A behind-the-scenes look at Orange County’s political life : Fund-Raiser for Baugh Draws Legal Distinction on Where Money Goes

Assembly Speaker Curt Pringle (R-Garden Grove) is hosting a $500-per-person fund-raiser for Assemblyman Scott Baugh (R-Huntington Beach) Wednesday in Sacramento, with an invitation reading “Baugh is Vindicated!” and noting that all proceeds go toward Baugh’s reelection and “not to the lawyers.”

The party atmosphere stems from the dismissal this month of 17 counts of a 22-count indictment against Baugh, which alleged he misreported tens of thousands of dollars in campaign loans and contributions during his first campaign for office in 1995.

However, Baugh still faces trial on one felony perjury count and four misdemeanor counts for allegedly failing to report some $11,000 in loans on two economic interest statements. In addition, Dist. Atty. Michael R. Capizzi said his office intends to reinstate charges against Baugh.

In the past, Baugh’s campaign has paid $63,730 to lawyers in Sacramento and Orange County who are defending him.

“It is a personal matter how I pay my lawyers,” he said. “Proceeds from fund-raising will go to pay for mailers and campaign expenses. Not a penny of funds raised at a fund-raising event will go to pay lawyers. I raised money in other ways for the legal fees.”

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Lungren vs. the liberals: It may be a bit early for some folks to think about scouring the state for money to run for governor in 1998, but not for Atty. Gen. Dan Lungren.

He is pressing ahead with his quest for cash--and to lock up the GOP nomination--all the while saying it’s all because of liberals and campaign reform measures on this fall’s ballot.

Lungren was in Orange County last week, raising from $80,000 to $100,000 from some 200 guests at a buffet dinner and reception at the Hyatt Regency. Invitees were asked to pay $5,000 to sponsor a table.

In a letter touting his campaign, Lungren insisted that he needs “at least $20 million to even compete” against liberal Democrats for governor. But he said that if campaign finance laws are altered, he would be forced “to spend all my time in 1998 raising funds” rather than meeting voters.

Propositions 208 and 212 both would restrict the timeline for fund-raising and limit contributions. Spokeswoman Margie Alt of Yes on 212 thinks that’s a good thing. “It gets special interest and fat-cat money out of politics,” she said.

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Behind the potted plant: When he signed the interstate anti-stalking bill last week, President Clinton gushed over the new legislation which makes it a federal crime for any stalker to cross state lines to pursue a victim.

He personally thanked U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), a former stalking victim, and California’s own Dianne Feinstein for getting the bill passed. Obviously ignored was the chief sponsor, Rep. Ed Royce, the Fullerton Republican, who was standing in the Oval Office, out of camera range next to Hutchison.

After the ceremony, as the president walked along the line of spectators shaking hands, Royce said he told him: “I’m Ed Royce. I’m the one that authored the bill, the anti-stalker provision that you just signed.” Royce said Clinton simply replied, “Thank you for your effort,” or something close to that.

The White House didn’t comment on the snub.

But Hutchison made up for it the next morning, while being interviewed by ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

“I want to give credit to Ed Royce, because he passed the first stalking bill in America in the state of California and then came to Congress and saw that we really needed to have the resources of the FBI and we needed to trace these people when they move from state to state, which they frequently do,” Hutchison said.

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Open house: Democratic candidates running against two GOP incumbents are holding an open house at their local Democratic headquarters at 3 p.m. today.

Shirley W. Palley, who is running for Assembly against Marilyn C. Brewer of Irvine, and Tina Louise Laine, seeking to unseat Rep. Christopher Cox of Newport Beach, will be at the headquarters at the University Center (the former Irvine Marketplace), 4249 Campus Drive, Irvine, (714) 737-2007.

Other Democratic headquarters:

Covering Santa Ana and Orange: 777 S. Main St. in Orange. (714) 835-5158.

Covering South County: 28451 Marguerite Parkway, Suite #6, in Mission Viejo, (714) 364-1996.

Covering Tustin: 2431 N. Tustin Ave., Suite F, in Santa Ana, (714) 558-9171.

Covering West Orange County: 20800 Beach Blvd. in Huntington Beach, (714) 374-0213.

Compiled by Times political writer Peter M. Warren, with contributions from Times staff writers Len Hall and Gebe Martinez.

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