Election

Vote to replace John Campbell will be June 6, governor says. Open primary set for April 11.The special election to fill the 35th District state Senate seat will be held in conjunction with the June 6 statewide primary, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Thursday. The news pleased Orange County election officials, who will save money and work by holding the two elections together. A primary is scheduled April 11 for the state Senate seat, which was left open after Republican Sen. John Campbell was elected Dec. 6 to an open seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

You can always tell when it's election season in a newsroom. Reporters phones ring off the hook with story tips and rumors turned to supposed facts. The letters to the editors increase in frequency so much we kind of feel like Santa does on Christmas Eve. There are stories of stolen signs, stolen endorsements and, now, even stolen internet access. We'll even get some outlandish allegations that accuse some of criminal behavior from time to time. Friends turn on friends and enemies unite, all in the name of either getting themselves or their friends elected to office.

Election workers may finish recounting ballots in the 35th District state Senate race later this week, but it will likely take much longer to sort out what the election's outcome means for Orange County Republicans. Huntington Beach Assemblyman Tom Harman won the Republican nomination on April 11, beating Dana Point City Councilwoman Diane Harkey by 236 votes. A recount requested by Harkey began Wednesday but by the end of the week had not moved her any closer to a win. If nothing changes, Harman will run against Democratic candidate Larry Caballero on June 6. Harkey had superior finances and the backing of nearly every major GOP figure in the county, and she didn't win. If it's a sign that the GOP establishment is out of step with party voters, it's not a very clear one. "I'm not sure I want to go out and say this was a message to the leadership," Harman said.

The Newport Beach City Council election appears to be decided — in August. For the first time in city history, three candidates are running unopposed for as many open seats in the November election. Businessman Tony Petros is running for District 2, which covers West Newport. Councilman Ed Selich is seeking reelection for District 5, which includes Balboa Island. Mayor Pro Tem Keith Curry is running to keep his District 7 seat, which covers Newport Coast and Newport Ridge.

COSTA MESA — The post-election discussion regarding whether to recall newly reelected Councilwoman Wendy Leece appears to be losing steam. Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach, who first floated the idea as something that should at least be discussed, said he doesn't have the time or the desire to mount a recall against Leece. He did, however, say he would support such a move. No one else has stepped forward publicly asking to recall Leece, who was the second-highest vote-getter after Planning Commissioner Jim Righeimer in the Nov. 2 election, but the idea has been discussed in Republican leadership circles.

Since the city election was only a few months ago, I think the vacancy on the City Council should be filled by the runner-up with the largest number of votes, who in this case would be Linda Dixon. The mayor should be appointed in the usual manner. What surprises me is that there are not already guidelines in place in case the city council member has to leave before their term is completed. BILL THOMSON Costa Mesa Why not just name the person that got the next most votes [in the last election]

If one were into conspiracy theories, you'd have to think that Newport Beach City Councilman Gary Adams wants to see an election in his neighborhood this fall. Last week, Adams -- who's in his second term on the council after serving on the city's Planning Commission -- announced that, because of a job promotion, he'll be moving to Washington, D.C., in the fall and will have to resign his post. It's a helpful, early heads-up to the city and his colleagues, especially since November hosts three council elections, not to mention a few high-level state and U.S. votes.

It is every photojournalist's dream to have the opportunity to cover such an event like the historic recall election. When asked if I wanted to cover it, I jumped on it eagerly, knowing what a great experience it would be. When I arrived at the rally at the Orange County Fairgrounds, I was overwhelmed with how big it was -- and the media coverage was insane. After fighting my way to the front and getting a spot, it was just a matter of waiting for candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger to show up. He made his brief appearance -- I snapped some shots -- he smashed a car -- I got some more shots -- and then off he went in his bus. I was hoping his appearance would last longer but when you're trying to tour the state in the few days left before the election, time is not expendable.

The noise surrounding possible reform of Newport Beach's campaign laws has become deafening. Since before the November election, the city's two main political camps -- for simplicity's sake, Greenlight on one side and pro-business leaders on the other -- have been engaged in an extremely public fight that at times has been about development and traffic in town and at others has been about the political process in ...

June Casagrande This year's City Council election may not be the first instance that a deceptive campaign telephone message has been used in a local campaign. In 2000, Pat Beek's run for the District 5 seat, which includes Balboa Island, was marred by a phone message similar to one in the last election that misidentified a candidate as being endorsed by Greenlight, Beek said this week. "The night before the election, I had people calling me saying, 'Did you hear this?

