Intense Lobbying Expected on Bids for Vote-Counting Pact

Intensive lobbying by companies seeking the contract to supply Orange County with a new, computerized vote-counting system is expected to begin shortly.

Requests for proposals have been mailed to various vendors, and county officials are hoping a new system will be installed before the November, 1986, elections.

The county is scrapping the existing $1.6-million vote-counting system after only five years of operation because of unexpectedly high ballot-printing costs and the system’s slow performance.

The existing system was sold to the county by the Valtec Co. of Tulsa, Okla.

Late Final Tallies

Political activists and county officials have been angry over the current system’s failure to deliver final tallies before 5 a.m. In contrast, Los Angeles County often has results by 1 a.m.

There was intense lobbying--including controversial campaign contributions from vendors to members of the Board of Supervisors--during the selection process last time. In the end, the board ignored the recommendations of its own staff and County Registrar of Voters Al Olson and picked a system that had never been tried.

This time, supervisors have pledged to follow staff recommendations closely.

Bidding Firms

Three firms expected to bid on the contract are Computer Election Systems of Berkeley, Sequoia Pacific Systems of San Francisco and DFM Associates of Irvine.

Computer Election Systems designed and built Los Angeles’ system, which uses pre-scored cards that are held in place under a booklet. Voters turn pages in the booklet and punch holes with a stylus in marked locations, scoring the card underneath.

The Sequoia and DFM cards have ballot measures and candidate names printed directly on them. The Sequoia system uses a punch head device that moves across the face of the ballot to desired locations, while the DMF system uses an optical scanner to read markings made with a special pen.

Olson said a new system could cost between $800,000 and $1.6 million.

Senate Hopefuls to Attend CRA Convention

No less than five 1986 GOP U.S. Senate hopefuls will converge on the Irvine Marriott Hotel next weekend. They will be wooing delegates to the annual convention of the California Republican Assembly (CRA), the state’s largest volunteer political organization and a key force in GOP politics.

Although the CRA won’t be endorsing anyone until next year, each candidate will be attempting to make a good impression now as organizing and money-raising efforts get under way.

Scheduled to attend the three-day convention are Reps. Dan Lungren of Long Beach, Bobbi Fiedler of Northridge and William Dannemeyer of Fullerton, along with state Sen. Ed Davis of Valencia and Assemblyman Robert Naylor of Menlo Park. All have either declared their candidacy for the GOP U.S. Senate nomination or have formed an exploratory committee.

Orange County Supervisor Bruce Nestande, who is considering a campaign for the 1986 GOP nomination for lieutenant governor, will also attend.

Behind the scenes, delegates will be maneuvering for positions of influence within the assembly, looking ahead to the time when endorsements for the 1988 presidential election will be made.

The organization endorsed Ronald Reagan for president in 1974, two years before he challenged Gerald Ford in the 1976 Republican presidential primary.

Newly elected state GOP Vice Chairman Bill Park and Assemblyman Patrick J. Nolan of Glendale, the Assembly’s minority leader, will be keynote speakers. They were on opposite sides of an intra-GOP power struggle last month at the state Republican convention in Sacramento.

African Famine Subject of Democrats’ Meeting

Orange County Democrats, who are going through a rebuilding period similar to the one experienced by Republicans after Watergate, are attempting to attract attention between elections with some major activities.

For example, the drought and famine in Africa will be the focus of a Tuesday meeting of the Democratic Associates, a Democratic volunteer organization, at the Cal State Fullerton University Club.

State Sen. John Garamendi (D-Stockton), who has his eye on the 1986 Democratic gubernatorial nomination and who recently visited famine-stricken countries in Africa, is guest speaker for the event, scheduled for 6 p.m.

Voluntary contributions for the Orange County African Relief Fund will be sought from those attending the meeting.

Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) is scheduled to attend another Democratic Associates’ event on April 11. Details have not been finalized, according to organization spokesman Chris Townsend.

Activist Tim Carpenter Leaves County for L.A. Job

Tim Carpenter, the 25-year-old, sandy-haired anti-nuke activist who has helped lead protest politics in Orange County for years, has moved to Los Angeles to work for Propeace, a nonprofit organization working to end the arms race.

Almost always dressed in a coat and tie, Carpenter is respected even among some staunch adversaries for his gutsy, determined and self-effacing approach to conservative politics in Orange County.

“When the revolution comes, Orange County will drive there in a Volvo or BMW,” Carpenter joked recently, a reference to the county’s upscale “yuppies,” whom he courts.

A survivor of both cancer and a serious form of arthritis, Carpenter said this week he will visit Orange County often on behalf of Propeace.

Carpenter said the peace movement has come a long way in Orange County since 1979, when there were only about a dozen members in the local Alliance for Survival chapter.

“Now the membership is about 4,000. . . . I think we’ve put an oasis in the desert,” he said.

Nearly 200 people showed up recently to honor Carpenter at a farewell reception co-sponsored by the Alliance and the Interfaith Peace Council of Orange County.