Three babies and a congressman

Alicia Robinson

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher’s next legislative proposal may be for cheaper

diapers or day care. The Huntington Beach Republican lawmaker became

a father three times over Tuesday night when his wife, Rhonda

Carmony, gave birth to triplets at Saddleback Memorial Hospital in

Orange.

Though they were a month premature, the two girls and one boy are

reportedly healthy and will go home soon. Daughter Annika Brigit

Rohrabacher, 4 pounds 6 ounces, was born first around 5:15 p.m. Her

brother, Christian August Rohrabacher, 3 pounds 15 ounces, and her

sister, Tristen Francis Rohrabacher, 3 pounds 7 ounces, followed.

“The only prerequisite I have is that all of them have got to at

least try to be surfers,” the jubilant father quipped Wednesday.

“Trying to be Republicans will be their own choice.”

He was on his way to the Los Angeles airport to fly back to

Washington, D.C., when he got a call to come back.

“Usually it’s bumper-to-bumper traffic at 4 o’clock [p.m.] and

there was no traffic on the road at all, so I got there just in

time,” Rohrabacher said.

The congressman expects to spend more time in the district to be

with his family. He’ll still devote his energies to his job, but he

said the rewards of fatherhood will be much greater.

“What you’re doing in Congress is for the whole country and for

everybody else’s kids,” he said. “It’s a lot easier when you’re doing

it for your own kids.”

Land-use bill moves on to next stage

A bill introduced by 68th District Assemblyman Ken Maddox to

prohibit discrimination against religious groups in land-use matters

completed the first leg of its legislative journey Wednesday when the

local government committee approved it.

The bill would prevent communities from treating religious and

nonreligious uses differently in zoning decisions. It would also

prohibit excluding churches from particular areas.

Maddox has been working for more than two years on the bill, which

moves next to the judiciary committee for a May 4 hearing.

Campbell attacks lawsuit-friendly law

A statement from 70th District Assemblyman John Campbell’s office

said he is asking for the repeal of a law that allows employees to

bring civil suits against employers for any labor code violation even

without proof of harm to the employee.

Campbell’s bill to repeal the law, which he was pushing with the

backing of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, was voted down in the Assembly

labor committee last week. But Campbell is still urging action to

repeal the law, which he said could expose the state to frivolous

lawsuits costing hundreds of millions of dollars.

Campbell’s colleagues also killed another of his legislative

proposals last week. The “holiday bill,” which would have reduced

state workers’ annual paid holidays from 14 to 12, was voted down by

the public employees safety and retirement committee. But Campbell

never expected the bill to be popular, though he said it could save

the cash-strapped state more than $21 million a year.

“Every public employee union in the state came up and said how it

would end life as we know it,” Campbell said. “[The committee

members] were all afraid to vote for it. The public employee unions

are an extremely powerful money donating group. They wield an

enormous influence -- an enormous abusive influence, in my opinion --

in the capital.”

Tricks to running and endorsing runners

It’s that time again, or rather, it always seems to be the time to

talk about campaigning for some politicos.

Women who are interested in seeking elected office or helping

someone else run can learn more about fundraising, how to spend

campaign cash and how to round up volunteers at a seminar Saturday at

UC Irvine in room 1100 of the Social Sciences Plaza A.

Sponsored by the nonpartisan National Women’s Political Caucus,

the event also welcomes men. For more information, call (714)

638-2755 or e-mail nwpcoc@yahoo.com.

Parties for president held all over O.C.

While the president may have sworn off drinking, that doesn’t mean

his supporters have to.

Orange County residents can hoist a pint for Dubya at one of

several “Parties for the President” being held around the county

tonight. More than 60 people are expected for a Costa Mesa

celebration at the Harp Inn, an Irish pub and restaurant. The Orange

County Young Republicans are organizing the event.

A news release from the Bush campaign touts the parties as a way

to strengthen the President’s grass roots support and counts 5,021

parties to be held nationwide today. The Costa Mesa party is

scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the Harp Inn, 130 E. 17th St.