In a letter to affiliated physicians and staff, Hoag Hospital announced that elective abortions will no longer be performed at the Newport Beach facility because of the low number of procedures done annually. The decision was based on a review of clinical services performed by the Hoag board that began last fall. Hoag chief executive and President Robert Braithwaite said the hospital places a high value on the level of care it provides, and that there is a direct correlation between quality of care and the number of procedures performed.

Here we go again, but in the opinion of Costa Mesans for Responsible Government (CM4RG), we're getting off on the wrong foot again. In 2012, when asked what he would do if his charter proposal failed at the polls, Mayor Jim Righeimer answered that he would bring it back right away. The charter failed spectacularly with 60% of the voters voting a resounding no. And now the specter of a charter is back. CM4RG hoped that when it returned, the process would be as considerate and inclusive of the public as possible.

I read Jeff Arthur's March 13 commentary, " Costa Mesa pension burden falls on us all, " and I already understood many of Mr. Arthur's initial comments on the underfunded pension obligation (UPO), but there were other comments in the second half of his letter involving quibbling, prevailing wages, outsourcing and the potential future charter committee that deserve further clarification. Evidently, Arthur comes from a background that allows him to think that it is quibbling to criticize flawed city charters (city constitutions)

The Costa Mesa Sanitary District board of directors appointed Arlene Schafer on Friday morning to fill a vacancy created after a recent resignation. She will serve out the remainder of former Director Jim Fitzpatrick's term, which runs until December 2014. Current board members voted unanimously to select Schafer, citing her experience serving on the board previously and her likely ability to quickly move back into the role. Schafer said she was "relieved" upon being chosen.

A Costa Mesa employee accused of vandalizing campaign signs during the November election no longer works for the city, officials said. As of Friday, senior maintenance worker Steven Charles White "is no longer employed by the city of Costa Mesa," city spokesman Bill Lobdell said in a prepared statement. The statement did not give a reason or say whether White left voluntarily, involuntarily or by mutual consent. White, a 39-year-old Costa Mesa resident, faces a misdemeanor vandalism charge stemming from an Oct. 20 incident in which prosecutors allege that he illegally tampered with two campaign signs.

We need a mental health bill for elected officials now! Mental health is not only an issue in our schools, but can also play a significant part in the shaping and maintenance of our community and culture. The people we put in office, even at the lowest levels, must have a clean bill of health from a mental health expert. It is without question that we have politicians running all areas of our city, state and country with low-level to severe mental-health issues. We are at the mercy of privacy acts that allow this be sealed, and this needs to change now!

Third in a series of profiles about those in the trenches of Costa Mesa's political battles. * "Feels better now that I've been elected," Costa Mesa City Councilman Steve Mensinger said while sitting in Estancia High School's Football Training Center on a recent gray morning. Mensinger, who was appointed to the council on Feb. 1, 2011, took his seat on the dais as some of the city's most intense battles over the outsourcing of city services and public employee pensions ramped up. Opponents were angered that the council majority bypassed Chris McEvoy, the next-place finisher in 2010's council race, and Mensinger firmly planted himself in Councilman Jim Righeimer's budget-slashing, anti-union camp.

This is the "morning after" in our political world and many voting Americans are waking up with the disappointment that their candidate didn't win. If this election left your political dreams thwarted, take heart — there is a chance to vote again. Don't worry; I'm not promoting voter fraud. I'm suggesting that you vote with your actions because the best place for people of faith to make a difference will never be in the voting booth. It will be in places of service like churches, schools, hospitals and homeless shelters.

So here we are, basking (or wailing) in the aftermath of the 2012 General Election. In my Newport Beach, nothing really happened. Measure EE, a charter-reform initiative, overwhelmingly passed, with one council member later commenting that he couldn't have cared less either way. Zzzzz. In Costa Mesa, however, it appears I was right. Huh, you ask? Back in my Aug. 18 column, I stated that the top-three finishers for the Costa Mesa City Council race were going to be Gary Monahan, Steve Mensinger and — wait for it — Sandy Genis.

Editor's note: This is Chuck Cassity's last biweekly column in the Daily Pilot. Chuck is leaving this space due to our reduced print production schedule (the Pilot is going to five days of print next), but he will continue to submit commentaries to the Forum page. We thank him for his contributions. * This column will appear on Friday, three days after the biggest election in our collective lifetimes has passed into the annals of history. But due to publication deadlines, I have no idea how the election will have turned out by the time you read this.