Brea, Fullerton and Placentia and parts of Anaheim, La
Habra and Orange.
District voter registration includes 97,464 Republicans
and 64,826 Democrats.
Daucher won her first term after a bitter 2000 primary
but was easily re-elected in 2002 and 2004. She can’t seek a fourth term because state law limits
her to six years in the Assembly.
Duvall’s chief primary opponent is Marty Simonoff, a three-term Brea City
Councilman and retired Huntington Park police captain. They are both active in
the Brea Lions Club.
Two key factors give the gregarious Duvall his early campaign
edge. First, Duvall is trying to position himself as the
more conservative of the two GOP candidates.
Recently, influential Orange County Register editorial
writer and columnist Steven Greenhut praised Duvall’s efforts to eliminate wasteful public spending
in the county Sanitation District and saddled Simonoff with the “Republican
in Name Only” label.
Second, Duvall has proven prowess as a campaign fundraiser,
although he trailed Simonoff in contributions for the first
six months of this year. Simonoff raised $78,387 and has
$78,353 remaining, while Duvall took in $67,018 and has a
balance of $48,711.
Most of Duvall’s cash came from a June fundraiser held at his father-in-law’s
famous Bastanchury Avenue ranch. Contributions were from Duvall’s friends,
neighbors and insurance colleagues, as well as longtime Yorba Linda development
interests.
Among those writing $250 checks were Councilman Jim Winder,
water director Ric Collett, traffic commissioner Larry Larsen,
the Chamber of Commerce’s Phyllis
Coleman and former Councilman Hank Wedaa.
City contractors Taormina Industries and Emergency Ambulance
Service of Brea each donated $1,000, as did palapa builder
Chuck Hyneman, among others. Councilman Ken Ryan transferred
$2,000 of the $3,308 left in his 2002 treasury to Duvall.
Contributions from developers and others associated with
the development industry included C.J. Segerstrom and Sons
($3,300), the Irvine Co. ($1,000) and Yorba Linda developers
S&S Construction and Upper-K Shapell Joint Venture ($1,650
each).
Duvall also accepted $3,300 from a developer-funded political
action committee, the Committee for Improved Public Policy.
The check came a day after the committee received $5,000
each from S&S Construction and Upper-K Shapell Joint Venture.
Since 2000, the committee has funneled $18,499 of developer
money to local council and water district candidates, including
Allen Castellano, Duvall, Ryan and Keri Wilson. That’s in addition to developer money donated directly to individual
accounts.
A FINAL NOTE – Several council members patted themselves on the back after
Money magazine identified Yorba Linda as the 21st best place to live in the USA.
At a July 19 council session, only Mayor Keri Wilson correctly
credited Yorba Linda’s forefathers for shaping the city’s direction. Their vision
included the 1972 low-density general plan and generous setback requirements
from the city’s major roadways.
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