Running the attack on high

S.J. Cahn

It’s a bit hard to tell who, exactly, Judge Jim Gray is running

against.

Though the Libertarian Orange County judge and Newport Beach

resident is a candidate for the U.S. Senate, he seems to have his

sights set on a slightly higher target. Earlier this month, Gray sent

out another call for U.S. forces to be pulled from Iraq.

“Iraq has diverted attention and needed resources of momentum and

materiel from the critical, essential and forgotten war on terror,”

Gray wrote in an e-mail to supporters, which he calls Gray-a-Grams.

“It is in our national interest that we quickly conclude our work in

Iraq, by internationalizing the mission so that we may bring our

forces home.”

Gray is also known for his opposition to the U.S. war on drugs and

the Patriot Act.

Cox scores victory for Back Bay

Rep. Chris Cox scored two legislative victories earlier this

month, and in one case the Upper Newport Bay is set to reap the

rewards.

Cox’s Back Bay bill passed the Senate and is heading for the

president’s desk to be signed into law. The bill, known officially as

the “Irvine Basin Surface and Groundwater Improvement Act,”

authorizes the Bureau of Reclamation to help with planning,

development and design of a natural treatment system of man-made

wetlands for the San Diego Creek Watershed. The wetlands will be

designed to clean away surface run-off.

“The San Diego Creek is one of this region’s major watersheds. It

empties into Upper Newport Bay, one of the largest wetlands in the

entire coastal region between Los Angeles and San Diego -- and one of

the last,” Cox said in a statement. “Upper Newport Bay is home to

over 75 species of fish and nearly 200 species of birds, and several

threatened or endangered species.”

Congress has appropriated $1 million for the design of the

project, and Cox has requested an additional $1 million to begin

construction of the project in 2005.

The total cost is expected to be $41 million. Under the bill, 25%

will come from the federal government, and the rest will come from

local and private sources.

The congressman also managed to get House approval of a plan to

have the Navy look into the feasibility of establishing a veterans’

memorial at the proposed Great Park. The memorial would honor

veterans from throughout the county.

Hope he has a sense for numbers

County Republicans have a new financial head.

Party Chairman Scott Baugh on May 17 appointed Frank P. Greinke as

chairman of the party’s Finance Committee, which is charged with the

all-important task of fundraising.

“The county party is preparing to move forward with aggressive

political and fundraising plans,” Baugh said. “I am pleased to

appoint a well-respected Republican to help lead the county party’s

fundraising efforts.”

Greinke, who lives in Orange, also is a founding member of the New

Majority, a more centrist GOP group that had its share of run-ins

with former chairman Tom Fuentes.