Casting a Big Shadow. There are eight...

Casting a Big Shadow. There are eight Republican candidates vying for the congressional seat being given up by Rep. Daniel E. Lungren (R-Long Beach), but judging from the early campaign rhetoric it’s President Reagan who casts the biggest political shadow in this race. In this staunchly conservative Republican district, which stretches from Torrance through Long Beach and into Orange County, several candidates are pledging their allegiance to the President, although he’ll be out of office by the time the winner is sworn in.

Two candidates have a legitimate claim to affinity with the President, since they both worked for him until recently.

For seven years Dana Rohrabacher has been a presidential speech writer, writing major addresses and Saturday morning radio talks for the President. Much of the Reagan rhetoric originated with Rohrabacher. Now, Rohrabacher says, he’s coming home to California to continue what he calls “the Reagan revolution.”

To listen to Rohrabacher is to hear an echo of vintage Reagan speeches--a spirited defense of the Contras, whom he refers to as “the Freedom Fighters,” and sharp criticism of Democrats in Congress for driving up government spending.

Rohrabacher claims the support of Citizens for the Republic, the President’s own political action committee.

Andrew Littlefair of Torrance also seems intent on basking in the Reagan afterglow. He has served as a campaign aide and staff assistant in the White House advance office, which plans presidential trips. After leaving the White House last year, Littlefair moved to Amarillo, Tex., where he was an assistant to corporate takeover artist T. Boone Pickens.

Despite the hiatus, you’d think Littlefair was still tied to the Reagan Administration. His campaign press kit includes thank-you notes from Reagan and Vice President George Bush, plus a photo of the President and Littlefair shaking hands in the Oval Office.

But other candidates are not willing to allow this association with the President to go exclusively to Reagan’s former aides.

Torrance attorney and former Palos Verdes Estates Councilman Robert Welbourn issued a statement earlier this month praising the President for decisive action in sending American troops to Honduras to assist the Contras.

Meanwhile, front-runner Harriett Wieder is also pledging that if elected she will “expand the legacy begun by President Reagan.” The Orange County supervisor called for support of a strong defense, line-item veto power over the federal budget for the President, and a crackdown on drug abuse. And like Reagan, she blames Democrats in Congress for the nation’s budget deficit.

Who Says Talk is Cheap? South Bay legislators were paid anywhere from $100 to $3,000 to give speeches to trade associations, businesses and professional groups last year. And the money went straight to their pockets.

Speech making has become a lucrative sideline to lawmaking. Unlike campaign contributions, which must be used for political purposes, state law allows lawmakers to personally use the money they earn from giving speeches, although they must report the proceeds annually to the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission.

Assemblyman Curtis R. Tucker (D-Inglewood) drew the top honors among South Bay legislators by collecting $20,880 in speaking fees last year. Tucker, chairman of the Assembly Health Committee, spoke primarily to organizations representing doctors, pharmaceutical companies, ambulance operators, hospital administrators, business consultants and accountants. In addition, Tucker received a trip to New Orleans last October worth $1,462 paid for by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals.

Next on the list of those accumulating honorariums was Assemblyman David Elder (D-Long Beach), who received $13,700 for speaking to doctors, business people, engineers, educators, contractors, firefighters, highway patrol officers, insurance companies, prison guards and utility companies.

Assemblyman Gerald N. Felando (R-San Pedro), a dentist, collected $7,600 for speaking to dentists, optometrists, fishermen and drug companies. He received $2,500 for a single speech to the California Seafood Institute. The assemblyman, his wife and chief deputy were also treated to a weeklong trip to New York last December; the nearly $8,000 tab was picked up by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals.

Sen. Diane Watson (D-Los Angeles) received $6,200 for her talks with doctors, drug companies, manufacturers, teachers and cable TV companies.

Her colleague Sen. Robert G. Beverly (R-Manhattan Beach) collected $3,500 for speeches to business people, doctors, hospitals, insurance companies and optometrists.

Sen. Ralph C. Dills (D-Gardena) collected a single honorarium, a $3,000 fee for a talk to the California Beer and Wine Wholesalers.

Assemblyman Richard E. Floyd (D-Hawthorne) reported receiving $2,850, primarily for speaking to attorneys.

The assemblyman, who is sponsoring a bill to loosen state laws on issuance of permits to carry a concealed weapon, also received a 12-gauge shotgun from the National Rifle Assn.

Slow Starter. As a legislator facing a primary challenger, Democrat Assemblyman Tucker doesn’t have the typical bulging incumbent’s war chest for a campaign treasury. The latest campaign contribution report shows the Inglewood lawmaker had just over $30,200 on hand in mid-March, far short of the $200,000 he expects to spend to fend off a challenge from Inglewood City Councilman Daniel Tabor.

The veteran assemblyman isn’t worried, though, because he has contributed often to other Democratic lawmakers and can call for help if he needs it. “If I need any extra dough, I can get it from the Democratic Caucus,” Tucker said. I’ll raise enough to run a nice campaign.”