A Starr comes to Newport Beach

Paul Clinton

Former Bill Clinton nemesis Kenneth Starr will speak to a local

attorneys’ group today in Newport Beach.

Starr, who works for the Washington-area law firm Kirkland &

Ellis, will be in town to discuss his less well-known book, “First

Among Equals: The Supreme Court in American Life,” at a luncheon

hosted by the California Republican Lawyers Assn.

Starr’s other book, which became an instant bestseller, came out

in 1998. “The Starr Report” listed 11 impeachment counts against

President Bill Clinton, along with a litany of explicit details about

the White House tryst between Clinton and 24-year-old intern Monica

Lewinsky.

Starr’s report ultimately led to the impeachment vote against

Clinton. Starr had been investigating Clinton and the Whitewater land

deal since 1994.

Today, Starr will discuss the highest court in the land’s

“pervasive influence upon American culture,” a release from the group

said.

The luncheon will be held at noon at the China Palace, which is at

2800 W. Coast Highway. It costs $75 at the door.

Starr’s appearance, which will include a book signing, is also

hosted by the Republican Party of Orange County.

Before his notoriety from uncovering the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal,

Starr served as solicitor general under President George H. Bush, a

U.S. Court of Appeals judge and clerk to former Supreme Court Chief

Justice Warren Burger.

Group questions Cox commitment to health

A group of health care advocates held a rally on April 30 to call

on Rep. Chris Cox to step up and deliver more tax dollars for

health-related causes.

The rally was held at Santa Ana nursing facility SunBridge.

Members of the SunBridge staff, the Gray Panthers, AARP, and

Latino Health Access attended the noontime rally.

The group, in a press release, said more than “$1 billion in

federal aid to protect California health care depends on Rep.

Christopher Cox and U.S. House.”

Group members urged Cox, the fifth highest ranking member of the

House, to secure more money for health care in the state.

“As the chair of the House Republican Policy Committee, Cox can

provide leadership on the urgent issue,” the group said.

Cox defended his voting record, saying Medicare spending has

increased more than 70%, from $180.1 billion to $256.8 billion, since

his election to House leadership in 1995.

“I have worked hard in the House to ensure that senior citizens in

California and across the country are protected and receive the

health care they deserve,” Cox said Wednesday. “Two times now, the

House has passed a prescription drug bill. Twice I have voted for

adding a prescription drug benefit to Medicare. I am confident that

next week, the House will again vote to add a prescription drug plan

to Medicare.”

Wilson is running and is endorsed

After announcing his intention to run for an Assembly seat, County

Chairman Tom Wilson unveiled a handful of endorsements this week.

Wilson, who represents the 3,500 residents in Newport Coast, has

pinned down support from former Rep. Ron Packard (R-Carlsbad) as he

seeks the 73rd Assembly District seat now held by Patricia Bates

(R-Laguna Niguel).

“Tom’s a uniter,” Packard said. “I can’t think of a better

candidate for this seat.”

Laguna Niguel Councilwoman Mimi Walters is also in the race. She

is endorsed by Bates, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) and Assemblyman

John Campbell.

Who is the real ‘hoser’ in this race?

Sparks continue to fly in the race to replace Sen. Ross Johnson in

the 35th District.

On May 1, Assemblyman Ken Maddox called out Campbell with a

missive titled: “Assemblyman John Campbell Hoses California

Firefighters.”

Both men are seeking the Senate seat.

Maddox singled out Campbell’s “No” vote on a bill that would have

provided compensation to the families of firefighters who lose their

relative to asbestosis, a rare, potentially deadly disease caused by

overexposure to asbestos.

“If we’re going to ask these guys to risk their lives, then we’d

better be willing to cover them if their lives are lost,” Maddox

said.

Campbell’s campaign consultant, Chris Wysocki, said the statement

was “a cheap shot.”

“It’s absolutely false that John Campbell is hosing California

firefighters,” Wysocki said. “This bill is five lines long. There’s

no burden of proof that the firefighter obtained asbestosis on the

job.”

Also on May 1, Campbell attacked Maddox in a “Ken Maddox Truth

Alert” for voting against spending cuts. Maddox opposed four bills

that would have cut more than $1 billion.

“By voting against these much-needed spending reductions ... Ken

Maddox has shown his true colors that he is in no way a fiscal

conservative,” Wysocki said.

Maddox said he opposed the four bills, but supported about $2.35

billion in other cuts.

“The items I refused to support were for the blind, indigent

senior citizens and public safety,” Maddox said. “There’s a lot of

fat still in this budget.”