Campbell gets right to the point

Paul Clinton

Newport-Mesa residents are no strangers to elected leaders who

wield some political muscle. The latest entry to this list is

Assemblyman John Campbell, who has become the Republican point man on

the state budget crisis.

Campbell, who represents Newport Beach in the 70th Assembly

District seat, has been quoted regularly in media coverage of Gov.

Gray Davis and legislators’ attempts to manage a budget deficit that

could be as much as $36 billion.

He has also been deluged with calls and e-mails from constituents

and other state residents about the issue.

On a recent day, Campbell’s office received 1,500 e-mails. Over a

four-day stretch, including the past weekend, Campbell received 2,200

e-mails. His office has been diligently responding to each one.

Republican leaders named Campbell as vice chair of the Budget

Committee last year, as the state budget issue began to heat up.

On Tuesday, Campbell’s office announced that he had won the 2003

Legislator of the Year Award from the Consulting Engineers and Land

Surveyors of California.

“This is a great honor,” Campbell said. “To be recognized by such

an outstanding organization is very gratifying.”

Campbell was re-elected in November to his seat, after his first

two-year term.

GROUP GETS BEHIND THE TROOPS

With talk of a potential war against Iraq heating up, local

antiwar groups have been holding demonstrations near South Coast

Plaza, on the campus of UC Irvine and at other areas in Newport-Mesa.

This Saturday, a different group will hold quite a different

rally.

The Orange County Young Republicans will hold a “Support

America/Support Our Troops” rally at noontime at the same South Coast

Plaza intersection anti-war demonstrators use Friday evenings.

“Our members want to show support for the president of the United

States and the administration during this time,” said Lee M. Lowrey,

the group’s president. “We also want to show our support for the

brave men and women who are serving to protect our freedom.”

The group said the rally was planned in response to the antiwar

protests.

COX COMES TO A MAILBOX

NEAR YOU

Rep. Chris Cox has mailed out his annual report to constituents,

pinning blame for the first federal budget deficit in five years on

increased spending and shrinking revenues.

“In 2002, the overall increase in federal spending was the largest

in American history,” Cox said, “and while, despite real growth in

the economy, tax revenues fell for the second consecutive year.”

Cox made the observation in the 14th annual “Report on the United

States Government,” which he has been sending out since he was

elected in 1988.

Much of the spending has been on defense and homeland security,

Cox said. The congressman said the deficit has been chiefly caused by

“unsustainable rates of spending growth.”

Federal expenditures reached a record $2.44 trillion in 2002, an

increase of $163 billion over the year before, Cox said. The lower

tax revenue is attributable to broad stock market declines, which

have reduced capital gains taxes the federal government can collect.

STILL FIGHTING THE

DEMOCRATIC FIGHT

Democratic Congressional challenger Gerrie Schipske hasn’t stopped

firing shots at Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, two months after losing to the

seven-term congressman on Nov. 5. She secured 34% of the vote.

In a missive to reporters last week, Schipske criticized

Rohrabacher for comments about the men and women serving in the

military. Schipske, in a one-page release, quoted Rohrabacher as

saying that a potential draft would result in a uniform taking on “a

symbol of servitude.”

Schipske, in the release, did not say where she had pulled the

out-of-context quote.

Schipske also criticized Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld about

remarks, again quoted with no reference, on draftees.

Schipske, a Long Beach resident, teaches at Cal State Long Beach

and works as an attorney and nurse in that city.